Exploring Gameful Motivation of Autonomous Learners

In this explorative study, we investigated motives of autonomous learners to participate in an online course, and how these motives are related to gameplay motivations, engagement in the course experience, and learning outcomes. The guiding premise for the study has been the idea that learning and game playing carry phenomenal similarities that could be revealed by scrutinizing motives for participating in a massive open online course that does not involve any intentionally game-like features. The research was conducted by analyzing survey data (N = 705) collected from individuals who had voluntarily participated in an open online course about artificial intelligence and its societal impact…

Videopelien genret ja niitä määrittävät voimat

Informal learning and wellbeing outcomes of gameplay and their associations with gameplay motivation

Educational functions of digital games are often seen only in the light of the serious and purposeful activities that aim for learning outcomes, in contrast with noneducational games that are designed for entertainment. The focus of this paper is in studying players’ learning outcomes from playing non-educational games, and how these relate to wellbeing outcomes of playing, and gaming motivation. The data for this study was collected via a survey (N = 1,202) in the United Kingdom and the United States. The survey respondents answered the question regarding what players perceive they have learnt by playing digital games. A generic datadriven qualitative content analysis of the responses to t…

Pelimusiikin käyttötavat ja funktiot suomalaisten arjessa

The uses and functions of game music in everyday life
 The premise of this article is the idea that games and their music do not only relate to playing, but are also part of people’s musical practices outside of the actual gameplay situation. However, so far very little research has been done on the meanings of game music outside of gaming. In this study, we aim for a broader understanding of people’s relationship with game music by examining how game music is used outside of the context of gaming. The empirical analysis of the article is based on two datasets collected in Finland. The primary material consists of written stories (N=183) about personally meaningful game music memories.…

Digital Games as a Source of English Vocabulary for Finnish Writers

The material for this paper comes from Finnish people who wrote about their experiences of the music of digital games. We collected 184 texts, all but one written in Finnish. There is relatively little code-switching into English at the clause level, but the vocabulary of the texts is influenced by English on a continuum from clearly English words such as comfy to established loanwords such as uniikki (‘unique’). We will consider how the influence of the English language used both in the games and in discussions about them characterizes the vocabulary of these texts and how the English language enables the authors to enter the game world. peerReviewed

Two Overwatch Player Profiles

AbstractWe pursue Overwatch player profiles via a statistical cluster analysis of survey data from the UK (N = 1089) and the USA (N = 417). The profiles are based on the players’ activity, challenge, and experiential preferences as well as motivations. Our analytical process produces six esports player clusters, two of which with Overwatch. The first (OW1) plays mainly Overwatch and Fortnite on a console, and they enjoy diverse types of non-competitive play elements more than other esports players. The second cluster (OW2) plays mainly Overwatch and League of Legends on a PC, and despite appearing more “competitive”, they did not report more competitive preferences. We suggest that the alle…

Challenge types in gaming validation of video game challenge inventory (CHA)

Challenge is a key motivation for videogame play. But what kind of challenge types videogames include, and which of them players prefer? This article helps to answer the above questions by developing and validating Videogame Challenge Inventory (CHA), a psychometrically sound measurement for investigating players’ challenge preferences in videogames. Based on a review of literature, we developed a 38-item version of CHA that was included in a social media user survey (N = 813). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a latent structure of five challenge types: Physical, Analytical, Socioemotional, Insight, and Foresight. CHA was amended in another EFA with USA-based survey data (N = 5…

Player perceptions of informal learning in non-educational games

The potential of non-educational games in learning is well-established, but there have been relatively few empirical studies attempting to explore the kinds of informal learning take place in non-educational games outside of formal education. Simultaneously, student motivation is known to have a connection to learning outcomes, but there is a lack of research on the relationship between gaming motivations and informal learning in games. This paper aims to fill the gap in research by, firstly, forming an empirically-based understanding of what players perceive they are learning from playing non-educational games, and secondly, exploring the potential connections of self-articulated learning …

Reply to Billieux and Fournier (2022) : collaborative shortcut to ontological diversity

Linkages Between Gameplay Preferences and Fondness for Game Music

In this paper we explore connections between players’ preferences in gameplay and their desire to listen to game music. Music always takes place in cultural contexts and the activity of music listening is likewise entangled with versatile cultural practices. This is arguably evident in the case of game music since the primary context of encountering it is the active and participatory experience of gameplay. By analyzing survey data (N = 403) collected from the UK, we investigate how contextual preferences in gameplay activities predict fondness for game music. It was found that player preference for Aggression and Exploration are two precedents for liking game music. These findings indicate…

In Pursuit of Measuring Pre-reflective Music Listening Experiences

While the diverse effects and uses of music and sound have been extensively documented within music psychology, relatively little attention has been paid to the process and experience of listening itself. Previous literature have, however, considered different ways of attending to sounds via the concept of listening modes, which highlights the different ways and strategies through which listeners intentionally orientate themselves to the activity of listening and creating the experiential meaning of the sound. In this paper, we continue on these lines by focusing on the very basic attentional dispositions for listening that often remain unconscious. As op posed to more deliberate and intent…

Ontological diversity in gaming disorder measurement: a nationally representative registered report

Gaming-related health problems have been researched since the 1980s with numerous different ontologies as reference systems, from self-assessed ‘game addiction’ to ‘pathological gambling’ (in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM]-IV), ‘internet gaming disorder’ (in the third section of the DSM-5) and most recently ‘gaming disorder’ (in the International Classification of Diseases [ICD]-11). Our goal was to investigate how screening instruments that derive from different ontologies differ in identifying associated problem groups. By using four central screening instruments, each representing a different ontological basis, we hypothesized differences and similarities…

Identifying the Impact of Game Music both Within and Beyond Gameplay

This paper presents an overview of and a brief critical reflection on game music’s impact on players both within and beyond the context of gameplay. The analysis is based both on the current literature as well as on preliminary (work-in-progress) observations of our research project Game Music Everyday Memories. We consider how the functions and uses of game music potentially extend to people’s everyday life, thus constituting a personally and culturally meaningful relationship with music that is not immediately connected to gameplay. On the other hand, we consider the ways game music and a person’s attachment to the music are involved in gameplay motivation and potential game retention. As…

Phenomenological Strands for Gaming Disorder and Esports Play: A Qualitative Registered Report

The recent inclusion of gaming disorder in the ICD-11 as a mental disorder has further increased the importance of researching the health spectrum related to gaming. A critical area in this regard is the lack of clarity concerning the differences between gaming disorder and intensive play, the latter of which often involves several gaming hours per day without related health problems. In this study, we approached the above question by interpretive phenomenological analysis with interviews in two groups of highly involved videogame players: those who seek or have sought clinical help for their problems with gaming (n=6), and those who play esports more than 4 hours per day without self-repor…

Challenge Types in Gaming : Validation of Videogame Challenge Inventory (CHA)

Challenge is a key motivation for videogame play. But what kind of challenge types videogames include, and which of them players prefer? This article answers the above questions by developing and validating Videogame Challenge Inventory (CHA), a psychometrically sound measurement for investigating players’ challenge preferences in videogames. Based on a comprehensive review of literature, we developed a 38-item version of CHA that was included in a social media user survey (N=813). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a latent structure of five challenge types: Physical, Analytical, Socioemotional, Insight, and Foresight. CHA was amended in another EFA with USA-based survey data (N…