Escapist fantasy vs. digital socialization: personality traits, gameplay styles, and social anxiety of online game players in China

Qingqing Hu (), Yuchen Zhu and Ying Liang
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Qingqing Hu: Northwest University
Yuchen Zhu: Luoyang Central Hospital Affiliated To Zhengzhou University
Ying Liang: Chongqing Finance and Economics College

Palgrave Communications, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract This study aims at contributing to the literature by investigating how Chinese gamers’ personality traits and online gaming influence their social anxiety. Specifically, we employed an online survey as the main research method to examine the connections between online game players’ Big Five personality traits, gameplay styles, and offline and online social anxieties. A total of 349 Chinese online game players were recruited in the survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and several other statistical procedures (e.g., hierarchical regression) were used to analyze data. Results suggested that (1) while players with distinct gameplay style preferences all demonstrated relatively high openness, some personality traits were more associated with certain styles than others, (2) online gaming helped players reduce their offline and online social anxieties, and (3) different combinations of gameplay styles have different effects on social anxieties (e.g., most gameplay styles helped reduce social anxieties, but a combination of high-recreational, high-challenging, and low-social gameplay styles increased them). Findings here provide empirical reference to illustrate how Chinese gamers’ personality traits are associated with their gameplay preferences, and how these two constructs jointly influence gamers’ social anxieties in the network society.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-04705-2

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