"Fun" not the real reason you continue to play games?

by Blake Snow { Dec 28th 2006 at 2:25PM }

You know the routine; nearly every idle moment of your day is spent either pondering or playing video games. Gotta get past that boss, roam another dungeon, or beat your buddy one more time. Why is that? The obvious answer is "because it's fun" but a recent study suggests it may be more than that.

Researchers at the University of Rochester found after surveying 1,000 gamers that the real reason games are so widely played is because achievement, explorative freedom, and connection with others (be it human or in-game characters) trump the "shallow sense of fun" which the study believes doesn't keep players as interested.

From the article: "'It's our contention that the psychological 'pull' of games is largely due to their capacity to engender feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness,' says Ryan. The researchers believe that some video games not only motivate further play but 'also can be experienced as enhancing psychological wellness, at least short-term,' he says." So instead of having to look in the mirror every day telling myself that people like me, I'll just play more Halo. Ahh...

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

crono141 @ Dec 28th 2006 2:29PM

I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit, People like me!

randomshagz @ Dec 28th 2006 2:34PM

I can see it. I like playing Lumines 1 and 2.
I do feel good when I clear one color and get that bonus.

Jeff @ Dec 28th 2006 5:16PM

Nothing makes me feel better and totally PWNING some nOOb!!! Seriously. You know what I'm saying. My psychological wellness is defined by the ocassionally yell of "OH YEAH YOU LIKE THAT!!!"

RogueJedi86 @ Dec 28th 2006 2:35PM

I'll agree on that. I play to explore, to see new sights in new worlds, and achieve trivial little things that make me feel special. But I also love the stories I get to immerse myself into. You see so many people referring to leveling in games as "grinding", like it's a chore. It seems like more and more, people work away at games because they're the new thing, and the must-have.

Kendrick @ Dec 28th 2006 2:51PM

This observation was made back in 1994. During the 16-bit console era, a niche RPG title had a particularly powerful weapon listed in the manual. Those who played the game searched high and low for that item, only to be told some months later that the manual entry was a regrettable typographical error. The gaming media, the publisher of the game, and most everybody else was mystified at the outraged reaction.

Someone later pointed out that there's a need for exploration and discovery that isn't possible in the world as it currently stands. All the geographical boundaries have been crossed, so there's no more frontier. We're centuries away from manned space exploration beyond the orbit of the moon, and the other sciences are either well-understood or require dedication beyond ordinary education. Until there's a new frontier open to the common person, we'll naturally satisfy that urge to explore in virtual worlds.

To understand this need is what separates gamers from non-gamers. This is why people got so mad at that particular game publisher, whose printing error was the moral equivalent of falsely promising streets of gold in the new world.

x876543 @ Dec 28th 2006 2:53PM

I hated "grinding" and I hated "farming" and all that crap, it was a chore. I liked "training" and achieving the "next level." I like conversing with others, but sometimes I like playing with no communication.

Zoot Suit Jedi @ Dec 28th 2006 2:54PM

What a waste of time and money. Couldn't "Fun" simply be defined as "achievements, explorative freedom, and connection with others"?

I will now be going to get goverment funds to support my theory that "women's asses are not just 'nice to look at', but are in fact 'a biological magnet to which the male of the species is somehow attratcted to via an association, of said ass, with sexual activity'

J.Goodwin @ Dec 28th 2006 2:53PM

I agree.

I wonder how large the task has to be, and how large the reward has to be?

I love R6: Vegas, but it takes so much work sometimes to just clear one checkpoint that there's definitely a hurdle to get over mentally to get the game out of the case, stick it in the drive...

On the other hand, I cleared six of the eight achievements in New Rally-X last night in maybe two hours. The other two seem within realistic reach, and I'll probably hit them tonight. My high scores are in the 80s, and you need to reach 100k for one of them, while the other is to survive the first six or seven stages in one go, which again doesn't seem that difficult, just a little bit out of my current reach (will take a little bit of practice and perseverance (just like R6:V, actually).

JoeBlow @ Dec 28th 2006 3:07PM

>What a waste of time and money. Couldn't "Fun" simply >be defined as "achievements, explorative freedom, and >connection with others"?

In your "simple world" it is.

The Mayor87 @ Dec 28th 2006 3:12PM

Depends on the game. I love exploring in zelda, but i can't pull myself away from Excite Truck because it's just plain fun. I'm not even a fan of racing games.

TIP: use your own music in that game, Rhapsody and DragonForce are my personal recommendations.

BklynKid @ Dec 28th 2006 11:24PM

Yea I like exploring worlds and being competitive with my friends... because it's fun. Duh.

Unimental @ Dec 28th 2006 3:15PM

I just recently had a discussion along these lines with a gamer friend, and we both theorized that a huge draw in gaming is the "controlled world" experience. Whether it's Zelda or Tetris, there's a definite built-in progression which practically guarantees that the more time you spend, the further you'll get. Real life offers no such promise... thus we seek out the built-in order of gaming.

Want to be a level 60 in WoW? All you need is time and money (varying degrees based on gaming skill). Want to be an astronaut or CEO? Professional Athlete? There's nothing in the real world that can promise you any of these titles, no matter how much time/energy/cash you spend.

32_Footsteps @ Dec 28th 2006 3:27PM

You know, if it's all about the sense of accomplishment, why do I keep replaying the same songs in Guitar Hero, even though I've cleared them dozens of times on that difficulty level? Why do I keep playing Tetris DS, when I've already proven that I could play that game without any practical limit to how long I could play (I once kept the same game going for a week, with pauses)? Why do I replay some of my favorite RPGs, even though I've already seen it all and gotten all the possible loot?

If it wasn't fun, I wouldn't keep doing it.

Jason @ Dec 28th 2006 3:46PM

Uhm, I just play for fun. I think that's a dumb statement, but that's just me - cheers!

Sidescroller @ Dec 28th 2006 3:37PM

It's so absolutely true.

Bennyishere @ Dec 28th 2006 3:44PM

But isn't that the definition of fun?

Spence @ Dec 28th 2006 3:41PM

Which is why the Wii isn't that big a deal. You won't get long time or heavy gamers interested in shallow fun, with little else.

samfish @ Dec 28th 2006 3:42PM

Uhh...I always kinda considered achievments, exploration and socializing to be fun...hence why I (try) to do those.
I like winning a baseball or soccer game. I like wandering on and off hiking trails or meandering through the woods and I like to think I have a good time when I hang out with my friends (and often do those above mentioned things).
I consider all of that to be "fun", whether I play it in a game or real life.. It seems to me like they're really just dissecting what makes something fun...fun.

Greg @ Dec 28th 2006 3:49PM

@11- Replaying is not a smoking gun for the "fun factor"- especially with RPG's. Why do we watch the same movies over and over again? Read the same books? Listen to the same songs? Sometimes you re-do something to recapture the feelings you had when you did it the first time.

And the study cites more than just achievement/accomplishment: "explorative freedom, and connection with others (be it human or in-game characters)" and "'feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness'" I'd say that the competence relates to your GH and Tetris, and the freedom, connection, and relatedness could explain your RPG replaying.

Brian @ Dec 28th 2006 3:49PM

We know there are people who don't play games to have fun...

...they are the people who bought the PS3.

:) Sorry...had to do that. Not being serious.

mike @ Dec 28th 2006 4:29PM

Sometimes you re-do something to recapture the feelings you had when you did it the first time.

--

Give this man the Nobel prize.
This is why Nintendo is selling those little VC games... Nostalgia.

You're exactly right.. most of these 'cultural goods' are consumed as a means to elicit feelings ... that you felt the first time.

PS. I just played Kid Icarus a few weeks ago. Dude, the graphics are jaggy as hell, but i still loved it.. ;)

Vidikron @ Dec 28th 2006 4:26PM

This is dumb. As others have pointed out, the stuff they listed as the reasons people play games are part of the fun, not seperate from it. They should have started their study by defing "fun" first and then they might not have wasted their time.

AzaMcWazza @ Dec 29th 2006 2:35AM

This is news? I means come on, I worked that out years ago, and don't you think that every game developer out there knows this - especially ones like Nintendo. They know what works with the franchises, they don't just sit down and go "Make fun game version 3".

32_Footsteps @ Dec 28th 2006 5:00PM

"@11- Replaying is not a smoking gun for the "fun factor" "

Okay, here's something to note - I used personal examples in each and every single one of those examples I gave. The reason being, I was illustrating that why *I* play games is fun. And you're now suggesting that I don't?

Call me crazy, but I think I know my motivations much better than you. And I put those out there because I know I'm not the only gamer with those motivations.

Ninja 20XX @ Dec 28th 2006 4:56PM

Fun is a relative term. Some people's idea of fun is vastly different than others. For instance, some want a challenge that tests their mental and physical abilities while others want an easier experience that does make them feel good about themselves while they succeed. Neither one is wrong or right, and most game design reflects that: which is why we have options, selectable difficulty levels, side-quests . . .

But you still need to take into account the differences between individual games. Tetris is a whole different creature than World of Warcraft. Trying to make a blanket statement about video games as a whole is pointless, it's like trying to say people read books or watch TV for a certain reason without taking into account what kind of books or shows you're discussing.

Video games are the medium, then you have to look at the specific content. You might be able to draw generalizations about certain similar games within a genre but not about games as a whole.

Konchu @ Dec 28th 2006 5:06PM

I have to say they are over analyzing this a bit. People say they play games because they are fun but having fun is generally a vague answer and really the side result of the enjoyment that can include all the reasons they stated and more. It may be for the exploration, storytelling, social interaction, accomplishment, they may like to be scared by a spooky game or laugh at the funny ones, and many other things or combinations of things. So what it really all comes down to is have fun playing what ever it is you play however you have fun. Man Im over analyzing this :)

SuicideNinja @ Dec 28th 2006 5:35PM

"achievement, explorative freedom, and connection with others"

Sounds like a 360 advertisement (not complaining or supporting, just a statement).

Achievement and accomplishment are the reasons I play, in addition to minor escapism. However, it is hard for me to agree with that desire for achievement and accomplishment is not related to fun. It's more fun to beat the side-quest boss than it is troubleshoot a real-world problem with time-constraints and peer pressure. You can turn a video game off if it gets stressful...you can't do that with the real world. You can even start over if you mess up...which isn't always a possibility in life.

In a sense, freedom from responsibility?

Revelation @ Dec 29th 2006 5:28AM

for the people who next read this post and have the patience to read up until here... i'd have to say i disagree with No.4 and agree (although only partially) with No.10

the way i see it, some video games give us the freedom to do things that usually we wouldn't be able to do, which, banally enough, is probably their main pulling element. in FPS games, we can blow aliens, nazis or simply each other to bits, in RPGs, we're able to traverse entire worlds in search of things we know are attainable depending on the amount of effort/time we put into the game, driving games allow one to progress by drifting, rallying, etc...

so, in one sense, we play to be able to do things we can't in reality, and by beginning to play, we continue because we feel compelled to finish what we began, or to learn how the story ends...

games will continue to inspire generations to come, that, at least, is certain

NETNAVI @ Dec 28th 2006 5:42PM

I play too many games because I don't get enough sex.

it's true.

And I also agree with the other comments about unexplored wonders and such but ......yeah I need more sex.

Etheo @ Dec 28th 2006 6:34PM

I agree. I find myself relating to some game characters more than I should (and I begin to worry), as well as the relatively freer and string-free actions you can do in games... These are all a part of the overall "fun" in games though, so I don't know if they should separate these factors from it.