Post-game depression scale - a new measure to capture players' experiences after finishing video games
Post-game depression scale - a new measure to capture players' experiences after finishing video games
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Authors
Janowicz, Kamil
Klimczyk, Piotr
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Date
2026-01-26
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Current Psychology
Issue
3
Volume
45
Pages
Pages
1-14
ISSN
1046-1310
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Weblink
Access date
2026-01-28
Abstract PL
Abstract EN
Post-game depression is the sense of emptiness that arises after completing a deeply immersive game. Although this phenomenon is widely reported by players (e.g., in social media), little research has been done in this field. This work reports the development of the first-ever quantitative measure of post-game depression—the Post-Game Depression Scale (P-GDS). We conducted two studies (with a total number of 373 players participating), and adopted both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to finish with the 17-item version of the P-GDS consisting of four subscales: Game-related Ruminations, Challenging End of Experience, Necessity of Repeating the Game and Media Anhedonia. We found the four-factor version of the P-GDS to be internally consistent and valid. Moreover, we observed positive correlations between the intensity of post-game depression and stronger depressive symptoms, tendency to rumination and disturbances in emotional processing, as well as with lower well-being. Finally, role-playing games have been revealed to evoke stronger post-game depression than other games. Our research contributes to the development of new measures of video game-related experiences.
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Keywords PL
Keywords EN
Video games
Post-game depression
Measurement
Mental health
Post-game depression
Measurement
Mental health
Keywords other
Sustainable Development Goals
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