Not all play is equal: In-game player behaviour predicts wellbeing difference

Large-scale studies using digital trace data consistently find that playtime alone is not meaningfully associated with wellbeing. Yet these studies typically capture playtime across platforms and titles without examining what happens inside a game: the granular in-game behaviours that might differentiate players’ experiences. The Integrated Model of Player Experience posits that the mechanics and contexts players encounter during play shape the resulting experience and its downstream psychological effects, implying that players who engage with the same game in qualitatively different ways may report different wellbeing outcomes. We tested this using telemetry-driven profiling of session-level behavioural data from 412 players of the online shooter Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. Cluster analysis on 10 standardised performance and mode-preference metrics identified three distinct playstyles: exploratory, high-performing, and competitive. Exploratory players reported greater wellbeing and enjoyment than competitive players. However, we found no evidence that playstyle moderated the relationship between playtime and either outcome. These findings indicate that how players engage with a game’s mechanics and modes is associated with different average levels of wellbeing, but we know little about how such playstyles might alter the relationship between the amount of play and wellbeing.