The Nexus of Video Gaming Experiences: The Associations Among Basic Needs in Games, Real-Life Basic Needs, Well-Being Indicators, and Problematic Online Gaming

Recent research highlights the vital roles of basic needs in video gaming experiences. Both need-supportive and need-frustrating video gaming experiences have theoretical and practical implications for real-life need satisfaction and frustration, and well-being outcomes. This study aimed to adapt the Basic Needs in Games Scale (BANGS) into Turkish, tested the psychometric properties of “gaming in general” and “gaming in a particular game” versions of the Turkish BANGS, and investigated the associations among the BANGS, problematic online gaming, life satisfaction, meaning in life (i.e., coherence, purpose, significance), and real-life basic psychological needs. This study recruited a sample of 247 Turkish-speaking participants who played at least a video game over the past two weeks. The results provided evidence for the structural validity of the Turkish BANGS versions, and demonstrated good reliability for the BANGS subscales. The findings indicated that indicators of need satisfaction and frustration in games were primarily associated with their real-life counterparts, and showed complex associations with life satisfaction, meaning in life, and problematic online gaming. The implications for further research on basic needs in video games are discussed.