ABSTRACT
The tremendous and still growing popularity of computer and video games has inspired Communication Researchers and Media Psychologists to investigate the factors of the enjoyment experienced by the players. Apparently, the games' interactivity allows for a continuous stream of challenging and competitive situations that have to be resolved by the players. Competition is therefore regarded a key element of the explanation of players' entertainment experience. Subsequent to a theoretical explication, empirical evidence for the role of competition in the playing process and the impact of competitiveness for selective exposure to computer games is reported from a field experiment (N = 349) and an online survey study (N = 795).
- Interactive Digital Software Association (2001). Quick facts about video game consoles and software (Online). Retrieved from http://www.idsa.com/pressroom.html.Google Scholar
- Malone, T. W. (1981). Toward a theory of intrinsically motivating instruction. Cognitive Science, 4, 333--369.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Vorderer, P. (2000). Interactive entertainment and beyond. In D. Zillmann & P. Vorderer (Eds.), Media entertainment: The psychology of its appeal (pp. 21--36). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
- Williams, R. B. & Clippinger, C. A. (2002). Aggression, competition and computer games: Computer and human opponents. Computers in Human Behavior, 18, 495--506.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Klimmt, C. & Vorderer, P. (2000, July). Disclosing the secret behind computer games. Presentation at the 7th Conference of the International Society for the Empirical Study of Literature(IGEL), 31.07. - 04.08. 2000, Toronto.Google Scholar
- Klimmt, C. (2001). Computer-Spiel: Interaktive Unterhaltungsangebote als Synthese aus Medium und Spielzeug {Computer-Games: Understanding interactive entertainment as combination of media and toys}. Zeitschrift für Medienspychologie {The Journal of Media Psychology}, 13(1), 22--32.Google Scholar
- Zillmann, D. (1996). Sequential dependencies in emotional experience and behavior. In R. D. Kavanaugh, B. Zimmerberg, & S. Fein (Eds.), Emotion: Interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 243--272). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
- Grodal, T. (2000). Video games and the pleasures of control. In D. Zillmann & P. Vorderer (Eds.), Media entertainment: The psychology of its appeal (pp. 197--212). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
- Moon, Y., & Nass, C. (1996). How "Real" are Computer Personalities? Psychological Responses to Personality Types in Human-Computer Interaction. Communication Research, 23(6), 651--674.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Ho-Ching, W., Inkpen, K. M. & Mason, K. (2000). Playing Together: a Taxonomy of Multiplayer Video Games. Extended Abstract and Poster presented at ASI 2000 (Vancouver, BC), GI 2000 (Montreal QC).Google Scholar
- Gilbert, D. T., Giesler, B. R. & Morris, K. A. (1995). When comparisons arise. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(2), 227--236.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Tesser, A. (1988). Towards a self-evaluation maintenance model of social behavior. In L. Berkowitz (Eds.), Advances in experimental social psychology, Vol. 21. Academic Press: San Diego.Google Scholar
- Colwell, J., Grady, C. & Rhaiti, S. (1995). Computer Games, Self-Esteem and Gratification of Needs in Adolescents, Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 5 (3), pp. 195--206.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Kanning, U. P. (1997). Selbstwertdienliches Verhalten und soziale Konflikte {Self-esteem, behaviour, and social conflicts}. Münster: Waxmann.Google Scholar
- Zillmann, D. (1988). Mood management: Using entertainment to full advantage. In L. Donohew, H. E. Sypher, E. T. Higgins (Hrsg.), Communication, social cognition, and affect (S. 147--171). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
- McClintock, C. G. (1972). Social motivation - a set of propositions. Behavioral Science, 17, 438--454.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Lerch, H. J. & Rüübensal, M. (1983). Eine Analyse des Zusammenhangs zwischen Schulleistungen und dem Wetteifermotive {An analysis of the relationship between school achievement and the motivation to compete}. Psychologische Beiträge, 25(3--4), 521--531.Google Scholar
- Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.Google Scholar
- Schwarzer, R. & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale. In J. Weinman, S. Wright & M. Johnston (Eds.), Measures in health psychology: A user's portfolio. Causal and control beliefs (pp. 35--37). Windsor, UK: NFER-NELSON.Google Scholar
- Messick, D. M. & Clintock, C. G. (1968). Motivational basis of choice in experimental games. Journal of Experimental of Experimental Social Psychology, 4, 1--25.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Van Lange, P. A. M., & Kuhlman, D. M. (1994). Social value orientations and impressions of partner's honesty and intelligence: A test of the might versus morality effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 126--141.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Van Lange, P. A. M., Otten, W., de Bruin, E. M. N. & Joireman, J. A. (1997). Development of Prosocial, Individualistic, and Competitive Orientations: Theory and Preliminary Evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(4), 733--756.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Gill, D. L. & Deeter, T. E. (1988). Development of the Sport Orientation Questionnaire. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 59, 191--202.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Vorderer, P. (2001). It's all entertainment, sure. But what exactly is entertainment? Communication research, media psychology, and the explanation of entertainment experiences. Poetics, 29, 247--261.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Sutton-Smith, B. (1997). The Ambiguity of Play. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Explaining the enjoyment of playing video games: the role of competition
Recommendations
Player Performance, Satisfaction, and Video Game Enjoyment
ICEC '09: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Entertainment ComputingAn experiment (<em>N</em> = 74) was conducted to investigate the impact of game difficulty and player performance on game enjoyment. Participants played a First Person Shooter game with systematically varied levels of difficulty. Satisfaction with ...
Is cheating a human function? The roles of presence, state hostility, and enjoyment in an unfair video game
In sports and board games, when an opponent cheats, the other players typically greet it with disdain, anger, and disengagement. However, work has yet to fully address the role of the computer cheating in video games. In this study, participants played ...
Digital Game Enjoyment: A Literature Review
HCI in GamesAbstractA review of the literature on digital game enjoyment or what makes digital games enjoyable is presented, organized by topic. A literature search resulted in 61 relevant peer-reviewed research articles or papers. No limits were put on the research ...
Comments