Search results
1 – 10 of over 1000Jaume García and Carles Murillo
This study investigates three issues associated with playing sports video games: the correlates of participation (and its intensity) in this type of activity, their…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates three issues associated with playing sports video games: the correlates of participation (and its intensity) in this type of activity, their complementarity with traditional sports and their perception as sport. Given the scarcity of data on esports participation, these results can be seen as an initial approach to these issues with regard to esports.
Design/methodology/approach
Sequential, two-part and regression models are estimated using a sample of 11,018 individuals from the Survey of Sporting Habits in Spain 2015.
Findings
First, the association of the correlates follows different patterns for participation in sports video games and its intensity. Second, complementarity with traditional sports is found using different approaches. Third, young people consider this activity as a dimension of their overall interest in sports.
Practical implications
The different association of the correlates with participation in esports and its intensity can be used to define marketing and brand investment strategies. The complementarity between esports and traditional sports should influence how the actual stakeholders in sport define future strategies to favour the growth of both industries. Finally, the increasing perception of esports as a sport should influence the future organisation of multi-sport events like the Olympic Games.
Originality/value
Using sports video games participation as a proxy of esports participation, this study is the first to provide empirical evidence of the relevance of distinguishing between participation in esports and its intensity, their complementarity with traditional sports and their perception as sport.
Details
Keywords
Yuri Cantrell and Xiaohua Awa Zhu
Narrative-driven, choice-based games, games that allow gamers to make decisions regarding the game characters and storylines, can bring forth emotional changes in their players…
Abstract
Purpose
Narrative-driven, choice-based games, games that allow gamers to make decisions regarding the game characters and storylines, can bring forth emotional changes in their players and offer empathy during scenarios that a player may not experience in real-world situations. Therefore, they can be used as tools to help with gender nonconforming (GNC) individuals’ resilience regarding their gender identities. This study explores GNC peoples’ game-playing experiences with choice-based games, especially how such experiences help them gain resilience and shape their gender identities.
Design/methodology/approach
This study follows the classic phenomenological approach to understanding the experience of GNC gamers’ resilience experience from their own perspectives. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 GNC participants, aged between 18 and 34. Each interview lasted 45–90 minutes. Interviews were transcribed and coded using NVivo R1. The essence of meanings was identified using themes and interpreted through qualitative analysis.
Findings
This paper identified six gender- and resilience-related common themes within GNC people’s gaming experiences, including 1) character creation: exploring gender identity through an avatar; 2) self-exploration and experimentation in games; 3) resonating experiences; 4) positive inclusive features in games; 5) storytelling and involving the player and 6) your actions have meaning.
Practical implications
The themes, patterns and game features identified in this study may provide insight into potential resilience-building activities for GNC people. They may inform digital mental health interventions, information services and game design practices.
Social implications
Equity, inclusion and social justice have become a significant theme in today’s society. This study focuses on a marginalized community, GNC people and their mental health and resilience building. Results of the study will contribute to the understanding of this community and may inspire more intervention methods to help them cope with stress and difficult situations.
Originality/value
Research on gaming’s health benefits for the general population has been abundant, but studies about using games to help the LGBTQ+ community have been largely overlooked until recent years. Research on casual games’ mental benefits for LGBTQ+ people is particularly lacking. This research is one of the first in-depth, comprehensive investigations of GNC individuals’ resilience experiences with a particular type of casual video games, choice-based games. The phenomenological study offers rich description of gaming and gender identity exploration from gamers’ viewpoints.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this study is to survey the landscape of online collections of digital games.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to survey the landscape of online collections of digital games.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the study identifies existing sites hosting collections and criteria that make a collection valuable for research, then it reports on sites that fit the criteria and analyzes trends.
Findings
Most sites provide simple binary downloads, but some choose encapsulation. Common metadata terms consistently include genre, year of release and publisher. Most sites claim the right to provide their collections as “abandonware,” but remove games if they are asked to.
Research limitations/implications
This study was conducted using a very limited subcategory of digital games, which could be expanded in other studies. Future research may require a multilingual team to account for collections based in non–English-speaking countries. Direct communication with sites’ management may be valuable in the future as well, but was not conducted in this study.
Practical implications
The study identifies practices that have developed organically in this field without any guiding standards. Understanding these may aid in Humanities research into digital games, as well as potential collection development in the future.
Social implications
Digital games are increasingly important as cultural artifacts, and there is a growing effort to preserve them for the future, but there are no standards for collecting and providing them. Understanding how this is currently done can help in providing access into the future for both casual and analytical use.
Originality/value
While game preservation is a growing and active field of research, no study has been published in recent years on this particular subject. It will be valuable for the development of future collections and for research using current ones.
Details
Keywords
Daniel Camuñas-García, María Pilar Cáceres-Reche and María de la Encarnación Cambil-Hernández
The purpose of this study was to analyze the state of mobile game-based learning in the field of cultural heritage education.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to analyze the state of mobile game-based learning in the field of cultural heritage education.
Design/methodology/approach
A bibliometric methodology based on scientific mapping and an analysis of co-words was used. The scientific production on this field of study indexed in Scopus was analyzed. The analysis included a total of 725 publications.
Findings
The results show that the National Research Council of Italy is the institution with the highest volume of production. Among the journals, the Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage stands out. In addition, in the analysis of the structural and thematic development of co-words, a low percentage of keyword matching was observed. The research is currently mainly oriented to pedagogical methods, especially game-based learning, gamification and the use of serious games, although these are not the only trends in this field. Research is also focusing on virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality.
Originality/value
This work is an exploratory and novel study that analyzes the publications to date on mobile game-based learning in cultural heritage education. In theoretical terms, this can serve as support so that other researchers interested in this field can access the information highlighted in this work. From a practical perspective, this work will contribute to the promotion of new innovative actions in cultural heritage education to satisfy the demands of a learning group increasingly familiar with games technology.
Details
Keywords
Maria Törhönen, Max Sjöblom, Lobna Hassan and Juho Hamari
The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivations behind online video content creation on services such as YouTube and Twitch. These activities, performed by private…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivations behind online video content creation on services such as YouTube and Twitch. These activities, performed by private individuals online, have become increasingly monetized and professionalised through the accessible tools provided by video sharing services, which has presented a noteworthy manifestation of the increasing merger of the work and leisure within digital environments and the emergence of a hybrid form of work and play, playbour.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for the study were collected using an online survey of 377 video content creators and it was analysed via structural equation modelling.
Findings
The findings of the study indicate that although the practice of video content creation is becoming more commercialised and professionalised, the extrinsic motivations, often associated with work (e.g. income, prestige), remain less significant drivers for content creation than intrinsic motivations (e.g. enjoyment, socialisation), which are associated with leisure activities.
Originality/value
This study offers insight into how the authors have begun to reorganise the position in the new digital labour culture, where monotonous tasks are increasingly automated, allowing room for intrinsically driven playful labour to develop within the leisure activities.