Video Game Players’ Motivation Predicts Complex and Transformative Emotions During the Gaming Experience

Video gaming is one of the most popular leisure activities in the world. The complexity and variety of video games allow users to experience a wide range of emotions. Video games, both action and problem solving-based, have a potential positive impact on people’s emotional health, in terms of emotional induction and regulation. The aim of the present study is to expand knowledge concerning the complexity of emotional experiences in relation to the video game experience. 155 video gamers completed a survey with questions concerning their gaming motivation, investigated through the Gaming Motivation Scale (GAMS), the timing of playing activity, the gaming preferences and the experience of complex emotions during the gaming experience (through a specific ad hoc questionnaire). The last questionnaire included a brief description of eight complex emotions (e.g., awe, elevation, guilt, shame, boredom, interest). The main findings are that the transformative experience of awe during play appears positively predicted by amotivation and identified regulation while the experience of elevation is predicted only by identified regulation and gaming preferences. Predictors of the other emotions are consistent with previous literature. The motivation of players when they approach video games influences their emotions during gameplay. Future studies should explore motivation profiling to design media with rich emotional opportunities.