Table 1.

GAMES^a categories, score range, and their definitions.

Category	Score range	Definition
Story	12-60	Game stories are important, engaging, and emotionally compelling.
Violent catharsis	7-35	Game violence is perceived to harmlessly help release negative moods or aggression.
Violent reward	6-30	Game violence provides positive or thrilling emotions such as satisfaction or power.
Social interaction	6-30	Playing games with a group; developing personal relationships with other players.
Escapism	6-30	Using games to regulate dysphoric moods or to escape the frustrations of daily life.
Loss aversion	7-35	Tendency of a loss to frustrate or to “spoil the fun.” Likely subsumes a search for a challenge.
Customization	4-20	Interest in in-game creative pursuits such as personalizing an in-game avatar or building a house.
Grinding	6-30	Attitudes toward performing repetitive actions or paying real-life money to earn in-game rewards; interest in performing every possible action in a game or collecting every in-game item.
Autonomy	5-25	Enthusiasm for games with many choices, options, multiple solutions to puzzles, and open areas to explore.

^aGAMES: Gaming Attitudes, Motivations, and Experiences Scales.