Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Gaming Genre Preference among Adolescents: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The current pilot study investigated emotional intelligence (EI) as a predictor of preference for more immersive versus interactive gaming genres in an adolescent convenience sample (N=100, age range 11–17 years). Emotional intelligence (EI) was measured by the Emotional Intelligence Inventory – Multi-Measure (EII-MM) Scale developed by Mangal in 2004. Participants were divided into the Immersive genre referrer (IM; n = 50; role-playing, simulation) and Interactive genre referrer (IN; n = 50; sports, racing). Results indicated that Interactive gamers (M = 120.42, SD = 26.12) reported numerically and significantly higher EI scores than Immersive gamers (M = 107.28, SD = 26.12). The difference in means between groups is statistically significant per Mann-Whitney U analysis (U = 1618.00, p = 0.011, r = 0.295, d = 0.500). Binary logistic regressions revealed further significant predictive value for EI on genre preference (B = 0.019, OR = 1.019, p= 0. 016, Nagelkerke R² = 0.079, AUC = 0.647). These preliminary results demonstrate a modest but directionally consistent relationship between EI and gaming genre preference that should be replicated in adequately powered studies.