Does playing a video game really result in improvements in psychological well-being in the era of COVID-19?

Does playing a video game really result in improvements in psychological well-being in the era of COVID-19?

Does playing a video game really result in improvements in psychological well-being in the era of COVID-19?

Minseong Kim

Abstract

"This study examines the structural relationships between the perceived value dimensions of quality, emotional, price, and social, positive and negative emotions, psychological well-being, and loyalty in the video game context along with the moderating role of the perceived severity of COVID-19. This study collected data from 258 video game consumers in the United States via three waves of surveys. The findings of structural equation modeling revealed significant associations among the perceived value dimensions, emotions, psychological well-being, and loyalty. In addition, the moderating role of the perceived severity of COVID-19 showed that the impact of video game consumers' positive emotions on psychological well-being would be weaker with a high level of perception of the severity of COVID-19. Based on the empirical results, this research proposes theoretical (i.e., extension of the cognitive appraisal theory in a digital environment, and integration of the cognitive appraisal theory with the two-factor theory of motivation) and practical implications (i.e., how to increase levels of users’ psychological well-being and loyalty via video games) for the video game industry during and after the era of COVID-19."

Reference

Kim, M. (2021). Does playing a video game really result in improvements in psychological well-being in the era of COVID-19?. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 61, 102577. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698921001430

Keywords

perceived value, emotion, well-being, video game, digital product, perceived severity, covid-19