International Series on Computer Entertainment and Media Technology Series Editor Newton Lee The International Series on Computer Entertainment and Media Technology presents forward-looking ideas, cutting-edge research, and in-depth case studies across a wide spectrum of entertainment and media technology. The series covers a range of content from professional to academic.entertainment Technology includes computer games, electronic toys, scenery fabrication, theatrical property, costume, lighting, sound, video, music, show control, animation, animatronics, interactive environments, computer simulation, visual effects, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Media Technology includes art media, print media, digital media, electronic media, big data, asset management, signal processing, data recording, data storage, data transmission, media psychology, wearable devices, robotics, and physical computing. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/13820
Barbaros Bostan Editor Gamer Psychology and Behavior
Editor Barbaros Bostan Department of Information Systems & Technologies Yeditepe University Istanbul, Turkey ISSN 2364-947X ISSN 2364-9488 (electronic) International Series on Computer Entertainment and Media Technology ISBN 978-3-319-29903-7 ISBN 978-3-319-29904-4 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-29904-4 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016938528 Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland
Contents Part I Neuro-psychology and Gaming 1 Violent Video Games and Cognitive Processes: A Neuropsychological Approach... 3 Metehan Irak, Can Soylu, and Dicle Capan 2 Why Games Are Fun? The Reward System in the Human Brain... 21 Mustafa Balkaya and Guven Catak Part II Player Behavior and Gameplay 3 Pleasure in Pain: How Accumulation in Gaming Systems Can Lead to Grief... 41 Selcen Ozturkcan and Sercan Sengun 4 Goal-Directed Player Behavior in Computer Games... 57 Barbaros Bostan and Sercan Altun 5 Designing and Playing to Protest: Looking Back to Gezi Games... 73 Tonguc Ibrahim Sezen and Digdem Sezen 6 Psychological Player Profiling with Action Patterns... 89 Barbaros Bostan and Gokhan Sahin Part III Player Psychology and Motivations 7 Game Design and Gamer Psychology... 105 Barbaros Bostan and Ozhan Tingoy 8 Self-Determination Theory in Digital Games... 123 Ahmet Uysal and Irem Gokce Yildirim 9 Explorations in Player Motivations: Gamer Profiles... 137 Barbaros Bostan and Guven Catak v
About the Editor Barbaros Bostan is an Associate Professor in the Information Systems Department at Yeditepe University/Turkey. He has a Ph.D. in Information Systems (2007) from Marmara University, an M.B.A. (2003) from Yeditepe University, and a B.S. in Electronics and Communication Engineering (2001) from Istanbul Technical University. He worked as a post-doc researcher at IDM Institute, Games Lab of the National University of Singapore, between 2008 and 2010. His research areas include computer games, presence, interactivity, gamer psychology, gaming motivations, and player profiling. Bostan has teaching experience in the areas of computer games, computer networks, and interactive narrative. He is a member of the ACM, Computers in Entertainment Editorial Board. He reviews journal articles and book chapters for various journals and publishers, local and international ( Journal of Computer- Mediated Communication, Versita Open Access Books, etc.). vii
About the Contributors Sercan Altun has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University. He is a game developer experienced in a wide variety of gaming projects. He started his career at a virtual world start-up as a game programmer. Later he cofounded a digital agency where he developed a variety of advergames, kinect-powered event games, social games, and mobile apps. He is currently studying M.A. in Game Design at Bahçeşehir University. Mustafa Balkaya graduated from Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical School. During his education, he worked as an editor at the Turkish version of the worldrenowned gaming magazine PC Gamer. He later moved to Berlin where he got his master s and Ph.D. degree on medical neurosciences in Charite Medical School. For postdoctoral studies, he spent two and a half years in Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital. His research interests include stroke and poststroke emotional disturbances, depression, anxiety, and stress. Güven Çatak started to write in video games magazines and also made short films while studying architecture at Istanbul Technical University. His shorts won several awards and were screened at various festivals. Now he is an Assistant Professor of Game Design at Bahçeşehir University, Communication Design Department. He is giving classes on motion and game design. He is also the founder director of Bahçeşehir University Game Lab (BUG) and Game Design Master ix
x About the Contributors Program. His research areas are mainly gamification, game-based learning, and game art and design. He has a master s thesis on the usage of architecture in games and a Ph.D. thesis on using games in design education. Metehan Irak is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Bahcesehir University, Turkey. He is also the director of Brain and Cognition Research Lab. He has a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Hacettepe University, Turkey. He finished postdoctoral training at University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Canada, and also worked as a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa, School of Psychology. His projects were funded by University of Ottawa Medical Research Fund, Ontario Center of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, and Bahcesehir University. He has been editor in chief of Turkish Psychological Articles since 2014. Selcen Öztürkcan is an Associate Professor of Marketing and Program Coordinator of the MA and HR Management at Istanbul Bilgi University. She earned a B.Sc. in Engineering (1999) and an M.B.A. (2001). She continued her Ph.D. studies first at the College of Business Administration of the University of South Florida (2002 2003) and then at the Faculty of Management of the Istanbul Technical University (2003 2007). Her academic work mostly focuses on consumer behavior, online behavior, communication, and interactions. Her work could be followed from her website; www.selcenozturkcan.com Gökhan Şahin received his undergraduate and master s degree from the Physics Department of Boğaziçi University and started his Ph.D. at the Stevens Institute of Technology and received his Doctorate degree at Boğaziçi University. He worked at Boğaziçi University, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Işık University. Presently, he is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems at Yeditepe University. He has several articles published in international journals covered by the SCI and SSCI.
About the Contributors xi Sercan Sengün is a Ph.D. candidate in Communication Sciences at Istanbul Bilgi University. His academic work mostly focuses on video game studies, interactive narrative, and gamification. He is also a game designer and a board member of Turkish Game Developers Association (Oyunder). Tonguç Ibrahim Sezen is an Assistant Professor at Istanbul Bilgi University, Faculty of Communication. He holds a Ph.D. in Communications from Istanbul University, School of Social Sciences. During his doctoral studies, he visited Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Literature, Media, and Communication as a Fulbright scholar. His research interests include cross-media narration, game design, interactive storytelling, and toy studies. He is a member of the Games & Narrative research group. Digdem Sezen is an Assistant Professor at Istanbul University, Faculty of Communications, and holds a Ph.D. from that same institution. During her Ph.D., she got the Fulbright scholarship for her doctoral studies and did research in the field of interactive storytelling, digital games, and experimental TV at Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Digital Media. She has presented and published papers and book chapters in many fields across this spectrum. She organizes conferences and events and gives workshops in these fields. Özhan Tıngöy is a full Professor of Information Systems at Marmara University in Turkey. He has a Ph.D. in Marketing (1994), a M.A. in Industrial Relations (1992), and a B.A. at Economics (1987). He was the Vice Dean of Faculty of Communications between 2008 and 2009 and the Head of Department at Informatics between 2009 and 2012. He worked as a visiting Professor at the Computer and Information Sciences department of the University of Strathclyde between 2013 and 2014. His research areas include communication theory, mass communication theory,
xii About the Contributors informatics ethics, informatics theory, knowledge management, and management information systems. Ahmet Uysal received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Houston in 2010. He is a faculty member at Middle East Technical University, Department of Psychology in Ankara, Turkey. He is also a member of Game Technologies graduate program at METU and teaches a Psychology in Game Design course. His research interests include selfdetermination theory, self, well- being, and psychology in game design.
List of Contributors Sercan Altun, B.S. Department of Game Design, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey Mustafa Balkaya, Ph.D. Department of Physiology, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey Barbaros Bostan, Ph.D. Department of Information Systems and Technologies, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey Dicle Çapan, M.A. Department of Psychology, Brain & Cognition Research Laboratory, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey Guven Catak, Ph.D. Department of Communication Design, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey Metehan Irak, Ph.D. Department of Psychology, Brain & Cognition Research Laboratory, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey Selcen Ozturkcan, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, Turkey Gokhan Sahin, Ph.D. Department of Information Systems and Technologies, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey Sercan Sengun, M.A. Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, Turkey Tonguc Ibrahim Sezen, Ph.D. Department of Digital Game Design, Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, Turkey Digdem Sezen, Ph.D. Department of Radio, Television and Film, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey Can Soylu, M.Sc. Department of Psychology, Brain & Cognition Research Laboratory, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey xiii
xiv List of Contributors Ozhan Tingoy, Ph.D. Department of Information Systems, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey Ahmet Uysal, Ph.D. Department of Psychology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey Irem Gokce Yildirim, M.S. Game Technologies Program, Informatics Institute, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey