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WhitepaperInstitute of Science Tokyo3 Nov 2026

Measuring What Motivates Maldaimonia in Play: The Inventory on Maldaimonic Motivations in Player Experiences (IMPEX)

Key insights

7 takeaways

01
The Inventory on Maldaimonic Motivations in Player Experiences (IMPEX) is a new 33-item, 7-factor scale designed to measure player motivations for engaging in 'maldaimonic' play, defined as self-realization through egocentric, destructive, or transgressive gaming activities.See it on page 3
02
The IMPEX scale measures seven distinct motivational dimensions: eudaimonic motives, hedonic motives, malicious power-seeking, escapism, transgressive autonomy, social ambition, and extrinsic pursuits.See it on page 17
03
Maldaimonic play is not limited to violent games but occurs across a wide range of genres, primarily in single-player contexts or social settings where other participants are 'in on the fun.'See it on page 2
04
The research distinguishes maldaimonic play from 'dark participation' or toxicity by noting that maldaimonic motivations are often self-oriented—focused on relief, refuge, or autonomy—rather than having a primary intent to harm others.See it on page 4
05
The scale was validated through four iterative studies, demonstrating a consistent 7-factor structure across diverse participant samples, with high sampling adequacy (KMO = 0.868) and significant Bartlett's Test results.See it on page 15
06
The IMPEX is intended to measure internal motivations rather than behavioral severity or the actual impact on other players, meaning it should be used alongside other metrics to evaluate the full scope of a player's experience.See it on page 3
07
Future research is required to establish measurement invariance across different demographics, game genres, and play conditions to confirm the generalizability of the IMPEX factor structure.See it on page 21

Summary

Measuring What Motivates Maldaimonia in Play with the Inventory on Maldaimonic Motivations in Player Experiences GLORIA XIAODAN ZHANG, Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan MAXIMILIAN ALTMEYER, Saarland University of Applied Sciences (htw saar), Germany KATIE SEABORN, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom and Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan Players often engage with video games maldaimonically-pursuing self-realization and self-expression through egocentric, destructive, exploitative, or otherwi...

Measuring What Motivates Maldaimonia in Play: The Inventory on Maldaimonic Motivations in Player Experiences (IMPEX)

Measuring What Motivates Maldaimonia in Play: The Inventory on Maldaimonic Motivations in Player Experiences (IMPEX)

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