University students’ affective experiences while playing: A qualitative perspective

The aim of this study was to interpret university students’ affective experiences while taking part in two practical sessions based on cooperative and psychomotor games with and without competition. Six students of physical education and sport took part in the study. The validated Games and Emotions Scale (GES) questionnaire was used, which was completed at the beginning and at the end of each session. Two individual interviews were then conducted with each participant (one per session). The data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti v.62 software. We would highlight the following findings: a) both types of games trigger individual and group affective wellbeing in the participants; b) individual wellbeing is conditioned by aspects of the games’ internal logic (motor relationships, and the presence or absence of competition) whereas group wellbeing is triggered mainly by aspects external to the group (social relationships between the participants, and sports background or personal perceptions).