A Comparative Study of the Psychological Values of Contemporary Game Players

Abstract

A major purpose of this study was to investigate the recent phenomenon of computer game play by contrasting those who play arcade and other types of computer games with those who play the more traditional sport and board games. Computer game players, may hold values that differ from those of other game players, values that are indicative of possible changes occurring in modern society. The appearance of new games in a culture is often symptomatic of changes in cultural values. These values are transmitted to children and can be observed in their game play. To assess current values held by the three game-playing groups, two typologies were selected--one based on psychological needs and the other on behavioral dispositions. From university bowling classes, 154 undergraduate subjects were selected according to their membership in one of the three game playing groups. Results revealed that a typology based on psychological needs did not differentiate among the groups. However, the behavioral disposition (or action style) typology significantly separated the sport players from the other two groups. It was concluded that sport players were raised in an environment stressing achievement, while the other two groups were raised in an environment stressing responsibility.