Case Study

This chapter discusses Social Network Analysis, a technique used to analyze social networks within social games as a method to enhance retention in games. We will show how one can use this method by applying it to the problem of retention within the game Tom Clancy’s The Division (TCTD). Using the game and the analysis will help you understand how to use SNA to understand types of players and influential players, and, as a result, understand how to engage different players, especially influencers, to increase retention. While the chapter will focus on the use of SNA for TCTD as a case study, the methods discussed under SNA can be applied to other types of games. Please note that this chapter is an extension of the work done by several collaborators to the authors, including Casper Harteveld (professor, Northeastern University), Sebastian Deterding (professor, York University), and Ahmad Azadvar (User Research Lead at Ubisoft Massive), and the work was accomplished with the support of Ubisoft, the Games Lab, and the Live Ops team at Massive Entertainment.

Sociological game theory: agency, social structures and interaction processes

This article presents two sociological theories, alternatives to classical game theory. These social science-based game theories discussed here present reformulations of classical game theory in applied mathematics (CGT). These theories offer an important advance to classical game theory, thanks to the application of central concepts in sociology and social psychology, as well as the results of empirical analyses of individual and collective behaviour. These two theories emerging in the social sciences are, the first, based on systems theory, is social science game theory (SGT); the other is Erwing Goffman’s interactionist theory (IGT) based on social psychology. Each of these theories, both focused on the analysis of social games, are presented and contrasted with classical game theory, highlighting the centrality of social rules in structuring and regulating human behaviour, and the need to include them in any analysis.

Anthropological Dimension of Commemorative Practices: The Phenomenon of Bodily Memory

Purpose. The article is aimed to analyse the phenomenon of bodily memory in the context of commemorative practices. The commemorative practices are a social instrument known since archaic times, which had different ways of use in different epochs. In totalitarian societies, officially organized commemorative practices are frequently used for propaganda and manipulation. For most people, their mechanism remains unconscious, as bodily memory plays a leading role there. The density of a modern social world actualises the ability to observe own changes and regulate the processes of their flow. This updates an exploration of the bodily memory phenomenon. Theoretical basis. The classification of forms of bodily memory is carried out in the article: genetic (cellular memory, heredity), psychophysical (memory for different types of sensations, skills, muscle tone, etc.), psychoenergetic (emotions, mental states, mood, unconscious action, etc.), mental (knowledge of the rules of social games, attitudes, stereotypes, thoughts, memories, ways of our detection, behaviour, etc.). It has been revealed that the systemic openness of bodily memory is the fundamental basis of commemorative practices. Originality. The term "conscious commemoration" is proposed to denote the anthropological process associated with self-knowledge, self-construction and co-creation, which requires a distinction between forms of bodily memory, understanding of its structural features and functional capabilities. Conclusions. The phenomenon of bodily memory reveals the anthropological potential of commemorative practices. It can manifest itself as an independently organized body-spiritual practice of self-construction (harmonization of the architecture of one’s own body and individuality) on the basis of self-knowledge and self-observation (directing attention to one’s movements, reactions, behaviour, honest recognition of one’s attitudes). The latter is the foundation of conscious co-creation. The phenomenon of bodily memory reveals the secret of spiritualization in the process of approaching a person to his body.

Cooperation and competition between pair and multi-player social games in spatial populations

The conflict between individual and collective interests is in the heart of every social dilemmas established by evolutionary game theory. We cannot avoid these conflicts but sometimes we may choose which interaction framework to use as a battlefield. For instance some people like to be part of a larger group while other persons prefer to interact in a more personalized, individual way. Both attitudes can be formulated via appropriately chosen traditional games. In particular, the prisoner’s dilemma game is based on pair interaction while the public goods game represents multi-point interactions of group members. To reveal the possible advantage of a certain attitude we extend these models by allowing players not simply to change their strategies but also let them to vary their attitudes for a higher individual income. We show that both attitudes could be the winner at a specific parameter value. Interestingly, however, the subtle interplay between different states may result in a counterintuitive evolutionary outcome where the increase of the multiplication factor of public goods game drives the population to a fully defector state. We point out that the accompanying pattern formation can only be understood via the multipoint or multi-player interactions of different microscopic states where the vicinity of a particular state may influence the relation of two other competitors.

Adolescent gambling and gambling-type games on social networking sites: Issues, concerns, and recommendations

Research indicates that compared to the general population, teenagers and students make the most use of social networking sites (SNSs). Although SNSs were originally developed to foster online communication between individuals, they now have the capability for other types of behaviour to be engaged in such as gambling and gaming. The present paper focuses on gambling and the playing of gambling-type games via SNSs and comprises a selective narrative overview of some of the main concerns and issues that have been voiced concerning gambling and gambling-type games played via social network sites. Overall, there is little empirical evidence relating to the psychosocial impact of adolescents engaging in gambling and gambling-type activities on SNSs, and the evidence that does exist does not allow definitive conclusions to be made. However, it is recommended that stricter age verification measures should be adopted for social games via SNSs particularly where children and adolescents are permitted to engage in gambling-related content, even where real money is not involved.

Understanding peer recommendation in mobile social games: the role of needs–supplies fit and game identification

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the antecedents of peer recommendations (generating positive word-of-mouth and recruiting others) in the context of mobile social games.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the needs–supplies fit framework and social identity theory, this paper proposes that game design characteristics (challenge, fairness, innovativeness and ease of use) influence game identification, which further predicts word-of-mouth (WOM) generation and recruitment intention. This paper further suggests fits between gamer orientation (passing time and seeking achievements) and game design lead to enhanced game identification. The model was tested using data from an empirical survey with 767 mobile social gamers.FindingsGame challenge, game fairness, game innovativeness and ease of use are positively associated with game identification, whereas game identification positively predicts WOM generation and recruitment intention. Achievement-seeking use was found to enhance the effects of game challenge and game fairness on game identification, and passing time use was found to strengthen the effects of game innovativeness and ease of use on game identification.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study provide operable implications to facilitate peer recommendations in a mobile gaming context. The model was only tested within the context of mobile social games, however, so caution is advised when generalizing the findings to other game subgenres.Originality/valueThis study distinguishes itself from other peer recommendation studies by taking recruitment, a more straightforward and salient form of peer recommendation, into account. This paper enriches theory by investigating the antecedents and consequences of game identification. This study clarifies the underlying mechanism of how game design influences peer recommendations and examines the interactions between game design and gamer orientation.

The Development of Social Influence and Aesthetic on Purchase Intention

Due to the development of internet nowadays, people utilize it with games and it results in the development of gaming industries that leads to strong existence of virtual economy. However, the development of the gaming industry in Indonesia was indeed a little late compared to other countries. This study generates a new perspective that describes purchase intention on virtual goods in Massively Multiplayer Online Social Games (MMOSG), Audition, in Indonesia. This research is done through a survey by using questionnaire which acquired 200 Audition players as respondents. The data processing used is structural equation modeling. Results of the study show factors that significantly influence purchase intention on virtual goods are social influence and aesthetic in which purchase intention affects actual purchase behavior, while price utility and satisfaction do not influence purchase intention.