Association between esports playing time, loneliness, and life satisfaction among university students

Background and Study Aim. Esports has emerged as a widespread leisure behavior among university students, yet its psychological consequences remain incompletely understood. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Compensatory Internet Use Theory, this study examined the direct and indirect effects of esports playing time on life satisfaction, proposing loneliness as a mediating mechanism. The primary aim was to test whether the negative association between esports playing time and life satisfaction operates, at least partly, through the erosion of social bonds reflected in heightened loneliness. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional relational survey design was employed. The sample comprised 446 undergraduate students (301 males, 145 females; age range 18–25 years) enrolled at universities in Osmaniye and Antalya provinces during the 2025–2026 academic year. Esports playing time was categorized as low (n = 167), moderate (n = 160), or high (n = 119). Loneliness was measured with the UCLA Loneliness Scale Short Form (ULS-5; α = .816) and life satisfaction with the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; α = .797). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, hierarchical linear regression, one-way ANOVA with Tukey HSD post-hoc tests, and BCa bootstrap mediation analysis (PROCESS Macro Model 4; 5,000 iterations). Results. Esports playing time was a significant positive predictor of loneliness (β = .255, p < .001) and a significant negative predictor of life satisfaction (β = −.291, p < .001). Loneliness strongly and negatively predicted life satisfaction (β = −.377, p < .001). Together, esports playing time and loneliness explained 21.8% of the variance in life satisfaction (R² = .218, F(2, 443) = 61.59, p < .001). The indirect effect of esports playing time on life satisfaction through loneliness was statistically significant (B = −0.446; 95% BCa CI [−0.653, −0.260]; mediation ratio = 33.1%). ANOVA indicated that the high-gaming group reported markedly higher loneliness (M = 15.45) and significantly lower life satisfaction (M = 13.43) than the low-gaming group (M = 12.92 and M = 16.19, respectively). Conclusions. Esports playing time negatively affects life satisfaction both directly and indirectly through loneliness. Partial mediation indicates that gaming may erode well-being through several parallel pathways beyond loneliness alone. Interventions should target social competence and real-life bonding capacity rather than restricting gaming behavior, and heavy-gaming university students should be identified early for psychoeducation and social support.