Competitive game motivation and trait aggression among Chinese adolescent players of Glory of the King: The mediating role of avatar identification and game aggression

Abstract Previous studies have shown that competitive video gaming is associated with aggression; however, little is known about the relationship between personal competitive factors and aggression. Thus, we used structural equation modeling to examine the association between competitive game motivation and trait aggression, as well as the potential mediating roles of avatar identification and game aggression, among 1584 (59.66% male; M age = 14.58 years, SD = 1.49, range = 12–19) Chinese adolescent players of Glory of the King . The results showed that the direct effect of competitive game motivation on trait aggression was statistically significant, as were the indirect effects of competitive motivation—via both avatar identification and game aggression—on the three indicators of aggressive behavioral tendencies in everyday life. These results support the General Aggression Model, suggesting that competitive motivation is a personal factor predicting trait aggression. It contributes to our understanding of the roles of competition in video gamers' real‐life aggressive behavior from an individual perspective.