Video Games: An Introduction

1. Video Games: An Introduction Paul Skalski, Ph.D. Cleveland State University

2. 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)

3. 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.

4. 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?

5. 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.

6. Sample Motivations for TV Use • Learning • Surveillance • Habit • Companionship • Arousal • Relaxation • Escape • To Pass Time

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.???

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. Death Race (1976)

13. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

14. Mortal Kombat (2011)

15. Manhunt 2 (2007)

16. 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

17. 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).

18. 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….

19. Oregon Trail

20. Number Munchers

21. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

22. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

23. 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).

24. 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:

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. Online Video Gaming • Most popular MMORPG: World of Warcraft • Spoofed perfectly on South Park. • Let’s watch the classic episode NOW.

29. GAME OVER Questions? Email: p.skalski@csuohio.edu Thanks!

30. 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?

31. 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.