John L. Sherry

Sex Differences in Video Game Play:: A Communication-Based Explanation

In this study, we examined gender differences in video game use by focusing on interpersonal needs for inclusion, affection, and control, as well as socially constructed perceptions of gendered game play. Results of a large-scale survey (n = 534) of young adults’ reasons for video game use, preferred game genres, and amount of game play are reported. Female respondents report less frequent play, less motivation to play in social situations, and less orientation to game genres featuring competition and three-dimensional rotation. Implications for game design are discussed.

Video game uses and gratifications as predictors of use and game preference

When communication researchers consider computer games (and video games) as a new form of media entertainment, they typically highlight those games’ interactivity because it is the main feature that distinguishes them from most other kinds of entertainment (Grodal, 2000; Vorderer, 2000). Not only do game players actively process information provided by the medium (as do viewers, readers, and users of other noninteractive media), but they also contribute substantially to the quality and progress of the media product itself. Their decisions and actions determine how a game looks, how it develops, and how it ends. Consequently, most theoretical work on the enjoyment of playing computer games has focused on the issue of interactivity and player action during game play (Klimmt, 2003, 2005). In order to handle modern entertainment software successfully, users must stay alert for most of the playing time and be able to respond quickly and appropriately to incoming new information. Some, if not many, of these responses may be automatized (Bargh, 1997) for efficient execution and conservation of cognitive processing resources. But, in general, the use of computer games should be modeled as a complex and multifaceted kind of action. Therefore, research on the psychology of action (e.g., Gollwitzer & Bargh, 1996; Heckhausen, 1977) offers theories and empirical findings that may help explain why people play and what they do during playing. Adopting the perspective of the psychology of action means searching for motifs (and motivations) of playing.

Orientations to Video Games Among Gender and Age Groups

Questionnaires were completed by 5th-, 8th-, and 11th-grade public schools students in rural and suburban school districts and by undergraduates at two universities in the United States (n = 1,242). They were asked about their orientation to video games—the amount of time they played, their motives for doing so, and the game types they preferred—to better understand the context in which effects research might be organized. The conceptual schema for this research was the uses-and-gratifications perspective. The males in the sample played video games at twice the weekly average of the females, were consistently stronger in all measured motives than the females, and preferred physically oriented video games over the females’ preference for more traditional, thoughtful games. Younger players opted for the fantasy motive in their playing and older players more so for competition. Preference for physical games declined among the older males, and generally motives were stronger in the middle years of playing for both males and females than in the youngest and oldest age groups. Regression analyses explained considerably more variance in game playing for males than for females.

Increasing Nutrition Literacy: Testing the Effectiveness of Print, Web site, and Game Modalities

OBJECTIVE To examine the effectiveness of three modalities for delivery of nutrition education. DESIGN Between-subjects, repeated-measures design. SETTING Data were collected at community agencies or during home visits. PARTICIPANTS Low-income, European American and African American mothers (N = 155). INTERVENTION Participants were exposed to nutrition education material in 1 of 3 modalities (a computer game, The Fantastic Food Challenge; Web site; or pamphlet). Likeability, nutrition knowledge, intention to use, and demographic measures followed the intervention at T1 and T2. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES 5-point Likert-type scales measured likeability (5 items), and 33 multiple-choice questions measured knowledge. ANALYSIS Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) procedures using SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) software, P < .05. RESULTS Overall, the Web site was liked more than the other conditions with this audience of women. Significant differences in attention, understanding, and intent to use the information existed across modalities. The Web site performed better than other modalities on knowledge outcomes, with no differences in knowledge retention from T1 to T2. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The Web site modality performed best with this audience of women, indicating that interactive computer games may not confer greater benefits than traditional modes of information delivery for all audiences, particularly those with low computer skills.

Media Effects Theory and the Nature/Nurture Debate: A Historical Overview and Directions for Future Research

In this article, I provide a historical overview of the nature/nurture debate by exploring the philosophical history of the debate leading up to the inception of media effects research. I argue that the media effects tradition was born into a milieu that was exclusively sided with the nurture (environmental determinist) position and has largely remained so. Within the past 20 years, there have been advances in neurophysiology leading other disciplines to theorize that human behavior is the result of the interaction between nature (genetics, brain physiology) and nurture (learning, culture). In this article, I sample the media effects research emerging from this perspective and argue why this approach is superior to the learning-only approach currently popular in the field of communication. I then discuss the implications of such an approach for communication researchers, framing the critique in terms of the contribution to mass communication theory building.

Facilitating Game Play: How Others Affect Performance at and Enjoyment of Video Games

The current study implements the drive theory of social facilitation to explain the influence of audience presence in video game play. This integration is an important one for research aiming to understand the experience of video game play, as the social aspect of video game play is a relevant dimension of the technology often ignored in research on gaming experiences. The study finds a significant positive association between non-gaming cognitive abilities (such as hand–eye coordination and mental rotation ability) and performance at a first-person shooter. Data also support the social facilitation hypothesis: Game play in the presence of a physical audience significantly predicts increased game performance. Social facilitation effects are only found for low-challenge games where the drive-inducing capacity of task challenge is minimized. Resultant influences on game enjoyment are less clear.

Toward an etiology of media use motivations: the role of temperament in media use

Despite the potential of the uses and gratifications paradigm to explain the etiology of media uses and effects, most research to date has ignored the issue of etiology and has focused on creating motivation typologies. Recent advances in bio-behavioral research provide a new way to address the question of etiology. A survey of 285 adults showed that the biologically rooted individual difference behavior variable of temperament was a consistent and moderately strong causal factor in forming television use motivations. Distinct patterns of relationships between temperament and all television use gratifications were found, supporting the uses and gratifications paradigm. Particularly potent predictors of television use motivations were negative mood, low task orientation, and behavioral rigidity. These results point out the importance of future bio-behavioral etiological media uses and effects research.

Daytime television talk shows: Guests, content and interactions

Strident controversy over the often‐bizarre subject matter of daytime television talk shows motivated this content analysis of 11 shows with the highest Nielsen ratings in 1994–95. A sample of 10 episodes of each of the shows was videotaped and subjected to a systematic analysis of the shows’ guests, topics of discussion and interactions. Results indicate that this genre of program indulges in overrepresentation of female, youthful and African American guests. The most prevalent major topic of discussion was parenting on nearly half the episodes. In general, these talk shows center around family issues, sexual activity and dating.

The Appeal of Media Violence in a Full‐length Motion Picture: An Experimental Investigation

This paper reports the results of an experiment that examined the appeal of violence in a full‐length motion picture. College students (N = 134) were randomly assigned to view one of two different versions of The Fugitive. One version was the original theatrical release and the other version was identical except for the fact that nearly all of the scenes of violence were deleted. Deleting the violence did not affect enjoyment or perceptions of the quality of the movie. The popular assumption that violence is an enjoyable film commodity is suspect based on these results.

The Thrill Is Gone, but You Might Not Know: Habituation and Generalization of Biophysiological and Self-reported Arousal Responses to Video Games

Past research on consequences of video game play have conflated two distinct psychological mechanisms, habituation and generalization, into a unified process dubbed “desensitization.” The current paper reports the results of two studies, a repeated exposure study and a single exposure study, which examine habituation and generalization of biophysiological and self-reported arousal responses to violent video games. The findings indicate that repeated play leads to habituation in both biophysiological and self-report responses. Notably, evidence of generalization is more apparent in the biophysiological data. The results are discussed in terms of: (1) implications for game developers and players, (2) implications for game researchers, (3) current conceptual ambiguity between cross-sectional and longitudinal models, and (4) the appropriateness of utilizing self-report measures in longitudinal studies examining arousal.