Achievement Motivation and Performance in Wargames: Creativity as a Mediator

Computer-based wargames provide an experimental platform for studying cognitive antecedents and behavioral outcomes in dynamic scenarios. Our study examines how achievement motivation influence wargame players' performance through the mechanism of creativity. In Study 1, we simplified the achievement motivation scale and revised the creativity scale for wargame contexts in China. After collecting data from students and wargame players (N1 = 300, N2 = 347), we validate their reliability and validity using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Study 2 (N3 = 171) applied these validated scales to analyze the mechanism of creativity between achievement motivation and wargame performance. The results in Study 1 demonstrated that the refined two scales exhibited strong reliability and structural validity. The findings of Study 2 revealed that two types of motivation had different influences on wargame performance. The motivation of hope of success indirectly enhanced wargame performance through increased creativity. In contrast, the motivation of fear of failure reduced creativity and then negatively influenced overall results. Our study advances understanding of achievement motivation in dynamic gaming environments, suggesting that enhancing motivation of hope of success, decreasing motivation of fear of failure, and improving creativity may optimize performance to be more effective.