Kati Alha

Why do players buy in-game content? An empirical study on concrete purchase motivations

Selling in-game content has become a popular revenue model for game publishers. While prior research has investigated latent motivations as determinants of in-game content purchases, the prior literature has not focused on more concrete reasons to purchase in-game content that stem from how the games are being designed. We form an inventory of reasons (19) to buy in-game content via triangulating from analyses of top-grossing free-to-play games, from a review of existing research, and from industry expert input. These reasons were operationalized into a survey (N=519). Firstly, we explored how these motivations converged into categories. The results indicated that the purchasing reasons converged into six dimensions: 1) Unobstructed play, 2) Social interaction, 3) Competition, 4) Economical rationale, 5) Indulging the children, and 6) Unlocking content. Secondly, we investigated the relationship between these factors and how much players spend money on in-game content. The results revealed that the purchase motivations of unobstructed play, social interaction, and economical rationale were positively associated with how much money players spend on in-game content. The results imply that the way designers implement artificial limitations and obstacles as well as social interaction affects how much players spend money on in-game content. Inventory/questionnaire of in-game purchase motivations (19) was formed.Motivational dimensions of in-game purchases were investigated via survey (N=519).Nineteen motivations converged onto six main dimensions:Unobstructing, Social, Competition, Economical, Children, and Unlocking content.Unobstructing, Social and Economical motivations predicted in-game purchases.

“Hopefully everything I'm doing has to do with innovation”: Games industry professionals on innovation in 2009

In this paper, we present the findings of an interview study that was conducted in 2009, which collected data on three major game industry conferences. The study indicates a rise of instrumentalist views within the game industry parallel to personal, more artistic views. Processes are seen more and more as a matter of control rather than as “creative chaos.” This view is not universally shared, however, as some see great potential in tools and methods for innovation, while others still look at game development as a rather organic and uncontrollable process. The views towards innovation show also other differences. In this paper we describe seven different attitude profiles that reflect the different categories of interviewee attitudes toward innovation in the game industry. Those profiles are artists, universalists, followers, evangelists, nihilists, instrumentalists, and scarecrows.

Why Do People Play Games? A Review of Studies on Adoption and Use

This paper reviews empirical literature on adoption/acceptance, continued use as well loyalty in the context of games. The study reviews dependent variables, independent variables, coefficients between independent and dependent variables, used methodologies as well as types of games covered in the reviewed literature.

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.

MurMur moderators, the talking playful seats

In this article we present the concept of MurMur Moderators, talking playful seats facilitating playful atmosphere and creativity at office environments. The article describes the design and technological composition of our first prototype, and our experiences exposing the concept to audiences at two science fairs in Italy (2013) and Finland (2014). This research has served as an informative pilot study, consequently directing our focus to the ways the accompanying narrative brings additional design value to the interactive seats. Our goal with the fairs was to investigate what are the preliminary audience reactions for the high level concept and how people interact with the initial prototype. The feedback was used for generating further ideas for ambient play and furniture-as-a-service, some of which carries on to future research and second prototype of the seat.

Exploring playability of social network games

Social network games in Facebook are played by millions of players on daily basis. Due to their design characteristics, new challenges for game design and playability evaluations arise. We present a study where 18 novice inspectors evaluated a social game using playability heuristics. The objective is to explore possible domain-specific playability problems and to examine how the established heuristics suit for evaluating social games. The results from this study show that some implementations of the social games design characteristics can cause playability problems and that the established heuristics are suitable for evaluating social games. The study also revealed that inspectors had problems in interpreting cause and effect of the found problems.

Design Constraints in Game Design Case: Survival Mode Game Jam 2016

In this paper, we present the findings of an interview study of game developers participating to a constrained game development event, Survival Mode 2016 game jam. Survival Mode 2016 was organized in Finnish Lapland as the northernmost jamming site of Global Game Jam (GGJ) 2016. The event differed from the typical Global Game Jam site in Finland in terms of participants being mostly experienced game developers and that there were additional design constraints for their projects. In addition to the global theme, the participants of the Survival Mode 2016 had an extra thematic constraint and the setting of the event itself created such constraints as limited Internet connectivity and power supply. The interviewees reflected on their projects and experiences with design constraints providing interesting insight to the role of design constraints in game development and the difference between a jam setting and commercial game creation projects. These observations can be utilized in further studies of game design constraints as well as in the design of different game jam events.

Goofy Mus, Grumpy Mur and Dirty Muf: Talking Playful Seats with Personalities

The article discusses the concept of MurMur Moderators, talking playful seats designed to facilitate playful atmosphere and creativity at office environments. The concept of MurMur Moderators consists of five different personalities, grumpy Mur, goofy Mus, mellow Muh, sensitive Mut and shy Mum. The article describes the experiences and reactions to two personalities, Mus and Mur. Further, a sixth personality, Muf, consisting of rejected, provocative features is detailed. Consequently, the paper discusses play preferences, affordances and thresholds in connection to adult play. These will be the focus of future research by the authors.

Common playability problems in social network games

Social network games on Facebook have become a popular genre of video games. Social network integration and the free-to-play revenue model make them easily accessible but also easy to discard. In such an ecosystem, the quality of the game plays an important part. Improving playability is one method for achieving higher quality game experiences which might in turn lead to better retention and monetization. In this work-in-progress paper, we examine 12 social games and present the ten most common problem categories featuring game usability, gameplay and platform related playability problems.

Need to touch, wonder of discovery, and social capital: experiences with interactive playful seats

In this article we present findings from a design experiment of MurMur Moderators, talking playful seats facilitating playful atmosphere and creativity at office environments. The article describes the design and technological composition of our two prototypes, and our experiences exposing the concept to audiences at science fairs and an office environment. This research has served as an exploratory design study, directing our focus to the seats as primary and secondary play objects with a distinct narrative. Our goal with the initial exposure was to first investigate preliminary audience reactions for the high level concept and how people interact with the prototype. This was then supplemented by testing the concept in an office environment. The data we have collected gives us insight on the seats as primary and secondary play objects and how users touch, discover and socialize.