Escaping through video games: Using your avatar to find meaning in life

The global spread of video games has prompted significant increases in research on addictive gaming behaviour, identifying numerous risk factors including games being used to escape life stressors. However, no studies have evaluated how or why this escape occurs. The present study evaluated whether motivations for escapism and identification with a game's avatar explained the relationship between absence of meaning in life and disordered gaming. The sample consisted of 492 adult Canadians who played video games for a minimum of 1 h weekly over three consecutive months. Ordinary least squares regression moderated mediation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between presence of meaning (PM) and search for meaning (SM) in life (predictors) and risk for disordered gaming (outcome) through escapism and avatar identification (mediators) depending on gaming genre (moderator). Escapism and avatar identification serially mediated the relationship between higher SM and disordered gaming. Avatar identification mediated the relationship between higher PM and disordered gaming. Genre preference did not moderate the effect of escapism on avatar identification. Findings expand current literature on mechanisms and maintenance of problem gaming, providing a cohesive model explaining how numerous risk factors interrelate, contributing to disordered gaming for individuals searching for more fulfilling lives.