Frans Mäyrä

At least nine ways to play: approaching gamer mentalities

Do digital games and play mean the same things for different people? This article presents the results of a 3-year study in which we sought for new ways to approach digital games cultures and playing practices. First, the authors present the research process in brief and emphasize the importance of merging different kinds of methods and materials in the study of games cultures. Second, the authors introduce a gaming mentality heuristics that is not dedicated to a certain domain or genre of games, addressing light casual and light social gaming motivations as well as more dedicated ones in a joint framework. The analysis reveals that, in contrast to common belief, the majority of digital gaming takes place between ‘‘casual relaxing’’ and ‘‘committed entertaining,’’ where the multiplicity of experiences, feelings, and understandings that people have about their playing and digital games is wide ranging. Digital gaming is thus found to be a multifaceted social and cultural phenomenon that can be understood, practiced, and used in various ways.

The many faces of sociability and social play in games

In the past, social interaction has been discussed mostly in the context of multiplayer games, ignoring the implicit forms of sociability in single player games. This paper distinguishes between the sociability around the playing of a game and the social play mediated by the game, and looks at single player, two player, multiplayer and massively multiplayer games as arenas for social interaction. The paper does not view social interaction as a new feature or a genre, but as a group of different, yet related, phenomena.

Pervasive games in ludic society

In this paper we chart how pervasive games emerge from the intersection of two long-standing cultural trends, the increasing blurring of fact and fiction in media culture, and the movements struggling over public space. During the past few decades a third trend has given a new meaning to media fabrication and street cultures: the rise of ludus in the society through maturation of the gamer generations. As more and more activities are perceived as games in the contemporary society, fabricated media expression and performative sports pave the way for a new way of gaming. Born in the junction of playful, ordinary and fabricated, pervasive games toy with conventions and configurations of contemporary media.

Designing sound for a pervasive mobile game

We examine the role of sound design in pervasive mobile games. As a case study, we present the sound design and evaluation of a working prototype game called The Songs of North. A play-test with 19 players was conducted over a two-week period. The results imply that using sound information can facilitate physical movement as a main game mechanic. However, using sound to convey information is still an unfamiliar game mechanic to many sighted players. The research highlights the importance of social playability in the sound design of mobile games. Also, some insights on the role of sound in producing immersive gaming experiences are discussed.

Social interaction in games

Due to the popularity of social media networks and the games played on those platforms interest in the so-called social games has piqued. This article looks at those games in the context of general social aspects of game play. By approaching game play as an activity, it is possible to distinguish between different kinds of social interaction: the sociability players engage in around the game and the social play contained and mediated by the game. In charting the social space of playing, this article shows the inherent social aspects of singleplayer games – and the solitary aspects of social games.

Dimensions of Hybrid in Playful Products

In this article we examine playful hybrid products located in the intersection of toys and games. By hybrid, we mean games and toys that utilize digital environments to provide added value to tactile, physical or material experiences. The paper aims to create a preliminary model for mapping hybrid dimensions. Our initial analysis paints a picture of a design space with varied degrees of hybridity. Comparing seven example cases lets us see how in some products the digital part of the experience is independent of the material side, while sometimes these sides are co-dependent. Further, in some cases the digital and material halves are intertwined to a synchronous experience, whereas in others they take turns. Our analysis is preliminary at this point and we conclude that there is much room for future research in the field of hybrid play products.

Challenges for pervasive mobile game design: examining players' emotional responses

The research is focused on developing pervasive and persistent game concepts that are most suitable for contemporary mobile phones. The analysis of the emotional responses of the testplayers in the first play-test and of the game prototype The Songs of North pointed at some key challenges to be met in order to successfully design pervasive mobile games that provide pleasant gameplay experiences: overcoming and exploiting the technical limitations and uncertainties, inventing means to ensure the sufficiency of meaningful tasks, and paying special attention to social playability and acceptance.

A Moment in the Life of a Generation (Why Game Studies Now

Game studies entering academia means that games are finally positioned at the heart of a dedicated field of learning. There is a tension however as the need and demand for game studies has faced the opposing, structural forces that slowdown the development. It is hard to ignore the cultural significance of digital games and play, particularly as numerous game play experiences underlie personal relations and histories within an ICT-Penetrated society. Rather than a single “game culture,” there are several of them, as visible and invisible sense-making structures that surface not only in games themselves, but in the language, practices, and sensibilities adopted and developed by groups and individuals. As the academia is loaded with expectations of providing games industry with workforce or opportunities for more innovative and experimental game culture, it is good to remember that the fundamental task of universities is to create knowledge and promote learning.

The Pokémon GO Experience: A Location-Based Augmented Reality Mobile Game Goes Mainstream

Pokémon GO is a location-based augmented reality mobile game based on the Pokémon franchise. After the game was launched globally in July 2016, it quickly became the most successful mobile game in both popularity and revenue generation at the time, and the first location-based augmented reality game to reach a mainstream status. We explore the game experiences through a qualitative survey (n=1000) in Finland focusing on the positive and the negative aspects of Pokémon GO as told by the players. The positive experiences are related to movement, sociability, game mechanics, and brand while the negative experiences emerge from technical problems, unequal gaming opportunities, bad behavior of other players and non-players, and unpolished game design. Interestingly, the augmented reality features, safety issues or the free-to-play revenue model did not receive considerable feedback. The findings are useful for academics and industry practitioners for studying and designing location-based augmented reality game experiences.

Living in a zoo: bringing user experiences with technology to life

This paper reflects on a small user study conducted to learn about diversity of meanings, values and experiences people associate with different kinds of contemporary domestic technology. The general goal was to inform a research projects early stages about challenges when designing novel technology for the sensitive home environment. By adapting a cultural probes approach participants were given the self-documentation packages with the tasks concerning the various angles of domestic life. Through the tasks the idea was to get the participants more aware of their domestic surroundings and of sense-making related to use and display of domestic objects. One assignment was to think of the home as a zoo and of the domestic objects as animals by attaching animal stickers to represent objects. Analysis of the reasoning behind the animal choices brought out five categories: appearance, activity, association, experience, and emotion.