Gender as Moderator of the Relationship Between Performance and Enjoyment of a First-Person-Shooter Video Game

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session III
  In Interactive Paper Session: Game Studies Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

This study used self-determination theory (SDT) to explore the relationship between gender, performance factors, and player enjoyment of a first-person shooter (FPS) video game. As hypothesized, the results suggested that gender moderated the relationship between both subjective game performance evaluations and objective performance scores and enjoyment elicited from the video game. Specifically, the data indicated that men’s enjoyment of the game was not influenced by either real or perceived performance. Women’s enjoyment of the game, however, was positively and significantly influenced by both objective and subjective performance factors. Exploratory analyses on the subsample of women further suggested that the relationship between objective performance and game enjoyment was mediated by subjective performance evaluations.

Author

• Tobias M Hopp, U of Alabama