The time loss effect in gaming: an exploration of gamers' time perception from a dual-process perspective

Gaming Disorder has been included in the 11th revision of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases as a recurrent gaming behaviour with a lack of control from the gamer. One important aspect of gaming disorder, and gaming in general, is the time loss effect which can be defined as the underestimation of the time spent on an activity (i.e., gaming in this case). Since this process may lead the gamers to experience multiple negative consequences (e.g., conflicts with education and occupation, relationship problems, etc.) due to the increased time spent on videogames, the main objective of this thesis was to explore a potential underlying mechanism of time loss: time perception. This thesis contributed to knowledge by (i) systematically reviewing the variables commonly associated with both gaming (i.e., healthy and disordered) and time perception, allowing a deeper understanding of these two variables’ interaction; (ii) testing the Dual-Process Contingency Model of time perception within durations above one minute; (iii) testing both the prospective and retrospective time perception of the gamers in comparison to non-gamers in a neutral setting; and (iv) testing how emotion and cognition affect the gamers’ retrospective time perception. The new primary data from this thesis were collected using quantitative approaches, utilizing both experimental (i.e., computer tasks) and psychometric (i.e., online survey) data collection. These data from three experimental studies and one psychometric study were analysed through multiple types of analysis such as ANOVAs, regressions, or general linear models. The results first indicated that the Dual-Process Contingency Model of time perception, unifying RTP and PTP, was not valid for longer time durations. Second, the results showed that the gamers exhibited a better PTP (but a similar RTP) than non-gamers when estimating time in a neutral setting. However, the gamers underestimated time when processing gaming pictures, this effect being stronger when the task to complete was more complicated. In conclusion, it appears from the studies carried out that the reason underlying the observed time loss effect experienced by gamers was impaired retrospective time perception occurring when aroused by gaming stimuli

Does social comparison and Facebook addiction lead to negative mental health? A pilot study of emerging adults using structural equation modelling

Recent research has observed that among the ever-increasing young users of social networking sites (e.g., Facebook), some present problematic use similar to other behavioral addictions. While regular use of Facebook is not systematically associated with mental health disorders, its addictive use has been consistently associated with higher level of depression and loneliness. Therefore, further research is needed in studying the separate impacts of regular and addictive Facebook use on young adults’ lives. The present study explored the role of Facebook addiction and social comparison on mental health and types of social networking sites (SNSs) usage (i.e., active versus passive usage), hypothesizing that addiction and social comparison will predict negative mental health outcomes and higher SNS usage. The study sample comprised 280 students at a British university. The data were analyzed using structural equation modelling to test for the significance of the relationships between these variables as well as the appropriateness of the overall hypothesised model. Results demonstrated that Facebook addiction significantly predicted depression, loneliness, and both active and passive SNS usage, and social comparison significantly predicted the level of depression significantly. The overall model also demonstrated a good fit which indicates that the hypothesized associations between the variables were strong. It is argued that the association between Facebook addiction and mental health could be a vicious cycle because no causation direction can be excluded. The implications of the study findings and future research directions are also discussed

The arousing and attentional effects of facial expressions on time perception: a systematic review

Although time perception has mainly been explored through the prospective paradigm, it appears that emotional stimuli lead to an overestimation of time either through an arousing or an attentional effect. Amongst the emotional stimuli, emotional expressions are of interest due to their social importance. The purpose of this paper was to systematically review research carried out into emotional expression interference on time perception. A systematic literature review of 13 peer-reviewed papers with an empirical design that tested healthy participants was conducted on studies exploring both time perception and emotional expression. Furthermore, the papers were only included if they were written in English language and dated from at least the year 1964 (i.e. following Treisman's model of time perception in 1963). Findings showed a congruent overestimation when participants were exposed to emotional faces, especially when they expressed anger. This interaction was mediated by the dynamism of the stimuli used (i.e. there was a stronger effect if the expressions were animated), the model gaze and direction (i.e. nullified effect when the face was directed away from the participant), the embodiment effect (i.e. nullified effect when participants could not mimic the expression), and participant age (i.e. stronger effect of positive expressions amongst elderly participants). In conclusion, it emerged that two underlying mechanisms explain the overestimation observed when confronted with emotional expressions-attention and arousal. Although these two mechanisms appear to impair time perception independently, the studies on the stimuli dynamism indicated a potential conjoint effect of these mechanisms

“I am the character, the character is me”: a thematic analysis of the user-avatar relationship in videogames

Far from merely being a tool to navigate a virtual world, individuals can often develop strong and complex relationships with their videogame characters. The present study examined the bond that can develop between a user and their avatar, as well as factors that can influence this relationship dynamic through the use of thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 12 videogame players from the UK and US aged between 18 and 27 years. The results identified five major themes, comprising: (i) 'heterogeneity of game worlds'; (ii) 'avatar attachment'; (iii) 'game experiences affecting physical world behaviour and attitudes'; (iv) 'types of self in a virtual world' (with the sub-themes of 'actual self', 'idealised self', and 'utopian self'); and (v) 'game difficulty affecting user-avatar relationship'. The results showed gamers use their avatars as a means to insert a virtual version of themselves into the videogame or to attain a desired version of the self, sometimes including elements of fantasy. In addition, participants indicated that games with an advanced difficulty and avatar customisation appeared to facilitate stronger bonds to a character. Finally, several avenues of future research are discussed, in particular pertaining to the advancement of research relating to the Proteus effect

The Proteus effect in Fallout: investigating gender-conforming behaviours in videogames

Avatars are often a key component of many videogames, and users can frequently develop relationships with these virtual characters that can impact their gameplay behaviour. The purpose of the present study was to explore the Proteus effect (PE) and the impact that avatar gender can have on an individual’s gameplay experience in Fallout: New Vegas, a videogame environment that has not been present in any previous PE research. A total of 353 participants were recruited using an online survey measuring three previously unexplored gameplay behaviours, comprising (i) number of quests completed, (ii) number of locations discovered, and (iii) number of non-player characters (NPCs) or enemies killed. The results of the present study indicated that players controlling an avatar of the same gender to their physical selves demonstrated a significantly greater performance across the variables of quest completion and location discovery than players controlling an avatar of a different gender. Furthermore, a newly identified potential PE consequence was found in terms of the number of NPCs or enemies killed, with players controlling a female avatar achieving a significantly higher score on this measure irrespective of the physical world gender of the user