Impact of COVID-19 on usage motivations in Mexican video gamers: comparison of two cross-sectional studies

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes in social interaction at various periods and countries, as well as in activities carried out in leisure time. In the case of video games, changes are reported regarding their use, with little information about its differences with times before the pandemic. This study compared the motivations for use and its relationship with prosocial behaviors from two cross-sectional studies, one conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and the other surveyed during the lockdown in Mexico. And tests a hypothesis about prosocial behavior as a reason for gaming. A total of 98 adults participated through an online survey, Mexican men, and women with ages ranged from 18-43 years, grouped into two samples of 49 people each. The brief battery of prosocial personality was used, as well as the online game motivations and the uses and gratifications of video games questionnaires. The analyzes comparing the groups showed differences in the game motivations, mainly, a decrease in the competitive use, an increase in its use to socialize, and in the search for immersion in virtual worlds. The hypothesis was not confirmed, but it indicates a positive and significant relationship between prosocial behavior and gaming motivations. It is concluded that in the participation of multiplayer video games during the confinement in Mexico due to COVID-19, there were differences in the motivations for use, with prosocial behavior being an associated factor.