From Breakups to Lethargy: Player Accounts of Third Variables Affecting Video Game Playtime and Wellbeing

Time spent playing video games (playtime) is not strongly correlated with wellbeing. However, quantitative studies often overlook ‘third variables’ that confound this relationship—risking masked true effects or spurious associations. In this mixed-methods study, we first conducted a qualitative template analysis of 987 responses from 393 adult players, then quantitatively assessed whether the identified candidates covary with changes in playtime and wellbeing. Study 1 results show that players interpret 17 factors—spanning physical health, grief and domestic disruptions, work/school pressures, social relationships, and other leisure—as influencing their gaming and wellbeing. In Study 2, within-person models of logged Xbox playtime and wellbeing scores provided initial evidence that at least three factors—social strain, work-related stress, and lethargic illnesses—systematically relate to both gaming and wellbeing. Together, these studies demonstrate a method for mapping confounders, provide preliminary support for several potential confounds, and illustrate how directly addressing confounds can move the field beyond surface correlations, providing a stronger basis for uncovering the true causal pathways linking gaming and wellbeing.