Video Games: An Introduction

Paul Skalski, Ph.D.Cleveland State University

Why Video Games?

• Facts:• More than $20 billion in sales in U.S.• 77% of households play video games.• Average age of a gamer: 35 years old.• 40% of gamers are women.• Also: Game sales now surpass all movie,

music, and DVD sales…• …combined! (Sources: ESA; Goldberg, 2011)

Important Historical Figures

• Steve Russell (early 1960s)– Creator of the first computer game, Spacewar!

• Ralph Baer (late 1960s)– Inventor of home video game technology.

• Nolan Bushnell (1970s)– Founder of the first successful home video game

company, Atari.

• Shigeru Miyamoto (1980s-present)– Creator of classic games with iconic characters, such as

Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Link, and Zelda.

Cultural Effects of Video Games

• Case Example: Nintendo and MARIO• The game that launched Nintendo….• Re-imaginings of the classic.

• Mario ROCKS!

• Current hit on the nostalgia/novelty circuit.

• My favorite piece of new merchandise?

Intended Effects of Video Games

• Uses and Gratifications Theory: Designed to lend insight into the ways people use media to meet their needs.

• Based on notion of ACTIVE audience.

• Focuses on individual motivations for media use.

• IMPORTANT: May vary by medium.

Sample Motivations for TV Use

• Learning

• Surveillance

• Habit

• Companionship

• Arousal

• Relaxation

• Escape

• To Pass Time

Motivations for Video Game Use (Sherry et al., 2006)

• 1. Arousal: Playing video games to stimulate emotions as a result of fast action and high quality graphics.

• 2. Challenge: Playing games to push self to higher level of skill/personal accomplishment.

• 3. Competition: To prove to other people who has the best skills and who can think and react the fastest.

Motivations for Video Game Use (Sherry et al., 2006)

• 4. Diversion: Playing to avoid stress or responsibilities.

• 5. Fantasy: Playing to do things that one can’t do in real life.

• 6. Social Interaction: Using games to interact with friends, family, etc. and learn the personalities of others.

QUESTIONS

• Why do YOU play video games?• Can specific games lead to multiple

gratifications?• Let’s review popular games now and think

of what gratifications they fulfill:• First: Madden football• Second: Tetris!• What about Super Mario Bros.???

Video Game Violence Effects

• Unique aspects of video game violence:• 1. Interactivity—the active role of users in

decisions to behave aggressively is #1 cause of concern.

• 2. First-person point of view.• 3. Rapid, repeated streams of violence.• 4. Lack of consequences/punishments. • 5. Low salience of models, expected to

decrease aggressive responses.

Meta Analysis of Video Game Violence Effects Experiments

• Sherry (2001) estimated effect size across 25 studies on video games & aggression

• Effect size (d = .30) smaller than TV effect size (d = .65) – Paik and Comstock (1994)

• However, effect size correlated with year (r = .39)

– Effect of violent games on aggression has increased over time.

Death Race (1976)

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Mortal Kombat (2011)

Manhunt 2 (2007)

Other Negative Effects of Games

• 1. Verbal Aggression– EXTREME example: Croyt’s Rage

• Warning: If you are offended by strong language… earmuffs….

• 2. Addiction/Dependency

• 3. Sexual Stereotyping/Body Image

• 4. Poor Health/Lack of Fitness

Positive Effects of Video Games

• Video games in general have been shown to relate positively to:– Training/Learning– Sociability– Academic Performance (if not excessive)– Physical Fitness (e.g., DDR, Wii, Wii Fit).

Positive Effects of Video Games

• Educational video games have been shown to relate positively to:– Learning (esp. in math)– Motivation– Retention Memory– Spatial Skills

• Popular examples include….

Oregon Trail

Number Munchers

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

Questions• What educational video games did you play?• Do you think they helped you learn their

respective subjects better?• In general, what are the strengths of video

games as an educational tool?• One thing: They’re HARD to put down, which

can’t be said of many textbooks.• They are now being developed for students of

all ages, including college level (e.g., MIT Games-to-Teach Project).

Online Video Gaming• Online video games like the MMORPG

(Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) are a recent development singled out for:

• their ability to connect players socially, and

• HIGHLY addictive nature.

• Yee (2005) did a survey of over 30,000 players of these games! Results as follows:

Yee (2005) general findings

• 85% of players are male.• Average age of players: 26.57.

– Only 25% teenagers.– More than ¼ of female players are 35+ years old.

• 50% of players work full time.– Another 22.2% are full time students.– 13% of female players are homemakers.

• Average time spent per week: 22.72 hrs.• 15.8% of male users and 59.8% of female users

play with a romantic partner.

Yee (2005) social findings

• 22.9% of male players and 32% of female players said they told personal issues or secrets to MMORPG friends that they never told to real life friends.

• 39.4% of male players and 53% of female players felt their MMORPG friends were comparable to or better than real-life friends.

• 5.1% of male players and 15.7% of female players said they had physically dated someone they met in first met in an MMORPG.

Yee (2005) emotional findings

• Around ¼ of players indicated:– Their most rewarding or satisfying experience

in past 7 days occurred in a MMORPG.– Their most infuriating or annoying experience

in last 7 days occurred in a MMORPG.

• Nearly 50% (HALF) of players considered themselves to be addicted to a MMORPG environment.

Online Video Gaming• Most popular MMORPG: World of Warcraft

• Spoofed perfectly on South Park.

• Let’s watch the classic episode NOW.

GAME OVER

Questions? Email: p.skalski@csuohio.edu

Thanks!

In-Between Effect

• Excitation Transfer Theory—says general arousal from any source can intensify a subsequent emotional experience and make it more prominent than it would be without the source.

• Can go (e.g., joy) or (e.g., anger).

• Highly arousing games lead to stronger…

• ...as in our GOTD, Left 4 Dead! Thoughts?

Other New Media Technologies• Web 2.0 = a term coined in the middle of this

decade to describe the 2nd generation of the World Wide Web, which allows for:

• More collaboration.

• More information sharing.

• Greater ease of use.

• Examples of user generated media include:

• Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter.