General findings

Abstract

• Video game playing has mainly brought benefits to the players’ lives, but some have also experienced strange experiences that the players cannot explain. On the positive side, video game playing has primarily enhanced players’ social life as well as helped them to improve their English skills and allowing them to have fun.
• In the present study almost half of the participants played video games as a cathartic activity for relaxing, feeling better and escaping from real life problems.
• There was no significant difference in the presence of GTP among the age groups. The Game transfer Phenomena (GTP) have occurred in different ways and intensity levels.
• The personal characteristics of the individual may influence the presences of GTP experiences, although, different individuals, including players from different age groups, have experienced similar phenomena in the same games.
•  Players reported that the video games have triggered their experiences. They usually reported that when they play less these phenomena disappear.
• Players claim to be well aware of the difference between the real world and the game world, but their automatic associations caused them at least at times experiencing something bizarre.
• Among the GTP reported by the players there were experiences found that have occurred to the players right after they stopped playing, as well as others that occurred during intensive periods of game playing. Some GTP took place intentionally, but also in some cases they have occurred without premeditation of the players, in this last case players have experienced intrusive thoughts, sensations, impulses, reflexes and visualizations, which in some cases even resulted in automatic behaviours and dissociations.
• The GTP study, while based on a small number of video game players, demonstrated that playing video games intensely can be associated with the elicitation of automatic thoughts, visualization, impulses and reflexes, altered sensorial perception, automatic behaviour and player actions.