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Fake vs. Real Gamers: Unpacking Gamer Identities through Game Player Perceptions of Common Characteristics

Generalizability of games research to address gender inequities within the gaming community is inhibited by inconsistencies in gamer identity characteristics (play frequency, player preference, etc.). While a gamer is typically defined as someone who plays games, there is a gap in understanding why certain players identify as gamers. The purpose of this research is to discover how gamer is defined as an identity by players through characteristic classifications and their role in self-identity choices.

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Fake vs. Real Gamers: Unpacking Gamer Identities through Game Player Perceptions of Common Characteristics

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  1. DOES LEARNING IMPROVE IF STUDENTS CONSIDER THEMSELVES GAMERS? FAKE VS REAL GAMERS: UNPACKING GAMER IDENTITIES THROUGH GAME PLAYER PERCEPTIONS OF COMMON CHARACTERISTICS Jennifer Whiteman Crist Learning Technologies Design Research George Mason University

  2. HOW DID I GET HERE?

  3. DEFINING GAMER IDENTITIES Gamer (n.): Someone who plays games Game Player vs. Gamer Demographics % of Men % of Women 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Play Games Identify as Gamers (Duggan, 2015)

  4. SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY Personal Identity Social Identity Social Categorization Out-group (they) In-group (we) Gamers Not gamers Game players (Adapted from Turner, Tajfel, and Brown, 1979)

  5. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM • Group categorization contributes to stereotyping and discrimination (Tajfel & Billic, 1974) • Current investigation largely regarding game play itself, such as how content or in-game choices impact students’ learning (Martí-Parreño, et al., 2016) • No understanding of how student views of themselves as game players, gamers, or neither impacts their initial interest in games as a learning modality, their willingness to participate, and their continued engagement in a game-based learning activity

  6. WHAT IS A GAME? “A game is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome (Salen & Zimmerman, 2004, p.80).” • Game based learning vs. Gamification

  7. GAMER IDENTITIES • Age • Gender • Frequency of play • Modality (PC, console, handheld, etc.) • Preferences (genre selection, social interactions, play style, etc.)

  8. RESEARCH QUESTION How is gamer as an identity defined by game players?

  9. PLANNED METHOD • Straussian grounded theory • Convenience sampling • Undergraduate and graduate students over 18 (15-24 total) • Pilot of protocol • Focus groups (Minimum of 3 groups, 5-6 participants, x3 sessions per group)

  10. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED… • 2 undergraduate males • Protocol – 3 one-hour sessions • Do you identify as a gamer? • Whether you said you identified as a gamer or not in the last session, how do you feel your experiences have shaped your choice? • Define a gamer (Activity)

  11. DISCUSSION & FUTURE RESEARCH • Can we replicate this experience with others? • Instructional classroom • Future designer/developers • Next iteration – focus? • Does it matter?

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