Trapped in the pleasure dome: the hedonic pathway to gaming addiction in the metaverse

The growth of metaverse games has intensified concerns regarding problematic engagement among young adults, yet the psychological mechanisms underlying such behavior remain underexplored. Guided by Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, this exploratory study examines how metaverse-related motivations–aesthetics, escapism, entertainment, and social pleasure–influence metaverse addiction directly and indirectly through experienced hedonic affect. Using cross-sectional survey data from India (N = 426) and Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), the study finds that all four motivations significantly predict addiction tendencies, consistent with UGT’s emphasis on goal-directed media use. Further, consistent with posits of SOR framework, experienced hedonic affect mediates the relationship between motivators and metaverse gaming addiction, highlighting the reinforcing role of immersive, sensory, and emotional experiences in metaverse environments. The coexistence of direct and indirect effects supports a dual-process interpretation in which reflective motivations and affective rewards jointly shape addiction.