Relationship between Game Experience and Perceived Stress among Young Adults during COVID-19

Video games have existed in our society for a long time. Much discussion has been done on the harmful consequences of video gaming, as well as the potential benefits of the same. The motivation behind the present study is to find the relation between Game Experience and Perceived Stress among young adults and to compare the levels of Perceived Stress between gamers and non-gamers. The study included 227 participants- 107 gamers and 120 non-gamers in the age range of 18-25 years. The tools used to measure the variables were The Game Experience Questionnaire- Core and Social Presence Module and The Perceived Stress Scale. Data was gathered using a purposive sampling method. Statistical procedures used were descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test and Pearson Correlation. Results indicated that there is a significant difference in the levels of Perceived Stress between gamers and non-gamers. Results also indicated that there is significant negative correlation in the scale of Competence, Immersion, Flow, Positive Affect, Empathy, Behavioral Involvement and Perceived Stress. There is a significant positive correlation between the scales of Tension, Challenge, Negative Affect and Perceived Stress. However, there is no significant relationship between Negative feelings towards others in the game and Perceived Stress.