Gaming as a coping strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, social interactions were constrained by physical distancing guidelines. Consequently, some individuals may have turned to video games to cope with isolation and negative emotions. Previous studies have shown that people who struggle with anxiety and depression are at particular risk for developing problem gaming behaviours. However, there is a paucity of longitudinal research testing pathways from negative emotionality to problem gaming behaviours, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, we conducted a multi-wave longitudinal study and predicted that high levels of emotional vulnerability (anxiety and depression) in the first month of the pandemic would prospectively relate to elevated time spent gaming and related problems six months later. We also predicted that elevated coping motives for gaming would mediate these associations. A sample of 332 Canadian gamers (Mage = 33.79; 60.8% men) completed three surveys on Prolific, with the first occurring in April 2020 (one-month after the declared COVID-19 state of emergency) and subsequent surveys were spaced three months apart. High initial levels of emotional vulnerability predicted excessive time spent gaming, as well as related problems, six months into the pandemic. Elevated coping motives for gaming uniquely mediated these pathways. This longitudinal study is the first to show that negative emotionality was a vulnerability factor for coping-related problem gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue to cope with the longer-lasting impacts of the pandemic, it will be important for individuals who struggle with mood and anxiety issues to find more effective ways of coping.