{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T14:07:45Z","timestamp":1768226865652,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":67,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768176000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Brain Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the associations among achievement motivation, meaning in life, and well-being among video game players and to investigate differences between players with approach- and avoidance-oriented motivations. Methods: The sample consisted of 296 university students who reported playing video games (192 men and 104 women), aged 18 to 35 years (M = 22.62; SD = 2.64). Participants completed a battery of self-report measures, including the Achievement Goal Questionnaire, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index, administered anonymously. Results: Mediation analyses revealed that meaning in life was a significant mediator in the relationship between approach-oriented mastery goals and well-being (Ind = 0.07; 95% CI [0.02, 0.12]). However, no significant mediation effect was found for approach-oriented performance goals (Ind = 0.04; 95% CI [\u22120.01, 0.09]). Independent-samples t-tests indicated that participants with approach-oriented motivations reported significantly higher levels of meaning in life (t(294) = 4.44; p &lt; 0.001), presence of meaning (t(294) = 5.74; p &lt; 0.001), and well-being (t(294) = 5.52; p &lt; 0.001) compared to those with avoidance-oriented motivations. Conclusions: The findings suggest that approach-oriented achievement motivations among players are positively associated with meaning in life and are indirectly associated with higher well-being, whereas avoidance-oriented motivations are associated with lower levels of well-being. These results carry potential implications for game design, education, and psychotherapy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci16010086","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]],"date-time":"2026-01-12T10:25:23Z","timestamp":1768213523000},"page":"86","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Achievement Motivation, Meaning in Life, and Well-Being Among Video Game Players"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-5312-3162","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maciej","family":"Wierzbicki","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, University of Szczecin, 70-453 Szczecin, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6194-3286","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wojciech","family":"Rodze\u0144","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, University of Szczecin, 70-453 Szczecin, Poland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Clement, J. 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