Attitudes or Norms? The Filtering Role of Self-Esteem in Gaming Intentions

Background Online gaming has become a pervasive leisure activity among young adults, further intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. While problematic game use (PGU) has been extensively examined in adolescents, it is rarely known about its determinants among college students experiencing greater autonomy and social pressure. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study investigates how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) shape gaming intention and how this intention sequentially predicts excessive game use (EGU) and PGU. The study further examines self-esteem as a moderator that may alter the cognitive and social mechanisms underlying intention formation. Methods A sample of 303 Korean undergraduates with online gaming experience participated in the survey with validated measures of TPB constructs, intention, EGU, PGU, and self-esteem. Structural equation modeling (SEM) tested the hypothesized pathways, including sequential mediation from intention → EGU → PGU. Multi-group SEM was used to examine moderation by self-esteem. Results The overall SEM demonstrated good fit. Subjective norm (β = .612), PBC (β = .378), and attitude (β = .124) significantly predicted intention. Intention strongly predicted EGU (β = .709), which subsequently predicted PGU (β = .326). PBC also directly influenced EGU (β = .104). Multi-group analyses revealed distinct mechanisms by self-esteem: attitudes predicted intention only among high self-esteem students, whereas subjective norms had a substantially stronger effect among low self-esteem students. Differences in ATT → INT (Δχ² = 4.97, p  < .05) and SUB → INT (Δχ² = 6.88, p  < .01) were significant. Conclusions The findings validate TPB in predicting gaming behavior and clarify the progression from intention to excessive and problematic use. Self-esteem shapes the cognitive and social antecedents of intention, highlighting the need for tailored interventions: autonomy- and value-based strategies for high self-esteem individuals, and norm- or peer-based approaches for low self-esteem individuals.