Appeal of Playing Online First Person Shooter Games

Abstract

First Person Shooter Games (FPSG) such as Counter Strike are often the subject of public concern. Surprisingly, there is no published research available about playing these games. We conducted an exploratory Internet survey (n 5 751) in order to gather information about who the players of online first person shooters are, and why they spend time on playing this particular kind of video game. The results of our survey on the one hand confirmed the stereotype of the gamer as it is often presented in popular media: the players of online FPS were indeed almost exclusively young men (mean age about 18 years) who spend a lot of their leisure time on gaming (about 2.6 h per day). We also found that the most committed gamers, that is, the ones who were members of a (semi)professional clan, scored highest on motives with respect to competition, and challenge in comparison with members of amateur clans and online gamers who had not joined a clan. On the other hand, our results cast doubt on the accuracy of the stereotype. This study showed clearly that online FPSG are not played in isolation. More than 80% of our respondents were member of a clan. Also, the regression analysis showed that the social interaction motive was the strongest predictor of the time actually spend on gaming.

Problematic Online Gaming

“…The proportion of female gamers is the lowest in the case of massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS) games (1%-2%; Jansz & Tanis, 2007;Nagygyörgy, Urbán et al, 2012) and the highest between massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) users (15%-30%; Cole & Griffiths, 2007;Nagygyörgy, Urbán et al, 2012;Yee, 2006a). MMOFPS users are the youngest (18-19.8 years; Jansz & Tanis, 2007;Nagygyörgy, Urbán et al, 2012), while both massively multiplayer online real-time strategy (MMORTS; 22 years; Nagygyörgy, Urbán et al, 2012) and MMORPG . Because MMORPGs are the most researched games, there is additional information regarding such players that is still unknown in the case of other game types.…”

Exploring Replay Value: Shifts and Continuities in User Experiences Between First and Second Exposure to an Interactive Story

“…According to recent research in interactive entertainment, [3][4][5] the fun of using interactive entertainment emerges from various parallel or combined experiential processes that result from in-game elements such as story, characters, audiovisual presentation, and game mechanics, as well as from players' active role in the gaming process (e.g., experiences of impact and agency 6 ). Thus far, conceptual knowledge on the fun of repeated game play is virtually nonexistent.…”

Identification and Categorization of Digital Game Experiences: A Qualitative Study Integrating Theoretical Insights and Player Perspectives

“…Ironically, digital gaming frequently takes place in social contexts and social motivations are important reasons why people become involved in game play (Jansz and Martens, 2005;Jansz and Tanis, 2007;Williams, 2006). Many games come with a multi-player mode, leading to competitive or collaborative play between co-located or online friends.…”