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

Motivations, experiences and outcomes of playing videogames

The current research examined gaming within a leisure context to examine the motivational and experiential value of the activity, to better understand the range of outcomes of playing videogames. Flow theory was used as a theoretical framework for examining positive gaming experiences, and how these were associated with gaming motivations, and potential positive psychological and affective outcomes. The research utilised a mixed-methodological approach with samples of gamers. These included focus groups, an experiment and online questionnaires. The findings showed that immersion and achievement-orientated gaming motivations predicted flow in gaming, and could also predict some dimensions of psychological well-being. Flow in gameplay interacted with increases in positive mood and activation. This suggests that the processes involved in gaming are influential to positive gaming outcomes. Specific game aspects were influential to the nature of gaming experiences, although these were largely dependent on game-type. The findings also showed that social gaming contexts were influential towards gaming experiences, and the associated affective outcomes. This suggests the dynamic nature of gaming experiences, and the importance of acknowledging the wider social contexts in which gaming occurs. Aspects of personality (i.e. trait aggression and competitiveness) influenced negative mood after gameplay, suggesting the importance of considering internal factors when examining gaming outcomes. Further, because gaming motivations, experiences and the associated effects were largely individual and game-specific, this highlights the need for future research to adopt more idiographic approaches. Based on the findings, the research presents a Process Model of Gameplay to examine the dynamic nature of gameplay processes for a range of outcomes. The current research highlights the effectiveness of considering gaming within the wider context of leisure, to identify gaming processes as a way of examining the influence of gaming motivations and experiences on positive outcomes of the activity

Interactive software and its effects on hostility

The researcher will be exploring the relationship between violence in video games and the emotional responses to them. The goal of the study is to confirm the previous body of research that a short term increase in aggression and hostility exists after a violent video game is played. The study will also expand on the current existing body of data by examining other variables such as gender, age, typical time spent in a week playing videogames, overall familiarity with video games, the game genre that is normally played, and what consoles and systems are typically used to be played on. This data will be collected to see if they too have any significant effect on emotional responses. As interactive media increasingly becomes integrated into our day-to-day activities, data on how they may affect aggression and hostility become progressively more crucial. This is especially true at present as video games come under fire from current state legislation

Developing Interactive Elicitation: Social Desirability Bias and Capturing Play

Drawing on research from a mixed-methods project on gaming we argue for a qualitative methodological approach called “interactive elicitation,” a form of data collection that combines elements of photo elicitation, interviewing and vignettes. After situating our broader research project exploring young people’s experiences of violent open-world video games, we outline the process of conducting interactive elicitation, arguing for a mixed-methods approach where participants are observed and interviewed both during and immediately after interacting with particular cultural artefacts, in this case the game GTA V. We reflect on the initial design of the research methodology, the problematic aspects of conducting the research – focusing on social desirability bias – before proffering adaptations to our approach in relation to complementary work in the field of Game Studies. Ultimately, we argue for immediacy in relation to research on cultural experiences and the importance of social desirability as an asset in framing interaction, both of which have implications for sociological and interdisciplinary research more widely

Playing With Boundaries : Empirical Studies of Transgressions and Gaming Culture

This dissertation explores concepts of transgression in relation to games and gaming culture. It is an empirical study, grounded in game studies, and applying qualitative and ethnographic methods in its approach to a nuanced understanding of the complexities of play, games and gaming culture. Core to the dissertation is the concept of transgression, and several perspectives and theories of transgression and the transgressive are presented. Transgression involves crossing or breaking boundaries consisting of societal and cultural norms, or, in some cases, individual and legal boundaries and limits. Bakhtin’s notion of the carnivalesque and Bataille’s interpretation of that which involves how transgression can be a source of pleasure and indulgence, and also seeing how transgressing a boundary can lead to reaffirming and strengthening that boundary. In this dissertation, we can see how transgression and transgressive behaviour in gaming culture is a form of boundary keeping. This dissertation draws on a wide range of scholarly fields, primarily on game studies, folkloristics, ethnography, media studies and even extremism studies. The main objective is to explore how players deal with issues that raise provocation, discomfort, or can be considered sensitive in games and gaming cultures. What role does transgression play in games and gaming culture? The dissertation provides answers through four independent articles, three of which have been published, and a fourth has been conditionally accepted and awaiting revisions. The first article of this dissertation is an autoethnographic account of This War of Mine, exploring how the anti-war game creates discomfort and a sense of complicity in tragedy. The paper shows that the game creates a transgressive play experience that enhances the sense of realism of the game. The second article builds on the experience of transgressive realism and related concepts such as positive-negative experiences and out-of-play seriousness, in the design of a live action roleplaying game (larp). The Asylum Seekers is a larp that tries to create a positive-negative play experience, through the use of design intended to create a sense of discomfort with the situation. The effect of which is investigated in interviews during post-game debrief sessions. The third article investigates how White Nationalists appropriate the world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim through interpretation and playing. The appropriation of Skyrim is a transgression against the assumed intent of the game developers, as well as social norms opposed to White Nationalism. The fourth article explores how feminazi, a sexist pejorative, is used to draw up the boundaries of gaming culture. Analysis shows that the majority usage of the slur is sarcastic and as counter to the meaning of the word. This article provides evidence of both boundary keeping through transgressive speech, and the nuances and complexities of gaming culture, as well as internet culture. This dissertation concludes that transgression or transgressive games and play provide players with a point of departure to explore and discuss difficult “real world” issues, and it can provide an impetus for personal reflection, and an enhanced sense of realism. The dissertation also reveals several examples of play that rely on breaking boundaries to establish boundaries. It is grounded in extensive field work in online forums, autoethnography, interviews and larp design. It can serve as a future reference point for continued discussions on games and gaming culture in relation to transgression, furthermore it can provide inspiration for methodological development for empirical studies of games and gaming culture.Doktorgradsavhandlin

THREE MEASURES OF COPING IN VIDEO GAMES (CIV-III): THE DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCT VALIDATION, AND PROFILE ANALYSIS OF THE CIV-III

Video games provide a competitive, goal-oriented environment. They involve individuals who often seek intentionally to frustrate their opponents’ goals. The gaming community is made up of players who vary in their interpersonal style, learning histories, and skill levels. In this rich and dynamic environment, stress is a common experience. Given the prevalence of gameplay in the population and the frequency of gameplay among gamers, it is important to examine coping responses to stressors, particularly maladaptive ones. The present research entails three studies. In Study 1, I use exploratory factor analyses to develop three scales purported to measure maladaptive coping strategies in response to frustration in multiplayer video games: aggression (CIV-A), catharsis (CIV-C), and self-condemnation (CIV-S). In Study 2, I provide further evidence of the single factor structure identified in Study 1 using confirmatory factor analyses. I additionally provide evidence that the three CIV scales can be used as a single, three-factor measure (CIV-III). Moreover, I conduct a path analysis to provide initial evidence of the scale’s construct validity, wherein I provide evidence that measures of personality (anger and arousal) predisposition predict CIV-III subscale scores. Finally, in Study 3, I examine patterns of these coping styles by running a Latent Profile Analysis. I found evidence for four maladaptive coping profiles: low maladaptive coping, external maladaptive coping, internal maladaptive coping, and low maladaptive coping. Finally, I provide evidence that measures of personality and motivations for video gaming can predict coping profile membership

Conjuring the Ideal Self: an Investigation of Self-Presentation in Video Game Avatars

Self-presentation in online spaces has recently attracted a significant amount of attention in psychological literature. Video games allow players to create a detailed, unique character to represent themselves in the online social world. Research has found that there is a relationship between self-esteem and online self-presentation. However, little research has examined gender differences within this topic. The study aimed to address this gap in the literature by specifically examining gender differences in avatar creation, plus how this extends to gameplay choices, while confirming the previously noted effects of self-esteem on avatar creation. 40 participants created an avatar in The Elder Scrolls Online and completed questionnaires on General Self-Esteem, Body Self-Esteem plus an evaluation of their avatar. Results found that self-esteem predicted perceived avatar similarity, males and females engaged in the same amount of self-presentation, and gender affected class choice. Limitations and directions of future research are discussed