Explorations in player motivations: Game mods

Barbaros Bostan; Ugur Kaplancali

Explorations in player motivations: Game mods

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article aims to analyze player motivations derived from the needs framework of Murray (1938) in relation to user modifications (mods) to an existing commercial computer game. Although the restrictions imposed by the game mechanics significantly reduce the number of player needs satisfied by a game and trap the player within the common motivational cycle of Achievement, Aggression, Harmavoidance and Acquisition (Bostan and Kaplancali, 2009), this study shows that the game mods created by users attempt to compensate for this by satisfying the needs of Sentience, Exhibition, Recognition, Sex, Play and Affiliation. While attempting to find the current trends in user created content for role-playing games (RPGs), this article also discusses the implications of game modding in identifying the missing features of an entertainment experience and of investigating the player motivations. This discussion is framed in terms of the user-environment relations of a recently released popular computer role-playing game (RPG). The gaming experience provided by this genre is analogous to real life and thus has the potential to satisfy a broader range of player needs. The hypothesized mod-need relations are also reviewed with a case study.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010
Editors	Lode Vermeersch, Wenji Mao
Publisher	EUROSIS
Pages	29-37
Number of pages	9
ISBN (Electronic)	9789077381540
Publication status	Published - 2010
Externally published	Yes
Event	2nd Joint Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 and 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010 - Shanghai, China Duration: 1 Mar 2010 → 3 Mar 2010

Publication series

Name	2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010

Conference

Conference	2nd Joint Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 and 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010
Country/Territory	China
City	Shanghai
Period	1/03/10 → 3/03/10

Keywords

Gameplay experience
Gaming mods
Human factors
Player motivations
Player psychology

Cite this

Bostan, B., & Kaplancali, U. (2010). Explorations in player motivations: Game mods. In L. Vermeersch, & W. Mao (Eds.), 2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010 (pp. 29-37). (2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010). EUROSIS.

Bostan, Barbaros ; Kaplancali, Ugur. / Explorations in player motivations : Game mods. 2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010. editor / Lode Vermeersch ; Wenji Mao. EUROSIS, 2010. pp. 29-37 (2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010).

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title = "Explorations in player motivations: Game mods",

abstract = "This article aims to analyze player motivations derived from the needs framework of Murray (1938) in relation to user modifications (mods) to an existing commercial computer game. Although the restrictions imposed by the game mechanics significantly reduce the number of player needs satisfied by a game and trap the player within the common motivational cycle of Achievement, Aggression, Harmavoidance and Acquisition (Bostan and Kaplancali, 2009), this study shows that the game mods created by users attempt to compensate for this by satisfying the needs of Sentience, Exhibition, Recognition, Sex, Play and Affiliation. While attempting to find the current trends in user created content for role-playing games (RPGs), this article also discusses the implications of game modding in identifying the missing features of an entertainment experience and of investigating the player motivations. This discussion is framed in terms of the user-environment relations of a recently released popular computer role-playing game (RPG). The gaming experience provided by this genre is analogous to real life and thus has the potential to satisfy a broader range of player needs. The hypothesized mod-need relations are also reviewed with a case study.",

keywords = "Gameplay experience, Gaming mods, Human factors, Player motivations, Player psychology",

author = "Barbaros Bostan and Ugur Kaplancali",

year = "2010",

language = "English",

series = "2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010",

publisher = "EUROSIS",

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editor = "Lode Vermeersch and Wenji Mao",

booktitle = "2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010",

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Bostan, B & Kaplancali, U 2010, Explorations in player motivations: Game mods. in L Vermeersch & W Mao (eds), 2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010. 2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010, EUROSIS, pp. 29-37, 2nd Joint Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 and 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010, Shanghai, China, 1/03/10.

Explorations in player motivations: Game mods. / Bostan, Barbaros; Kaplancali, Ugur.
2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010. ed. / Lode Vermeersch; Wenji Mao. EUROSIS, 2010. p. 29-37 (2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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PY - 2010

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N2 - This article aims to analyze player motivations derived from the needs framework of Murray (1938) in relation to user modifications (mods) to an existing commercial computer game. Although the restrictions imposed by the game mechanics significantly reduce the number of player needs satisfied by a game and trap the player within the common motivational cycle of Achievement, Aggression, Harmavoidance and Acquisition (Bostan and Kaplancali, 2009), this study shows that the game mods created by users attempt to compensate for this by satisfying the needs of Sentience, Exhibition, Recognition, Sex, Play and Affiliation. While attempting to find the current trends in user created content for role-playing games (RPGs), this article also discusses the implications of game modding in identifying the missing features of an entertainment experience and of investigating the player motivations. This discussion is framed in terms of the user-environment relations of a recently released popular computer role-playing game (RPG). The gaming experience provided by this genre is analogous to real life and thus has the potential to satisfy a broader range of player needs. The hypothesized mod-need relations are also reviewed with a case study.

AB - This article aims to analyze player motivations derived from the needs framework of Murray (1938) in relation to user modifications (mods) to an existing commercial computer game. Although the restrictions imposed by the game mechanics significantly reduce the number of player needs satisfied by a game and trap the player within the common motivational cycle of Achievement, Aggression, Harmavoidance and Acquisition (Bostan and Kaplancali, 2009), this study shows that the game mods created by users attempt to compensate for this by satisfying the needs of Sentience, Exhibition, Recognition, Sex, Play and Affiliation. While attempting to find the current trends in user created content for role-playing games (RPGs), this article also discusses the implications of game modding in identifying the missing features of an entertainment experience and of investigating the player motivations. This discussion is framed in terms of the user-environment relations of a recently released popular computer role-playing game (RPG). The gaming experience provided by this genre is analogous to real life and thus has the potential to satisfy a broader range of player needs. The hypothesized mod-need relations are also reviewed with a case study.

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A2 - Mao, Wenji

PB - EUROSIS

Y2 - 1 March 2010 through 3 March 2010

ER -

Bostan B, Kaplancali U. Explorations in player motivations: Game mods. In Vermeersch L, Mao W, editors, 2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010. EUROSIS. 2010. p. 29-37. (2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, GAME-ON ASIA 2010 - 2nd Asian Simulation Technology Conference, ASTEC 2010).

Explorations in player motivations: Game mods

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Keywords

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