A Study of Sensation Seeking and Aggressive Behaviour Among Online Gamers

Abstract

The study evaluated the relationship of online and offline gaming with adolescent sensation seeking and aggression. First, relating the activities of gaming engagement with sensation seeking and aggression was sought from the data. One hundred fifty online gamers, aged 13-18 years, were administered the Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire and the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale. A cross-sectional design was employed, and data were collected via self-administered questionnaires. One-way ANOVA was used for checking the level of aggression and sensation seeking concerning different levels of gaming engagement. Statistically significant differences in aggression were found, F (35, 114) = 2.221, p = .001, indicating that a high level of gaming engagement relates to high aggression. Also, the association found between gaming intensity and aggressive behavior is strong, F(35, 114) = 439.280, p < .000. The differences analyzed revealed sensation seeking, F (2, 147) = 5.464, p = .005, with higher sensation seeking linked with higher gaming activity. The findings suggest that adolescent highly engaged gamers manifest more aggression and sensation-seeking. The study highlights that these personality traits are crucial in understanding the context of online gaming and their probable impact on mental health issues. Preventive and therapeutic interventions are sought for dealing with the negative triage of behavior associated with excessive playing games on the emotional and psychological growth of an adolescent.