2019
Alha, Kati
The Imbalanced State of Free-to-Play Game Research: A Literature Review Proceedings Article
In: DiGRA '19 - Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference: Game, Play and the Emerging Ludo-Mix, DiGRA, 2019, ISSN: 2342-9666.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Free-to-play, Freemium, Games, Literature review, Research agendas
@inproceedings{Alha2019b,
title = {The Imbalanced State of Free-to-Play Game Research: A Literature Review},
author = {Kati Alha},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202101151361},
issn = {2342-9666},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-08-06},
booktitle = {DiGRA '19 - Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference: Game, Play and the Emerging Ludo-Mix},
publisher = {DiGRA},
abstract = {As free-to-play games have increased their economic value, the research interest on them has increased as well. This article looks at free-to-play game research conducted so far through a systematic literature review and an explorative analysis of the documents included in the review. The results highlight an excessive focus especially on behavioral economic studies trying to maximize the player bases and profits, while other aspects, such as meaningful game experiences, cultural and societal implications, or critical review of the phenomena have been left in the marginal. Based on the review results, this article suggests four future agendas to reinforce the lacking areas of free-to-play game research.},
keywords = {Free-to-play, Freemium, Games, Literature review, Research agendas},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
As free-to-play games have increased their economic value, the research interest on them has increased as well. This article looks at free-to-play game research conducted so far through a systematic literature review and an explorative analysis of the documents included in the review. The results highlight an excessive focus especially on behavioral economic studies trying to maximize the player bases and profits, while other aspects, such as meaningful game experiences, cultural and societal implications, or critical review of the phenomena have been left in the marginal. Based on the review results, this article suggests four future agendas to reinforce the lacking areas of free-to-play game research.