Post on 05-Dec-2014
description
transcript
The win, the worth, and the work of play:
Jaime Banks @amperjay
Nicholas David Bowman @bowmanspartan
West Virginia University
Exploring phenomenal entertainment values in online
gaming experiences
Entertainment = enjoyment
= Appreciation …
immersion
socialization
autonomy
skill
But still …
Control v. Cognition
RQ1:
What is the nature of gamers’ phenomenal enjoyment and appreciation in their most memorable MMO gaming experiences?
RQ2:
What is the distribution of enjoyment and appreciation among gamers’ most memorable MMO gaming experiences?
RQ3:
What is the impact of player demographics on expressions of enjoyment and appreciation of their most memorable MMO gaming experiences?
Undirected …• What is your favorite avatar?• What is your favorite memory
with that avatar?Please tell us that story.
Participants• N = 391
• Gender: 48% male, 46% female, 6% genderqueer• Age: M = 27.9 (SD 7.76)• Education: 69% some college +• Active players: 88% logged in during previous week• Experienced players: M = 3.08 avatars at level cap
• Responses• M = 82.87 words (SD = 86.1)• Range 2-773 words, median 57 words
Analysis• Content analysis for linguistic markers of
entertainment• Coder 1 identified 158 linguistic markers and coded E/A• Coder 2 coded E/A 𝛼𝛼 = .844 for 158 signifiers• 12 disagreements: 6 resolved, six ambiguous/excluded
• Thematic analysis for subjects of E/A markers• Coder 1 conducted emergent coding • Coder 2 evaluated for face validity
• Chi-square analysis for distribution of E/A codes overall (RQ2); stepwise regression predicting E/A as a function of demographic and play habits (RQ3)
Entertainment markersEnjoyment (71)
• Laughed so hard• I was ecstatic• It rocked• Lit up with screams of
excitement• It was purely awesome• Still hilarious to me• X was glorious
Appreciation (87)• A change came over me• I don't prize him for X, I
prize him for Y• It was the culmination of X• It impacted me in a way I'll
never forget• It was a significant time• The only time I've ever felt X
Gaming entertainment(RQ1)
Theme Enjoyment (n = 244)
Appreciation (n = 43)
Achievement n = 81 (33.2%) n = 26 (18.1%)
Immersion n = 18 (7.4%) n = 37 (25.9%)
Social Play n = 53 (21.7%) n = 26 (18.2%)
Avatar -- n = 18 (12.6%)
Emergent Play n = 21 (8.6%) --
Socializing n = 16 (6.6%) n = 12 (8.4%)
Aesthetics n = 10 (4.1%) n = 12 (8.4%)
Absurdity/whim n = 17 (7.0%) --
Gameplay n = 14 (5.4%) n = 5 (3.5%)
Progression n = 11 (4.5%) n = 4 (2.8%)
Challenge n = 3 (1.5%) n = 3 (2.1%)
Achievement• Completion of game- or player-defined tasks
resulting in reward/recognition/satisfaction• Enjoyment (n = 81, 33.2% of referents)
• Emphasis on outcome or reward• First, best, rarest• Personal firsts
• Appreciation (n = 26, 18.1% of referents)• Emphasis on the process or conditions• Intrinsic value, worth• Team firsts
Gameworld immersion• Getting ‘caught up’ through headcanons or char
narratives• Enjoyment (n = 81, 7.4% of referents)
• ‘Worldness’ and vastness• Player as epic• Playground (RP, exploration)
• Appreciation (n = 37, 25.% of referents) • Player/character role in the world• The avatar/world as epic• Authentic/fantastical/habitable place
Social play• Gaming with others; individual roles in group success• Enjoyment (n = 53, 21.7% of referents)
• Formal gameplay + collegial interaction • Leading group success • Tactical synergy among friends, strangers • Group = tool for success
• Appreciation (n = 26, 18.2% of referents) • Camaraderie, teamwork, cooperation• Holding one’s own to make material contribution • Shared experience among guild, team• Group = partners (team is prime)
Ego-centricity v. relationality
Distribution …• Enjoyment
• M = .63 unique instances of enjoyment (SD = .858, Min = 0, Max = 5)
• 44% at least one enjoyment marker (n = 171)• Appreciation
• M = .37 instances of appreciation (SD = .797, Min = 0, Max = 5).
• 24% at least one appreciation marker (n = 94)• No correlation between enjoyment/appreciation use,
r(391) = .011, p = .833. • Enjoyment ≈ 2x Appreciation, t(390) = 5.97, p ~ .001. • Half don’t recall any entertainment value in
experiences
(RQ2)
‘Work’ is memorable
• Formal gameplay (raiding, questing)
• Grinding(reputation, levels, pets)
• Maintenance(server xfers, utility play)
Individual differences• Enjoyment
• Response length (+)
• Appreciation• Response length (+)• Game experience in # months (-)• No length/experience correlation
• Players’ responses were nearly twice as long for enjoyment recollection than for appreciation recollection (z = -2.77, p = .005)
(RQ3)
Similitude + elaboration• Gamers are more alike than different in their
entertainment experiences• Appreciation linked to memory vividness or
motivation to recall?• Meaningfulness may devolve into mundane over
game tenure
Future research• Role of the avatar? • Casual, social players? • (D)evolution of entertainment?
@amperjay
N.D. BowmanWest Virginia University
Jaime BanksWest Virginia University
@bowmanspartan