Character attachment in team-based first person shooter game with respect to the role in the combat among Korean young gamers

Character attachment have been studied thoroughly from the view of psychology and media researches. In game playing, the player-avatar relationship is a form of character attachment and affects a good game design as well as management systems such as character customizing and in game purchasing policy. In this paper, we investigate such player-avatar relationship on the theme of team-based FPS where in general the attachment is not expected to be high. However, from the online survey for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege mania groups, we find that there are different character attachment patterns with respect to the role of players in the team–attacker, defender, and supporter. It shows that attackers think avatar as an ‘object, but the defenders show more ‘avatar as others’ than the attackers. The supporters show high responsibility for the avatar and their play style is most like ‘avatar as symbiote’ manner

The Female Video Game Player-character Persona and Emotional Attachment

This research, using online qualitative survey questions, explored how players of the PlayStation 4 console game, Horizon Zero Dawn, formed emotional attachments to characters while playing as, and assuming the persona of the female player-character, Aloy. It was found that the respondents (approximately 71% male) formed emotional attachments to the female player-character (PC) and non-player characters. Players found the characters to be realistic and well developed and they also found engaging with the storyworld via the female PC a profound experience. This research advances knowledge about video games in general and video game character attachment specifically, as well as the emerging but under-researched areas of Persona Studies and Game Studies

Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games and Their Effects on Life Satisfaction and Social Skills

Adult massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs) gaming is a popular trend that is often perceived negatively, including having a lack of social adaptation skills and low life satisfaction. This quantitative study explored whether life satisfaction and social skills were influenced by gaming by comparing MMORPG gamers (casual and avid) and nongamers. This quantitative survey study was built upon the limitations listed in previous research. The hypothesis was that there would be no difference between MMORPG gamers and nongamers regarding life satisfaction and social skills. To conceptualize the influence MMORPG may have, this study used Diener’s conceptualization of the pursuit of happiness, which presumed that people could choose their happiness by engaging in activities that made them happy on an individual basis. Life skills were measured through the Life Satisfaction-11 Questionnaire and the Social Adaptation Self Evaluation Scale. The sample of 134 was collected by stratified sampling, and the data analysis was calculated using a multivariate analysis of variance. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in social adaptation skills between the groups. However, there was a significant difference in life satisfaction between causal and avid gamers, where casual gamers had less life satisfaction than avid gamers and nongamers. The positive social change implications on a societal level include highlighting the difference in adult gamers because the current results do not fall in line with previous findings, thus potentially changing the psychological view of the effect of video games

Tipo de perspetiva (1ª pessoa vs 3ª pessoa), fluxo e identificação ao avatar em ambiente virtual

Dissertação de Mestrado, Psicologia Social e das Organizações, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, 2015Este estudo teve como principais objetivos investigar a influência do tipo de perspetiva (primeira-pessoa vs terceira-pessoa) no fluxo, na identificação ao avatar e no sentimento de presença num ambiente virtual, e analisar a associação entre estas variáveis de acordo com o tipo de perspetiva. O ambiente virtual foi simulado através de um jogo que possibilitou jogar a mesma fase utilizando a perspetiva na primeirapessoa ou na terceira-pessoa (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim) onde os participantes assumiam o papel de um guerreiro num mundo medieval de fantasia. Os participantes (N=60), após o jogo preencheram um questionário com medidas de fluxo, identificação ao avatar e presença espacial. Os resultados demonstraram que o tipo de perspetiva nos videojogos influencia a absorção (fluxo) e o fluxo GE (fluxo). Os indivíduos apresentaram níveis superiores de absorção (fluxo) e fluxo GE (fluxo) na perspetiva na terceira-pessoa. Verificaram-se diferentes padrões de associação entre as variáveis em função do tipo de perspetiva. Na perspetiva na primeira-pessoa verificou-se uma maior associação entre o fluxo e a identificação ao avatar, entre o fluxo e o sentimento de presença, entre o fluxo e o prazer e entre o fluxo e as dificuldades cognitivas

The image of a hero in computer games

Diplomová práce se věnuje tématu hrdinů počítačových her. Cílem diplomové práce je analyzovat obraz hrdiny počítačových her a prvky z nichž se tento obraz skládá. Dalším záměrem práce je porovnat obrazy hrdinů v žánrech počítačových her RPG (role-playing game) a FPS (first person shooter) a zjistit, jaké aspekty mají obrazy společné a v jakých se od sebe liší. Ve výzkumu se uplatňuje obsahová analýza her na základě předem definovaných kritérií a terénních poznámek vytvořených v průběhu 30minutového hraní 100 nejlepších her podle hodnocení Metacritic (50 her v žánru RPG a 50 her v žánru FPS). Výběr výzkumného vzorku je limitován podle hlavní postavy her, analyzované hry jsou takové, ve kterých je hrdina určen hrou a hráč ho nemůže nijak upravovat, např. zvolit gender postavy, její fyzické dispozice a povolání postavy. Analýza her prokázala, že jejich hlavní hrdina byl ve většině případů člověk, dospělý muž a běloch. Tato charakteristika se větší míře vyskytovala u her žánru FPS.The diploma thesis deals with the subject of video games heroes. The goal of this thesis is to analyze the image of a video game hero and the components of which this image consists. Another focus of this thesis is to compare the images of video game heroes of the RPG (role-playing game) genre with the FPS (first person shooter) genre and to find out which aspects the images have in common and which are different. Content analysis of the games is applied in this thesis, based on predefined criteria and field notes gathered during playing top 100 rated games (50 games of the RPG genre and 50 games of the FPS genre) by Metacritic for 30 minutes each. The selection of the research sample is limited by the main character of the games; analysed games are such in which the hero is determined by the game and the player can't adjust him in any way, for example by choosing the character's gender, their physical predispositions and their occupation. The analysis of the games proved that the main hero was mostly an adult Caucasian human male. This characteristic was registered in the FPS genre more frequently.Ústav informačních studií - studia nových médiíInstitute of Information Studies and Librarianship - New Media StudiesFilozofická fakultaFaculty of Art

Personality, Motivation, and Internet Gaming Disorder: Understanding the Addiction

This dissertation examined the relationships among personality traits, motivation for play, and Internet gaming disorder in a diverse sample of Internet gamers, using a group correlational design and path analysis. The researcher sampled participants who self-identify as Internet gamers by posting invitations to participate in the study on Internet forums, as well as by accessing the gaming population at Pokémon Go hotspots. The study used valid and reliable instruments: The Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGD-10), the abbreviated form of the Big Five Inventory (BFI-10), and the Motivation to Play Online Games Questionnaire (MPOGQ). Data analysis included descriptive statistics related to population demographics and prevalence rates, and multiple regression based on proposed causal relationships in a path analysis model. Prevalence analysis indicated that 4.2% of the population sampled met IGD criteria, with higher prevalence rates among males, students, and people under age 30, indicating potential risk factors for IGD. Findings showed that significant predictors of IGD amongst the variables in the model include male gender, neurotic and introverted personality traits, and motivation related to achievement, socialization, and immersion. A critical analysis of frequency of IGD criteria in the DSM-5 provided further implications for screening and assessment, with specific implications for female and non-White gamers. Limitations related to self-report data and generalizability, as well as recommendations for future research, are discussed

One does not simply tweet without consequence: a study of the electoral contest in Ashgrove

Twitter is now a fixture of society, an online meeting place for people to air their grievances about human rights and civil liberty, discuss global warming, stalk celebrities and show off their cats. An unedited forum of comments that is a gold mine of free data for those who seek to monitor opinions on everything from mobile phone providers to voting preferences. It is now unusual for modern political candidates not to sustain a social media presence during their campaign in order to connect with their constituency. This study examines Twitter use by candidates in a single electorate—the seat of Ashgrove—during an election campaign in the Australian state of Queensland in March 2012. In particular, it looks at how Twitter user groups drive concept discussions around themes and concepts within the campaign, thereby exerting influence within the domain as part of the election process. Using a theory building approach, the data set made up of 35,000 tweets was analysed using text analytics software to reveal how Twitter can be used as a feedback mechanism for candidates, how user groups drive concept discussions on Twitter, the role of legacy media within this framework, and how the language of Twitter is a unique genre of communication

Emergent Narrative: Stories of Play, Playing with Stories

Emergent narrative, a phenomenon of unexpected contextual stories arising through play, has been researched in the field of game studies since 1999. However, that discussion largely lies in the realm of theoretical stories which are generated by either the system or the player. The purpose of this dissertation is to deepen our understanding of emergent narrative by examining real-world examples of the phenomenon. Four hundred player posts were gathered from forums relating to the video game Skyrim (a large, open world fantasy roleplaying game) and analyzed using a mixed-method framework which is informed by digital ethnography, fan studies, and game studies. Using a cluster sampling method, the posts were divided into categories based on theme. This work outlines the historical trajectory of the term emergent narrative and proposes that player created emergent narratives are novel as they capitalize on random events during play in order to create stories which are both contextual and surprising. Each chapter explores a different kind of storytelling in one hundred of the posts, showcasing the diverse subjects that players explore. This work demonstrates that upon reflection, players are not passive recipients of information from games. By participating in these online activities, players become cocreators of their own stories. This work expands our understanding of players, interactive systems, and narrative by arguing that the act of play is collaborative rather than receptive

Implementation of digital role-playing games in Higher Education classrooms to accomplish learning outcomes

Industries have expectations that university graduates possess well-rounded theoretical and practical knowledge to be successful in their jobs. While effective teaching and learning are essential goals in higher education institutions, lessons and learning activities in traditional classroom settings are often out of context, presented to students with much theoretical generality and abstract representations. This leads to a disconnection between academia and industry, where students struggle to apply abstract principles and knowledge in a real-world context to perform effectively in their workplace. Live role-play has been traditionally used as an educational technique to engage students and provide them the opportunity to learn with a real-world context within classroom settings. While role-playing in the classroom encourages transfer of learning, one of its limitation is traditional role-play often does not provide an authentic and believable real-world experience to participants. The primary aim of this study is to converge the pedagogical benefits of role-playing, educational technology and digital games to investigate the effectiveness of using digital role-playing games in classrooms to achieve learning outcomes. Qualitative data were collected from digital media lecturers of a transnational university based in Vietnam and Australia to identify desirable learning outcomes and describe teaching and learning challenges of digital media courses. Through interviews, lecturers also discussed their perceptions of digital RPGs and their level of acceptance in using this educational technology as part of their teaching practice to accomplish learning outcomes. The results highlighted three key desirable learning outcomes: The first learning outcome is students should develop solid understanding of theoretical and foundational design knowledge, enabling effective application of theoretical knowledge to produce creative digital media outputs. The second learning outcome - students should speak the "design language". Students should develop the ability to articulate, critique and explain creative works using appropriate design vocabularies and terminologies, which are used by design practitioners in the industry. The third learning outcome indicated that students should be resourceful and self-sufficient to conceptualise and generate creative ideas. Using Bloom’s taxonomy categories, game characteristics and identified learning outcomes, a conceptual framework was developed for the design and use of digital RPGs to achieve learning outcomes for digital media education. In validating this conceptual framework, a 3d digital role-playing game, Virtual Designer was developed and implemented in classroom environment. A pre/post-test experimental setup was implemented, in which performance gains were measured and compared between control (conventional learning methods) and treatment group (played digital RPG) to determine the learning effectiveness of digital RPGs. Opinion-based survey and focus group interview was also conducted. Based on collected feedback, students find Virtual Designer an effective tool to assess their state of knowledge in different areas of design and apply theoretical knowledge into practical contexts. Students find the game to be an engaging alternative to conventional learning methods, but some have commented the game to be too difficult and at times frustrating to play. Lecturers have also play-tested Virtual Designer and provided favorable views on the overall feasibility of using similar digital RPGs as a teaching and learning tool to sustain students’ interest in learning their subjects – and successfully accomplishing learning outcomes