scholarly journals The effects of customization on motivation in an extended study with a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Selen Turkay ◽  
Sonam Adinolf
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Online Game ◽  
Lord Of The Rings ◽  
Massively Multiplayer Online Game ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Massively Multiplayer

Customization is a ubiquitous feature of games and can be perceived as a series of choices that may influence players’ experiences. Opportunities for customization may give users decision-making authority over the technology, enabling them to shape and create their own experiences, as well as provide ways to be a part of a group based on their needs and desires. This study aims to shed more light on the effects customization has on players’ motivation, and investigates how customization as a way of user control affects player motivation within an MMO. A mixed method study was designed with two conditions: customization (n = 33) and no customization (n = 33). Adult participants played Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO), a Massively Multiplayer Online game, for about ten hours over four sessions. Data was collected through surveys, interviews and observations. Results showed that players’ desire to replay the game increased over time, and customization affected players’ motivation positively. Findings are discussed through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985).

The Effects of Avatar-Based Customization on Player Identification

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selen Turkay ◽  
Charles K. Kinzer
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Online Game ◽  
Lord Of The Rings ◽  
Massively Multiplayer Online Game ◽  
Multiplayer Online Game ◽  
Self Discrepancy ◽  
The Relationship

Games allow players to perceive themselves in alternate ways in imagined worlds. Player identification is one of the outcomes of gameplay experiences in these worlds and has been shown to affect enjoyment and reduce self-discrepancy. Avatar-based customization has potential to impact player identification by shaping the relationship between the player and the character. This mixed method study aims to fill the gap in the identification literature by examining the effects of avatar-based customization on players' identification with and empathy towards their characters in a massively multiplayer online game, Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO). Participants (N = 66) played LotRO either in customization or in no-customization groups for about ten hours in four sessions over two weeks in a controlled lab setting. Data were collected through interviews, surveys and observations. Results showed both time and avatar-based customization positively impacted players' identification with their avatars. Self-Determination Theory is used to interpret results.

The Effects of Avatar-Based Customization on Player Identification

Gamification ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 247-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selen Turkay ◽  
Charles K. Kinzer
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Online Game ◽  
Lord Of The Rings ◽  
Massively Multiplayer Online Game ◽  
Multiplayer Online Game ◽  
Self Discrepancy ◽  
The Relationship

Games allow players to perceive themselves in alternate ways in imagined worlds. Player identification is one of the outcomes of gameplay experiences in these worlds and has been shown to affect enjoyment and reduce self-discrepancy. Avatar-based customization has potential to impact player identification by shaping the relationship between the player and the character. This mixed method study aims to fill the gap in the identification literature by examining the effects of avatar-based customization on players' identification with and empathy towards their characters in a massively multiplayer online game, Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO). Participants (N = 66) played LotRO either in customization or in no-customization groups for about ten hours in four sessions over two weeks in a controlled lab setting. Data were collected through interviews, surveys and observations. Results showed both time and avatar-based customization positively impacted players' identification with their avatars. Self-Determination Theory is used to interpret results.

The Relationship between Avatar-Based Customization, Player Identification, and Motivation

2016 ◽  
pp. 48-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selen Turkay ◽  
Charles K. Kinzer
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Mixed Method Study ◽  
Perceived Similarity ◽  
Online Game ◽  
Lord Of The Rings ◽  
Massively Multiplayer Online Game ◽  
Multiplayer Online Game ◽  
Self Discrepancy ◽  
The Relationship

Player identification is an outcome of gameplay experiences in virtual worlds and has been shown to affect enjoyment and reduce self-discrepancy. Avatar customization has potential to impact player identification by shaping the relationship between the player and the character. This mixed method study examines the effects of avatar-based customization on players' identification with their characters, and the effects of identification dimensions (i.e., perceived similarity, wishful identification, embodied presence) on their motivation in a massively multiplayer online game, Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO). Participants (N = 66) played LotRO either in customization or in no-customization group for ten hours in four sessions in a lab setting. Data were collected through interviews and surveys. Results showed both time and avatar customization positively impacted player identification with their characters. Player motivation was predicted in different sessions by different identification dimensions, which shows the dynamic and situational impact of identification on motivation.

scholarly journals White Man’s Virtual World: A Systematic Content Analysis of Gender and Race in Massively Multiplayer Online Games

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Franklin Waddell ◽  
James D. Ivory ◽  
Rommelyn Conde ◽  
Courtney Long ◽  
Rachel McDonnell
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Video Game ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Online Game ◽  
Gender And Race ◽  
Massively Multiplayer Online Game ◽  
Content Analyses ◽  
Character Portrayals ◽  
Massively Multiplayer

Based on previous research indicating that character portrayals in video games and other media can influence users’ perceptions of social reality, systematic content analyses have examined demographic trends in the way video game characters are portrayed. Although these studies have extensively documented character portrayals in traditional console and computer video games, there is a lack of content analyses examining character portrayals in the very popular massively multiplayer online game (MMO) genre. Such studies are needed because many characters in MMOs are customized avatars created by users, which may lead to different trends in character demographics. This content analysis examined representations of gender and race among 417 unique characters appearing 1,356 times in 20 hours of recorded content from four popular commercial MMOs, which was generated by five recruited users. Characters tended to be disproportionately male and white, with females and racial minorities appearing much less often. Implications for potential effects on users’ perceptions of social reality are discussed.

Need fulfillment, need importance, and depressive symptoms of residents over the first eight months of living in a nursing home

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1161-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette F.J. Custers ◽  
Antonius H.J. Cillessen ◽  
Gerben J. Westerhof ◽  
Yolande Kuin ◽  
J. Marianne Riksen-Walraven
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Need Fulfillment ◽  
Final Measurement ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Measurement Wave ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

ABSTRACTBackground:Based on self-determination theory and adaptation theories, the study aim was to investigate the relationship between need fulfillment (of autonomy, relatedness, and competence), need importance, and depressive symptoms during the first months of living in a nursing home.Methods:Eight-month longitudinal questionnaire study in which 75 persons newly admitted to units for physically frail residents participated at baseline. Twenty-three longitudinal participants were remaining at the third and final measurement wave.Results:The results show a main effect of need fulfillment and an interaction effect of need fulfillment and need importance on depressive symptoms over time. A prototypical plot shows that residents with low need fulfillment had higher initial levels of depressive symptoms that decreased modestly over time, regardless of their need importance. Residents with high need fulfillment had lower initial levels of depressive symptoms, but their trajectories differed for participants with low and high need importance. Residents with low need importance started with lower levels of depressive symptoms but remained stable over time, whereas residents with high need importance had more depressive symptoms at T1 that decreased slightly over time.Conclusions:In general, depressive symptoms do not change over time. However, individual trajectories of depressive symptoms seem to depend on individual need fulfillment and need importance. The residents that consider need fulfillment to be highly important but experience low need fulfillment had higher initial levels of depressive symptoms that decreased modestly over time, although the level of depressive symptoms remained higher as compared to the other residents.

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