%0 Journal Article
%T Locus of control and involvement in videogaming
%A Claire Jones
%A Ignas Kuliesius
%A Joanne Lloyd
%A Sally Frost
%J New Media & Society
%@ 1461-7315
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/1461444819828308
%X An external locus of control (feeling low personal control over one¡¯s life) has been linked with excessive/addictive behaviours, including problematic videogaming. The current study sought to determine whether this is driven by the opportunity for greater control over one¡¯s environment within a videogame. Participants (n£¿=£¿252, 59% males) completed a traditional locus of control scale, alongside a modified version assessing in-game feelings of control. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that feeling less under the control of powerful others in-game than in the real world was a significant predictor of gaming frequency (standardised ¦Â£¿=£¿.31, p£¿<£¿.0005), while feeling comparatively more internal control in-game than in real life significantly predicted problematic gaming (standardised ¦Â£¿=£¿.17, p£¿=£¿.02). This demonstrates that locus of control in-game can diverge from that experienced in the real world, and the degree of divergence could be a risk factor for frequent and/or problematic gaming in some individuals
%K Addiction
%K enjoyment
%K locus of control
%K problem gaming
%K videogame genre
%K videogames
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1461444819828308