Abstract :
[en] People play video games (VG) for a variety of reasons, which primarily include escapism, socialization, and stress relief (Barr & Copeland-Stewart, 2022; Entertainment Software Association, 2021). Players also state that they play violent video games (VVG) to relieve stress and overcome negative emotions (Oswald et al., 2014). Need satisfaction through violent and non-violent gameplay and gaming motives are positively correlated to mental health (Johannes et al., 2021). However, this may depend on the personality profiles. For example, people with greater expressions of so-called Dark Tetrad personality characteristics (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, sadism, and trait aggression) prefer and play more VVG (Greitemeyer, 2015; Greitemeyer et al., 2019) and can benefit from playing VVG (Wagener et al., 2024). This online survey (N=666) investigated the motivations of VG players with different profiles of these “dark” personality traits and how these relate to their self-reported mental health. Even though players stated stress relief as one of the most prominent motives, they did not feel more relaxed after playing. Results also revealed a negative correlation of VG exposure and mental-health outcomes. VG players with increased trait aggression or Dark Tetrad trait expressions preferred and played more VVG. These players also played mainly for prestige, competition, and aggression. Interestingly, VG players with more pronounced psychopathic traits who played for competitive reasons and players with stronger sadistic traits motivated by aggression reported less psychological distress. The present results further support the need for research to consider personality profiles in the investigation of (violent) gaming effects.
