Topic 5 attribution and control beliefs, Why is this happening to me

Introduction to Player Attribution

• Player Attribution: Explores how individuals reason about their successes and failures in gaming contexts.

• Games User Research (GUR): Measures player performance and preferences based on psychological theories, notably linked to motivation and emotion.

• Attribution Theory: Focuses on how players assign causes to their experiences and how these attributions influence their emotional reactions and motivations.

• Aim: To develop a validated tool to assess player attribution in games, enhancing the understanding and design of player experiences.

The Importance of Attribution Theory in Games

Psychological Foundations

• Attributed causes can range from personal effort to external circumstances (skill vs. luck).

• Understanding causal beliefs can clarify why players respond differently in similar situations (e.g., persevering vs. giving up after failure).

• Existing psychological measures include constructs like flow, intrinsic motivation, and need satisfaction.

Current Gaps in GUR

• Despite advancements in understanding player behaviors through psychology, gaps remain in comprehensively understanding attribution's effect on player experience.

• Questions arise such as: What influences pride vs. apathy in accomplishments?

Constructing the Game-Specific Attribution Questionnaire (GSAQ)

Methodological Contributions

1. Development Process: Collaborated with gaming experts to refine the item pool for attribution measurement.

   • Initially generated 43 items, focused mainly on the dimensions of internality and controllability.

2. Validation Steps:

   • Employed factor analyses to create dimensions for the GSAQ based on four attribution characteristics:

     • Internality: Internal vs. external causes.

     • Stability: Consistency of the cause over time.

     • Controllability: Ability to influence the cause.

     • Globality: Applicability of the cause across different life aspects.

3. Testing for Reliability: Conducted studies on different gaming scenarios, confirming the GSAQ's reliability and validity across various populations.

Key Findings of the GSAQ

Emotional and Motivational Impacts

• Causal beliefs significantly influence emotional reactions such as pride, confidence, and even guilt or shame.

• High internality and controllability correlate with greater positive experiences and competence in games.

• Attribution dimensions impact intrinsic motivation and well-being.

Statistical Outcomes of GSAQ

• Achieved good model fit indices and significant correlations with existing psychological constructs (e.g., PENS scale, IMI).

• Notably revealed that internality and controllability interact to shape player affect and performance perceptions.

Applications of GSAQ in Game Design and Research

Explanatory Power

• GSAQ can elucidate discrepancies in player experiences (ex: players' self-perception in varied gaming aids or designs).

• Helps to investigate behaviors in multiplayer settings, addressing toxic behavior through understanding causal beliefs.

Guiding Design Decisions

• Designers can tailor game feedback mechanisms based on attributional insights to foster positive player emotions and motivation.

• Dynamic adjustments in gameplay could be optimized using GSAQ findings to enhance player control and reduce apprehension.

Limitations and Future Research Directions

• Sample Size: Investigated small-scale studies should be expanded for more robust findings.

• Game Contexts: Need validation across varied genres and gameplay styles to generalize findings.

• Future studies should evaluate causal relationships between attribution styles and emotional impacts on player experiences.

Conclusions

• Attribution Theory offers valuable insights into understanding player experiences across digital gaming contexts.

• GSAQ emerges as a vital tool for researchers and designers to enhance game user research, focus on players, and understand how attribution shapes gaming experiences.