Video games and creativity: The mediating role of psychological capital

Abstract

Video games play a big part in many individuals’ lives, children and adults alike. A large body of research has investigated both the potential negative and positive effects of video games. This paper examines whether playing video games is positively related to creativity, with a focus on adults' creativity in the workplace. Furthermore, it was posited that this link could be explained through the mediating effect of Psychological Capital (PsyCap). Using a cross-sectional design (N = 370), the results show a full mediation of the link between the frequency of playing video games and creativity, through optimism: playing video games is positively associated with higher optimism, which in turn is associated with more creativity in the workplace.

Keywords

• Video games
• Creativity
• Psychological capital
• Optimism
• Mediation