Flow experience and interaction in online gaming. Comparative study of Russian and Chinese MUD players

Abstract. Flow experience (as introduced by M.Csikszentmihalyi) and patterns of\ud interactive behavior were investigated in an online surveys administered within\ud samples of Russian (N = 347) and Chinese (N = 133) online role-playing gamers.\ud Three main hypotheses were stated: (1) both Russian and Chinese MUD players\ud experience flow; (2) flow is positively correlated with interaction patterns for both\ud Russian and Chinese samples of MUD players; (3) patterns of flow experience\ud and interaction patterns characteristic for the Russian and the Chinese samples of\ud MUD players differ. All the hypotheses proved to be true. The following methods\ud of data analysis were used: comparative demography, path analysis, explorative\ud and confirmatory factor analyses. The paper presents the full results of the study\ud and justification of the hypotheses.\ud \ud <br />\ud <br />\ud \ud Résumé. L’expérience optimale (le ‘flow’, tel que l’introduit M.Csikszentmihalyi)\ud et les schémas interactifs de comportement ont fait l’objet d’une investigation\ud dans des études en ligne auprès d’un public engagé dans des jeux de rôle : Russe\ud (N=347) et Chinois (N = 133). On avance les hypothèses principales : (1) les\ud joueurs russes comme les chinois vivent une expérience optimale (2) le ‘flow’ est\ud corrélé positivement avec les schémas d’interaction pour les joueurs russes et\ud chinois (3) il y a des différences entre les Russes et les Chinois pour les schémas\ud de l’expérience optimale et les caractéristiques des interactions. Toutes les\ud hypothèses se sont avérées exactes. Nous avons utilisé les méthodes d’analyse\ud suivantes : comparaison démographique, analyse des choix opérés, analyse des\ud facteurs pour l’exploration et la confirmation. Cet article présente les résultats de\ud ces travaux et justifie les hypothèses

Massively multiplayer online roleplay games for learning

This chapter explores whether massively multiplayer online role-play games (MMORPGs) can be usedeffectively to support learning and training communities. The chapter aims to propose that cross-disciplinaryapproaches to the study of game-based learning are needed to support better synthesis ofour current understanding of the effectiveness of learning with games. The chapter therefore includesa brief literature review of online gaming research to date, taken from psychological and educationalresearch perspectives. The chapter explores the main types of online games and highlights the mainthemes of research undertaken through a consideration of the use of online gaming in current learningand training contexts where online gaming is being used to support experiential and discovery learningapproaches. This chapter indicates future directions for cross-disciplinary research approaches in thisfield and considers how collaborative learning could best be supported through this approach

Avatare - soziale Interaktion in virtuellen Welten am Beispiel von Second Life

Diese Diplomarbeit setzt sich mit der sozialen Interaktion von Menschen in virtuellen Welten durch digitale Repräsentationen in Form von Avataren auseinander, konkret untersucht anhand der 3D Welt Second Life. Zunächst behandelt die Arbeit den virtuellen Identitätsbegriff. Es wird untersucht durch welche Mittel sich der Mensch im virtuellen Kontext darstellen kann und welche Rolle dabei die Anonymität spielt, die es dem Menschen erlaubt, mit seiner Identität zu experimentieren. Neben Identitätstheorien werden auch Erfahrungen mit dem eigenen Ich im Internet thematisiert. Es folgt eine nähere Beschreibung des virtuellen Raumes, welche verschiedenen Welten sich seit Beginn der 1990er Jahre entwickelt haben und welche Auswirkungen diese Welten auf die virtuelle Selbstdarstellung des Individuums haben. Virtuelle Interaktion kann nur in Gemeinschaften funktionieren, in denen kommuniziert wird. Es wird hinterfragt, worin die Besonderheiten von virtueller Kommunikation liegen und welche Kennzeichen virtuelle Gemeinschaften haben. Neben den herkömmlichen Chat Anwendungen findet soziale Interaktion im Internet vor allem in virtuellen Umgebungen statt, die eine Spielhandlung vorgeben oder spielerische Aspekte beinhalten. Es wird aufgezeigt, wie spielerische Elemente Interaktion vereinfachen, wie sich ein Avatar als Spielfigur in einer digitalen Welt positionieren kann, die neben vielen Reizen auch Gefahren birgt. Darauf folgend werden die theoretischen Erkenntnisse mit persönlichen Erfahrungen, die ich in Second Life gemacht habe, verknüpft. Nach einer kurzen Entwicklungsgeschichte von Second Life wird gezeigt, wie man Avatare gestalten und auf welche Weise man mit anderen in Second Life kommunizieren und interagieren kann. Zudem setzt sich die Arbeit kritisch mit der Frage auseinander, ob und wie Interaktion in Second Life im Jahr 2011 noch funktionieren kann und gewährt abschließend einen Ausblick über mögliche Zukunftsanwendungen von virtuellen Welten und des Avatars als digitalem Stellvertreter

Investigating the Factors That Contribute to In-App Purchases in Online Gaming:The Stimulus-Organism-Response Model

Advancements in online payment mechanics has revolutionised the monetisation of online games. One such method known as In-App Purchases (IAPs) - small purchases of virtual goods for real world currencies, has become a popular method of increasing the profitability of online games. In-App Purchases are made only by small percentages of players in a game and the reasons influencing players to make In-App Purchases vary. Exploring the influencers of players online purchase intent in online games may assist game developers in increasing players’ willingness to make In-App Purchases. The monetisation mechanics of games and consumers’ willingness to make online purchases are an important focus in the online gaming industry when determining the profitability of a game. Thus, coming to understand the monetisation mechanics of a game and the way it influences consumers online purchase intent can be useful to game developers and marketers when developing new games. The purpose of this study was, thus, to assist both game developers and marketers in understanding the influencers of online purchase intent in online games, in order to better create and market more profitable online games. The Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model was used to better understand InApp purchasing behavior, where Stimulus refers to game characteristics, Organism refers to gameplay experience that could lead to the Response resulting in Online Purchase Intent. The factors identified that contributed to this response include: Active Control, Reciprocal Communication, Social Identity, Skill and Challenge which constitute the Stimulus constructs of the S-O-R model; the factors which constitute Response include: Flow, Cognitive Involvement and Affective Involvement. The model was tested using an online survey and tested through the use of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling software. The results of the study provide support for the conceptual framework and indicate that Online Purchase Intent may be most influenced by the way players personally identify with a game, and how much of a challenge the game presents. The results also indicate that emotional involvement with a game has a significant positive influence on Online Purchase Intent and that online purchases may be impulse purchases. The findings of this study imply that game developers may be able to influence Online Purchase Intent by increasing the level challenge found in games. Additionally, marketers may be able to influence online purchases through the use of emotional appeals in game advertisements and by offering limited edition sales of InApp Purchases. Future research related to this study should explore which emotions are the greatest influencers of Online Purchase Intention, and how these emotions influence the willingness to make In-App Purchases

Design and Instantiation of an Interactive Multidimensional Ontology for Game Design Elements – a Design and Behavioral Approach

While games and play are commonly perceived as leisure tools, focus on the strategic implementation of isolated gameful elements outside of games has risen in recent years under the term gamification. Given their ease of implementation and impact in competitive games, a small set of game design elements, namely points, badges, and leaderboards, initially dominated research and practice. However, these elements reflect only a small group of components that game designers use to achieve positive outcomes in their systems. Current research has shifted towards focusing on the game design process instead of the isolated implementation of single elements under the term gameful design. But the problem of a tendency toward a monocultural selection of prominent design elements persists in-game and gameful design, preventing the method from reaching its full potential. This dissertation addresses this problem by designing and developing a digital, interactive game design element ontology that scholars and practitioners can use to make more informed and inspired decisions in creating gameful solutions to their problems. The first part of this work is concerned with the collation and development of the digital ontology. First, two datasets were collated from game design and gamification literature (game design elements and playing motivations). Next, four explorative studies were conducted to add user-relevant metadata and connect their items into an ontological structure. The first two studies use card sorting to assess game theory frameworks regarding their suitability as foundational categories for the game design element dataset and to gain an overview of different viewpoints from which categorizations can be derived. The second set of studies builds on an explorative method of matching dataset entries via their descriptive keywords to arrive at a connected graph. The first of these studies connects items of the playing motivations dataset with themselves, while the second connects them with an additional dataset of human needs. The first part closes with the documentation of the design and development of the tool Kubun, reporting on the outcome of its evaluation via iterative expert interviews and a field study. The results suggest that the tool serves its preset goals of affording intuitive browsing for dedicated searches and serendipitous findings. While the first part of this work reports on the top-down development process of the ontology and related navigation tool, the second part presents an in-depth research of specific learning-oriented game design elements to complement the overall research goal through a complementary bottom-up approach. Therein, two studies on learning-oriented game design elements are reported regarding their effect on performance, long-term learning outcome, and knowledge transfer. The studies are conducted with a game dedicated to teaching correct waste sorting. The first study focuses on a reward-based game design element in terms of its motivatory effect on perfect play. The second study evaluates two learning-enhancing game design elements, repeat, and look-up, in terms of their contribution to a long-term learning outcome. The comprehensive insights gained through the in-depth research manifest in the design of a module dedicated to reporting research outcomes in the ontology. The dissertation concludes with a discussion on the studies’ varying limitations and an outlook on pathways for future research