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- Volume 6, Issue 1, 2014
Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds - Volume 6, Issue 1, 2014
Volume 6, Issue 1, 2014
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Re-thinking foundations: Theoretical and methodological challenges (and opportunities) in virtual worlds research
Authors: Suzanne de Castell, Jennifer Jenson, Nick Taylor and Kurt ThumlertAbstractThis article identifies a set of persistent methodological and theoretical challenges to research on Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), and to studies of virtual worlds more generally. Critically examining some of the ontological, epistemological and ethical lacunae and, in some cases, missteps that characterize well-respected, well-publicized and oft-cited research in what is now a prominent field of scholarly enquiry, this discussion addresses the need for firmer theoretical foundations to support more innovative, more rigorous and more accountable studies of digitally re-mediated, MMOG-based work, play and sociality.
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Skilled players cooperate less in multi-player games
Authors: Thomas Chesney, Swee-Hoon Chuah, Robert Hoffmann, Wendy Hui and Jeremy LarnerAbstractA naturalistic public good experiment is used to examine whether better players cooperate more or less than others. ‘Better’ is measured by subjects’ accuracy in a team-based shooting game, and cooperation is measured by introducing a public good decision into the game. A data set of 92 subjects was created and results show that better players cooperate significantly less than others. Economic theory is used to explain the result.
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Chivalry, subordination and courtship culture: Being a ‘Woman’ in online games
Authors: Jonas Linderoth and Elisabet ÖhrnAbstractComputer and video gaming are social activities, where people with different backgrounds, different nationalities and different ages meet. Research dating back to the early years of online gaming proposed that individual backgrounds were especially irrelevant online and that, consequently, games could be arenas for exploring new identities, gender relations and sexualities. Taking this as a starting point, we report in this article from an interview study. The results confirm that gaming is an activity where the participants’ backgrounds might be largely ignored. This also includes gender insofar as the participants can choose what gender to assume. However, whereas individual online gender (female or male) can be chosen freely, femininity and what it is like to be a woman are represented as being rather rigid. The article explores this tension between the free choice of the female position and its fixed content in relation to assumptions of the transgressive nature of computer gaming.
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Go with the flow: The experience and affective outcomes of solo versus social gameplay
Authors: Linda K. Kaye and Jo BryceAbstractThis study examined the extent to which there are differences in flow experiences and post-gameplay mood states (positive and negative) in solo compared with social digital gaming. This was achieved by obtaining gamers’ (N = 302) retrospective ratings of the experience of flow and post-gameplay mood based on recent solo and social gaming experiences, through the use of an online questionnaire. Positive mood was found to be significantly higher following social (e.g., playing with other players) compared with solo gameplay, suggesting that playing games with others enhances enjoyment of the activity. Different levels of flow in gameplay were also found to be related to positive mood following both solo and social gameplay. There were no observed differences in experiences of flow and post-gameplay mood between online and offline, or competitive and cooperative gaming contexts. The findings suggest that ‘group flow’ may be a useful concept in understanding the dynamics of social gaming as this has not been sufficiently examined in the current digital gaming literature.
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A design study of chain reaction: Design thinking on game interaction based on problem-solving situations
By Guan-Ze LiaoAbstractThis study is aimed at presenting the thinking behind the design of a game and explaining how the author adopts the metaphor/image of CHAIN REACTION to devise the game. The chain reaction referred to in the study suggests a combination of various small components. The entire process of chain reaction consists of various scientific components, such as gear devices and tool modules. The game scenarios are created based on problem-solving situations. The author has developed a game by the name of Creative Gears Lab (Liao 2013), which adopts the assembly of different gear tools and components as operational rules. The key to problem-solving relies on activating the chain reaction formed by various scientific components. The players are then guided to choose correct and suitable triggers to construct gear devices with continuous motivation, and thus, achieve the game’s objective of solving problems. The purpose of this study is to use the procedures suggested in the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model by S. J. Parnes (1967) as the analytical model in order to comprehend the circumstances of game operations during the processes of solving problem and explore the design thinking of game interaction. Future research will be conducted in the manner of narrative interview to further investigate the problem-solving process of elementary school students and explore the characteristics within the operating progress of the game.
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Machinima Review
AbstractMachinima Expo 6: A snapshot of the state of machinima Phylis Johnson, Southern Illinois University and Donald Pettit, film-maker and co-author of Machinima: The Art & Practice of Virtual Filmmaking (McFarland Publishers, 2012)
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