Subjective Perceptions of Gaming Motivation Among College Students at High Risk of Gaming Disorder: A Q-Methodological Study

Background and Purpose
Gaming is a popular form of leisure and social interaction; however, excessive gaming has been linked to adverse psychological, physical, and social outcomes. Academic pressure, career uncertainty, and interpersonal stress may increase college students’ reliance on gaming as a means of emotion regulation or avoidance. Despite growing concerns about gaming, most research has applied variable-centered approaches, limiting understanding of the heterogeneity in gaming motivations. This study identified distinct typologies of gaming motivation among college students at risk of gaming disorder in South Korea and examined their associated psychological and behavioral characteristics. Accordingly, this study was guided by the following research questions: RQ1: What distinct subjective typologies of gaming motivation emerge among college students at risk of gaming disorder? RQ2: How are these motivational typologies characterized, and in what ways are they associated with differential patterns of gaming behavior?

Methods
This study employed Q methodology to examine subjective gaming motivations. The concourse was developed through a literature review, online content analysis, and in-depth interviews. An initial pool of 539 statements was reduced to a final Q-set of 34 items through expert review. A purposive sample of 25 college students at high risk of gaming disorder completed Q-sorting using a forced quasi-normal distribution on a 9-point scale in December 2024. The sample demonstrated a sociologically diverse sample, with 72% male and 28% female participants and a mean age of 22.2 years. All participants scored 73 or higher on the Internet Gaming Disorder–20, with a mean score of 80.08, indicating elevated risk for gaming disorder. Data were analyzed using Ken-Q Analysis software, with factor extraction conducted via principal component analysis followed by varimax rotation. Five factors were retained, with eigenvalues of 7.84, 2.72, 2.33, 1.81, and 1.71, accounting for 65% of the total variance.

Results
Based on the analysis of the P-set, the 25 participants were classified into five types. The distribution across types was as follows: nine participants (36%) in Type 1, seven participants (28%) in Type 2, and three participants (12%) each in Types 3, 4, and 5. Five motivational profiles emerged: strategic efficiency seekers, external recognition seekers, escapism and immersion seekers, emotional healing seekers, and goal achievement immersion seekers. These profiles reflect diverse psychological functions of gaming, including performance optimization, social validation, experiential escape, emotional regulation, and mastery-oriented engagement.

Conclusions and Implications
Findings provide a person-centered, empirically grounded framework that advances understanding of gaming motivation by capturing its multidimensional and subjective nature. The results offer clinically relevant insights for social work practice, supporting the development of tailored prevention and intervention strategies for college students and promoting a shift from deficit-based perspectives toward a more detailed understanding of gaming behavior within mental health contexts.