The win, the worth, and the work of play:

Jaime Banks @amperjay

Nicholas David Bowman @bowmanspartan

West Virginia University

Exploring phenomenal entertainment values in online

gaming experiences

Entertainment = enjoyment

= Appreciation …

immersion

socialization

autonomy

skill

But still …

Control v. Cognition

RQ1:

What is the nature of gamers’ phenomenal enjoyment and appreciation in their most memorable MMO gaming experiences?

RQ2:

What is the distribution of enjoyment and appreciation among gamers’ most memorable MMO gaming experiences?

RQ3:

What is the impact of player demographics on expressions of enjoyment and appreciation of their most memorable MMO gaming experiences?

Undirected …• What is your favorite avatar?• What is your favorite memory

with that avatar?Please tell us that story.

Participants• N = 391

• Gender: 48% male, 46% female, 6% genderqueer• Age: M = 27.9 (SD 7.76)• Education: 69% some college +• Active players: 88% logged in during previous week• Experienced players: M = 3.08 avatars at level cap

• Responses• M = 82.87 words (SD = 86.1)• Range 2-773 words, median 57 words

Analysis• Content analysis for linguistic markers of

entertainment• Coder 1 identified 158 linguistic markers and coded E/A• Coder 2 coded E/A 𝛼𝛼 = .844 for 158 signifiers• 12 disagreements: 6 resolved, six ambiguous/excluded

• Thematic analysis for subjects of E/A markers• Coder 1 conducted emergent coding • Coder 2 evaluated for face validity

• Chi-square analysis for distribution of E/A codes overall (RQ2); stepwise regression predicting E/A as a function of demographic and play habits (RQ3)

Entertainment markersEnjoyment (71)

• Laughed so hard• I was ecstatic• It rocked• Lit up with screams of

excitement• It was purely awesome• Still hilarious to me• X was glorious

Appreciation (87)• A change came over me• I don't prize him for X, I

prize him for Y• It was the culmination of X• It impacted me in a way I'll

never forget• It was a significant time• The only time I've ever felt X

Gaming entertainment(RQ1)

Theme Enjoyment (n = 244)

Appreciation (n = 43)

Achievement n = 81 (33.2%) n = 26 (18.1%)

Immersion n = 18 (7.4%) n = 37 (25.9%)

Social Play n = 53 (21.7%) n = 26 (18.2%)

Avatar -- n = 18 (12.6%)

Emergent Play n = 21 (8.6%) --

Socializing n = 16 (6.6%) n = 12 (8.4%)

Aesthetics n = 10 (4.1%) n = 12 (8.4%)

Absurdity/whim n = 17 (7.0%) --

Gameplay n = 14 (5.4%) n = 5 (3.5%)

Progression n = 11 (4.5%) n = 4 (2.8%)

Challenge n = 3 (1.5%) n = 3 (2.1%)

Achievement• Completion of game- or player-defined tasks

resulting in reward/recognition/satisfaction• Enjoyment (n = 81, 33.2% of referents)

• Emphasis on outcome or reward• First, best, rarest• Personal firsts

• Appreciation (n = 26, 18.1% of referents)• Emphasis on the process or conditions• Intrinsic value, worth• Team firsts

Gameworld immersion• Getting ‘caught up’ through headcanons or char

narratives• Enjoyment (n = 81, 7.4% of referents)

• ‘Worldness’ and vastness• Player as epic• Playground (RP, exploration)

• Appreciation (n = 37, 25.% of referents) • Player/character role in the world• The avatar/world as epic• Authentic/fantastical/habitable place

Social play• Gaming with others; individual roles in group success• Enjoyment (n = 53, 21.7% of referents)

• Formal gameplay + collegial interaction • Leading group success • Tactical synergy among friends, strangers • Group = tool for success

• Appreciation (n = 26, 18.2% of referents) • Camaraderie, teamwork, cooperation• Holding one’s own to make material contribution • Shared experience among guild, team• Group = partners (team is prime)

Ego-centricity v. relationality

Distribution …• Enjoyment

• M = .63 unique instances of enjoyment (SD = .858, Min = 0, Max = 5)

• 44% at least one enjoyment marker (n = 171)• Appreciation

• M = .37 instances of appreciation (SD = .797, Min = 0, Max = 5).

• 24% at least one appreciation marker (n = 94)• No correlation between enjoyment/appreciation use,

r(391) = .011, p = .833. • Enjoyment ≈ 2x Appreciation, t(390) = 5.97, p ~ .001. • Half don’t recall any entertainment value in

experiences

(RQ2)

‘Work’ is memorable

• Formal gameplay (raiding, questing)

• Grinding(reputation, levels, pets)

• Maintenance(server xfers, utility play)

Individual differences• Enjoyment

• Response length (+)

• Appreciation• Response length (+)• Game experience in # months (-)• No length/experience correlation

• Players’ responses were nearly twice as long for enjoyment recollection than for appreciation recollection (z = -2.77, p = .005)

(RQ3)

Similitude + elaboration• Gamers are more alike than different in their

entertainment experiences• Appreciation linked to memory vividness or

motivation to recall?• Meaningfulness may devolve into mundane over

game tenure

Future research• Role of the avatar? • Casual, social players? • (D)evolution of entertainment?

@amperjay

N.D. BowmanWest Virginia University

Jaime BanksWest Virginia University

@bowmanspartan