Threshold Effects of Online Gaming on College Students: Gamer Typology, Social Integration, and Mental Health Outcomes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24667/jcen.v1i3.80Keywords:
Online gaming, Threshold effects, Dose-response relationship, Gamer typology, Social support, Depression, Loneliness, College students, Mental health, Protective factorsAbstract
The escalating prevalence of online gaming among college students necessitates investigation into whether its effects on psychological and social well-being are intrinsically harmful or contingent upon consumption patterns and contextual factors. This quantitative cross-sectional study examined 180 college students in Brunei Darussalam to identify threshold effects distinguishing protective from detrimental gaming outcomes. Participants were categorized into four gamer typologies—explorers (33%), achievers (30%), killers (24%), and socializers (13%)—based on established gaming motivational profiles. Gaming duration demonstrated a critical threshold at three hours daily: students gaming at or below three hours daily maintained robust real-life social relationships and reported significantly lower loneliness (r = -0.34, p < 0.01) and depressive symptoms (r = -0.28, p < 0.01) compared to excessive gamers. Students exceeding this threshold exhibited increased loneliness and depressive symptoms, with these negative outcomes substantially mediated by decreased perceived social support and poor-quality in-game social interactions. Notably, social support emerged as a significant protective factor, moderating the relationship between excessive gaming and mental health deterioration. Player typology substantially modulated gaming effects: intrinsically socially-motivated players (socializers) demonstrated psychological resilience despite heavy gaming, whereas competitive/dominance-motivated players (killers) exhibited pronounced vulnerability to excessive engagement. These findings reveal that online gaming's impact is neither uniformly positive nor negative but depends critically on gaming time management, player motivation profiles, and the quality of social interactions, highlighting the necessity of distinguishing between moderate and pathological gaming in college populations. Recommendations include strengthening real-life social support systems, promoting digital wellness awareness programs emphasizing dose-response relationships rather than abstinence, and developing tailored interventions based on player typology.
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