When the ball stops, the fun stops too: The impact of social inclusion on video game enjoyment

Bowman, Nicholas David; Kowert, Rachel; Cohen, Elizabeth L.

doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.036

Cited by 23 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Sociality also is an important dimension in gaming overall given that playing solo versus playing together with others holds crucial implications for the motivation for playing (cf. Velez, 2015; Yee, 2006) as well as the actual playing experience and its outcomes (Bowman, Kowert, & Cohen, 2015). As discussed by Elson, Breuer, Ivory, and Quandt (2014), social experiences with video games provide a unique source of meaning: “two friends playing a game together that they often played together as children might provide an entertainment experience that differed in its meaningfulness compared to other games played at other times with other friends” (p. 535).…”

Section: Video Games As Targets For Nostalgiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Once upon a game: Exploring video game nostalgia and its impact on well-being.

Wulf

Bowman

Velez

et al. 2020

Psychology of Popular Media

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Retro gaming and the renaissance of past video games has been an emerging area of interest for media research within the past years. Yet, there is little empirical research trying to explain the psychological effects and benefits of past-related gaming. This article explores how remembering of past video game experiences relates to nostalgia, a mixed emotion elicited via reflection on the past that shows positive associations to well-being. To this end, a mixed-methods approach was used to investigate prerequisites of nostalgic video game experiences, their nature, and connections to well-being. In a randomized online survey, participants were instructed to elaborate on past (vs. recent) and social (vs. solo) gaming memories. Quantitative analyses indicated that nostalgia was impacted (a) directly by past memories and intrinsic need satisfaction of competence and relatedness within the remembrance, and (b) indirectly by social memories that increased relatedness. Controlling for the associations between need satisfaction and wellbeing, nostalgia showed significant associations with present feelings of connectedness. Additional qualitative analyses indicated that past memories were more strongly associated with enjoyment and challenge, and social memories were likely to involve close others. These findings are discussed regarding the elicitation of video game nostalgia as well as the application of nostalgic gaming for well-being purposes. Public Policy Relevance StatementRemembering past video game experiences, especially those in which people felt competent (at the gameplay) and related (to other players), elicits nostalgia. This research shows that triggering nostalgia may be one way how video games can contribute to psychological well-being. This can help explain the general popularity of games that (re)create the look and feel of old games and the growing market for rereleased games and franchises.

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Section: Video Games As Targets For Nostalgiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Once upon a game: Exploring video game nostalgia and its impact on well-being.

Wulf

Bowman

Velez

et al. 2020

Psychology of Popular Media

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Despite these findings, the majority of research still overlooks the importance of the social context in which games are played (Bowman, Kowert, & Cohen, 2015). Barring some recent exceptions (De Grove, 2014;Eklund & Roman, 2017;Verheijen, Burk, Stoltz, van den Berg, & Cillessen, 2018), gaming effects are often isolated at the level of the individual.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of competitive and cooperative video games on behavior during play and friendship quality in adolescence

Verheijen

Stoltz

Berg

et al. 2019

Computers in Human Behavior

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“…. found no differences in enjoyment of playing a video game after being ostracized or not (Bowman et al, 2015). From a theoretical perspective, however, the TEBOTS model explicitly includes social threats and assumes that in time of social threats, people will use narratives more often (Slater et al, 2014, H3;Ewoldsen, 2021).…”

Section: Self-threats and Media Coping Media Use And Ostracismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the TEBOTS model in self-threatening situations: The role of narratives in the face of ostracism and mortality

Rieger

Schneider

2022

Front. Commun.

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The TEBOTS model predicts that narratives are sought after more often in times of depletion. The present study aimed at expanding this idea by testing whether engagement with narratives is also intensified under self-threatening conditions. Further, we examined whether narratives can serve coping functions. In a 3(Threat: mortality salience vs. ostracism vs. control condition) × 2(Review of the narrative: positive vs. negative) online experiment (N = 228), we tested whether self-threats and the expectation towards the narrative increase entertainment experiences and facilitate self-serving attributions. The results demonstrated that self-threats and a positive review indeed increased the entertainment experience. Narratives could support coping with an existential threat through enhancing self-serving attributions. The findings are discussed in light of the TEBOTS model and its application in the context of self-threats.

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When the ball stops, the fun stops too: The impact of social inclusion on video game enjoyment

Cited by 23 publications

References 48 publications

Once upon a game: Exploring video game nostalgia and its impact on well-being.

Once upon a game: Exploring video game nostalgia and its impact on well-being.

The influence of competitive and cooperative video games on behavior during play and friendship quality in adolescence

Testing the TEBOTS model in self-threatening situations: The role of narratives in the face of ostracism and mortality

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