investiGaming is a publication of the Serious Game Design group in the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media at Michigan State University, 2007
This gateway is partially supported by grant supported by grant 0631771 from the National Science Foundation.
The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent Michigan State University or the National Science Foundation.
Author: Bijvank, Marije, Konijn, Elly, and Bushman, Brad
Date: 2007
Source: International Communication Association Conference, San Francisco,
Full Text Link:
Keywords:
academia, conference, survey, motivations, player types, aggression, middle school, high school, violence, what men want, what women want, values at play, academic achievement
Abstract:
The debate on effects of video games thus far seems to have overlooked specifics of players and of games. In talking about harmful effects of violence games, scholars have a different audience in mind, playing with different games, than those denying such effect or claiming positive affects. Therefore, we studied what distinguishes various player-types, what types of games they prefer to play, what motivations lie behind distinct player-types, and what attracts them in their favorite games. Preliminary results (N = 397) of our survey revealed that, as expected, boys (aged 12-17) at a lower education level play more standalone games, play more violent games, and display less social motivations for game-playing, than their higher educated counterparts, who played more lawn and mmorpgs for social motivations. Furthermore, lower-educated boys were most attracted by the violence in their favorite games, whereas higher-educated boys were most attracted to the games’ potential for immersion.
(from AllAcademic.com)