Video Games: An Introduction
Paul Skalski, Ph.D.
Cleveland State University
Why Video Games?
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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)
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.
Cultural Effects of Video Games
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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?
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.
Sample Motivations for TV Use
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Learning
Surveillance
Habit
Companionship
Arousal
Relaxation
Escape
To Pass Time
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.
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.
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.???
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.
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.
Death Race (1976)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Mortal Kombat (2011)
Manhunt 2 (2007)
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
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).
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….
Oregon Trail
Number Munchers
Where in the World is Carmen
Sandiego?
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
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).
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:
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.
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.
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.
Online Video Gaming
• Most popular MMORPG: World of Warcraft
• Spoofed perfectly on South Park.
• Let’s watch the classic episode NOW.
GAME OVER
Questions? Email: p.skalski@csuohio.edu
Thanks!
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?
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.