Hershey, Pennsylvania
New York, New YorkBeijing, China
The Process of Prosocial Behavior Between Players/Characters in Digital Games: A Multidimensional Approach to the Situational Context and Gameplay

The Process of Prosocial Behavior Between Players/Characters in Digital Games: A Multidimensional Approach to the Situational Context and Gameplay

Ji Soo Lim (Dokkyo University, Japan)
Copyright: © 2022 |Pages: 21
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7271-9.ch043
OnDemand:
(Individual Chapters)
Available
$37.50
Current Special Offers
No Current Special Offers
TOTAL SAVINGS: $37.50

Abstract

To understand the influence of video games on the player, several important questions must be answered. First, what accounts for the higher level of engagement in digital games relative to other entertainment media? Furthermore, what kind of experience does the player have during gameplay? Specifically, what does the player think when he or she interacts with other characters in the game? This study examines digital games with a focus on the interaction between the game itself and the person playing it. Among the various social behaviors elicited by digital games, much attention has been given to players' prosocial behavior within the context of a game's virtual world. A multidimensional view of behavior is used to analyze the game's situational contexts and players' interpretation of behavior.
Chapter Preview
Top

Prosocial Behavior In Various Situational Contexts In Games

The following research investigated specific examples of prosocial behavior in games through content analysis, which clarified that prosocial behaviors exhibited in six different situational contexts observed in the real world were all also evident in games. Among the 27 games analyzed, 22 games (81%) contained at least one depiction of a kind of prosocial behavior. Analyzed games scored an average frequency of 3.59 incidents (26 minutes) of prosocial behaviors in an hour of gameplay. Studies are often concerned about violent and sexual content in games. However, considering the results of a previous study on violence in E-rated (for everyone) games in 2001 (Thompson & Haninger, 2001) that found 64% of games involved violence for an average of 30.7% of gameplay, there are as much positive contents in games as negative contents despite the focus on the latter.

Complete Chapter List

Search this Book:
Reset