April 9 - Friday
Inside the Antichamber: How Purposeful Game Design Reveals and Refines Player Archetypes
Type of Presentation
Paper
Start Date
4-9-2021 5:00 PM
End Date
4-9-2021 5:30 PM
Abstract
Video games are an omnipresent component of contemporary culture that have shaped and influenced players and their behaviors. While gamification is a body of theory-laden knowledge that has emerged as a byproduct of the influence and reach of video games, little theorizing has been done about games, game design, and playstyles as indicators of player perceptions and behaviors. We explore this phenomenon with a qualitative study that examines how game design may influence players’ problem-solving and problem-setting, and how player problem-setting and -solving reveals their approaches as a player archetypes. Additionally, we investigate how such game design and gameplay may enhance Creative Self-Efficacy (CreaSE). Using the Grounded Theory Method, we examine how the game design of Antichamber models the application of reflective practice, how this design reveals players’ problem-solving and problem-setting skills through gameplay, and how players’ CreaSE is influenced by their experience and archetypes. We find that CreaSE is more malleable for certain player archetypes. In summary, we investigate how game design applies reflective practice, how the application of such theory influences players’ behavior, and its implications for CreaSE.
Presentation File
wf_no
Inside the Antichamber: How Purposeful Game Design Reveals and Refines Player Archetypes
Video games are an omnipresent component of contemporary culture that have shaped and influenced players and their behaviors. While gamification is a body of theory-laden knowledge that has emerged as a byproduct of the influence and reach of video games, little theorizing has been done about games, game design, and playstyles as indicators of player perceptions and behaviors. We explore this phenomenon with a qualitative study that examines how game design may influence players’ problem-solving and problem-setting, and how player problem-setting and -solving reveals their approaches as a player archetypes. Additionally, we investigate how such game design and gameplay may enhance Creative Self-Efficacy (CreaSE). Using the Grounded Theory Method, we examine how the game design of Antichamber models the application of reflective practice, how this design reveals players’ problem-solving and problem-setting skills through gameplay, and how players’ CreaSE is influenced by their experience and archetypes. We find that CreaSE is more malleable for certain player archetypes. In summary, we investigate how game design applies reflective practice, how the application of such theory influences players’ behavior, and its implications for CreaSE.