The influence of social distance perception among gamers on relationships between game motivation and interpersonal competency

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships between game use negative motivation factors and interpersonal competency and explore the moderating effect of social distance on those relationships. For this, the present study collected data from 228 college students in South Korea through a survey method and used hierarchical multiple regression analyses. In the results, first, the more manipulation, customization, or immersion/escape participants pursue in gameplay, the more they decrease interpersonal competency. Second, a positive relationship between immersion/escape motivation and interpersonal competency is weaker for participants with more social exclusion experience rather than low. However, social exclusion was found to have no significance in the relationship between other motivators and interpersonal competency.