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Abstract
The ruthless penetration of immersive gaming technology has resulted in loss of significant human potential. While psychosocial interventions are emerging to combat this global epidemic, the underlying causal factors are seldom addressed. The aim of the present study is to investigate the extent to which engagement in gaming (video games and mobile gaming) regresses on satisfaction and meaning in life. An Ex-post facto research design was used. The sample comprised of 100 individuals over 18 years of age (Mage = 25 years) who were purposively selected. The Game Engagement Questionnaire (Brockymyer et al., 2009), The Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985) and The meaning in life Questionnaire (Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler, 2006) were employed. It was hypothesised that there will be a significant negative relationship between Game engagement, Life satisfaction, and Meaning in life. Pearson product moment correlation revealed a significant negative relationship between Engagement in game and Life satisfaction (-.56, p<.01) and also with Presence of meaning in life (.-32, p<.05). Multiple linear regression showed that both Satisfaction (β = -.27, p<.05) and Meaning in life ((β = -.31, p<.05) significantly predicted game engagement, with the latter being a stronger predictor.