Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Research Article
Playing Games to Earn Money: The Conceptual Framework of Interaction
between Gender, Learning Styles, Problematic Gaming Behavior and
Success-Economic Gain Motivation of Playing Games
Edwin M. Torralba*
College of Information and Computing Sciences University of Santo Tomas 1008, Philippines
How to cite:
Torralba, E. M. (2023). Playing Games to Earn Money: The Conceptual Framework of Interaction between Gender,
Learning Styles, Problematic Gaming Behavior and Success-Economic Gain Motivation of Playing Games. International
Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research. 4(3), 897 – 916. doi: 10.11594/ijmaber.04.03.22
EM Torralba, 2023 / Playing games to earn money: The conceptual framework of interaction
games, how playing games affects their behav- contribute to increased perceived competence
ior, how gamification and game-based learning and, thus, intrinsic motivation. Perceived com-
work, and how they can be used in different petence would be strengthened in gaming envi-
fields (Hamari & Keronen, 2017; Qin et al., ronments where gameplay interfaces and con-
2021; Calvo-Morata et al., 2021; Haberlin & At- trols are intuitive and easily grasped, while
kin, 2022). While some studies explore the con- tasks inside the game continue to present ideal
cept of earning money through gambling while challenges for constructive feedback. On the
playing games, most of this research focuses on other hand, gaming landscapes, mechanics, and
the behavioral changes on the part of the play- environments can foster an enduring, upbeat
ers (Mills & Nower, 2019; Zendle, 2020; Macey, motivational attitude for gamers to continue
2021). On the part of game developers, their playing their preferred video games (Granic et
top priority is to learn the reasons why people al., 2014). This motivational method, in turn,
play games and apply the appropriate revenue may be generally applicable to academic and
streams for the benefit of investors. However, professional settings. Additionally, certain
it doesn't seem to be very common in the liter- types of games may nurture these healthy mo-
ature to find studies that look into the possibil- tivational patterns more than others. Aside
ity of games as a way to earn money. from these insights, any ordinary person, gam-
Video games can be treated as any other ers or non-gamers, would agree that money is
sport. It entails wit, perseverance, dedication, the best reward and motivation that will make
and determination for a player to beat human them continue playing the game.
or computer-generated (e.g., artificial intelli-
gence) opponents and obstacles. Aside from Tool Theory of Money
the aesthetics and the mechanics of the game, Money is a highly efficient, potent, and
players are attracted to the game due to the fol- straightforward motivator (Furnham, 2012).
lowing: the layers of goals that need to be Money stimulates and more money motivates
achieved; the sense of gratification for any people to work even harder. It is normal for
achievement attained; the opportunity to earn people to stay competitive, and when they are
monetary and non-monetary rewards; the op- compensated for superior work, performance
portunity to engage in healthy competition and expectations are enhanced for everyone.
based on game-rules; and the fun of playing it. Additionally, while it is not always prudent or
These reasons are coined based on the pro- practical to promote individuals at work,
posed framework of gamification that analyzes money can be utilized to reward all workers in
why people are hooked on games (Nah et al, an equitable and extremely acceptable manner.
2013). Still, this question might linger in the In addition, because money is a universal re-
minds of game developers, which is "What is ward, it's always a good thing for people to
the best motivator for gamers to continue play- have it, no matter where they are or what
ing my games?" Scholars and academicians they're doing. The power of money to motivate
have extensively studied these possible moti- people to do things can be explained by the
vators that keep people from playing games. "Tool Theory of Money" (TTM). TTM posits that
Based on the self-determination theory, Ryan, money is a tool for exchanging tangible or in-
Rigby, and Przybylski (2006) proposed two im- tangible resources. Money has no intrinsic
portant motivating factors for why people play value in itself, but the value of money rests on
video games (Ryan, 2006). First, in the form of its ability to simplify trade and develop a uni-
autonomy where players use their intuition versal framework for exchanging goods as
and strategy to win against their opponent. Sec- compared to the traditional barter system. Fol-
ond is the enhancement of players’ competence lowing the Tool Theory, humans do not require
by providing possibilities to develop new expe- money psychology at all, or only in a restricted
riences or gaming skills, to be adequately sense: what people need is an understanding of
tested, or to obtain positive feedback, which all the function of money and the human cognitive
framework that enables us to utilize it (Lea & game byproducts or in-app purchases. The
Webley, 2006). The tool theory of money em- third model is selling the game by providing li-
phasizes that money is not meant to be used as censes through royalty fees (Klimas, 2017).
an instant reward, but rather it is meant for de- Games and other related assets can be sold for
layed gratification. For instance, if you would the redevelopment of new game versions; as-
like to earn money, you have to do something sets for movies, tv shows, or commercials; and
or produce something so that can trade it in ex- assets for fashion’s by-products (e.g., t-shirts,
change for money. As a result, customers will jeans, jackets, stickers for cars, advertise-
only purchase video games once they are bug- ments). The monetization models of game de-
free and available in the marketplace. As a re- velopment reinforce the sustainability of earn-
sult of trade, people would be able to enjoy the ing money from the point of view of the game
gaming experience. This would be a form of lei- developers. But what about video game play-
sure and entertainment (McCauley, 2020; ers? Is TTM biased towards the monetary
Bender & Sung, 2021; Rega & Saxena, 2022). needs of game developers? Is it safe to assume
that video game players are only interested in
Tool Theory of Money, Game Development, the joy and fun that the game brings?
and Game Play Based on the premise of the Tool Theory of
In in-game development, money serves as a Money, consumers or video game players also
tool of the trade that reflects the value and perceive money in the same manner that game
quality of games. The number of game charac- developers do. It is already established that
ters, the quality of game graphics, and the num- people play games to enjoy them (Egli & Mey-
ber of functions that allow multiple people to ers, 1984; Greitemeyer et al., 2019; Holl et al.,
play a single game determine the monetary 2020). However, the view that people are only
value of games based on the perspectives of in- playing games for fun and enjoyment limits the
vestors. This will then be used as the basis for perspective of using money as a tool to moti-
how the game will be priced as a byproduct in vate people to play. Video game developers
the marketplace, as well as its game compo- should adapt to a new perspective of letting
nents such as loot boxes, weaponry, assets, their consumers earn money while playing the
game characters, and other game-related as- game. "Earning while playing" is not a new con-
sets. As a byproduct of leisure and entertain- cept in the game industry, although previous
ment, people will use their money to buy games studies have focused on the gambling aspect of
to experience the fun of playing them. In return, it, such as betting on Counter-Strike or DOTA
the money that the investors would get from game matches (Holden & Ehrlich, 2017)). Aside
selling video games in the marketplace will be from games or esports betting, players may sell
used for employee salaries, the company’s op- their distinct game character skins, assets, or
erational expenses, and income distribution for other in-game assets (Oh & Ryu, 2007). An-
shareholders. Klimas (2017) has identified the other emerging money-generating framework
3 common game monetization models to en- for the benefit of video-game players is the in-
sure the flow of revenue streams for game de- tegration of cryptocurrency and non-fungible
velopment. First, games as a byproduct for lei- tokens (NFT) in the blockchain-based game in-
sure and entertainment can be sold to people dustry. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have al-
through the one-time payment of the game; ready emerged as the new topic of conversa-
one-time payment from selling the basic fea- tion for the bitcoin market's scientific and in-
tures of the game and another payment for the dustrial sectors. The phenomenon is driven by
premium or additional features of the game; their functions and profitable trades, as evi-
and selling games through subscription or mul- denced by the $24.4 million sales of a bundle of
tiple-fix payment (monthly, quarterly, or an- 101 NFTs out of the "Bored Ape Yacht Club" in-
nual) for playing the game. The second model is ventory (Darayam, 2021). Unlike conventional
Freemium or providing the game as a free com- cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, Binance,
modity to clients, and money will be earned Dodge, and Bitcoin, where all coins are identi-
through the payment of advertisers and selling cal, interchangeable, and "fungible," NFTs are
IJMABER 899 Volume 4 | Number 3 | March | 2023
EM Torralba, 2023 / Playing games to earn money: The conceptual framework of interaction
It has long been established by educational Honey and Mumford models, the Felder and Sil-
researchers and psychologists alike that play- verman models, the Gregorian model, the Carl
time provides critical possibilities for learning index model, and Brick Meyers, Howard Gard-
(Yogman et al., 2018; Rapp et al., 2019). Stu- ner, and Chris Jackson's style are all examples
dents who engage in play and recreational ac- of common learning styles (Khenissi et al.,
tivities in which natural behaviors appear to be 2016; Deborah et al., 2014). Among the several
shaped develop their psychomotor skills and learning styles, many researchers prefer Felder
critical thinking skills to react appropriately to and Silverman's because it provides a more de-
different situations that might occur. For exam- tailed description of the learner's "learning
ple, playing Counter-Strike trains the player's style," including four distinct dimensions of the
instincts to anticipate the game strategy and learner's preferences and psychological com-
the location of their opponent. Thus, the play- ponents of learning. Felder and Silverman's
ers can develop and implement their strategy styles of learning can be broken down into four
along with their teammates to beat their oppo- groups: active/reflective, sequential/global,
nents. Throughout the play, the person is often visual/verbal, and sensing/intuitive.
deeply involved, confronted with complicated Active learners retain and comprehend in-
sequences of events, and challenged to react formation best when they are actively engaged
immediately, all within a fail-safe atmosphere in it, discussing, applying, or articulating it to
receptive to exploration. This situation creates others. Reflective students prefer to contem-
excellent conditions for learning to occur. Addi- plate it over quietly first. Active learners are
tionally, play is often social, which adds an im- more likely to enjoy group work than reflective
portant incentive component. As demonstrated students, who prefer to work alone. Sensory
by computational approaches to learning, these learners prefer to memorize facts; intuitive
are optimal settings for increasing behavioral learners frequently prefer to explore possibili-
flexibility and adaptability in learning how to ties and relationships. Sensory learners fre-
learn [57](Nguyen & Oudeyer, 2012). Like- quently prefer to solve problems using well-es-
wise, play can be viewed as a natural conse- tablished methods and despise difficulties and
quence of development and can be used to eval- surprises; intuitive learners value innovation
uate performance in a much more stimulating and despise repetition. Sensors are more likely
and natural manner (Wortham et al., 2012). to be resentful of being tested on material not
It's worth noting that one of the critical suc- formally discussed in class than intuitors. Vis-
cess criteria for game development is a thor- ual learners retain information best when it is
ough understanding of the personality and presented in the form of images, illustrations,
learning styles of video game players. As with flow diagrams, time frames, movies, and work-
any other type of learner, video game players shops. Verbal learners benefit more from ver-
employ a variety of strategies for processing, bal explanations than written or spoken ones.
engaging with, and dealing with knowledge. Everyone gains a greater understanding when
These approaches or inclinations are referred information is presented visually and verbally.
to as learning styles (Aljaberi, 2015). For in- Sequential learners often acquire knowledge in
stance, some people prefer to learn by doing, linear phases, with each step logically following
while others prefer reading (Felder & Soloman, the previous one. Global learners frequently
2022). Understanding a gamer's learning style make significant leaps in their learning, absorb-
enables game developers to enhance the learn- ing stuff almost randomly and failing to per-
ing process for game adaptation. For example, ceive connections until suddenly grasping it.
game developers can tailor resources to gam- Global learners may be able to solve compli-
ers who learn in a certain way, which increases cated matters rapidly or put things together in
their level of satisfaction and learning out- creative ways once they comprehend the big
comes while cutting down on the amount of picture, but they may have difficulties express-
time it takes to learn. Kolb's model, Dunn and ing how they did it.
Dunn's VAK model, the Big Five model, the
games played by respondents, and the depend- 39.7% played Warcraft III, 49.3% played
ent variable were all linked together. League of Legends, 42.6% played DOTA 2,
30.9% played Dragon Nest, and 10.3% played
Results and Discussion Cabal Online. 67.6% played Counter-Strike,
Descriptive Results 27.2% played Cross-Fire, and 23.5% played
The original number of participants was Special Force. 19.1% of players played Point
148, composed of 110 male and 38 female stu- Blank, 11.8% played Heroes of Newerth, 3.7%
dents. The Mahalanobis, Cook’s, and Leverage played Mercenary Online, and 1.5% played
Values functions of SPSS were used to identify Continent of the 9th Seal. Figure I shows the
and remove the outliers, which left a total of frequency distribution of the most common
136 participants, composed of 100 male and 36 games that are being played by the respond-
female students. Out of the 136 participants, ents.
Figure I. Frequency distribution of the most common games that are being played by the respondents
Table I shows the descriptive statistics of the 9 subscales of the Video Game Dependency Scale
Table I: Subscales of Video Game Dependency Scale
Subscales N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation
Preoccupation 136 1.00 4.00 2.0184 0.862
Withdrawal 136 1.00 4.00 1.9485 0.850
Tolerance 136 1.00 4.00 2.2169 0.910
Reduce/Stop 136 1.00 4.00 1.9265 0.815
Continue Despite Problems 136 1.00 4.00 1.8199 0.783
Give-up Other Activities 136 1.00 4.00 1.8346 0.741
Escape Adverse Moods 136 1.00 4.00 2.6140 0964
Deceive/Cover-Up 136 1.00 4.00 1.7757 0.788
Risk/Lose 136 1.00 4.00 1.6765 0.783
Table III shows the descriptive statistics of the 4 dimensions of Felder and Soloman's Index of
Learning Style, which is Active/Reflective, Sensing/Intuitive, Visual/Verbal, and Sequen-
tial/Global.
Table IV: Regression Results of Significant Subscales of Video Game Dependency with respect to DV
The Mediating Roles of Escape Adverse of games that the respondents were actively
Moods and Preoccupation playing" (β = 0.083, P < 0.000) significantly pre-
A separate stepwise regression was per- dicted the "Success and Economic-Gain Motiva-
formed using "gender" and " actively played tion" of the respondents, as shown in Table V.
games " as the independent variables and the This result implies that the more games that the
dependent variable "Success and Economic- respondents play, the greater their chances of
Gain Motivation" of playing games. After the re- success and economic gain.
gression analysis, it was found that the "number
This study employed the use of model 4 of ent variable "Success and Economic-Gain Moti-
Andrew Haye’s Process to explore the mediat- vation" is 0.0218 (p < 0.10). As shown in Table
ing roles of "Escape from Adverse Moods" and VIII, "Escape from Adverse Moods" and "Preoc-
"Preoccupation" between "Actively played cupation" have a direct effect on the dependent
games" and the dependent variable. Results variable with a coefficient of 0.3545 (p < 0.000)
show that the "number of games that the re- and 0.2629 (p < 0.000) respectively. This im-
spondents were actively playing" significantly plies that the more games that the respondents
predicts "Escape from Adverse Moods" (see Ta- play, the more opportunities there are for the
ble VI) with a coefficient of 0.1125 (p < 0.000) gamers to escape from their adverse moods
as well as "Preoccupation" (see Table VII) with and the more likely they are to be distracted by
a coefficient of 0.0814 (p < 0.0005). The direct games instead of doing their work at home or
effect of "Actively played games" on the depend- school.
The indirect effect of "Escape from Adverse in Table IX. Thus, the roles of "Escape from Ad-
Moods" (0.0399) and "Preoccupation" (0.0214) verse Moods" (0.0399) and "Preoccupation" be-
on the "Success-Economic Gain" motivation tween the independent and dependent varia-
proves to be significant as the bootstrap confi- bles were established as shown in the concep-
dence interval does not include zero as shown tual model of Figure 2. It is noteworthy to
mention that the direct effect of the "Actively (see Table 8) due to the mediating effects of the
played games" on the dependent variable variables "Escape from Adverse Moods" and
dropped from 0.083 (see Table 5) to 0.0218 "Preoccupation".
Table IX: Mediating Effect of “Escaped from Adverse Moods” and “Preoccupation”
Effect BootSE BootLLCI BootULCI
Total 0.0613 0.0141 0.0351 0.0904
Escape from Adverse Moods 0.0399 0.0104 0.0216 0.0623
Preoccupation 0.0214 0.0066 0.0095 0.0356
Indirect Effect of the independent variable (number of games that the respondents were actively
playing) to the dependent variable (Success and Economic-Gain Motivation of playing games)
Additionally, this study examined the effect statistically significant effect on "Escape from
of "Gender" on the independent variables "Es- Adverse Moods" (β=-0.7217, P 0.0005), "Preoc-
cape from Adverse Moods," "Preoccupation," cupation" (β=-0.5161, P 0.005), and "Actively
and " Actively played games" on the dependent played games " (β=-2.9378, P 0.0001). The re-
variable "Success and Economic Gain Motiva- sults suggest that male respondents are more
tion." According to the findings, "Gender" does likely to flee their negative moods and become
not have a direct effect on the dependent varia- preoccupied while playing the game than fe-
ble. Table X demonstrates that "Gender" has a male respondents.
The Moderating Role of Learning Styles Be- styles. Based on the results, it was found that
tween Escape from Adverse Moods and Suc- the interaction between "Escape from Adverse
cess and Economic-Gain Motivation Moods", “Active-Reflective” and the "Sequential-
Model 3 of Andrew Haye’s Process was em- Global" dimension of learning style is statisti-
ployed to explore the moderating roles of the cally significant (β = -0.4120, P < 0.05) as shown
different dimensions of respondents' learning in Table XI.
Figure II shows the different slope tests of shows how two dimensions of learning style,
the regression line between "Escape from Ad- "Active-Reflective" and "Sequential-Global,"
verse Moods" (-1 sd, mean, and +1 sd) and the moderate the effect of the independent variable
dependent variable "Success and Economic- "Escape from Adverse Moods" on the depend-
Gain Motivation" due to the moderation effect ent variable "Success and Economic-Gain Moti-
of the "Active-Reflective" and "Sequential- vation".
Global" dimensions of learning style. Table XII
Figure II: Slope tests of the regression line between "Escape from Adverse Moods" (-1 sd, mean, and
+1 sd) and the dependent variable "Success and Economic-Gain Motivation"
Table XII: Effect of Learning Styles between “Escape from Adverse Moods” and DV
The Moderating Role of Learning Styles Be- The result also reveals that the interaction
tween Preoccupation and Success and Eco- of “Preoccupation”, “Active-Reflective”, and "Se-
nomic-Gain Motivation quential-Global" dimension of learning style is
statistically significant (β = -0.7151, P < 0.005)
as shown in Table XIII.
Figure III shows the different slope tests of learning style. Table XIV shows how two di-
the regression line between "Preoccupation" (- mensions of learning style, "Active-Reflective"
1 sd, mean, and +1 sd) and the dependent vari- and "Sequential-Global," moderate the effect of
able "Success and Economic-Gain Motivation" the independent variable "Preoccupation" on
due to the moderation effect of the "Active-Re- the dependent variable "Success and Economic-
flective" and "Sequential-Global" dimensions of Gain Motivation".
Figure III: Slope tests of the regression line between "Preoccupation" (-1 sd, mean, and +1 sd) and the
dependent variable "Success and Economic-Gain Motivation"
Figure IV: Conceptual framework on the role of gender and the number of games in the problematic
gaming behavior and success-economic gain motivation of gamers.
The conceptual framework of Figure IV de- to finish, but most puzzle games can be com-
scribes the role of gender when it comes to the pleted in a short amount of time or paused and
number of games that are actively being played restarted at any time the player wants. Women
during the study. The results validate the study appear to prefer to be spectators and fans ra-
by Statista (2022) that states that online games ther than participate in actual game competi-
are still dominated by male players in the Phil- tions, particularly in FPS, MMORPG, RTS, and
ippines (Statista Research Department, 2022). MOBA, which are common themes in esports.
The top five most popular games among re- In esports, as a male-dominated industry, re-
spondents are: Counter-Strike, Left 4 Dead ports of aggression (Lopez-Fernandez et al.,
(first-person shooter games (FPS), League of 2019, #), harassment (Darvin, 2021), stereo-
Legends (multiplayer online battle arena typing (Madden et al.,, 2021), and sexism (Ru-
(MOBA), Warcraft (real-time strategy (RTS), valcaba et al., 2018) by male gamers alienate fe-
massively multiplayer online role-playing male gamers from joining gaming competi-
games (MMORPG), and DOTA 2 (real-time tions. However, some female gamers are start-
strategy (RTS), multiplayer online battle arena ing to participate in online gaming competi-
(MOBA). These games can be considered tradi- tions through hosting and social media stream-
tional fighting and shooting games that are ing of games. The niche of game streaming
popular among male gamers (Ruvalcaba et al., gives female gamers a chance to make money
2018). Female gamers in the Philippines prefer by getting more popular on social networks
puzzle games, while tactics and RTS games are and using advertisements and subscription
the least popular because they are more likely monetization strategies to make money.
to engage in non-time-consuming games Male gamers are playing games to escape
(Gismundo, 2020). RTS games like Warcraft, their adverse moods. Many people like the ex-
Dota 2, and League of Legends take a long time perience of leaving the current world and
Figure V: Conceptual framework on the moderating effect of learning styles between escapism, pre-
occupation and success-economic gain motivation
The moderating influence of active-reflec- the other hand, active learners are more likely
tive and sequential-global learning styles on to experiment and collaborate with team mem-
the independent and dependent variables is il- bers in order to learn. Active learners are more
lustrated in Figure 3. The combination of reflec- likely to engage in team-clan recruiting, mes-
tive-sequential and active-global perspectives saging systems, and player collaboration in
enhances the beneficial effects of escapism and games such as FPS, MOBA, RTS, and MMORPGs.
preoccupation on the gamers' success-eco- Additionally, because "active learners" benefit
nomic gain motivation during gameplay. Re- from practice, game creators should create a
flective learners frequently ponder and evalu- "free-to-play" framework for this demographic
ate concepts before gaining a complete under- of players.
standing of the subject. When it comes to game Sequential learners prefer to learn in a
development, Hsiao (2009) observes that structured and sequential fashion. A sequential
games that offer a large number of possible ac- learner observes a phenomenon via the lens of
tions hinder players' ability to reflect on and interrelated, hierarchical, and procedural con-
think critically about their future moves (Hsiao, cepts (Huang, 2015). Thus, each thought se-
2009). As a result, under time constraints, the quence is critical for comprehending the signif-
player is compelled to make snap decisions, icance of little patterns. For sequential learn-
even if they contradict past acts and achieve- ers, consistency in game mechanics and struc-
ments in the game. Regarding game mechanics ture is critical. By carefully engineering the lev-
and monetary systems, game creators should els (easiest-difficult), armament, game assets,
consider restricting gamers' decision-making obstacles, and computer-generated opponents,
capabilities by limiting the number of available sequential learners will be able to adapt to the
options. The narrative for these game choices game. The reward pool system of the game
should be clear and tied to the player's previ- should follow a structural policy that compels
ous decisions. The connection of game choices the gamers to perform the interconnected mis-
can be managed or altered by game-imple- sion or daily quest while distributing the game
mented reinforcement and genetic machine rewards based on the statistical performance
learning algorithms. Additionally, game devel- of the players. To avoid cheating and player
opers may investigate the integration of cryp- confusion, the steps for winning and claiming
tocurrency and non-fungible tokens into their game rewards should be clear and concise.
games' reward pool systems. According to the However, the element of mystery and unpre-
tool theory of money, gamers will become more dictability should remain in the game since it
circumspect and calculated in their gaming forces reflective and active learners to pause
judgments and methods if they are aware that and rethink their game strategy. Global learn-
money is being used as a kind of reward or pun- ers, on the other hand, frequently make enor-
ishment through cryptocurrency or NFT. On mous leaps in their learning and like to think
holistically. Global learners, according to and global learners in developing the game me-
Huang (2015), place a higher emphasis on per- chanics and reward pool system of games. Even
ceived ease of use. Global learners are easily though each learning style has its own unique
distracted, particularly when dealing with a features, these features don't conflict with each
large number of components, buttons, icons, other and can be used together to make games
and procedures involved in completing a given that are all-encompassing and fun to play.
function. When it comes to making games, sim- Games should provide a means for players
ple interfaces and good user experiences will to be independent and reflect on the role that
help players learn the game's mechanics. Ex- they have to play during gameplay as well as
cessive material or information will overwhelm the available choices to finish a game level or
and frustrate global learners, discouraging quest. The functionalities of social media plat-
them from further exploring the game. Other forms such as instant messaging, team collabo-
than games with a lot of content, assets, charac- ration, and trading of game assets will promote
ters, and material, the user interface for all engagement between the stakeholders of the
games (mobile, console, and web) should be game. The narrative and the mechanics of the
straightforward to comprehend and not re- games should be interconnected and follow a
quire gamers to navigate through pages of doc- linear sequence to help the gamers assimilate
uments before they can even begin playing. Ad- the goals of the game. Furthermore, the inter-
ditionally, any tutorials explaining how to play face of games should be simple and should not
the game should be integrated into the user in- contain unnecessary game assets or narratives
terface and should be brief and straightfor- that will confuse the players. These ideas can be
ward. Whenever designing and building online used with the well-known principles of gamifi-
or mobile games, all icons and buttons should cation, user interface, and user experience re-
point towards the next sequence in the game- search when you make games for people to play
play and must not be utilized as click bait or and enjoy.
misleading links to direct visitors to other web- The two conceptual frameworks developed
sites where game developers can generate ad- in this study should be utilized and tested in ex-
vertising income. While this strategy may pay perimental research on lead generation, user
off over the short term, it would erode con- interface, and user experience for game devel-
sumer trust and make gamers less inclined to opment. Game creators should consider the
choose the game. various learning styles of players while design-
ing the game's mechanics and reward pool sys-
Conclusion tem. Additionally, this study may add to the
The study affirms the mediating role of es- body of knowledge regarding problematic
capism and preoccupation in the number of gaming behavior.
games played and the success-economic gain
motivation of gamers. Escapism and preoccu- References
pation may be viewed in the context of playing A. Furnham, "Money as a motivator," in The Talented
games to earn money. Just like any business Manager, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2012.
venture or entrepreneurial endeavor, people A. Rapp, F. Hopfgartner, J. Hamari, C. Linehan and F. Cena,
will play games if they know that there will be "Strengthening gamification studies: Current
monetary rewards aside from the joy and en- trends and future opportunities of gamification
tertainment that games provide. Furthermore, research," International Journal of Human-
the moderating role of learning styles in preoc- Computer Studies, vol. 127, pp. 1-6, 2019.
cupation, escapism, and the success-economic American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and
gain motivation of gamers provides an im- statistical manual of mental disorders, 5 ed.,
portant insight for game developers. The find- Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, 2013.
ings of this study emphasize the important B. McCauley, T. H. T. Nguyen, M. McDonald and S. Wearing,
characteristics of active, reflective, sequential, "Digital gaming culture in Vietnam: an exploratory
study," Leisure Studies, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 372-386, Conference: ICMET '20: 2020 the 2nd International
2020. Conference on Modern Educational Technology, pp.
C. Cheng, M. Cheung and H.-y. Wang, "Multinational 40-44, 2020.
comparison of internet gaming disorder and F. F.-H. Nah, V. R. Telaprolu and S. Rallapalli, "Gamification
psychosocial problems versus well-being: Meta- of Education Using Computer Games," in
analysis of 20 countries," Computers in Human International Conference on Human Interface and
Behavior, vol. 88, pp. 153-167, 2018. the Management of Information, Springer, Berlin,
C. Ok, "Extraversion, loneliness, and problematic game Heidelberg, 2013, pp. 99-107.
use: A longitudinal study," Personality and F. Hayes, "PROCESS: A Versatile Computational Tool for
Individual Differences, vol. 168, 2021 Observed Variable Mediation, Moderation, and
Calvo-Morata, C. Alonso-Fernández, M. Freire, I. Martínez- Conditional Process Modeling," 2012. [Online].
Ortiz and B. Fernández-Manjón, "Creating Available:
awareness on bullying and cyberbullying among http://www.afhayes.com/public/process2012.pdf.
young people: Validating the effectiveness and [Accessed 17 March 2022].
design of the serious game Conectado," Telematics F. Pallavicini, A. Pepe and F. Mantovani, "Commercial Off-
and Informatics, vol. 60, 2021 The-Shelf Video Games for Reducing Stress and
Cudo, M. Szewczyk, A. Błachnio, A. Przepiórka and A. Anxiety: Systematic Review," JMIR mental health,
Jarząbek-Cudo, "The Role of Depression and Self- vol. 8, no. 8, 2021.
Esteem in Facebook Intrusion and Gaming Disorder F. Rega and D. Saxena, "Free-Roam Virtual Reality: A New
among Young Adult Gamers," Psychiatric Quarterly, Avenue for Gaming," in Advances in Augmented
vol. 91, pp. 65-76, 2020. Reality and Virtual Reality. Studies in Computational
D. H. Han, I. K. Lyoo and P. F. Renshaw, "Differential Intelligence, 998, 2022, pp. 29-34.
regional gray matter volumes in patients with on- F. Rehbein, S. Kliem, D. Baier, T. Mößle and N. M. Petry,
line game addiction and professional gamers," "Prevalence of internet gaming disorder in German
Journal of psychiatric research, vol. 46, no. 4, pp. adolescents: diagnostic contribution of the nine
507-515, 2012. DSM-5 criteria in a state-wide representative
D. H. Han, o. S. Lee, X. Shi and P. F. Renshaw, "Proton sample," Addiction, vol. 110, no. 5, pp. 842-851,
magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in on-line 2015.
game addiction," Journal of Psychiatric Research, G. Baptista and T. Oliveira, "Gamification and serious
vol. 58, pp. 63-68, 2014. games: A literature meta-analysis and integrative
D. Madden, Y. Liu, H. Yu, M. F. Sonbudak, G. M. Troiano and model," Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 92, pp.
C. Harteveld, "“Why Are You Playing Games? You 306-315, 2019.
Are a Girl!”: Exploring Gender Biases in Esports," G. Başol and A. B. Kaya, "Motives and Consequences of
CHI '21: Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Online Game Addiction: A Scale Development
Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1-15, Study," Archives of Neuropsychiatry, vol. 55, no. 3,
2021. pp. 225-232, 2018.
D. Zendle, "Beyond loot boxes: A variety of gambling-like G. I. A. W. Gismundo, "Gaming Habits of Post-Millennial
practices in video games are linked to both problem Gamers in Pangasinan State University," ASEAN
gambling and disordered gaming," PeerJ, vol. 8, Multidisciplinary Research Journal, vol. 5, no. 1,
2020. 2020.
E. A. Egli and L. S. Meyers, "The role of video game playing G. Keskin, S. Gümüşsoy and E. Aktekin,
in adolescent life: Is there reason to be concerned?," "Entrepreneurship: Is it an addiction?," Procedia-
Bulletin of the psychonomic society, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 195, pp. 1694-
3019-312, 1984. 1697, 2015.
E. Holl, S. Bernard and A. Melzer, "Moral decision-making G. Oh and T. Ryu, "Game Design on Item-selling Based
in video games: A focus group study on player Payment Model in Korean Online Games," in DiGRA
perceptions," Human Behavior and Emerging Conference, 2007, pp. 650-657.
Technologies, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 278-287, 2020. H. C. Hsiao, "Reflective Learning through Playing Digital
E. M. Torralba, "The Collective Influence of Online Games Game The Sims 2," in International Conference on
and Gaming Behavior to Academic Performance in Technologies for E-Learning and Digital
a Flipped Database Management Course,"
Entertainment, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg., 2009, K. Hallmann and T. Giel, "eSports – Competitive sports or
pp. 220-227. recreational activity?," Sport Management Review,
I. Granic, A. Lobel and R. C. M. E. Engels, "The benefits of vol. 21, pp. 14-20, 2018.
playing video games," American psychologist, vol. L. Darvin, J. Holden, J. Wells and T. Baker, "Breaking the
69, no. 1, pp. 66-78, 2014. glass monitor: examining the underrepresentation
J. Arango-López, C. C. Cerón Valdivieso, C. A. Collazos, F. L. of women in esports environments," Sport
Gutiérrez Vela and F. Moreira, "CREANDO: Tool for Management Review, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 475-499,
creating pervasive games to increase the learning 2021.
motivation in higher education students," L. Gatti, M. Ulrich and P. Seele, "Education for sustainable
Telematics and Informatics, vol. 38, pp. 62-73, 2019. development through business simulation games:
J. Bernard, T.-W. Chang, E. Popescu and S. Graf, "Learning An exploratory study of sustainability gamification
style Identifier: Improving the precision of learning and its effects on students' learning outcomes,"
style identification through computational Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 2017, pp. 667-
intelligence algorithms," Expert Systems with 678, 2019.
Applications, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 94-108, 2017. L. Jegatha Deborah, R. Baskaran and A. Kannan, "Learning
J. Billieux, D. L. King, S. Higuchi, S. Achab, H. Bowden-Jones, styles assessment and theoretical origin in an E-
W. Hao, J. Long, H. K. Lee, M. N. Potenza, J. B. learning scenario: a survey," Artificial Intelligence
Saunders and V. Poznyak, "Functional impairment Review, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 801-819, 2014.
matters in the screening and diagnosis of gaming L. Ledesma, "Decentraland's MANA Token Hits All-Time
disorder," Journal of Behavioral Addictions, vol. 6, High After Sale of Virtual Real Estate," 25 November
no. 3, pp. 285-289, 2017. 2021. [Online]. Available:
J. G. Reitman, M. J. Anderson-Coto, M. Wu, J. S. Lee and C. https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2021/11/25
Steinkuehler, "Esports Research: A Literature /decentralands-mana-token-hits-all-time-high-
Review," Games and Culture, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 32- after-sale-of-virtual-real-estate/. [Accessed 12
50, 2020. March 2022].
J. Hamari and L. Keronen, "Why do people play games? A L. Manfredi, "Virtual real estate plot in Decentraland sells
meta-analysis," International Journal of Information for record $2.4M in cryptocurrency," 25 November
Management, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 124-141, 2017. 2021. [Online]. Available:
J. Krath, L. Schürmann and H. F. O. von Korflesch, https://www.foxbusiness.com/real-estate/virtual-
"Revealing the theoretical basis of gamification: A real-estate-plot-decentraland-sold-record-2-4m-
systematic review and analysis of theory in cryptocurrency. [Accessed 12 March 2022].
research on gamification, serious games and game- L. P. S. Dias, J. L. V. Barbosa and H. D. Vianna, "Gamification
based learning," Computers in Human Behavior, vol. and serious games in depression care: A systematic
125, 2021. mapping study," Telematics and Informatics, vol. 35,
J. Macey, "What predicts esports betting? A study on no. 1, pp. 213-224, 2018.
consumption of video games, esports, gambling and M. A. Khenissi, F. Essalmi, M. Jemni, Kinshuk, S. Graf and
demographic factors," New Media & Society, vol. 23, N.-S. Chen, "Relationship between learning styles
no. 6, pp. 1481-1505, 2021. and genres of games," Computers & Education, vol.
J. T. Holden and S. C. Ehrlich, "Esports, skins betting, and 101, pp. 1-14, 2016.
wire fraud vulnerability," Gaming Law Review, vol. M. A. Throuvala, M. Janikian, M. D. Griffiths, M. Rennoldson
21, no. 8, pp. 566-574, 2017. and D. J. Kuss, "The role of family and personality
J. Zhu, W. Zhang, C. Yu and Z. Bao, "Early adolescent traits in Internet gaming disorder: A mediation
Internet game addiction in context: How parents, model combining cognitive and attachment
school, and peers impact youth," Computers in perspectives," Journal of Behavioral Addictions, vol.
Human Behavior, vol. 50, pp. 159-168, 2015. 8, no. 1, pp. 48-62, 2019.
K. A. Haberlin and D. J. Atkin, "Mobile gaming and Internet M. Baloğlu, R. Şahin and I. Arpaci, "A review of recent
addiction: When is playing no longer just fun and research in problematic internet use: gender and
games?," Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 126, cultural differences," Current Opinion in Psychology,
2022. vol. 36, pp. 124-129, 2020.
Applications, challenges, and opportunities," Brain study of Hikikomori and Internet Gaming Disorder:
Disorders, vol. 1, 2021. The moderating effects of game-playing time and
S. San-Martín, N. Jimenez, C. Camarero and R. San-José, living with parents," Addictive Behaviors Reports,
"The Path between Personality, Self-Efficacy, and vol. 9, 2019.
Shopping Regarding Games Apps," Journal of W. Li, D. Mills and L. Nower, "The relationship of loot box
Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce purchases to problem video gaming and problem
Research, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 59-75, 2020. gambling," Addictive Behaviors, vol. 97, pp. 27-34,
S. Venkataramakrishnan and G. Steer, "Would you buy a 2019.
home in the metaverse?," 27 January 2022. W. Seong, J. S. Hong, S. Kim, S. M. Kim and D. H. Han,
[Online]. Available: "Personality and psychological factors of
https://www.ft.com/content/f5d5bed3-8cf2- problematic internet gamers seeking hospital
40c6-8f85-6b824a223ffe. [Accessed 12 March treatment," Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2019.
2022]. World Health Organization, "ICD-11 beta draft (mortality
Statista Research Department, "Philippines: online and morbidity statistics) [database on the
gamers by gender 2020," 18 January 2022. [Online]. internet]," 2016. [Online]. Available:
Available: https://icd.who.int/dev11/l-m/en. [Accessed 13
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1117233/phi March 2022].
lippines-online-gamers-by-gender/. [Accessed 23 Y. Qin, H. Cho and L. Zhang, "Augmentation and
March 2022]. displacement effects of multiplayer social network
T. A. Litzinger, S. H. Lee, J. C. Wise and R. M. Felder, "A games: Examining the roles of social interactions
psychometric study of the index of learning and co-players’ identities," Telematics and
styles©," Journal of engineering education, vol. 96, Informatics, vol. 59, 2021.
no. 4, pp. 309-319, 2007. Y.-M. Huang, "Exploring the factors that affect the
T. Greitemeyer, N. Weiß and T. Heuberger, "Are everyday intention to use collaborative technologies: The
sadists specifically attracted to violent video games differing perspectives of sequential/global
and do they emotionally benefit from playing those learners," Australasian Journal of Educational
games?," Aggressive Behavior, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 206- Technology, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 278-292, 2015.
213, 2019. Z. Traş, "Internet addiction and loneliness as predictors of
T. S. Hardenstein, "Skins in the game: Counter-strike, internet gaming disorder in adolescents,"
esports, and the shady world of online gambling," Educational Research and Reviews, vol. 14, no. 13,
UNLV Gaming LJ, vol. 7, pp. 117-137, 2017. pp. 465-473, 2019.
V. Stavropoulos, E. E. Anderson, C. Beard, M. Q. Latifi, D.
Kuss and M. Griffiths, "A preliminary cross-cultural