Motivational Factors and Subjective Health Assessment of Adolescents in Mobile Esports

Abstract

Relevance. Effective training of mobile esports players is impossible without considering potential threats to their psychosomatic state. Purpose: To investigate the motivational-value orientations of adolescents in mobile esports and their relationship with the self-assessment of gaming skills and subjective health status. Methods: The survey involved 25 adolescents (84.0% male, mean age 16.0 ± 1.8 years). The author's questionnaire "Comprehensive Assessment of Gaming Activity and Psychosomatic State of Mobile Esports Players" was used (blocks: motivation, skills, and health). Statistical processing included: Median (Me) [Q1; Q3], Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (ρ), and the Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: A dominance of intrinsic motivation for mastery was established: the median for the "achieving high results" motive was 5 points. Communication skills received the highest self-assessment (Me=8 points), while self-control received the lowest (Me=7 points). It was found that, unlike purely recreational gaming, in mobile esports, external incentives (material rewards, recognition) are associated with higher levels of self-control among adolescents, indicating the disciplining nature of competitive motivation. A strong statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05) was found between satisfaction with the game, team cooperation, and a positive perception of one's own health. Notably, gaming mastery itself does not statistically significantly affect health assessment (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The development of self-regulation skills and the maintenance of a positive social climate within the team are priority areas for coaching support and the prevention of gaming disorders in adolescents.