Exploring characteristics of videogame use and mental health in expert and casual female gamers

Background: Scientific findings on gaming have been largely based on male players. Only a few studies have been conducted on female-only samples or have systematically examined gender differences. These studies have revealed gender-specific tendencies of game genre preferences, gaming patterns, motives to play, mental health, and gaming disorder (GD). Researchers have recently begun to investigate correlates of skillful or competitive play and its distinction from GD. Those aspects are not well understood, especially when it comes to women. Thus, the current study aims to explore the specificities of female expert players.

Methods: An international sample of 128 female gamers completed an online survey. Chi-square and t-test analyses were used to compare female who self-identified as expert or professional players ("experts", n = 43) to those who identified as having a beginner or intermediate gaming expertise ("casuals", n = 85). A logistic regression analysis allowed to identify significant predictors of GD across all 128 women.

Results: Significant differences were found between experts and casuals with regards to sociodemographic characteristics, game usage, game genre, motives to play, self-esteem, and well-being. However, no difference was found between groups with regards to GD. Finally, a few common predictors of GD were identified.

Conclusions: Results suggest that high female expertise in videogames is not necessarily linked with a higher risk of GD than casual involvement, but rather can be related to higher levels of subjective well-being and self-esteem. Results also confirm that female expert gamers report specific motives to play. Expert play should be taken into consideration when investigating GD symptoms in women.