How to Design Games That Promote Social Closeness Between Players?
To explore how multiplayer game mechanics facilitate social closeness, Depping & Mandryk conducted an experiment based on the 2D board-style puzzle game called Labyrinth.
Topical game research articles picked up and referenced by PlayLab! writers.
Digital gaming: a potential solution to loneliness among older adults
Lee’s article tackles the following question: what kind of social effects does participation in digital gaming have among elderly people?
The hidden importance of narrative puzzles in adventure game storytelling
Narrative puzzles are crucial for storytelling in many games, but their importance is hardly ever talked about. Wei and Durango go in depth to explain just why we should not overlook puzzles of the narrative kind.
Ludic sublime in Dark Souls – the game experience during the time of productivity and efficiency
While productivity and efficiency define the late-stage metagame of Dark Souls, the sublime experience can still be found somewhere within the game. #DarkSouls #Neoliberalism #LudicSublime
Watching Full Motion Video While Playing – FMV Games and Their Design Patterns
What Game design patterns are behind the FMV games that were popular during the nineties and are again gaining popularity? Therrien, Poremba, and Ray explore these design patterns through a large amount of FMV games.
Warming up to a new Concept – Hot and Cold Games
What is the 'temperature' of different types of games, and how can this help us understand how they make us feel? #Researchhighlight #DearEsther #gameresearch
Four waves of historical awareness – history of Finnish gaming
Jaakko Suominen categorizes four different waves of historical awareness in digital gaming that emphasize certain characteristics in writing and presenting Finnish gaming history.
The Joys of Sniffing Cartridges – Is There a Correct Way to Play?
Is there a wrong way to play a game? C. Thi Nyugen argues that, while there's nothing wrong with breaking the rules, the best way to play is to do as you're told.
The Archaic Attitude Towards Video Games in German TV Coverage
A study shows that German public television holds still a persistent and biased view on video games.
Swipe for fun and games, maybe find a life-long partner along the way
An exploration of Tinder’s gamifying aspects and its magic circle.
Is gamification still hot, or only hot air?
A survey of businesses illuminates reasons for their declined use of gamification.
Esports gambling – Rooting for the home team?
How does the esports gambling market differ from traditional sports markets and how do people behave on the market?
Gaming and higher education
Should one pick up or put down a controller for a boost in academic performance?
Toxic behaviour in Dead by Daylight as perceived by the players.
Researchers used Dead by Daylight’s subreddit to analyze different factors and perceptions surrounding toxic behavior.
Loot Boxes, Microtransactions and Freemium Games: The Ethical Considerations
A study that investigated different aspects of monetization in free-to-play games and approached it from an ethical point of view. How unethical is your free-to-play mobile game really?
White Nationalist Interpretations within The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
A study that researches the interpretations of white nationalism within the game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
The meanings of gameplay and interactivity for video games researcher
Jonathan Frome’s article considers the importance of separating the terms “interactivity” and “gameplay” when discussing emotional reactions to video games. The article encourages scholars to use more distinct terminology and definitions.
His Apocalypse Is Important – Ganondorf’s Impact Runs Deep
Through culturally informed textual examination, the Zelda-series primary antagonist, Ganondorf, is revealed to be more than just a brutish force of destruction.
Constructing player identity in Counter-Strike.
Stöhl and Rusk use ethnographic methods to see what tools are being used for identity construction when playing, and what these identities are.