VIDEO GAMES

BY EVAN BOBEN

SOURCE

• Title: Why we play: how our desire for games shapes our world

• Author: Ben Reeves

• Date: November 2012

• Type: Magazine Article: Game informer issue 235

SUMMARY

• Not only played for enjoyment or escapism

• People return to video games to satisfy three invisible needs

• Competence-the desire to seek out control or to feel master over a situation

• Autonomy-the desire to feel independent or have a certain amount of control over our actions

• Relatedness-the desire to feel significant

RESEARCH

• Offered an in depth explanation from a scientific perspective on why people play video games.

• Video gaming has more to do with psychology than one may expect

• Helped confirm thesis by providing specific examples