Caught Them All : Spending and Addiction Among Core Pokémon Go Players
AbstractPokémon Go (2016) not only enjoys tremendous worldwide appeal among players, the game has also captivated the scientific community. The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics and motivations of hardcore Pokémon Go players by analyzing self-reported data from 1630 trainers of level 25 and higher. There were more female players in our sample, yet males spent more time playing and showed more progress in the game. Male players showed stronger in-game motivational needs for relatedness and competence, whereas female players showed a stronger need for autonomy. Players’ need for relatedness was the strongest predictor of spending on microtransactions. Approximately 3% of these players had experienced the criteria of gaming disorder by reporting signs of obsessive, compulsive and problematic use over at least six months. Gaming disorder was also related to social anxiety and spending on in-game microtransactions