dataset for study 1

As one of the love gods from Greek myth, Pothos represents the idea of inaccessible yet unforgettable love, a concept that mirrors the relationships formed in the Chinese Otome game between players and in-game agents. This research, which combines game ontology and the Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT), explores the mechanism model of motivation for engaging in Otome games in China. Study 1 used the Structural Equation Model (SEM) and collected 759 Chinese data, constructed a model of motivation based on previous results. To address the unresolved question from Study 1, study 2 employed qualitative methods with 15 respondents to further compare virtual and real romantic relationships. Our research unravels the intricate mechanism of motivation for game engagement from a unique combination of game ontology and psychological perspective, not only contributes to the extension and potentiality of media psychology but also provides practical insights for game developers and psychologists.