Clarke, et al.
Flak-guns, frags and Friday nights:
Exploring the preferences and perceptions of adult computer gamers
by:
Delwin Clarke (delwinclarke@rogers.com)
P. Robert Duimering (rduimering@uwaterloo.ca)
Abstract:
Behavioural studies of computer gaming have traditionally emphasized the effects of gaming on positive or negative social behaviours outside of the immediate game context, including for instance the treatment of gaming in pathological terms (e.g., as an addiction) or in terms of its influence on social aggression or violence. Very little research has considered the immediate game context as a behaviour setting in its own right, in which gamers engage in diverse activities and dynamic socio-technical interactions within a virtual, or computer generated, game environment.
This paper presents findings from an exploratory qualitative interview study, which examined adult computer gamers' perceptions of their experiences playing popular games from the genre known as "first-person shooters" (FPS). Eleven adult males participated in the study, who reported an average of 10.5 years of computer gaming experience and an average of 9.8 hours of computer game playing per week. A thirty item questionnaire, consisting predominantly of open-ended questions designed to elicit free responses from participants on a range of topics, was used in individual interview sessions of 60-105 minutes in length. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and responses were analyzed using the NUD-IST qualitative data analysis software. Results include participant preferences related to such game design issues as game interfaces, maps, weapon attributes, and artificial intelligence, as well as preferences related to various aspects of game play, including style of play and the pros and cons of playing alone, with other people, or with computer generated "bots." Implications of the study for future behavioural research on gaming are discussed.
Biographies:
Delwin Clarke recently completed his Masters degree in the Department of Management Sciences, University of Waterloo. This paper is based on his Masters Thesis research, an exploratory study of the perceptions and preferences of adult players of first-person shooter computer games.
Rob Duimering is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management Sciences, University of Waterloo. His research interests include social and behavioural aspects of technology, organizational communication, and the role of human language and knowledge in organizational phenomena.
|
Sitemap 