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Loot boxes are popular random reward mechanisms in digital games, attracting players to invest real money to enhance their gaming experiences. Loot boxes share striking similarities to gambling and might contribute to one’s economic strain, but more research is needed on the underlying vulnerabilities and motivational traits in loot box purchasing. This paper examines associations with self-reported increase in loot box purchasing and debt problems during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. International survey data were collected in 2021, consisting of Finnish, Swedish, and British respondents (N = 2,991) aged 18 to 75. Partial least squares modeling was used as an analytical technique. The findings bring valuable insight into the underlying psychosocial and motivational factors in loot box purchasing and its association with indebtedness. peerReviewed

Early adolescents are accustomed to using information technology (IT) for different purposes as a part of their everyday life. While IT use can provide many benefits, it can also include negative experiences, such as feelings of stress (i.e. technostress). Considering that young IT users’ technostress perspectives have remained limited in the literature, this paper attempts to contrast their experiences with aspects from earlier research. A qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews with 31 primary and secondary school students reveals that early adolescents have encountered stressful IT use experiences that vary based on the degree of stress. The experiences relate to different dimensions of IT use, namely 1) online social (media) behaviour, 2) notification-driven behaviour, 3) social distancing and online education behaviour, and 4) gameplay and other aspects of IT use behaviour. Common denominators for these experiences include the attention or time required by IT use and coming across unwanted content or communications. In addition to reporting negative feelings and emotions, the participants mentioned physical strains, including headache and exhaustion. Although early adolescents can face experiences that can be contrasted with similar stressors and strains as adults, the distinct characteristics of their IT use should be considered in future research. publishedVersion

This study investigated the associations of accelerometer-measured physical activity, sedentary time and screen time with the incidence of neck and shoulder pain in school-aged children over a two-year follow-up. Children (aged 10–15) were measured at baseline 2013 (T0) (n = 970) and at follow-ups 2014 (T1) and 2015 (T2). Neck and shoulder pain frequency and screen time were determined with a web-based questionnaire. Daytime moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary time were measured with an accelerometer. Logistic regression was applied, and the results were adjusted for age, gender, body mass index and bedtime. Accelerometer-measured physical activity or sedentary time at baseline were not associated with the incidence of neck and shoulder pain at the two-year follow-up. Associations of neck and shoulder pain incidence with overall screen time (p = 0.020), and especially with passive gaming time (p = 0.036) and social media time (p = 0.023) were found at the first but not the second follow-up. The neck and shoulder pain incidence associated with overall screen time, passive gaming time and social media time at the first follow-up. The importance of limiting screen time, should be explored in order to find new approaches in preventing neck and shoulder pain in school-aged children. peerReviewed

Background: The uncertain and stressful global situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to cause anxiety and impact people's mental health. Simultaneously, social distancing policies have isolated people from their normal social interactions. These societal changes have inevitably influenced gambling and gaming practices, and many people may have turned to betting or gaming as a means of social exchange. This study examined the influence of COVID-19 anxiety on increased mental health problems and their relationship to gambling and gaming problems. The mediating role of social motives for gambling and gaming was also investigated. Material and methods: Finnish adults (N = 1530; Mage = 46.67; 50.33% male) were recruited from a volunteer participant panel to participate in a survey study. COVID-19 anxiety was assessed using a scale adapted from the Spielberger State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. Mental health problems were evaluated with the five-item Mental Health Inventory. Gambling problems were measured using the Problem Gambling Severity Index, and gaming problems were measured with the Internet Gaming Disorder Test. Social motives for gaming were evaluated using a single-item measure. Analyses used generalised structural equation modelling. Results: COVID-19 anxiety predicted increased mental health problems, which were associated with heightened gambling and gaming problems. Social motives for gambling and gaming were a significant mediator, suggesting that gambling and gaming problems are emphasized markedly among those who are socially motivated by and involved in such games. Conclusions: Mental health problems experienced during the pandemic and the social properties of games might accentuate gambling and gaming problems. publishedVersion

A decade ago, it was still somewhat conventional to start a study by writing how “esports is a novel phenomenon.” As we write this introduction in 2021, that is no longer true. Today, more than a thousand studies have been published on esports, including several books and special issues. Moreover, the work is no longer conducted purely in the “game studies” related fields, but across numerous domains from medical and health sciences to economics and sports. Esports is no longer a novel phenomenon, not even for researchers. As both the industry and academia of esports progress—with hundreds of digital (and some analog) game titles being played as “esports”—it is more and more difficult to address “esports” in general. As the need for more specific case studies keeps increasing, this book on Overwatch responds to that need. nonPeerReviewed

This essay explores the question whether characters can exist without being signified in any way. If characters can exist trans-medially, independently of a particular form of signification or sign-vehicle, why not exist without any signification at all? What kind of existence would such a character have? And, paradoxically, what would examples look like? While the question at face value might appear logically invalid, I argue that at (or just beyond) the minimalist end of the character-representational spectrum, we find what might be called implied characters, that is, characters that are not in any way given, represented, named, or performed, but can only exist in the minds of their players during play, as a formal slot without physical, structural, communicational, or mental properties. peerReviewed

Change is a constant element of online games, and Overwatch as well as its playable characters have been through multiple changes since the launch of the game in 2016. In this chapter, we examine the relationships players have with the playable characters of Overwatch and specifically the role that character mechanics have in these relationships. Changes to game characters are a topic of avid discussion in Overwatch communities and evoke articulations of the meaning of game characters for the players.

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This article discusses the ‘computer game’ as a pragmatic concept. A dual nature of the computer game as both a pragmatic idea and a pragmatic meaning is introduced. Practical meanings of the computer game correspond with the concrete effects that engaging with computer games produces in an individual. Practical ideas of the computer game correspond with the subjectively constituted conceptual families concerning the computer game’s assumed practical meaning. Individual computer games can be considered flat or round depending on the range of their practical meanings. Thus, the article contributes to the study of cultural objects by offering a framework for examining the evolution and existence of such objects as cross-cultural practical entities – less in terms of communication, media, and materiality, and more in terms of concrete actions and events that individuals across societies commence and conceptualize.

Digital platforms connecting users and service providers have a central role in determining the value creation structure of ecosystems. Platform developers try to achieve a dominant position for the platform with a strong ecosystem around it. The size and attractiveness of the services can attract new users, and growing user volume can bring new co-operative service providers to the service partner network. An interesting question is how the presence of power and potential power asymmetry affect the value creation capability and the structure of a network around a platform? This chapter describes an example of value creation and the influence of power asymmetry in a digital ecosystem built around a cloud gaming platform. publishedVersion

The discussion around children’s digital game culture has resulted in two contradictory images of children: the passive, antisocial children uncritically and mechanically consuming digital game content and the active, social children creatively using and interacting with digital game content. Our aim is to examine how these seemingly contradictory ideas of “active” and “passive” children could be considered. By means of empirical examples of children playing digital dress-up and makeover games, we will point out that for the successful use of these concepts, they need to be thoroughly contextualized. By discussing the context and referent of activity and passivity, it is possible to overcome the unnecessary polarization of the discourses on children’s digital game culture. If the purpose is to advance the multidisciplinary discussion on digital games and childhood, the naive or careless use of the concepts of activity and passivity should be avoided.

This paper examines player-to-player interaction in Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment, 2004). The game designers have attempted to limit what they see as negative interaction by forcibly limiting player-to-player social interaction. Based on an analysis of forum discussions, this empirical study illustrates how players utilize Hearthstone's restricted communication affordances for negative and insulting purposes, and how players negotiate their shared symbolic reality concerning this type of interaction, labeled "Bad Manner(s)" or "BM". The continuous debate over an issue which ultimately cannot be solved shows that players care deeply about the game and the surrounding culture. This study contributes to our understanding of player-to-player communication, and offers insight into game design from a social interaction point-of-view. By doing so, it connects with the larger questions of emergent negotiations of meaning related to human communication behavior in technology-mediated settings with designed limitations on communicative affordances. peerReviewed

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Tämä tutkimus käsittelee massiivisesti monipelattavan netti rooli-peli World of Warcratin pelaamisen ajallisia ja paikallisia rajoja fenomenologisella ja autoetnografisella lähestymistavalla. Tutkimus selvittää tapahtuuko pelaaminen taikapiirin sisällä ja voidaanko taikapiirin rajojen katsoa olevan samat kuin itse digitaalisen pelin. Taikapiiri on Johan Huizingan (1938) määrittämä konsepti ja sen mukaan pelin ja leikin kokemus on ajallisesti ja tilallisesti muusta ympäristöstä rajattua aktiviteettia. Tutkimuksessa tutkijan oma pelaamisen kokemus on otettu autoetnografisen analyysin lähtöpisteeksi ja pelaamisen kokemuksen kautta arvioidaan onko pelaaminen suljettua pelin sisään vai ylittääkö se pelin rajat. Tutkimus ehdottaa että pelaaminen ylittää pelin rajat ja taikapiiri ei ole sama asia kuin peli ja sen rajat. Tässä se seuraa Stenrosin (2014) ehdotelmaa jonka mukaan pelin raameja on useampi kuin yksi. Tutkimus ehdottaa että pelaamisen taikapiirin on laajempi kuin pelin digitaalinen alue. Taikapiiri itsessään on myös periksi antava ja sen reunat ovat sumeat ja muuttuvat eri pelaamisen kokemuksien myötä. Tutkimus ehdottaa konseptia pelitila kuvaamaan tätä muokkautuvaa ja liikkuvaa pelaamisen kokemuksen tilaa. Siitä huolimatta että pelitila on yksilöity tila joka muokkautuu suhteessa pelaajaan, joitakin yleisiä tendenssejä voidaan määrittää analysoimalla peliä itsessään: Pelin ajalliset ja paikallalliset kehykset voivat ehdottaa kuinka paljon pelin ulkopuolelta voidaan tuoda pelitilaan. Pelin ajalliset ja paikalliset kehykset ovat analysoitu hyödyntämällä Zagasia ja Mateasta (2007), Ricoeuria (1992, 2004) sekä de Mullia (2005). Tutkimuksessa ehdotetaan että koska World of Warcraft on ”avoin maailma” peli, joka vahvasti rohkaisee sosialisaatioita ja yhteistyötä pelaajien välillä, se itsessään mahdollistaa ja ehdottaa pelitilan laajentamista itse pelin ulkopuolelle. This study addresses the temporal and spatial boundaries of the play of massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft with phenomenological and autoethnographical approach. The study assesses if the play happens inside a magic circle and can this magic circle be equated with the digital game. Magic circle is concept defined by Johan Huizinga (1938) and it maintains that play activity is spatially and temporally separated activity. In this study the play experience of the author has been taken as the starting point of the autoetnographic evaluation and through the play-experience it is assessed if the play is disclosed to the game or if it surpasses the limits of the game. The study suggests that play escapes beyond the boundaries of the game and that magic circle cannot be equated with the game platform. In this it follows Stenros (2014): Instead of one frame of the play or one magic circle we have multiple. This study suggests that the magic circle of play is larger than the digital area of the game. The magic circle itself becomes permeable too. Its edges are hazy and differ from one play experience to another. The study suggests the use of term playspace for this hazy and shifting area of play. Despite the fact that playspace is individualized space which varies in relation to the players, some general tendencies can be found by analysing the game itself: the game temporality and spatiality can suggest how much can be brought from outside of the game to the playspace. The analysis of the game temporality is done by following Zagas and Mateas (2007), Ricoeur (1992, 2004) and de Mul (2005). It is suggested that as World of Warcraft is open world game which heavily encourages co-operation and socialization between the players, the game itself facilitates and encourages expanding the playspace beyond the area of the game.

This thesis studies the design principles of educational virtual worlds for pre-school children. It examines the culture and contextualization of the virtual worlds for children used for the purpose of informal education through learning games in the case study of JumpStart World Kindergarten. The theoretical background provides an overview of the historical development of educational virtual worlds based on the progression of MUDs, MOOs and MMORPG. In addition, the issues in implementation and adaptation of information and communication technologies (ICT) as part of educational methodologies are examined, thus a perspective is given of possible problems and solutions for optimization of use of virtual worlds as an alternative way for acquiring knowledge with a constructionist approach. In the second part of the study, the design principles of virtual worlds are elaborated by framing the technical aspects, content, virtual world typology and user types thus mapping educational virtual worlds between other genres of virtual worlds. The design principles, as well as the cultural and social aspect of educational virtual worlds provide a base for the analysis of the pedagogical approach of JumpStart World Kindergarten. In this section a qualitative and quantitative study of this virtual world’s game-play, characteristics and learning games was made. The results indicated the pedagogical problems in the implementation of the learning by doing theory, thus proving that this model is not well adapted to the interactive method of learning where a player learns most efficiently by meaningful interaction and personal constructivist experience.

Verkkopelit synnyttävät pysyviä vuorovaikutussuhteita Monen pelaajan verkkopelit tyypillisesti joko rohkaisevat pelaajien välistä vuorovaikutusta tai suorastaan vaativat sitä. Pelissä etenemisen vaatimuksena saattaa olla yhteistyö muiden pelaajien kanssa, tai peli voi perustua pelaajien väliselle kilpailulle.- Tyypillisiä verkkopelejä voi pelata melko itsenäisesti, hakematta syvempää kontaktia pelikumppaneihin. Sosiaalisuus on kuitenkin voimakas motiivi paitsi pelata verkkopelejä, myös muodostaa pysyvämpiä vuorovaikutussuhteita niiden piirissä, Siitonen kertoo.Verkkopelit perustuvat tietoverkkojen tarjoamiin tiedonsiirron mahdollisuuksiin. Tämä näkyy myös pelien tarjoamissa viestintämahdollisuuksissa. Pelin sisällä saattaa esimerkiksi olla tuki niin tekstipohjaiselle, kuvalliselle kuin ääneen perustuvalle viestinnälle. Lisäksi peli voi tarjota välineitä niin kahdenväliseen yhteydenpitoon kuin ryhmien tai yhteisöjen laajuiseen viestintäänkin.- Pelien sisältämien viestintämahdollisuuksien lisäksi jäsenet voivat pitää yhteyttä kasvokkain, puhelimitse, sähköpostin välityksellä tai vaikka IRCissä, Siitonen toteaa.Pitkäjänteinen vuorovaikutus luo pohjan yhteisöllisyydelleVerkkopeliyhteisöjen vuorovaikutus muistuttaa kasvokkain ylläpidettyjen ryhmien vuorovaikutusta. Yhteisöä koossa pitävänä voimana ovat jaetut arvot ja tavoitteet. Ne ovat myös neuvottelun kohteena läpi yhteisön elinkaaren. Arvot ja tavoitteet heijastuvat esimerkiksi siinä, kuinka yhteisö hyväksyy uusia jäseniä, ja siinä, kuinka yhteisön toiminnalle merkittävät roolit jaetaan. Niihin liittyvät ristiriidat voivat johtaa konflikteihin yhteisön sisällä, ja konfliktien ratkaisu tarjoaa puolestaan mahdollisuuden vahvistaa tai muuttaa yhteisöllisyyden perusteita.- Perinteiset identiteetin rakennuspalikat, kuten ulkonäkö tai ikä, eivät välttämättä merkitse mitään verkkopeliyhteisöissä. Saman yhteisön jäseninä ovat kenties 13-vuotias koululainen Ranskasta, 27-vuotias kotiäiti Ruotsista ja 44-vuotias diplomi-insinööri Yhdysvalloista. Kun yhteisön jäsenet eivät koskaan kohtaa kasvokkain, he muodostavat käsityksiä toisistaan esimerkiksi sen perusteella kuinka aktiivisia tai luotettavia he kokevat toisten olevan, Siitonen kuvailee.Teknologiavälitteisessä yhteydenpidossa ihmiset voivat muodostaa kuvan toisistaan nopeasti. Toisaalta pitkäjänteiseen vuorovaikutukseen perustuva tuntemus korostuu esimerkiksi silloin, kun päätetään kuka pääsee yhteisön johtotehtäviin. Vuorovaikutuksen myötä muodostuvalla maineella on näin todellista merkitystä verkkopeliyhteisöissä. Teknologiavälitteisessä yhteydenpidossa yhteisön jäsenten motivoituneisuus ja aktiivisuus korostuvat. On tyypillistä, että verkkopeliyhteisön johtohahmo tai pieni, vaikutusvaltaisten jäsenten sisäryhmä piirtää yhteisön toiminnan rajat ja antaa sille kasvot. Sosiaalisille verkostoille ominainen jatkuva muutos tulee hyvin esiin verkkopeliyhteisöissä. Uusia yhteisöjä syntyy ja vanhoja kuolee jatkuvasti, ja jäsenistön liike pelien ja yhteisöjen välillä on voimakasta. Toisaalta yhteisöjen pohjalla olevat sosiaaliset verkostot ja kahdenväliset suhteet voivat säilyä pitkäänkin, toimintaympäristöstä toiseen. Verkkopeliyhteisön kuolema ei merkitse välttämättä tällaisen verkoston romahtamista. On tavallista, että verkkopeliyhteisöistä eroaa pieniä versoja, jotka kasvavat uusiksi yhteisöiksi, tai että verkkopeliyhteisön kuoleman jälkeen osa sen muodostaneesta verkostosta alkaa rakentaa uutta yhteisöä.Siitonen käytti tutkimuksessaan haastatteluiden ja osallistuvan havainnoinnin avulla kerättyä aineistoa. Aineisto kerättiin kahdesta eri verkkopeliyhteisöstä massiivisessa linjaroolipelissä The main purpose of this study is to describe and understand the dynamics of social interaction in online multiplayer computer gaming communities. Online multiplayer gaming has been growing in popularity alongside the general growth of computer networks. Today, millions of people all around the world are playing online multiplayer games, many of which promote cooperation and competition between gamers as an integral part of the game. A substantial amount of gamers are therefore involved in the various social networks that exist within the context.This study was conducted qualitatively, and subscribes to the starting points of naturalistic or interpretative research. The data were collected by a year-long participant observation in two different online multiplayer communities in the game Anarchy Online, and by interviewing members (n=15) of multiplayer communities with varying backgrounds and gaming experience. The data were analyzed following an inductive approach with similarities to a grounded theory approach.The study considers the concept of community in the context of computer-mediated communication in general and of multiplayer games in particular. The various dynamics of social interaction within multiplayer communities are analyzed. These include the motivations behind membership in multiplayer communities, the processes of establishing roles and rules within a multiplayer community, the emergence of social identity, and conflicts and the disbandment of multiplayer communities. The study paints a picture of multiplayer communities as complex and varied social networks where constant negotiation of the values, norms and rules of the community contributes to the emergence of a shared understanding of the symbolic reality of the community and a shared social identity. The methodological questions concerning the study of social interaction in multiplayer communities are discussed in detail. Towards the end of the discussion attention is drawn to several aspects of social interaction in multiplayer communities that warrant further study.