"I can be happy even when I lose the game": the influence of chronic regulatory focus and primed self-construal on exergamers' mood.
This research explored the effects of priming interdependent self-construals (collective self ) versus independent self-construals (private self ) on exergame players' mood in response to negative performance feedback. An experiment was conducted to test the interaction effects of self-construal priming as a situational factor and game players' chronic regulatory focus as an individual difference factor. To this end, the author leveraged a video-game console (Wii) and an exergame (Dance Dance Revolution) in a controlled, randomized 2 x 2 (experimental priming: interdependent self-construal vs. independent self-construal x game players' chronic promotion regulatory focus: low vs. high) between-subjects factorial design experiment (N = 58). The results of a two-way analysis of variance demonstrated the proposed interaction effect between primed self-construal and game players' chronic regulatory focus on the game players' mood in response to negative performance. The theoretical mechanism underlying the two-way interaction is explicated by regulatory focus and the primed self-construals is explicated by regulatory focus theory and two-basket theory. Practical implications for game developers and theoretical contributions to video-game research are discussed.
Jin
Seung-A Annie
SA
Department of Communication, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. seunga.jin.1@bc.edu
D003198:Computer Simulation; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012649:Self Concept; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D018910:Video Games; D055815:Young Adult