The Relationship of Video Game-play Behaviors and Mood Changes
Location
Online - Session 3D
Start Date
4-21-2021 1:30 PM
Major Field of Study
Psychology
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
Ian Madfes, PhD
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
COVID-19 has brought many changes and one of the biggest of these is the dependence on the computer screen for so many things that used to be done in person. Before the pandemic, the “non-gamer world” was the basic, everyday environment with which we were all familiar. There also existed a “game world” in which individuals spent a lot of time in front of a computer screen immersed in a virtual space that had its own “norms” and rules.
The changes brought about by the pandemic have had a profound effect on our reliance on the computer as a substitute for live interactions. There have also been significant effects on people's moods. Incidences of sadness and feelings of isolation have increased. Online classes are an important example of how social interactions have been altered and time in front of a computer has greatly increased. With these changes to our everyday routine, the differences between the gaming world and the real world have lessened. Given that the real world has become more similar to the reality very familiar to gamers, it is expected the pandemic’s negative effects on mood will be much less for gamers.
It is hypothesized that gamers are more likely to present less negative impact on mood than responses of non-gamers to the COVID-19 pandemic environment. Participants were evaluated on a series of questionnaires about their own gaming habits, what their current mood is in the COVID-19 pandemic environment, and what their perceived mood was before the COVID-19 pandemic environment.
The Relationship of Video Game-play Behaviors and Mood Changes
Online - Session 3D
COVID-19 has brought many changes and one of the biggest of these is the dependence on the computer screen for so many things that used to be done in person. Before the pandemic, the “non-gamer world” was the basic, everyday environment with which we were all familiar. There also existed a “game world” in which individuals spent a lot of time in front of a computer screen immersed in a virtual space that had its own “norms” and rules.
The changes brought about by the pandemic have had a profound effect on our reliance on the computer as a substitute for live interactions. There have also been significant effects on people's moods. Incidences of sadness and feelings of isolation have increased. Online classes are an important example of how social interactions have been altered and time in front of a computer has greatly increased. With these changes to our everyday routine, the differences between the gaming world and the real world have lessened. Given that the real world has become more similar to the reality very familiar to gamers, it is expected the pandemic’s negative effects on mood will be much less for gamers.
It is hypothesized that gamers are more likely to present less negative impact on mood than responses of non-gamers to the COVID-19 pandemic environment. Participants were evaluated on a series of questionnaires about their own gaming habits, what their current mood is in the COVID-19 pandemic environment, and what their perceived mood was before the COVID-19 pandemic environment.