How well do online shooting games relieve stress: implications for internet gaming disorder

Abstract

Stress relief has been theorized to play an important role in the onset and maintenance of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). However, experimental evidence on how well (or under which conditions) video games relieve stress has been equivocal. This study aims to resolve the conflicting findings of previous research. Stress was induced in 148 University students (75 male, 73 female) using the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Participants were then randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) the Single Player condition in which they played Overwatch (an online first person shooter game) alone; (2) the Online Multiplayer condition in which they played Overwatch online with other gamers who were not involved in the study; and (3) the Control condition, in which participants watched a video of someone else playing Overwatch. Overwatch was selected because online first-person shooter games are associated with IGD but have not been examined in previous studies. The State Trait Anxiety Inventory and Electrodermal Activity were used to provide pre/post self-report and physiological measures of stress reduction, respectively. Predictors of stress reduction and IGD symptoms were examined. No difference in stress reduction was found between conditions. Higher levels of post-TSST stress (self-report and physiological) predicted an increased chance of a reduction in self-reported state anxiety, while higher levels of baseline stress (self-report and physiological) predicted a decreased chance of self-reported stress reduction. More IGD symptoms (as measured by the IGD-20) and being female predicted an increased chance of reduction in EDA. Low self-esteem, low life satisfaction, and the number of gameplay hours per month predicted a higher IGD-20 score. Implications for IGD and suggestions for future studies are discussed.