Escape From Reality and Catch the Games! The Relationships Between Fear of Missing Out and Esports Participation Motivation of Gamers

Abstract

This study aims to examine the relationships between digital gamers’ fear of missing out (FoMO) and their motivation to participate in esports, as well as how these relationships differ according to demographic variables. Within the scope of a cross-sectional design based on quantitative methods, data were collected through a survey from 414 participants living in Türkiye who have online gaming experience. The findings indicate that the level of FoMO is generally low to moderate, while the motivation to participate in esports is at a moderate level. According to the analysis results, there are positive and significant relationships between FoMO and esports participation motivation and all of its subdimensions. In particular, personal FoMO was found to be more strongly associated with esports participation motivation compared to social FoMO. Demographic difference analyses showed that FoMO exhibits a largely stable structure, whereas esports motivation differs significantly according to variables such as gender, education level, game genre, and experience. As a result, FoMO can be considered not only a factor associated with problematic use but also an important psychological trigger that increases participation in esports, and it can be stated that digital gaming behaviors are shaped by multidimensional motivational and demographic dynamics.