2025
Siitonen, Marko
Gaming in Intercultural Education : Promises and Risks Book Chapter
In: Portera, Agostino; Trevisan, Michael S.; Milani, Marta (Ed.): Intercultural Education, Curriculum Development, Assessment and Teaching : Global Perspectives, Routledge, 2025, ISBN: 978-1-032-72339-6.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Education, Gaming, Teaching practices
@inbook{nokey,
title = {Gaming in Intercultural Education : Promises and Risks},
author = {Marko Siitonen},
editor = {Agostino Portera and Michael S. Trevisan and Marta Milani},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032723402-15},
doi = {10.4324/9781032723402-15},
isbn = {978-1-032-72339-6},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-05-30},
booktitle = {Intercultural Education, Curriculum Development, Assessment and Teaching : Global Perspectives},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {This chapter considers games and play in the context of intercultural education. The chapter explores three viewpoints that have been of interest to scholars and educators for decades. These include the issue of perspective-taking and role-play, the question of learning to embrace anxiety and uncertainty, and the power of agency. By contrasting concrete examples with theoretical views, the chapter builds an argument for the potential as well as risks related to games as a potential tool in the intercultural educator's toolbox.},
keywords = {Education, Gaming, Teaching practices},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
This chapter considers games and play in the context of intercultural education. The chapter explores three viewpoints that have been of interest to scholars and educators for decades. These include the issue of perspective-taking and role-play, the question of learning to embrace anxiety and uncertainty, and the power of agency. By contrasting concrete examples with theoretical views, the chapter builds an argument for the potential as well as risks related to games as a potential tool in the intercultural educator's toolbox.
Stenros, Jaakko
Role-playing Games Book Chapter
In: Elgar Encyclopedia of Queer Studies , pp. 323-325, Edward Elgar, 2025, ISBN: 978-1-80392-209-6.
Links | Tags: Gaming, Role-playing games
@inbook{nokey,
title = {Role-playing Games},
author = {Jaakko Stenros},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803922102.ch086},
doi = {10.4337/9781803922102.ch086},
isbn = {978-1-80392-209-6},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-03-18},
booktitle = {Elgar Encyclopedia of Queer Studies },
pages = {323-325},
publisher = {Edward Elgar},
keywords = {Gaming, Role-playing games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inbook}
}
2024
Meriläinen, Mikko; Ruotsalainen, Maria
“I've Played More Minecraft with the Kids”: Gaming and Family Dynamics in the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic Book Section
In: Siuda, Piotr; Majewski, Jakub; Chmielewski, Krzysztof (Ed.): Gaming and Gamers in Times of Pandemic, pp. 39–58, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024, ISBN: 9798765110232.
Links | Tags: COVID-19, Family dynamics, Gaming
@incollection{Meriläinen2024b,
title = {“I've Played More Minecraft with the Kids”: Gaming and Family Dynamics in the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic},
author = {Mikko Meriläinen and Maria Ruotsalainen },
editor = {Piotr Siuda and Jakub Majewski and Krzysztof Chmielewski},
url = {https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/159635
https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/159635/Author_manuscript_Gaming_and_Gamers.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/gaming-and-gamers-in-times-of-pandemic-9798765110232/},
isbn = {9798765110232},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-04-08},
urldate = {2024-04-08},
booktitle = {Gaming and Gamers in Times of Pandemic},
pages = {39–58},
publisher = {Bloomsbury Publishing},
keywords = {COVID-19, Family dynamics, Gaming},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
Lefebvre, Florian; Malinen, Ville; Karhulahti, Veli-Matti
Sociohistorical Development of Sim Racing in European and Asia-Pacific Esports : A Cross-cultural Qualitative Study Journal Article
In: Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, vol. 30, iss. 5, pp. 1779-1796, 2024, ISSN: 1354-8565.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Development stages, Esports, Gaming, History, Motorsports, Video games
@article{Lefebvre2024,
title = {Sociohistorical Development of Sim Racing in European and Asia-Pacific Esports : A Cross-cultural Qualitative Study},
author = {Florian Lefebvre and Ville Malinen and Veli-Matti Karhulahti },
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565231222172
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13548565231222172},
doi = {10.1177/13548565231222172},
issn = {1354-8565},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-04},
urldate = {2024-01-04},
journal = {Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies},
volume = {30},
issue = {5},
pages = {1779-1796},
abstract = {With the accelerated growth of the sim racing industry over the last few years, research on the phenomenon has started to emerge. Nonetheless, the history of sim racing remains unmapped. This study aims to fill the gap by investigating the development in sim racing in Europe and in Asia-Pacific between 1997 and 2021. Twenty four semi-structured interviews were carried out with experts representing sim racing associations, event organizers, and teams from Europe and Asia-Pacific. Data were analyzed using an inductive-deductive codebook approach. The results show the evolution of sim racing throughout five sociohistorical stages, which demonstrate how sim racing emerged as a hybrid of esports and motorsports and has kept evolving since ‘in-between’ their respective actors until today. The findings suggest that the slow evolution of sim racing has been particularly dependent on networked sociocultural actors, while positively affected by uncontrollable events like the COVID-19 pandemic. As a key implication, we find that the history of sim racing differs from that of esports by its multifaceted dependence on the motorsports ecosystem.},
keywords = {Development stages, Esports, Gaming, History, Motorsports, Video games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
With the accelerated growth of the sim racing industry over the last few years, research on the phenomenon has started to emerge. Nonetheless, the history of sim racing remains unmapped. This study aims to fill the gap by investigating the development in sim racing in Europe and in Asia-Pacific between 1997 and 2021. Twenty four semi-structured interviews were carried out with experts representing sim racing associations, event organizers, and teams from Europe and Asia-Pacific. Data were analyzed using an inductive-deductive codebook approach. The results show the evolution of sim racing throughout five sociohistorical stages, which demonstrate how sim racing emerged as a hybrid of esports and motorsports and has kept evolving since ‘in-between’ their respective actors until today. The findings suggest that the slow evolution of sim racing has been particularly dependent on networked sociocultural actors, while positively affected by uncontrollable events like the COVID-19 pandemic. As a key implication, we find that the history of sim racing differs from that of esports by its multifaceted dependence on the motorsports ecosystem.
2023
Rusk, Fredrik; Taylor, Nicholas; Ståhl, Matilda
The Social Accomplishment of Seeing Together in Networked Team Play Journal Article
In: Simulation & Gaming, vol. 55, iss. 1, pp. 6-29, 2023.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Awareness, Collaboration, Gaming, Interperceptivity, Multiplayer
@article{Rusk2023,
title = {The Social Accomplishment of Seeing Together in Networked Team Play},
author = {Fredrik Rusk and Nicholas Taylor and Matilda Ståhl },
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/10468781231209484
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10468781231209484},
doi = {10.1177/10468781231209484},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-11-08},
urldate = {2023-11-08},
journal = {Simulation & Gaming},
volume = {55},
issue = {1},
pages = {6-29},
abstract = {Background:
This article focuses on communication in team-based esports, particularly in the ways that callouts enable players in team-based First-Person Shooters (FPS) to collaboratively link their own perception and awareness of in-game actions to that of their teammates. Callouts are short, community-based utterances that players use to communicate vital details of fast-paced action in competitive games.
Aim:
We provide an empirically-based theorization of why callouts appear to be especially important in team-based FPS games, which, because of the limited fields of vision and split-second decision-making, require players to communicate what is happening to the others in the team as they navigate the game environment.
Methods:
To describe this distributed perception, we borrow from studies on active military settings that term this seeing together as interperceptivity and employ ethnomethodology in our analysis of the minute details of players’ actions in the screen recordings as they extended their team’s collective perception and awareness of in-game activities and events.
Results:
Through this paper, we contribute to the ongoing research on understanding communication and collaboration in team-based games. The callout sequences (and aligning actions) are orienting towards sharing individual perceptions for the (co)construction of an interperceptivity of in-game activities. Hence, callouts form a precondition for coordinated play.
Conclusion:
The introduction of this concept to game studies can help in making sense of a key capability in networked team-based games; that is, how players collectively construct a situational awareness that encompasses teammates’ perception. Also, because of the essential role of callouts and interperceptivity in highly-skilled networked play, we point to some of the cultural contexts in which this practice is accomplished.},
keywords = {Awareness, Collaboration, Gaming, Interperceptivity, Multiplayer},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background:
This article focuses on communication in team-based esports, particularly in the ways that callouts enable players in team-based First-Person Shooters (FPS) to collaboratively link their own perception and awareness of in-game actions to that of their teammates. Callouts are short, community-based utterances that players use to communicate vital details of fast-paced action in competitive games.
Aim:
We provide an empirically-based theorization of why callouts appear to be especially important in team-based FPS games, which, because of the limited fields of vision and split-second decision-making, require players to communicate what is happening to the others in the team as they navigate the game environment.
Methods:
To describe this distributed perception, we borrow from studies on active military settings that term this seeing together as interperceptivity and employ ethnomethodology in our analysis of the minute details of players’ actions in the screen recordings as they extended their team’s collective perception and awareness of in-game activities and events.
Results:
Through this paper, we contribute to the ongoing research on understanding communication and collaboration in team-based games. The callout sequences (and aligning actions) are orienting towards sharing individual perceptions for the (co)construction of an interperceptivity of in-game activities. Hence, callouts form a precondition for coordinated play.
Conclusion:
The introduction of this concept to game studies can help in making sense of a key capability in networked team-based games; that is, how players collectively construct a situational awareness that encompasses teammates’ perception. Also, because of the essential role of callouts and interperceptivity in highly-skilled networked play, we point to some of the cultural contexts in which this practice is accomplished.
This article focuses on communication in team-based esports, particularly in the ways that callouts enable players in team-based First-Person Shooters (FPS) to collaboratively link their own perception and awareness of in-game actions to that of their teammates. Callouts are short, community-based utterances that players use to communicate vital details of fast-paced action in competitive games.
Aim:
We provide an empirically-based theorization of why callouts appear to be especially important in team-based FPS games, which, because of the limited fields of vision and split-second decision-making, require players to communicate what is happening to the others in the team as they navigate the game environment.
Methods:
To describe this distributed perception, we borrow from studies on active military settings that term this seeing together as interperceptivity and employ ethnomethodology in our analysis of the minute details of players’ actions in the screen recordings as they extended their team’s collective perception and awareness of in-game activities and events.
Results:
Through this paper, we contribute to the ongoing research on understanding communication and collaboration in team-based games. The callout sequences (and aligning actions) are orienting towards sharing individual perceptions for the (co)construction of an interperceptivity of in-game activities. Hence, callouts form a precondition for coordinated play.
Conclusion:
The introduction of this concept to game studies can help in making sense of a key capability in networked team-based games; that is, how players collectively construct a situational awareness that encompasses teammates’ perception. Also, because of the essential role of callouts and interperceptivity in highly-skilled networked play, we point to some of the cultural contexts in which this practice is accomplished.
Karhulahti, Veli-Matti; Adamkovič, Matúš; Vahlo, Jukka; Martončik, Marcel; Munukka, Matti; Koskimaa, Raine; von Bonsdorff, Mikaela
Reply to Billieux and Fournier (2022): Collaborative Shortcut to Ontological Diversity COMMENT other
2023.
Links | Tags: Computer games, Game research, Gaming, Problematic gaming, Video games
@other{Karhulahti2023,
title = {Reply to Billieux and Fournier (2022): Collaborative Shortcut to Ontological Diversity COMMENT},
author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti and Matúš Adamkovič and Jukka Vahlo and Marcel Martončik and Matti Munukka and Raine Koskimaa and Mikaela von Bonsdorff},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16066359.2022.2160448
https://converis.jyu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/164776636},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2022.2160448},
issn = {1476-7392},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-31},
urldate = {2023-01-31},
booktitle = {Addiction Research & Theory},
volume = {31},
number = {3},
pages = {174-177},
keywords = {Computer games, Game research, Gaming, Problematic gaming, Video games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {other}
}
2022
Meriläinen, Mikko; Heljakka, Katriina; Stenros, Jaakko
Lead Fantasies: The Making, Meaning and Materiality of Miniatures Book Section
In: Germaine, Chloe; Wake, Paul (Ed.): Material Game Studies: A Philosophy of Analogue Play, pp. 83-101, Bloomsbury Academic, 2022, ISBN: 9781350202719.
Links | Tags: Game studies, Gaming, Materiality, Miniature figures, Miniaturing
@incollection{Meriläinen2022g,
title = {Lead Fantasies: The Making, Meaning and Materiality of Miniatures},
author = {Mikko Meriläinen and Katriina Heljakka and Jaakko Stenros},
editor = {Chloe Germaine and Paul Wake},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202301301831
https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/149420/leadfantasies.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/material-game-studies-9781350202719/},
isbn = {9781350202719},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-12-01},
urldate = {2022-12-01},
booktitle = {Material Game Studies: A Philosophy of Analogue Play},
pages = {83-101},
publisher = {Bloomsbury Academic},
keywords = {Game studies, Gaming, Materiality, Miniature figures, Miniaturing},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
Karhulahti, Veli-Matti; Nerg, Henri; Laitinen, Tanja; Päivinen, Antti; Chen, Yingrong
Eight Hypotheses on Technology Use and Psychosocial Wellbeing: A Bicultural Phenomenological Study of Gaming during the COVID-19 Pandemic Journal Article
In: Current Psychology, 2022, ISSN: 1046-1310.
Abstract | Links | Tags: COVID-19, Gaming, Qualitative Methods, Technology use, Wellbeing
@article{Karhulahti2022,
title = {Eight Hypotheses on Technology Use and Psychosocial Wellbeing: A Bicultural Phenomenological Study of Gaming during the COVID-19 Pandemic},
author = {Veli-Matti Karhulahti and Henri Nerg and Tanja Laitinen and Antti Päivinen and Yingrong Chen},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202208254339},
doi = {10.1007/s12144-022-03586-x},
issn = {1046-1310},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-08-22},
urldate = {2022-08-22},
journal = {Current Psychology},
abstract = {In this nonconfirmatory qualitative study, we pursued a range of hypotheses regarding how gaming operates in the lives and psychosocial wellbeing of those who actively play videogames during a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Informed by an explorative survey (N = 793), interpretive phenomenological analysis was applied to interview data from actively gaming Chinese (n = 10) and Finnish (n = 10) participants. Our findings demonstrate how the general increase of pandemic-time gaming did not manifest in all player groups, but in some life contexts gaming activity rather decreased along with reformations in subjective meaning hierarchies and values. Ultimately, eight subordinate themes were refined into testable hypotheses. The study encourages policies that promote socially supportive gaming during pandemic-like situations to consider including personally meaningful solitary play in their recommendations and highlighting context-specificity over generalization. Finally, as almost all our data points echoing experiences of decreasing gaming activity came from China, we stress the importance of culturally diverse samples in the psychological study of global phenomena.},
keywords = {COVID-19, Gaming, Qualitative Methods, Technology use, Wellbeing},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In this nonconfirmatory qualitative study, we pursued a range of hypotheses regarding how gaming operates in the lives and psychosocial wellbeing of those who actively play videogames during a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Informed by an explorative survey (N = 793), interpretive phenomenological analysis was applied to interview data from actively gaming Chinese (n = 10) and Finnish (n = 10) participants. Our findings demonstrate how the general increase of pandemic-time gaming did not manifest in all player groups, but in some life contexts gaming activity rather decreased along with reformations in subjective meaning hierarchies and values. Ultimately, eight subordinate themes were refined into testable hypotheses. The study encourages policies that promote socially supportive gaming during pandemic-like situations to consider including personally meaningful solitary play in their recommendations and highlighting context-specificity over generalization. Finally, as almost all our data points echoing experiences of decreasing gaming activity came from China, we stress the importance of culturally diverse samples in the psychological study of global phenomena.
2021
Macey, Joseph
A Whole New Ball Game: The Growing Prevalence of Video Game-Related Gambling PhD Thesis
2021, ISBN: 978-952-03-2190-1.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Addiction, Betting, Cognitive bias, Consumption, Convergence, Digital media, Electronic sports, Free-to-play, Gamblification, Gambling, Gamification, Gaming, Loot boxes, MSSC, Problem gambling, Skins gambling, Video games, Virtual goods
@phdthesis{Macey2021b,
title = {A Whole New Ball Game: The Growing Prevalence of Video Game-Related Gambling},
author = {Joseph Macey},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-2191-8},
isbn = {978-952-03-2190-1},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-12-01},
publisher = {Tampere University},
abstract = {Recent decades have seen the parallel trends of the growing liberalisation of gambling practices and the increasing significance of games as both entertainment media and cultural reference points. It is, therefore, unsurprising that there has been a rapid convergence between video game play and gambling; it is a process in which traditional distinctions are becoming increasingly blurred, creating not only new activities and driving the development of new social relationships and consumption practices.
The convergence of gaming and gambling facilitated by digital technologies has become the subject of growing academic attention in in recent years, spurred by the rapidly growing social and economic impact of these digital media products. Much attention has been focused on the in-game items known as loot boxes, however, there are many more examples of gambling, and gambling-like mechanics, being used to drive player engagement and, consequently, monetisation. Concerns have been raised about such developments, with commentators arguing that they are inherently exploitative, that they normalise gambling and gambling-like interactions, and that they encourage problematic consumption.
At the time this research was conducted, there existed a significant and notable dearth of empirical work addressing video games and gambling, with what published works there were predominantly focusing on legal and regulatory issues. The aim of this dissertation, therefore, is to investigate the emerging phenomenon of video game-related gambling (such as esports betting, virtual item lotteries, loot boxes, and other emergent practices) and its connection to video gaming habits, maladaptive cognitions, and motivations for consumption of online services. The work is divided into a series of complementary perspectives that, in unison, provide both depth and breadth to the investigation.
This dissertation constitutes the first empirical work dedicated to the study of video game-related gambling as a distinct topic; previously, work in this area had addressed individual activities, for example SCG or esports betting. In particular, the articles included as part of this work were among the first to address the role of loot boxes and other virtual items in facilitating gambling related to video games, an issue which has since gathered significant attention from within academia and beyond. Furthermore, this work provides a record of video game-related gambling at a key period of its development, a time of significant change and increased attention from those both inside and outside of the video game ecosystem.
Whereas prior works had examined populations of video game players, esports fans, or gamblers, this work is the first to identify those who reside at the intersection of these groups: those who participate in video game-related gambling specifically. A particular contribution of this work has been to highlight the presence of under-age individuals in the video game-gambling ecosystem. This is a group who are often absent from such studies, despite the increased risks known to be associated with early exposure to gambling.
Building upon these areas, this dissertation includes one of the first studies of gambling-related cognitions among video gamers who gamble; as a result of this work it developed the first measure for identifying such cognitions in this population. At the same time providing knowledge which can improve established measures used to identify gambling-related cognitions in traditional gambling populations, for example in reference to the ways in which luck and skill are conceptualised.
The knowledge generated by this body of work, both practical and theoretical, has contributed greatly to understanding the relationships between video game play and gambling behaviour. It has added to the growing body of evidence which questions the perspective that playing video games contributes directly to the development of problematic gambling. Instead, it highlights the influence of contextual factors, such as the surrounding consumption cultures associated with particular games or media formats, which are of greater significance to the development of gambling behaviours, rather than simply playing games.
All four articles included in this work employ quantitative methodologies in order to gain high-level insights into the phenomenon; they are among the first empirical investigations of video game-related gambling and its varied manifestations and, as such, provide a foundation upon which further research into specific phenomena can be built, while also serving as a record of activities and behaviours during a period of notable change in the field.},
keywords = {Addiction, Betting, Cognitive bias, Consumption, Convergence, Digital media, Electronic sports, Free-to-play, Gamblification, Gambling, Gamification, Gaming, Loot boxes, MSSC, Problem gambling, Skins gambling, Video games, Virtual goods},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
Recent decades have seen the parallel trends of the growing liberalisation of gambling practices and the increasing significance of games as both entertainment media and cultural reference points. It is, therefore, unsurprising that there has been a rapid convergence between video game play and gambling; it is a process in which traditional distinctions are becoming increasingly blurred, creating not only new activities and driving the development of new social relationships and consumption practices.
The convergence of gaming and gambling facilitated by digital technologies has become the subject of growing academic attention in in recent years, spurred by the rapidly growing social and economic impact of these digital media products. Much attention has been focused on the in-game items known as loot boxes, however, there are many more examples of gambling, and gambling-like mechanics, being used to drive player engagement and, consequently, monetisation. Concerns have been raised about such developments, with commentators arguing that they are inherently exploitative, that they normalise gambling and gambling-like interactions, and that they encourage problematic consumption.
At the time this research was conducted, there existed a significant and notable dearth of empirical work addressing video games and gambling, with what published works there were predominantly focusing on legal and regulatory issues. The aim of this dissertation, therefore, is to investigate the emerging phenomenon of video game-related gambling (such as esports betting, virtual item lotteries, loot boxes, and other emergent practices) and its connection to video gaming habits, maladaptive cognitions, and motivations for consumption of online services. The work is divided into a series of complementary perspectives that, in unison, provide both depth and breadth to the investigation.
This dissertation constitutes the first empirical work dedicated to the study of video game-related gambling as a distinct topic; previously, work in this area had addressed individual activities, for example SCG or esports betting. In particular, the articles included as part of this work were among the first to address the role of loot boxes and other virtual items in facilitating gambling related to video games, an issue which has since gathered significant attention from within academia and beyond. Furthermore, this work provides a record of video game-related gambling at a key period of its development, a time of significant change and increased attention from those both inside and outside of the video game ecosystem.
Whereas prior works had examined populations of video game players, esports fans, or gamblers, this work is the first to identify those who reside at the intersection of these groups: those who participate in video game-related gambling specifically. A particular contribution of this work has been to highlight the presence of under-age individuals in the video game-gambling ecosystem. This is a group who are often absent from such studies, despite the increased risks known to be associated with early exposure to gambling.
Building upon these areas, this dissertation includes one of the first studies of gambling-related cognitions among video gamers who gamble; as a result of this work it developed the first measure for identifying such cognitions in this population. At the same time providing knowledge which can improve established measures used to identify gambling-related cognitions in traditional gambling populations, for example in reference to the ways in which luck and skill are conceptualised.
The knowledge generated by this body of work, both practical and theoretical, has contributed greatly to understanding the relationships between video game play and gambling behaviour. It has added to the growing body of evidence which questions the perspective that playing video games contributes directly to the development of problematic gambling. Instead, it highlights the influence of contextual factors, such as the surrounding consumption cultures associated with particular games or media formats, which are of greater significance to the development of gambling behaviours, rather than simply playing games.
All four articles included in this work employ quantitative methodologies in order to gain high-level insights into the phenomenon; they are among the first empirical investigations of video game-related gambling and its varied manifestations and, as such, provide a foundation upon which further research into specific phenomena can be built, while also serving as a record of activities and behaviours during a period of notable change in the field.
The convergence of gaming and gambling facilitated by digital technologies has become the subject of growing academic attention in in recent years, spurred by the rapidly growing social and economic impact of these digital media products. Much attention has been focused on the in-game items known as loot boxes, however, there are many more examples of gambling, and gambling-like mechanics, being used to drive player engagement and, consequently, monetisation. Concerns have been raised about such developments, with commentators arguing that they are inherently exploitative, that they normalise gambling and gambling-like interactions, and that they encourage problematic consumption.
At the time this research was conducted, there existed a significant and notable dearth of empirical work addressing video games and gambling, with what published works there were predominantly focusing on legal and regulatory issues. The aim of this dissertation, therefore, is to investigate the emerging phenomenon of video game-related gambling (such as esports betting, virtual item lotteries, loot boxes, and other emergent practices) and its connection to video gaming habits, maladaptive cognitions, and motivations for consumption of online services. The work is divided into a series of complementary perspectives that, in unison, provide both depth and breadth to the investigation.
This dissertation constitutes the first empirical work dedicated to the study of video game-related gambling as a distinct topic; previously, work in this area had addressed individual activities, for example SCG or esports betting. In particular, the articles included as part of this work were among the first to address the role of loot boxes and other virtual items in facilitating gambling related to video games, an issue which has since gathered significant attention from within academia and beyond. Furthermore, this work provides a record of video game-related gambling at a key period of its development, a time of significant change and increased attention from those both inside and outside of the video game ecosystem.
Whereas prior works had examined populations of video game players, esports fans, or gamblers, this work is the first to identify those who reside at the intersection of these groups: those who participate in video game-related gambling specifically. A particular contribution of this work has been to highlight the presence of under-age individuals in the video game-gambling ecosystem. This is a group who are often absent from such studies, despite the increased risks known to be associated with early exposure to gambling.
Building upon these areas, this dissertation includes one of the first studies of gambling-related cognitions among video gamers who gamble; as a result of this work it developed the first measure for identifying such cognitions in this population. At the same time providing knowledge which can improve established measures used to identify gambling-related cognitions in traditional gambling populations, for example in reference to the ways in which luck and skill are conceptualised.
The knowledge generated by this body of work, both practical and theoretical, has contributed greatly to understanding the relationships between video game play and gambling behaviour. It has added to the growing body of evidence which questions the perspective that playing video games contributes directly to the development of problematic gambling. Instead, it highlights the influence of contextual factors, such as the surrounding consumption cultures associated with particular games or media formats, which are of greater significance to the development of gambling behaviours, rather than simply playing games.
All four articles included in this work employ quantitative methodologies in order to gain high-level insights into the phenomenon; they are among the first empirical investigations of video game-related gambling and its varied manifestations and, as such, provide a foundation upon which further research into specific phenomena can be built, while also serving as a record of activities and behaviours during a period of notable change in the field.
2020
Mäyrä, Frans; Alha, Kati
Mobile Gaming Book Section
In: Kowert, Rachel; Quandt, Thorsten (Ed.): The Video Game Debate 2: Revisiting the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games, pp. 107-120, Routledge, 2020, ISBN: 978-0-367-36694-0.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Game studies, Gaming, Mobile gaming
@incollection{Mäyrä2020b,
title = {Mobile Gaming},
author = {Frans Mäyrä and Kati Alha},
editor = {Rachel Kowert and Thorsten Quandt},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202101201535},
doi = {10.4324/9780429351815},
isbn = {978-0-367-36694-0},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-11-30},
booktitle = {The Video Game Debate 2: Revisiting the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games},
pages = {107-120},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {This chapter will briefly outline the success story of mobile games, along with the associated developments in the culture of mobile gaming, and will highlight several of the relevant debates and research trends of this quickly developing field. The focus is on three major turns or periods of mobile gaming: the early history of handheld gaming devices and cell phones; the smartphone era and the birth of the contemporary mobile gaming ecosystem; and, finally, the emergence of location-based and mixed reality mobile gaming. The chapter discusses the multiple, distinctive features and consequences of these different varieties of mobile gaming, for the actual gaming content, game development, and industry practices as well as for the people who play games, and for the culture and society that is immersed in gaming.},
keywords = {Game studies, Gaming, Mobile gaming},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
This chapter will briefly outline the success story of mobile games, along with the associated developments in the culture of mobile gaming, and will highlight several of the relevant debates and research trends of this quickly developing field. The focus is on three major turns or periods of mobile gaming: the early history of handheld gaming devices and cell phones; the smartphone era and the birth of the contemporary mobile gaming ecosystem; and, finally, the emergence of location-based and mixed reality mobile gaming. The chapter discusses the multiple, distinctive features and consequences of these different varieties of mobile gaming, for the actual gaming content, game development, and industry practices as well as for the people who play games, and for the culture and society that is immersed in gaming.
2018
Hopia, Hanna; Siitonen, Marko; Raitio, Katja
Mental Health Service Users' and Professionals' Relationship with Games and Gaming Journal Article
In: Digital Health, vol. 4, pp. 1–12, 2018, ISSN: 2055-2076.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Game-based intervention, Gamification, Gaming, Health professional, Mental health services, Service user
@article{Hopia2018,
title = {Mental Health Service Users' and Professionals' Relationship with Games and Gaming},
author = {Hanna Hopia and Marko Siitonen and Katja Raitio},
url = {https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/58687},
doi = {10.1177/2055207618779718},
issn = {2055-2076},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
urldate = {2018-01-01},
journal = {Digital Health},
volume = {4},
pages = {1–12},
publisher = {SAGE Publications},
address = {London, England},
abstract = {Background: Games and elements of gamification can be utilized in mental healthcare to provide customized interventions for the service users. However, very little evidence exists as to what kind of experiences service users and professionals have towards games and gaming, and what their perceptions of the phenomenon are. This sort of information is needed to help professionals put game-based interventions actively into practice in mental health services. Research objectives: The objective is to describe the experiences and perceptions of digital games and gaming from the perspectives of mental health service users and mental health professionals. Methods: In this qualitative study, data consisted of interviews of 23 mental health service users and professionals working in the mental health field. We conducted altogether 39 interviews. Sixteen of the participants were interviewed twice. Main categories and subcategories were identified using qualitative content analysis. Results: The analysis revealed four distinct orientations towards games and gaming: (a) compulsive gaming; (b) closet gaming; (c) gaming as a hobby; and (d) late bloomers. Each group was characterized by different personal histories, experiences, conceptions and attitudes regarding gaming and digital games. Conclusion: When attempting to implement a game-based intervention in mental health services, it is essential to recognize the different attitudes that both service users and staff exhibit concerning games and gaming. The attitudes of service users and professionals described in this study can be utilized in the implementation of game-based methods as part of care and rehabilitation in mental health services.},
keywords = {Game-based intervention, Gamification, Gaming, Health professional, Mental health services, Service user},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Games and elements of gamification can be utilized in mental healthcare to provide customized interventions for the service users. However, very little evidence exists as to what kind of experiences service users and professionals have towards games and gaming, and what their perceptions of the phenomenon are. This sort of information is needed to help professionals put game-based interventions actively into practice in mental health services. Research objectives: The objective is to describe the experiences and perceptions of digital games and gaming from the perspectives of mental health service users and mental health professionals. Methods: In this qualitative study, data consisted of interviews of 23 mental health service users and professionals working in the mental health field. We conducted altogether 39 interviews. Sixteen of the participants were interviewed twice. Main categories and subcategories were identified using qualitative content analysis. Results: The analysis revealed four distinct orientations towards games and gaming: (a) compulsive gaming; (b) closet gaming; (c) gaming as a hobby; and (d) late bloomers. Each group was characterized by different personal histories, experiences, conceptions and attitudes regarding gaming and digital games. Conclusion: When attempting to implement a game-based intervention in mental health services, it is essential to recognize the different attitudes that both service users and staff exhibit concerning games and gaming. The attitudes of service users and professionals described in this study can be utilized in the implementation of game-based methods as part of care and rehabilitation in mental health services.