The associations between Big Five personality traits, gaming motives, and self-reported time spent gaming

The aim of this study was to provide insights into the associations between the Big Five personality traits, gaming motives, and time spent gaming. Nine hundred and eighty-six participants completed an online survey including socio-demographic questions, a 100-item personality test assessing the Big Five personality traits, and the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire. Moreover, participants provided self-reported information on their weekly time spent gaming. Playing video games for Escapism, Coping, Fantasy, and Competition motives was each associated with different Big Five personality traits. Moreover, when age, gender, personality traits, and gaming motives were included in a multiple linear regression model as predictors of time spent gaming, lower Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness, as well as more gaming for Social, Escapism, and Competition motives predicted greater time spent gaming. The results provide insights into the associations between personality traits, gaming motives, and time spent gaming. Furthermore, these findings may help understanding conditions associated with excessive gaming behaviour, such as gaming disorder.