Gambling is in my genes: Correlations between personality traits with biological basis and digital entertainment choice

Abstract

Online gambling is one of the fastest growing areas in the digital entertainment industry. Gambling provides players with an intensely exciting experience and scholars see this as a primary cause of its attractiveness, and may play a role in the process of addiction. Finding a way to identify those more likely to gamble could be a first step towards discovering those who may be more likely to use certain genres of video games. This study used a sample of 93 college students to investigate whether personality traits believed to have their roots in biological differences can be used to predict one's preference for gambling online. Results showed that Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale [27] and Lang's Motivation Activation Measure [16] both had significant correlation with pathological online gambling symptoms based on DSM-IV [1] modified for online gambling, while only the Motivation Activation Measure significantly correlated with individual's online gambling experience. Implications of the findings for both the industry and health professionals are discussed. © 2007 Authors & Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA).