Emerging adults 'in game': Research project on how Individual and family variables influence behaviors and motivations related to video games

Background: Rapid technological developments and easy access to the internet have driven innovation in the gaming industry, which has led to the growing popularity of video games worldwide. Most of the literature has explored the benefits and risks of gaming, as well as its problematic use, particularly in adolescents. However, although less studied, emerging adults present themselves as a group at risk for problematic gaming use, given the developmental characteristics of this period (e.g., experimentation, exploration). This paper presents a research project that aims to contribute to the understanding of gaming in Portuguese emerging adults, by analyzing the influence of individual and family variables and motivations on the type of gaming behavior.

Methods: We’ll use a cross-sectional quantitative methodology and a convenience community sample of 960 Portuguese young adult gamers (aged between 18 and 30 years), to whom an online protocol will be applied, consisting of: (1) Sociodemographic and complementary data questionnaire; (2) Internet Gaming Disorder Scale - Short-Form (IGD9-SF); (3) Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ); (4) Systemic Clinical Outcome Routine Evaluation (SCORE-15); (5) Self-Revised Differentiation Inventory (DSI-R); (6) Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), and (7) Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS).

Results: This project’s main goals are: (1) the adaptation and validation of the Portuguese version of the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire (MOGQ). (2) a quantitative analysis of the influence of individual and family variables, and the inter-influence between both, on the type of behavior (problematic vs. non-problematic) and motivations of young adults. (3) the conceptualization of a model to understand of the interinfluence of individual and family variables in young adult gamers.

Conclusion: This project aims to contribute to the development of scientific knowledge in this area through a comprehensive model of individual and family variables influence on behaviors and motivations related to gaming, looking for prevention/intervention strategies.