An investigation of depression and addiction between online and offline players: And the moderation effect of perceived social support

Albeit having its positive aspects, gaming can result in addiction if it is extreme and interferes with daily functioning. In the field of game addiction, low social support and comorbid depression are common in game-addicted players. However, very little research has been conducted regarding gaming mode, and none of them investigated the potential moderation role of perceived social support. Therefore, the current thesis aims to compare online and offline players in terms of their gender, depression, perceived social support, and game addiction scores as well as examine the moderation influence of perceived social support on the aforementioned variables. The study utilized a sample consisting of 513 subjects as decided by G*Power analysis. The subjects were included in the data analysis only if they were between 18 and 29 ages and played video games from any electronic device at least once a month. After giving their informed consent, they filled out a demographic form, the Game Addiction Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the short form of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. The data was analyzed by utilizing SPSS 26 and PROCESS MACRO extension of SPSS 26. The findings suggested that online games and low perceived social support culminated in high gaming addiction scores. Furthermore, men played online games more than offline whereas women did not show a preference between the two. Lastly, players high on depression were more likely to engage in online gameplay when their levels of perceived social support were low.