The DOI matches its Crossref record; 30 of the 30 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Media Enjoyment as Need Satisfaction: The Contribution of Hedonic and Nonhedonic Needs
Open accessAbstract
Most early research on entertainment defines media enjoyment in functional terms as the satisfaction of hedonic needs. Two studies demonstrate the value of including nonhedonic and hedonic need satisfaction in defining enjoyment. Both studies find support for a need-satisfaction model showing that hedonic (arousal and affect) and nonhedonic (competence and autonomy) need satisfaction account for unique variance in enjoyment experienced during video game play. Study 2 extends the findings of Study 1 to account for noninteractive media entertainment enjoyment. Results show hedonic and nonhedonic need satisfaction to be distinct but complementary components of media enjoyment. Discussion focuses on the advantage of a needs-based approach for understanding positive valuations of media and offers a new perspective on the enjoyment–appreciation distinction.
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“Research has confirmed that well-designed games are enjoyable and engaging because playing them provides basic need satisfaction (Mekler et al., 2014, Przybylski et al., 2010, Tamborini et al., 2011).”
From Gamification for health and wellbeing: A systematic review of the literature (2016) · cites this paper as Tamborini et al., 2011
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Cites
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Metadata
- Authors
- Tamborini, R., Grizzard, M., David Bowman, N., Reinecke, L., Lewis, R. J., & Eden, A.
- Affiliations
- Michigan State University (US)
- University of Mannheim (DE)
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- Venue
- Journal of Communication
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2011-12
- Volume
- 61
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1025-1042
- ISSN
- 0021-9916 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2130927697
- Cited by
- 229
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 137.11
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Communication (publishedVersion)
- Digital Academic REpository of VU University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
- VU Research Portal (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- MADOC (University of Mannheim) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media Influence and Health
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Games and Media
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
- Keywords
- media enjoyment, need satisfaction, hedonic needs, video gaming, competence, autonomy, arousal, affect
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