This ongoing project examines how and why people use video games to cope with stress and regulate their emotions, especially in light of the increased popularity of gaming during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on foundational theories of stress and coping, mood management, and media entertainment as a self-regulatory resource, I aim to synthesize and expand these frameworks to better account for the unique psychological affordances of video games and the diversity of players’ motivations and needs.
Through an iterative mixed methods approach incorporating surveys, experience sampling, interviews, and computational analysis, I explore questions such as: To what extent do people use games to cope with stress, and what factors influence this? How do players decide when and what to play in times of stress? Are games effective for facilitating healthy coping and emotional regulation, and what game features and player differences impact this? By grounding the research in players’ real-world experiences and triangulating quantitative and qualitative insights, my goal is to advance a pragmatic theoretical model of game-based coping that can inform future research, game design, and healthy gaming practices. Preliminary findings highlight the widespread use of games for pandemic stress relief and the importance of considering players’ personalities, motivations, and genre preferences.
Publications and Presentations
- Cahill, T. J. (2024, July). Navigating the virtual playground: How do players choose what, when, and how to play? Presented at DiGRA 2024, Guadalajara, Mexico [Hybrid].
- Cahill, T. J. (2024, June). Gaming habits and regulatory trends: Does playing video games support coping with stress over time? Presented at the 74th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Gold Coast, Australia [Hybrid].
- Cahill, T. J. (2024, June). Selective exposure and emotional regulation through play: A proposed psychophysiological quasi-experimental approach. Presented at the 74th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Gold Coast, Australia [Hybrid].
- Cahill, T. J. (2022, July). Beyond escapism: How do players use games to cope with stress? Presented at DiGRA 2022, Krakow, Poland [Hybrid].
- Cahill, T. J. (2022, May). Motivated to feel better: Motivations for the use of games in coping and emotional regulation. Presented at the 72nd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Paris, France.
- Cahill, T. J. (2021, October). Adaptive play: Examining game-based coping behavior as an individualized stress response. Presented at CHI PLAY 2021 [Virtual].
- Cahill, T. J. (2021, October). The uses of play: Understanding how, when, and why people play games to cope with stress. Presented at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [Virtual].
- Cahill, T. J. (2021, May). Gaming as coping in response to COVID-19 pandemic-induced stress: Results from a U.S. national survey. Presented at the 71st Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Denver, Colorado [Virtual].
- Cahill, T. J. (2021, May). Gaming motivations and psychological needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Presented at the 71st Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, Denver, Colorado [Virtual].