Relação entre videogames de ação, atenção ao momento presente, autorreflexão e medo da COVID-19: pesquisa exploratória com universitários

Abstract

The habit of playing action video games has been associated in different lines of research with significant changes in the attentional system of players. The present research aimed to verify whether there is a relationship between the interaction (in hours) playing action video games and the following aspects of attention: private self-awareness (including its two subfactors, self-reflection and insight), attention to the present moment, orientation to experience (both understood as fundamental aspects of mindfulness), and the fear of Covid-19. Hence, the thesis is composed of three independent but related studies. Study 1 is an integrative review of the literature and aimed to verify the state of the art on the relationship between action video games and attention in players and non-players. The analysis of the papers selected for the research suggests a relationship between the interaction with action video games and a better performance of players when compared to non-players in several aspects of attention. Study 2, in turn, investigated a possible relationship between the amount of interaction with action games and private self-awareness (including its two factors, self-reflection and insight) and attention to the present moment. For this purpose, 1,315 college students (M = 21.6 years old; SD = 2.7) were recruited and responded to the Digital Entertainment and Information Use Questionnaire, the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale, and the Attention and Full Awareness Scale. The Shapiro-Wilk Normality Test, the Kruskal-Wallis Test and the Post-hoc Dunn Test were used to analyze the data. The result showed that Non-players of Action Video Game's (NPAVG) show greater self-reflection features when compared to those who interact between 1 and 3 hours per week with action video games. Thus, the first group demonstrates a greater predisposition to turn their attention to themselves, monitoring information that stems from their inner universe. Furthermore, Players of Action Video Game’s demonstrated more attention to the present moment when compared to NPAVG's. This suggests that players exhibit a more deliberate behavior and less impulsivity, as well as a greater propensity to focus on everyday experiences. Finally, Study 3 investigated a tentative association between mindfulness (here considered as a multifaceted construct) and the interaction with action video games. On that account, the Covid Fear Scale and the Mindfulness Facets Scale were applied to action video game players and non-players aged 18-29 years old (n = 384, M = 21.6, SD = 2.6). The Shapiro-Wilk Normality Test, the Kruskal-Wallis Test, the Chi-squared Test, the Fisher's Exact Test, and the Post-hoc Dunn Test were used to analyze the data. Considering the result obtained in Study 2, a positive relationship was expected between action video games and the facets of mindfulness related to the aspects of attention. However, there was no relationship between the category of games analyzed and any of the mindfulness facets. This result may have been obtained for two reasons: the first due to the two instruments used (the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in Study 2 and the Mindfulness Facet Scale in Study 3) would not measure exactly the same construct; the second because of the very flexibility of mindfulness as a skill, as well as for the fact that Study 2 and Study 3 had different collection times, one at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and the other at its peak of the pandemic in Study 3. Furthermore, the fact that this study was conducted during the pandemic, associated with the increase in video game consumption during this same period, prompted another important question: was there a relationship between interacting with action video games and the fear of Covid-19? The result showed that players who interact with this type of entertainment have less fear of the disease. This association probably occurs due to the escapism behavior that the game provides the player, diverting their attention from the excess of information on the disease and its consequences. Lastly, it is concluded, at the end of the thesis, that action video game players are less predisposed to turn their attention to themselves and are more attentive to the now when compared to non-action video game players. However, the results obtained indicate the need for further studies, seeking to resolve the contradictions observed, especially in the relationship between mindfulness and action video games. On the other hand, this entertainment category is related to a lower fear of Covid-19. It would be then compelling to verify a possible causal relationship between these two factors, the interaction with action video games and the fear of Covid-19. In this way, it would be possible to evaluate if action video games could work as a tool for reducing stress and psychological distress in situations of excessive apprehension such as the one experienced during the pandemic of the new coronavirus.