A Diary Study of Game Transfer Phenomena: Examining Their Frequency, Triggers and Correlations with Spontaneous Cognitions and Psychopathology

Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP) refer to game-related perceptions, images, memories, or actions that occur spontaneously, often in response to incidental cues, after the players have stopped gaming. While previous research has used retrospective questionnaire/interview methods, in the present study, for the first time, 38 gamers (Mage = 26.78 SD = 6.70; 87% males) kept a 7-day online GTP diary and completed questionnaires assessing GTP frequency, involuntary phenomena (e.g., mind-pops, mind-wandering), and other variables (e.g., internet gaming disorder, schizotypal traits, anxiety, depression, impulsivity). Most GTP experiences manifested as spontaneous cognitions (e.g., involuntary memories, mind-pops, earworms), occurred during undemanding activities, were externally triggered and preceded by recent game exposure (supporting the long-term priming hypothesis). Additionally, diary-recorded GTP frequency was associated with positive and negative schizotypy and anxiety and moderately recorrelated with GTP scale scores. Overall, results suggest that GTP may be considered as part of a broader family of involuntary cognitive phenomena.