The mediating effect of gaming motivation between psychiatric symptoms and problematic online gaming: an online survey

Background: The rapid expansion of online video gaming as a leisure time activity has led to the appearance of problematic online gaming (POG). According to the literature, POG is associated with different psychiatric symptoms (eg, depression, anxiety) and with specific gaming motives (ie, escape, achievement). Based on studies of alcohol use that suggest a mediator role of drinking motives between distal influences (eg, trauma symptoms) and drinking problems, this study examined the assumption that there is an indirect link between psychiatric distress and POG via the mediation of gaming motives. Furthermore, it was also assumed that there was a moderator effect of gender and game type preference based on the important role gender plays in POG and the structural differences between different game types

A cross-genre study of online gaming: player demographics, motivation for play, and social interactions among players

One key limitation with the contemporary online gaming research literature is that much of the published research has tended to examine only one genre of games (i.e., Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). Three relatively little studied online games are First Person Shooter (FPS) Games, Role Play Games (RPG) and Real Time Strategy (RTS) Games. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine player behaviour and characteristics in these three different online gaming genres. More specifically, the study examined the differences between the three different game genres in terms of: (i) the demographic profile, (ii) the social interactions of players including the number and quality of friends, and how gaming related to real life friendship, and (iii) motivations to play games. The sample comprised 353 self-selected players (156 who played FPS, 119 who played RPG and 78 who played RTS). The RPG genre had the highest percentage of female players. The number of hours played per week varied significantly between the genres. RPG players played significantly longer hours than FPS or RTS players. In relation to playing motivation, achievement levels were highest for the FPS genre with RPG genre having the lowest achievement levels RPG players had the highest immersion levels. RTS players were significantly less likely to report having made friends than players of the other two genres

Online Gaming Issues in Offline Couple Relationships: A Primer for Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs)

Although the challenges around participation in online gaming grow, gamers and their partners who experience online relationship issues related to gaming, present a new set of treatment challenges for therapists. In this article, we report on the findings of a hermeneutic research study aimed at evaluating the scholarly literature related to online gaming and interpret these texts to determine the effect such online activity has on the couple relationship. We reviewed 18 articles published between 1998 and 2010 related to online gaming and interpersonal relationships, focusing solely on empirical articles related to the search criteria. Our interpretation of the text concluded that online gaming might add to and/or interfere with a couple’s life. Based on these potential problem areas, practical considerations for treatment are also outlined

Determinants of harassment in online multiplayer games

Objective. Online multiplayer games allow large numbers of participants to play simultaneously online. Unfortunately, this has also given rise to new forms of harassment and abuse. The current study used the criminological framework of Routine Activity Theory to identify possible circumstantial and individual risk factors that predict both general and sexual harassment victimization in this online context. Method. An online survey of online multiplayer gamers (N = 883) was conducted. Measures included harassment exposure, guardianship, and target suitability. These determinants were used to predict general and sexual harassment victimization in multiple regression analyses. Analyses controlled for social desirability responding. Results. Both sexual harassment victimization (R² = 63%) and general harassment victimization (R² = 57%) were successfully predicted using the determinants. The gender of the gamer is associated with the type of harassment received; women are more likely to encounter sexual harassment, while men are more likely to be harassed in the general sense. Gaming for fewer hours per week, with mostly or exclusively female avatars, and sharing personal information (e.g. gender) predicts sexual harassment victimization, whereas playing in Player-versus-Player game modes predicts general harassment victimization. Harassing other gamers and associating with harassers predicts both general and sexual harassment. Conclusions. Our models explained a sizable percentage of the variation in harassment, indicating for the first time that the Routine Activity Theory can be applied to understand online harassment in gaming. Specifically, it was found that different types of in-game exposure predict different types of victimization, that lacking personal self-guardianship predicts sexual harassment and that gender (or revealing gender) is associated with changes in harassment

The Social Relations and Interactions of a First Person Shooter (FPS) Gamer

Video games have been part of society for over 40 years. During this period, a stereotypical image of a person who plays videogames has formed. Influenced by the stereotypical image (young, loner males, pale, socially inept, overweight, and possibly aggressive or violent), psychological research has focused on the possible negative effects of playing first person shooter video games. Contrary to the stereotype, first person shooter video games can be a medium in which social relationships are formed and maintained. This study aims to explored the social relationships and interactions of players of first person shooter video games in all locations of play, and how these relationships and interactions influenced the game experience, and how players managed these relationships and interactions. This research was done using qualitative interviews with 12 current first person shooter gamers. The study found that between non-persistent game worlds, technological advancements, and the potentially persistent social relationships, a large diversity of social relationships and interactions occur in and emerge from first person shooter video games. These social relationships and interactions play a central role in the enjoyment of playing first person shooter video games. The study found the interactions that are possible, happen in many different forms. The relationships found in the study developed from several different settings with playing together and friends’ friend being the most common start of a relationship. As well, the participants’ reported a level structure for the relationships that are part of their first person shooter gaming. The study also describes the interactions of players while gaming as being seen as mostly good, with a few antisocial acts committed. These findings are discussed in comparison with literature from other game genres on the social interactions and relationships of players. The seemingly “unsocial” and virtually violent first person shooter game world has been shown to encompass surprisingly rich and diverse social relationships

Video games as a multifaceted medium: a review of quantitative social science research on video games and a typology of video game research approaches

Although there is a vast and useful body of quantitative social science research dealing with the social role and impact of video games, it is difficult to compare studies dealing with various dimensions of video games because they are informed by different perspectives and assumptions, employ different methodologies, and address different problems. Studies focusing on different social dimensions of video games can produce varied findings about games' social function that are often difficult to reconcile - or even contradictory. Research is also often categorized by topic area, rendering a comprehensive view of video games' social role across topic areas difficult. This interpretive review presents a novel typology of four identified approaches that categorize much of the quantitative social science video game research conducted to date: "video games as stimulus," "video games as avocation," "video games as skill," and "video games as social environment." This typology is useful because it provides an organizational structure within which the large and growing number of studies on video games can be categorized, guiding comparisons between studies on different research topics and aiding a more comprehensive understanding of video games' social role. Categorizing the different approaches to video game research provides a useful heuristic for those critiquing and expanding that research, as well as an understandable entry point for scholars new to video game research. Further, and perhaps more importantly, the typology indicates when topics should be explored using different approaches than usual to shed new light on the topic areas. Lastly, the typology exposes the conceptual disconnects between the different approaches to video game research, allowing researchers to consider new ways to bridge gaps between the different approaches' strengths and limitations with novel methods

Massively Multiplayer Online Gamers: Motivations and Risks

Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) are a popular type of online video game. While these games and their players have been studied previously, there is gap in the literature that examines the relationship between one’s motivation to play MMOGs and loneliness, depression, and problematic use. For this study, 440 players of World of Warcraft (WoW), a popular MMOG, completed a demographics questionnaire and four measures, including Williams, Yee, & Caplan’s (2008) motivation measure, Peter’s & Malesky’s (2008) World of Warcraft-specific Problematic Usage-Engagement Questionnaire, UCLA’s Loneliness scale, and The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Results from quantitative analyses suggest that MMO players who are motivated to play for reasons of achievement and immersion are more likely to experience problematic use than those persons who play for social motivations. Loneliness and depression were only positively related with immersion motivated players, and there exists a significant negative relationship between social motivation and depression. These results suggest that gamers who play WoW for immersive reasons are the most at-risk in comparison to their peers. Implications for counseling, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed

Computers in Secondary Schools: Educational Games

This entry introduces educational games in secondary schools. Educational games include three main types of educational activities with a playful learning intention supported by digital technologies: educational serious games, educational gamification, and learning through game creation. Educational serious games are digital games that support learning objectives. Gamification is defined as the use of "game design elements and game thinking in a non-gaming context" (Deterding et al. 2011, p. 13). Educational gamification is not developed through a digital game but includes game elements for supporting the learning objectives. Learning through game creation is focused on the process of designing and creating a prototype of a game to support a learning process related to the game creation process or the knowledge mobilized through the game creation process. Four modalities of educational games in secondary education are introduced in this entry to describe educational games in secondary education: educational purpose of entertainment games, serious games, gamification, and game design

Immersion in digital games: What is immersion in the gaming spectrum?

This work is comprised of two parts. Immersion is a very broad topic that tends to come up in a lot of discussions nowadays, with special focus on the world of digital games. The first part of this dissertation is the analysis the word immersion and all it encompasses, giving the reader a better perception on the matter - “what is immersion?”. To answer this relatively vague question, we must evaluate and define this notion of immersion in all its fields. Not just the digital gaming department, but in others as well. Although, virtual games remain the focus of the dissertation. In the second part of the dissertation, it is presented a case study, based on interviews used to find out what people think immersion is and if it is only connected to digital games. With everything stated, it is the final objective of this dissertation to build a typology based of age and gender of the interviewees, in order to determine what a person of a certain age would find more immersive, and at the same time demystifying and clarifying the notion of immersion.Este trabalho é composto em duas partes. Imersão é um tema muito ambíguo que tende a aparecer em inúmeras discussões nos dias de hoje, com especial foco no mundo dos jogos virtuais. A primeira parte da dissertação é a análise da palavra imersão e todos os seus componentes, dando ao leitor uma melhor percepção sobre o assunto – “o que é imersão?”. Para responder a esta questão relativamente vaga, teremos de avaliar e definir esta noção de imersão em todas as suas variantes. Não apenas no campo dos jogos virtuais, mas noutros também. Apesar de que os jogos virtuais permaneçam o principal foco da dissertação. Na segunda parte da dissertação, é apresentado um estudo de caso baseado em entrevistas, usadas para o efeito de saber o que os entrevistados pensam que é imersão e se está apenas conectado ao mundo dos jogos. Dito isto, é objectivo final desta dissertação, construir uma tipologia baseada no sexo e idade dos entrevistados, de modo a determinar o que uma pessoa de determinada idade achará imersivo e ao mesmo tempo desmistificando e clarificando a noção de imersão