Session Information
16 SES 06 A, Digital Games in Education
Paper Session
Contribution
Digital game-based learning (GBL) is being actively researched (Van Eck, 2006; Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Meyer, Sørensen, 2011; Adams, 2009; Plass, Homer, Kinzer, 2015; Kickmeier-Rust et al., 2011). One of the aspects studied is engagement, which one of the key reasons for the application and wide adoption of GBL because it encourages the players to learn and improve. The researchers analyse the immersion of players in the flow state as a positive phenomenon that has aspects worth discussing. According to the researchers, flow state may positively affect learning (Kiili, 2005), the players immersed in the flow are motivated to solve problems and overcome challenges (Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Meyer, Sørensen (2011)), they are highly focused and do not feel the passage of time or fatigue, they stay motivated and self-regulated for a long time, which facilitates learning (Graesser, Chipman, Leeming, Biedenbach, 2009). Meanwhile Marklund and Romin (2020) raise questions about the problematic aspects of flow or immersion: about the loss of self-identity and “wandering” while completing a task, which raises doubts whether reflective thinking is involved because at times the task is lost while playing; and about the influence of social context and personal qualities on learning that can be reduced in the flow state. The researchers (Sinagatullin, 2017; Jeong & Kim, 2011) who investigate addiction to gaming emphasise a similar immersion state that can have a number of negative consequences: players addicted to gaming fail to regulate and plan their time; for them, the use of video games often becomes more important than learning; they can play for hours without pausing; those immersed in games may suffer from back pain due to prolonged sitting in the same position; some develop sleep disorders or neglect personal hygiene; some can develop eating disorders; some children obsessed with gaming suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome; gaming addiction can also have social consequences and provoke unhealthy daily behaviour. Therefore, it is not entirely clear how players experience the immersion state as a complex systemic process and what conditions turn it into a negative cycle that completely absorbs the gamer.
There are multiple studies that analyse individual aspects of immersion and addiction. Brown and Cairns (2004) distinguished three levels of immersion based on the experiences of the players: engagement, engrossment and total immersion, and described several characteristics of immersion. Research by Atan (2024) revealed the negative impact of the gaming addiction on the psychological well-being and health of children. Akaroğlu (2022) studied the impact of parental behaviour on the socio-emotional well-being of players and the development of addiction in them and found that an authoritarian attitude of parents increased the tendency to become addicted; Changho & Ocktae (2017) revealed the influence of being satisfied with one’s relationships with parents, friends, and teachers on the gaming addiction; Morahan-Martin and Schumacher (2000) have shown that lonely gamers find online social interactions attractive and they replace the self-disclosure and intimacy of real-life interactions for them. Lai et al. (2016) identified the predictors of addiction to digital games, which include the frequency and duration of gaming.
The overview of literature shows that the researchers have highlighted certain levels and characteristics of immersion and aspects of the environment that facilitates the development of addiction but no systematic analysis of this phenomenon based on the perspective of the players themselves exists so far. Our study asked the following questions: how do the players experience the immersion state? What processes and contexts are relevant to immersion?
Method
The study was based on the classical Glaser`s version of the Grounded Theory. The presentation will cover only a part of the data that emerged during the thesis process, rather than the whole emergent theory. The basis of the classical GT version is the emergence of theory from the data. It is an inductive reasoning method that creates a theory through the systematic collection, synthesis, analysis and conceptualisation of data. The researchers move in their study field without a predefined study problem; the study problem and its resolutions emerge from research data (Glaser, 2018, Glaser, Holton, 2004). The following data were used: 21 interviews with gamers; 1 focus group with 8th grade students of gymnasium (all of them have played or play digital games); informal correspondence with interview participants. The data of this study were analysed in the following stages: substantive coding that includes open coding and selective coding, and theoretical coding. Data analysis stages were accompanied by continuous memoing. All steps, i.e. data collection, open coding, theoretical sampling, memoing, conceptualisation, etc. were carried out simultaneously in a cyclic manner, with the author repeatedly returning to the first steps. The stages were repeated until data categories were saturated. The literature review had not been performed until processes that create preconditions for the exclusion of gamers in school emerged and were conceptualised; only then literature was used as one of data sources (Glaser, 1998). Research ethics was followed: all participants were informed about the purpose for which their data were collected and their right to withdraw from the study at any stage. The parents of minors were informed in writing about the study purpose and their written consents allowing their children to participate were obtained. All identifying personal information of participants was changed. All participants took part voluntarily and gave their consents. The study complied with the Regulation on the Assessment of Conformity of Scientific Research to the Main Principles of Professional Research and Ethics approved by Vytautas Magnus University Senate (MTAPTPEPVN, 2021).
Expected Outcomes
The study revealed gaming immersion experiences and contexts provoking and supporting it. Gaming immersion experiences: Arousal manifests as excitement, thrill, satisfaction. It emerged as euphoric state described as satisfaction caused by drugs. Desperation manifests as an uncontrollable urge to seek the arousal again and again. It is accompanied by hiding, pretending, lying. Altered perception of time manifests as the acceleration/slowing down/loss of time. Ignoring one’s needs manifests as ignoring one’s bodily needs that could distract from gaming and repetition. Disconnection from reality manifests as disorientation/confusion, altered perception of space/sounds, and fear. Repetition is the key process supporting the immersion experiences. Main characteristic: easily activated because it reflects human nature (providing security because you know what to expect and convenience because repetition requires less energy). Another characteristic of repetition is intensification: increasing intensity and frequency because of experiences and emotions triggered by repetition. Deepening is another characteristic: repeating the same actions makes the engagement in them easier and abandoning them harder (interruption of repetition feels like violence). Several contexts affecting immersion emerged in the study. Compelling context. An external social context (home/school), where dominant behavioural patterns (rejection, disinterest, bullying, violence) push players into the repetition. It creates unfavourable emotional atmosphere resulting in intensive immersion cycle, triggering the deepening and intensification and the stability of the entire process. Hype-building context. It involves being intensely controlled by a phenomenon (digital games) and surrendering to what is currently popular and fashionable. It produces highly positive information about the phenomenon, making it even more attractive. Neutralising context is created through external behavioural regulation models (limitation, prohibition, diverting attention, moderation) influencing the intensification and deepening. Limitation and prohibition do not disrupt the immersion cycle but balance the repetition process. Diverting attention and moderation help see digital games as creative tools and change the nature of repetition.
References
Adams, E. (2009). Fundamentals of game design. New Riders. Akaroğlu G. (2022) Parental Attitudes and Social Emotional Well-Being Predict Digital Game Addiction in Turkish Children, The American Journal of Family Therapy. Atan A. (2024) The psychological well-being of children who play digital games during the COVID-19 pandemic, International Journal of Early Years Education. Brown, E., & Cairns, P. (2004). A grounded investigation of game immersion. Iš CHI EA '04: CHI '04 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (p. 1297–1300). Association for Computing Machinery. Changho L. & Ocktae K. (2017) Predictors of online game addiction among Korean adolescents, Addiction Research & Theory, 25:1, 58-66. Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S., Meyer, B., & Sørensen, B. H. (Red.). (2011). Serious games in education: A global perspective. Aarhus University Press. Glaser, B. G. (1998). Doing grounded theory: Issues and discussion. Sociology Press. Glaser, B. G. (2018). Getting started. Grounded Theory Review, 17(1), 3–6. Sociology Press. Glaser, B. G., & Holton, J. (2004). Remodeling grounded theory. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 5(2), 1–17. Graesser, A., Chipman, P., Leeming, F., & Biedenbach, S. (2009). Deep Learning and Emotion in Serious Games. Iš U. Ritterfeld, M. Cody ir P. Vorderer (Red.), Serious Games: Mechanisms and Effects (p. 83–102). Routledge. Kickmeier-Rust, M., Mattheiss, E., Steiner, C., &Albert, D. (2011). A psycho-pedagogical framework for multi-adaptive educational games. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 1(1), 45–58. Kiili, K. (2005). Digital game-based learning: Towards an experiential gaming model. The Internet and Higher Education, 8(1), 13–24. Lai, I. H., Kim, D. J., & Jeong, E. J. (2016). Online digital game addiction: How does social relationship impact game addiction. AMCIS 2016: Surfing the IT Innovation Wave - 22nd Americas Conference on Information Systems (pp. 1–8). San Diego, CA. Marklund, B. B., & Romin, R. (2020). Bad game, good learning: Examining the contradictions of digital game-based learning. Morahan-Martin, J., & Schumacher, P. (2000). Incidence and correlates of pathological Internet use among college students. Computers in Human Behavior, 16(1), 13–29. doi:10.1016/S0747-5632(99)00049-7 Plass, J. L., Homer, B. D., & Kinzer, C. K. (2015). Foundations of Game-Based Learning. Educational Psychologist, 50, 258–283. Sinagatullin, I. M. (2017). Shifting the classical paradigm: The impact of information technology on contemporary education. International Journal of Educational Reform, 26(1), 2–13. Van Eck, R. (2006). Digital game-based learning: It's not just the digital natives who are restless. EDUCAUSE Review, 41(2), 16–30.
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