14,075 research outputs found

    Mom, Dad It’s Only a Game! Perceived Gambling and Gaming Behaviors among Adolescents and Young Adults: an Exploratory Study

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    Gambling and gaming are increasingly popular activities among adolescents. Although gambling is illegal in Portugal for youth under the age of 18 years, gambling opportunities are growing, mainly due to similarity between gambling and other technology-based games. Given the relationship between gambling and gaming activities, the paucity of research on gambling and gaming behaviors in Portugal, and the potential negative consequences in the lives of young people, the goal of this study was to explore and compare the perceptions of these two behaviors between Portuguese adolescents and young adults. Results from six focus groups (three with adolescents and three with young adults, comprising 37 participants aged between 13 and 26 years) indicated different perceptions for the two age groups. For adolescents, gaming was associated with addiction whereas for young adults it was perceived a tool for increasing personal and social skills. With regard to gambling, adolescents associated it with luck and financial rewards, whereas young adults perceived it as an activity with more risks than benefits. These results suggest developmental differences that have implications for intervention programs and future research

    Using a gamified monitoring app to change adolescents' snack intake : the development of the REWARD app and evaluation design

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    Background: As the snacking pattern of European adolescents is of great concern, effective interventions are necessary. Till now health promotion efforts in children and adolescents have had only limited success in changing adolescents' eating patterns and anthropometrics. Therefore, the present study proposes an innovative approach to influence dietary behaviors in youth based on new insights on effective behavior change strategies and attractive intervention channels to engage adolescents. This article describes the rationale, the development, and evaluation design of the 'Snack Track School' app. The aim of the app is to improve the snacking patterns of Flemish 14- to 16-year olds. Methods: The development of the app was informed by the systematic, stepwise, iterative, and collaborative principles of the Intervention Mapping protocol. A four week mHealth intervention was developed based on the dual-system model with behavioral change strategies targeting both the reflective (i.e., active learning, advance organizers, mere exposure, goal-setting, monitoring, and feedback) and automatic processes (i.e., rewards and positive reinforcement). This intervention will be evaluated via a controlled pre-post design in Flemish schools among 1400 adolescents. Discussion: When this intervention including strategies focused on both the reflective and automatic pathway proves to be effective, it will offer a new scientifically-based vision, guidelines and practical tools for public health and health promotion (i.e., incorporation of learning theories in intervention programs)

    Massively Multiplayer Online Game in-game persuasive features and influence

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    Abstract. This bachelor’s thesis investigates the in-game persuasive mechanisms and their effects in Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games. The gaming industry has grown to massive proportions in recent years and the MMO game genre along with it. The topic is very relevant with persuasive and coercive game mechanics being ever more prevalent nowadays, especially related to monetization. This thesis attempts to answer how MMO games persuade the player and what effects the persuasion has on the player. In other words, which kind of persuasive methods are utilized by the game environment to affect the player and what potential consequences this might have on the person playing. The background section discusses the Persuasive Systems Design (PSD) model, as well as the thin line between persuasion and coercion. The definition of an MMO game and some of its history is also examined. The research was conducted in the form of a literature review and material from 2003 to 2020 was used. The main material was obtained from scientific online journals and books. This thesis investigates the game mechanics by attempting to categorize them into the PSD model principles which are primary task support, dialogue support, credibility support and social support, while separately including the ones that did not fit into this model. The most prevalent category found was social support. Games are never neutral as they always affect the user somehow. This intended or unintended influence can be investigated through the game environment. It can be highly positive, but deceptive or coercive game mechanics are nowadays commonly used and contribute to problematic usage. The topic of this research contains a lot of ethical questions, and it is important to pay attention to how games implement and use their methods of influence. Western laws are still behind regarding this issue, and games avoid legality issues related to, for example, in-game virtual gambling. The discussion is conducted by looking at the potential effects of gaming from the perspective of issues, ethics and solutions. This research can be used as a general overview of the topic and while not contributing new information to the field, it can work as a basis for future work. A look at potential future avenues is provided

    The Cost of Playing the Game: Modeling In-Game Purchase Intention and Investigating Purchase Behavior of Mobile Gamers

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    Free-to-play games typically have a monetization model that relies on players to purchase in-game items or virtual goods to generate revenue (Nguyen, 2015). There have been several empirical efforts to investigate purchase intention of virtual goods in video games with some focusing on quantitative models of purchase intention. Most of these studies tend to be with virtual worlds and lack the use of validated instruments to measure constructs (Hamari & Keronen, 2017). This research sought to gain a greater understanding of purchase intention of in-game content or virtual goods in mobile games through two studies. Study 1 modeled purchase intention with factors including satisfaction, addiction, attitudes of virtual goods, social motivations, continuance intention, and play characteristics. A total of 284 participants who played mobile games for at least 5 hours a week completed an online survey examining the relationships between the different constructs. Several structural equation models were generated to find the best fitting model. Results of the final model explained 66.1% of the variance in purchase intention with the factors of attitudes towards virtual goods, monetary value, addiction, enjoyment, and creative freedom. Attitudes towards virtual goods (β = .767) was the most associated factor with purchase intention in the model followed by enjoyment (β = .153), monetary value (β = .148), creative freedom (β = -.127), and addiction (β = .106). Study 2 examined purchase behavior of mobile video game players with a longitudinal diary study. Eight mobile video game players selected a game to play over the course of two weeks while logging their experience and purchases. Seven of the eight participants made a purchase of in-game content. Analyses of what game elements contributed to purchasing behavior revealed that some participants reported associated dark patterns around their purchases such as paying for enhancements, which is paying for in-game content to make characters stronger to progress in the game. Players also encountered loot boxes that provide only a chance to earn specific items in the game. These results add to Study 1 results by demonstrating that aspects of how a game is designed may impact in-game purchase intention and should be considered in future research. The combination of Studies 1 and 2 show that both psychological constructs of mobile gamers and aspects of game design may influence in-game purchase intention. Future research could replicate the model from this research in other in-game purchase intention or actual purchase behavior settings such as different types of games genres, platforms, or populations. Other areas of future research include further examination of the impact of dark game design patterns on purchase behavior in other situations (e.g., console, free to play vs. pay to play) and the development of ways to mitigate deceptive designs on player purchasing habits

    Gerontoludic Character Design: Creating Engaging Player Characters for Older Adults

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    In this thesis, findings of research in gerontoludic character design, in other words the design of game player characters focused upon the needs, wants, and expectations of older adults, are delivered. To support these findings, there is a review of qualitative and quantitative literature on ageism, including the impact of aging stereotypes and assumptions upon technology driven industries such as the game industry. This exploration of the roots of ageism includes an examination of how ageism affects the frequency and nature of older adult characters, both playable and non-playable, found in video games. Part of the justification of this topic includes consideration of profitability and play habits of older adult players, for the purposes of the research that refers to players aged 50 and older. To better the odds of creating content that will be appealing to this potentially profitable audience, game designers need to understand how to avoid ageist perspectives in the design of game characters and their narrative arcs. To that end, current research in the design of games for older adults, both from gerontological and gerontoludic design perspectives, is paired with viewpoints on the design of video game characters, particularly player characters. This is combined with the results of a survey conducted on the character design preferences of older adults. The reviewed research and analysis of survey results is then used to create a set of gerontoludic character design guidelines that can hopefully lead to the development of more appealing player characters and avoid negative, stereotypical portrayals of older adults

    L2P NOOB: Examining Tutorials in Digital Games

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    It has been well-noted that contemporary digital games tend to design for a relatively high skill threshold engineered to appease a well-entrenched and digitally literate audience (Hayes, 2005). Such design practices, however, serve to disenfranchise new and novice players wanting to learn to play. This novice-expert divide is a significant barrier to entry for individuals wanting to play digital games, and given that digital games are seeing increased use in pedagogical contexts (Akilli, 2007; Becker, 2007; Nieborg, 2011; Shelton, Satwicz, & Caswell, 2011; Ulicsak, 2010), such skill-based barriers further complicate the seamless incorporation of digital games into the classroom. In an effort to explore how we might bridge the gap between new and weathered players, I created three tutorials for World of Warcraft (2004) in an attempt to improve the existing tutorials for newer entrants to the game. These new tutorials offered different modalities of instruction, as well as instructional strategies in assisting newer players. Tutorials were designed using the Structured Sound Functions (SSF) model of instructional design, following the Attentional Control Theory of Multimedia Learning (ACTML). The tutorials were then analyzed for their effects on play outcomes, player engagement, and player motivations using the Dick and Carey (2011) three-stage model of formative evaluation. This work thus makes two important contributions. First, this research conducts a much-needed in-depth study of game tutorials, which is an area yet to be well-charted in the disciplines of either education or games studies. Secondly, by analyzing the results of the formative evaluation, I conclude that players react favorably to a faded or “just-in-time” instructional strategy—an approach to player scaffolding which showed significantly increased motivation for play, engagement, and play mastery among novice participants. Implications for game design and future research are discussed

    Addiction in Players or Massively Multiplayer Online Games? Investigation of Online Game Players' Excessive Gaming Experience

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    With the popularity of online games, the overuse of these games has raised concerns. The literature has mainly conceptualized players' psychosocial characteristics as risk factors for game addiction. However, many studies have confirmed that game structural characteristics play a more important role in players' experience. Similarly, this research investigates how interactive affordances of World of Warcraft motivate players to play the game excessively. We have used two qualitative methods of Think-aloud protocol and in-depth interviews with World of Warcraft players. We recruited 35 World of Warcraft players from Singapore Nanyang Technological University in May 2021. Twenty of them participated in the in-depth interview and 15 of them participated in Think-aloud protocol sessions. We found that strong social ties in persistent groups encourage excessive gaming and causes sleep deficits, bad eating habit and ignoring real-life duties. Intra-group competition for outperformance encourages excessive gaming because players receive powerful items if they spend more time on gaming. Rewards and contingent tasks that are designed in games to encourage playing the game with time encourage players to play the game excessively. Finally, after explaining about gaps in knowledge, we discuss how our findings contribute to the literature. Implications for future research and insights to game addicts are provided

    A Qualitative Analysis of Online Gaming:

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    The popularity of Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) has risen dramatically over the last decade. Some gamers spend many hours a day in these virtual environments interacting with others gamers, completing quests, and forming social groups. The present study set out to explore the experiences and feelings of online gamers. The study comprised 71 interviews with online gamers (52 males and 19 females) from 11 different countries. Many themes emerged from the analyses of the interview transcripts including (i) relationship with social networking, (ii) social interaction, (iii) the community, (iv) learning real-life skills, (v) reinforcement schedules and operant conditioning, (vi) game design and content, (vii) escaping from real life, (viii) playing longer than intended, and (ix) gamers’ obligations towards others in online worlds. These findings specifically showed the social networking capabilities of online gaming, the community aspects and the psychological mechanisms within MMORPGs that can lead to excessive online gaming. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to previous qualitative and quantitative research in the area

    Incentive Mechanisms for Participatory Sensing: Survey and Research Challenges

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    Participatory sensing is a powerful paradigm which takes advantage of smartphones to collect and analyze data beyond the scale of what was previously possible. Given that participatory sensing systems rely completely on the users' willingness to submit up-to-date and accurate information, it is paramount to effectively incentivize users' active and reliable participation. In this paper, we survey existing literature on incentive mechanisms for participatory sensing systems. In particular, we present a taxonomy of existing incentive mechanisms for participatory sensing systems, which are subsequently discussed in depth by comparing and contrasting different approaches. Finally, we discuss an agenda of open research challenges in incentivizing users in participatory sensing.Comment: Updated version, 4/25/201
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