A Day in the Life of a Sim: Making Meaning of Video Game Avatars and Behaviors
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| Language: | English |
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Antioch University / OhioLINK
2018
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1497718914530561 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-antioch14977189145305612021-08-03T07:02:54Z A Day in the Life of a Sim: Making Meaning of Video Game Avatars and Behaviors Stark, Jessica Artificial Intelligence Psychology video games The Sims phenomenology gamers video game players video game users simulated life qualitative Sim video game psychology user behavior lived experience gameplay self-representation avatar self-reflection identity With video game usage--and criticism on its activity--on the rise, it may be helpful for the psychological community to understand what it actually means to play video games, and what the lived experience entails. This qualitative, phenomenological study specifically explores user behaviors and decisions in the simulated life video game, The Sims. Ten participants completed one- to two-hour long semi-structured interviews, and the data was transcribed, organized into 1,988 codes, which were clustered into 30 categories, and from which six themes ultimately emerged. These resulting themes are: self-representation; past, present, and future; purpose for play; self-reflection; co-creation; and familiarity. The essence of playing The Sims includes a degree of self-representation through gameplay choices, projecting one’s own past, present or future into the game, and play that is motivated by distinct reasons or benefits. Gameplay in The Sims also involves a sense of familiarity, the interaction of inspirations coming from both the user and the game, and the users’ reflections on the connection between themselves and the game. Relationships between the six resulting themes and the current literature on video game psychology are reviewed, and future research and clinical implications are discussed. 2018-04-10 English text Antioch University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1497718914530561 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1497718914530561 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Artificial Intelligence Psychology video games The Sims phenomenology gamers video game players video game users simulated life qualitative Sim video game psychology user behavior lived experience gameplay self-representation avatar self-reflection identity |
| spellingShingle |
Artificial Intelligence Psychology video games The Sims phenomenology gamers video game players video game users simulated life qualitative Sim video game psychology user behavior lived experience gameplay self-representation avatar self-reflection identity Stark, Jessica A Day in the Life of a Sim: Making Meaning of Video Game Avatars and Behaviors |
| author |
Stark, Jessica |
| author_facet |
Stark, Jessica |
| author_sort |
Stark, Jessica |
| title |
A Day in the Life of a Sim: Making Meaning of Video Game Avatars and Behaviors |
| title_short |
A Day in the Life of a Sim: Making Meaning of Video Game Avatars and Behaviors |
| title_full |
A Day in the Life of a Sim: Making Meaning of Video Game Avatars and Behaviors |
| title_fullStr |
A Day in the Life of a Sim: Making Meaning of Video Game Avatars and Behaviors |
| title_full_unstemmed |
A Day in the Life of a Sim: Making Meaning of Video Game Avatars and Behaviors |
| title_sort |
day in the life of a sim: making meaning of video game avatars and behaviors |
| publisher |
Antioch University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2018 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1497718914530561 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT starkjessica adayinthelifeofasimmakingmeaningofvideogameavatarsandbehaviors AT starkjessica dayinthelifeofasimmakingmeaningofvideogameavatarsandbehaviors |
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1719452301566935040 |