ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
From "player" to "viewer": a survey on the willingness of video game players to alter their game consumption behavior.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Background: As gameplay and esports live streaming increasingly coexist within the digital gaming ecosystem, it remains unclear whether players' movement toward spectatorship represents behavioral substitution, complementary media use, or a broader restructuring of game-related consumption. Drawing on the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change, this study examines Chinese game users' stage-based willingness to adjust their consumption from active gameplay toward esports live-streaming spectatorship. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Chinese game consumers aged 18-45 years, yielding 675 valid responses. Participants were classified into five TTM stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. The study used descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, CFA-based measurement validation, one-way ANOVA, and Results: The stage distribution showed that 4.44% of participants were in precontemplation, 21.33% in contemplation, 29.33% in preparation, 25.78% in action, and 19.11% in maintenance. Descriptive results suggested a gradual shift from game-centered consumption to live-streaming-centered consumption from the early stages to the action stage, followed by partial stabilization or decline in the maintenance stage. ANOVA results showed significant stage differences in users' attitudes toward playing games and watching esports live streams, current consumption habits, life-stage-related changes, support for esports live-streaming consumption, and opposition to esports live-streaming consumption. However, several game-related evaluations showed no significant stage differences, suggesting that basic gaming motivations and concerns may be shared across stages. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the player-to-viewer shift should not be understood as a simple or linear replacement of gameplay by live-streaming consumption. Instead, it is better conceptualized as a nonlinear, stage-dependent restructuring of game-related engagement. Users may reduce gameplay, combine playing and watching, or move between the two depending on life stage, available time, personal interests, and content quality. This study extends the TTM framework to digital gaming consumption and provides stage-specific implications for esports platforms, game companies, and live-streaming services.
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