2023
Wiik, Elisa; Alha, Kati
Playing on Life’s Terms: Behavioral Strategies for Changing Situations Journal Article
In: Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture, vol. 14, iss. 1, pp. 125–145, 2023, ISSN: 1866-6124.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Analog games, Casual games, Casual play, Changes, Digital games, Lapsed players, Leisure studies
@article{Wiik2023b,
title = {Playing on Life’s Terms: Behavioral Strategies for Changing Situations},
author = {Elisa Wiik and Kati Alha },
url = {https://doi.org/10.7557/23.7115
https://eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/view/7115},
doi = {10.7557/23.7115},
issn = {1866-6124},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-12-14},
urldate = {2023-12-14},
journal = {Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture},
volume = {14},
issue = {1},
pages = {125–145},
abstract = {This article sheds light on the changes to play habits when there is not as much time or possibilities to play as before. The research is based on a survey and interviews of Finnish former active players, who now played less or had quit some game types they used to enjoy. Most of the respondents still played something, but the playing had changed on the level of games, playstyles, time management, and content. These changes were then used as behavioral strategies to keep gaming as a part of the changing lives: shifting to lighter options, integrating playing into everyday life, redefining co-play, and focusing on opportunities. The results highlight the complexity and continuity of the changes and negotiations, and further hint at how the borders of casual and hardcore playing are fluid and mixed. This complexity and fluidity of play should be the starting point of a game design that must be heard in the public and academic discourses around gaming.},
keywords = {Analog games, Casual games, Casual play, Changes, Digital games, Lapsed players, Leisure studies},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This article sheds light on the changes to play habits when there is not as much time or possibilities to play as before. The research is based on a survey and interviews of Finnish former active players, who now played less or had quit some game types they used to enjoy. Most of the respondents still played something, but the playing had changed on the level of games, playstyles, time management, and content. These changes were then used as behavioral strategies to keep gaming as a part of the changing lives: shifting to lighter options, integrating playing into everyday life, redefining co-play, and focusing on opportunities. The results highlight the complexity and continuity of the changes and negotiations, and further hint at how the borders of casual and hardcore playing are fluid and mixed. This complexity and fluidity of play should be the starting point of a game design that must be heard in the public and academic discourses around gaming.
Wiik, Elisa
“I Just Can’t Commit to That Level Anymore”: Players, Demands of Games, and Player Services Journal Article
In: American Journal of Play, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 82-109, 2023, ISSN: 1938-0399.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Analog games, Digital games, Game demands, Player services, Quitting game play
@article{Wiik2023,
title = {“I Just Can’t Commit to That Level Anymore”: Players, Demands of Games, and Player Services},
author = {Elisa Wiik},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202305165814
https://www.museumofplay.org/journalofplay/issues/volume-15-number-1/
https://www.museumofplay.org/app/uploads/2023/04/15-1-Article-5-Cant-Commit.pdf},
issn = {1938-0399},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-05-16},
urldate = {2023-05-16},
journal = {American Journal of Play},
volume = {15},
number = {1},
pages = {82-109},
abstract = {People, the author holds, instinctively believe quitting a game to be a simple choice: you are either playing or you are not. But she finds quitting play more complex. To understand better the whole ecosystem of play, she maps out the reasons Finnish players abandon or reduce their gaming and examines these reasons through the lens of specific demands. Using an online survey and interviews, she reveals that the dedication and effort needed to play—and the expected audience for a game—can drive players away from the games they once so enjoyed. She concludes that using the player service model promoted by Jaako Stenros and Olli Sotamaa in 2009 can identify the actions game designers might take to lessen the effect of these game demands.},
keywords = {Analog games, Digital games, Game demands, Player services, Quitting game play},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
People, the author holds, instinctively believe quitting a game to be a simple choice: you are either playing or you are not. But she finds quitting play more complex. To understand better the whole ecosystem of play, she maps out the reasons Finnish players abandon or reduce their gaming and examines these reasons through the lens of specific demands. Using an online survey and interviews, she reveals that the dedication and effort needed to play—and the expected audience for a game—can drive players away from the games they once so enjoyed. She concludes that using the player service model promoted by Jaako Stenros and Olli Sotamaa in 2009 can identify the actions game designers might take to lessen the effect of these game demands.