Despite the persistent gamer stereotypes, gaming has never been as popular as it is today. More than 83% of the world’s population plays video games, which works out to a whopping 3.3 billion gamers. And roughly 10% of them are addicted to gaming, unable to tear themselves away from the controllers or smartphones.
In a bid to understand what makes gamers tick – and better treat those with problems – a pair of researchers in Portugal discovered that the growing appeal of moving pixels lies buried deep in our psyche. Their international study singled out four distinct psychological profiles of gamers, teasing out the motivations and emotional patterns that drive people to keep playing.
Methodology
Drawing on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the researchers explored how video games fulfill three core psychological needs:
- Autonomy (freedom of choice).
- Competence (feeling skilled).
- And relatedness (social connection).
When games plug into these specific needs, they can be as satisfying as they are entertaining. But when someone already struggling with managing their emotions gets caught up, a simple game can morph into an unhealthy escape.
The researchers used an approach known as Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to poll a global sample of gamers between the ages of 16 and 69. (Keep in mind that, in 2024, the average age of a U.S. gamer was 34.)
The survey participants ran the gamut of genders, occupations, and game preferences. Breaking down more than two dozen psychological variables, the authors uncovered four core gamer profiles.
The Four Gamer Types
- The Engaged (38%). Making up the largest group, engaged gamers are usually older and more educated. Most of this group went to college and were emotionally well-balanced. They play for fun, as a way to escape their daily lives. For them, the experience is creative exploration. Their moderate gaming time and low risk of gaming disorder (GD) demonstrates a healthy relationship with their hobby. They also score high in autonomy and competence — key SDT indicators of positive motivation.
- The Relational (26%). Younger players largely comprise this second-largest group. They thrive on the social aspect of gaming. They’re looking for connection, competition, and status as part of their play experience. And even though they’re highly skilled and socially motivated, they also report elevated gaming hours and a moderate risk of GD. Emotional regulation crops up as an occasional challenge, especially under stress. Their gaming sometimes stands in for offline social interaction or simply serves as an escape from boredom.
- The Avoidant (20%). This group plays primarily for leisure, escapism, and fantasy. They’re not really interested in either competition or social interaction. These gamers prefer to play solo. Despite that (or maybe because of it), avoidant gamers report the fewest gaming hours and, consequently, exhibit the lowest risk of GD. Their emotional regulation remains relatively stable, which suggests that they use gaming as a controlled, enjoyable pastime. And they don’t let it get in the way of real life.
- The Dysregulated (16%). They might make up the smallest group, but these gamers are also the most vulnerable. These dysregulated gamers tend to be men, with lower academic qualifications. They struggle with impulsivity, emotional awareness, and clarity, all of which are hallmarks of poor emotional regulation. This group logs the most hours and shows the highest signs of GD. They usually play to escape boredom, avoid real-world responsibilities, or chase status and financial rewards through competitive gaming.
Understanding Problematic Gaming
A desire to escape the real world drives the problem gamer to excess. And while escaping a one-room apartment to travel the stars is nothing more than harmless fun for most gamers, overreliance on games to avoid negative emotions can lead to GD. Those with poor emotional regulation often find it difficult to cope with everyday stressors and turn to gaming as a coping (or escape) mechanism.
That being said, the researchers warn against calling all heavy gamers addicts.
“Time spent gaming alone is not a reliable indicator of addiction,” they wrote.
The vast majority of dedicated gamers suffer no negative consequences. That’s why emotional regulation and motivation patterns can sometimes offer a most complete picture of the risk factors involved.
To dig deeper into that, the researchers turned to the I-PACE model, which outlines how personal traits, cognitive biases, and emotional vulnerability combine to “spawn” problematic gaming habits.
A Diverse, Inclusive Look at Gaming
Unlike earlier studies, which typically focused primarily on adolescent boys or specific game genres, this study looped in men, women, and non-binary gamers across every genre. And the researchers found that gaming motivations and emotional patterns cut across demographic lines. Even so, some traits tend to cluster more heavily in specific profiles.
For example, the dysregulated gamer’s ties to impulsivity and emotional suppression are consistent with earlier findings on behavioral addictions. Conversely, engaged and avoidant gamers can normally enjoy the escape as a healthy, enriching activity.
Personalizing Prevention, Tailoring Treatment
The study’s insights carve an optimistic path to more tailored mental health interventions. Instead of employing a one-size-fits-all approach to problematic gamers, treatment efforts can now be tailored to an individual’s emotional regulation profile and gaming motivations.
A relational gamer might benefit from learning healthy social coping strategies, for example, while a dysregulated gamer might need more robust tools to manage negative emotions without picking up a controller.
By decoding the psychological factors that drive us to play (and why so many have a hard time stopping), this new research offers some much-needed nuance to the debate around gaming and mental health. And while the gaming population keeps growing, these results could help academics, clinicians, and even developers better support the players sitting in front of the screens.
Video games aren’t like alcohol or tobacco. They aren’t inherently harmful. In fact, when matched with healthy emotional regulation and intrinsic motivation, they can address deep psychological needs. Understanding the profiles that determine how we interact with games could be the answer to harnessing their power while preventing any potential pitfalls.
Further Reading
Study Finds Dungeons & Dragons Boosts Mental Health
Exploring the Addictive Nature of Fantasy Games Beyond Skill Mastery
Association Between Different Attachment Styles and Trends of Engagement in Violent Video Games
