Male players tend to be more driven by the Achievement subcomponents than female players, while female players tend to be more driven by the relationship and customization subcomponents. Both male and female players are equally likely to be driven by the socializing, teamwork, discovery, role-playing and escapism subcomponents. Worth noting is that there is a gender difference in the relationship subcomponent but not in the socializing subcomponent although these two subcomponents may seem highly interconnected. In other words, male players socialize just as much as female players but are looking for very different things in those relationships.
Older players are most unlike younger players in the Achievement subcomponents for both male and female players. Younger players are more likely to be driven by advancement, competition and understanding the underlying mechanics. Older players and younger players are not significantly different in terms of the Socializing or Immersion subcomponents.
The best correlates with hours played per week were the advancement and mechanics subcomponents for male players, and the relationship component for female players. In other words, the reasons why men spend a lot of time in the game are different from the reasons why women spend a lot of time in the game. Men who spend a lot of time in the game are using that time to gain levels, get rare items and understand the game mechanics, whereas women who spend a lot of time in the game are using that time to build personal relationships.
The best predictors of hours played per week were explored using a multiple regression with gender, age and the 10 subcomponents as predictors. The model was significant at p < .001 with an adjusted R2 of .06 (not very good model, weak predictors). The best predictor was the advancement subcomponent (Beta = .13, p < .001) followed by the relationship subcomponent (Beta = .10, p < .001). However, none of the subcomponents turned out to be good predictors of hours played per week.
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