Transcript *Should I Stay or Should I Go?*

“Should I Stay or Should I Go?”
Exploring the Determinants of Player Cessation in
MOBA Games
Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap
2017 – Tilburg
Twitter: @R_Daneels
Rowan Daneels1
1
KU Leuven – Instituut voor Mediastudies (IMS)
Tony van Rooij2
2
Universiteit Gent – Media & ICT (imec-MICT)
Joyce Koeman1
Jan Van Looy2
Introduction
Why we start playing games: “classic” motivations
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Lots of research – little integration
Why we stop playing games: cessation behavior
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Little to no research
Differentiation between session and game cessation
Goal: to explore the factors leading to cessation behavior
Research Importance
Interesting for game developers (cf. retention research)
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Online platforms (Steam ; Play stores)
More competitive market
New business models (subscriptions; free-to-play)
Retention = key!
Multiple applications:
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DGBL: understanding dropout of certain serious games or trainings
Preventing excessive play behavior and promoting responsible gaming
Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA)
Recent & popular genre
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Especially among young players
eSports tournaments
Free to play
Little academic research on MOBA genre
Mechanics:
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Online; teams of 5vs5
Strategy needed
Different roles
Lots of items, abilities, etc.
Theoretical framework
Different frameworks to conduct motivations research:
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Uses & Gratifications theory
Self-Determination Theory
Social Cognitive Theory
(Katz, Blumler & Gurevitc, 1973)
(Ryan & Deci, 2000)
(Bandura, 1986)
Our framework: Social Cognitive Theory
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Broad framework
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Context
(De Grove, Cauberghe & Van Looy, 2016)
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Habits
(Lee & LaRose, 2007)
Behavior
Personal
factors
Environmental
factors
Research questions
Which factors influence adolescents/young adults to
end a MOBA gaming session?
Which factors influence adolescents/young adults to
end a MOBA game ‘for good’?
Methodology
Qualitative research design
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Sample:
In-depth interviews
Topic list
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Player Motivations
Player Habits
Social Context – Family
Social Context – Peers
Play Context – Content & game mechanics
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13
Results (1) - Session Cessation
Discontinuation
of player’s
starting motives
• Social
Interaction
Negative player
experiences
• Saturation
• Long play
hours
• Repetitive
nature MOBA’s
• Frustration
• Match loss
• Bad team
• Bugs
Contextual
elements
• Social context
• Family
• Peers
• Play context
• Alternative
games/leisure
activities
• Game related
issues
Physiological
reasons
• Tiredness
• Headache
• Hungry
Results (2) - Game Cessation
Discontinuation
of player’s
starting motives
• Social Interaction
• Challenge
• Competition
Negative player
experiences
• Saturation
• Repetitive nature
MOBA’s
• No new content
Contextual
elements
• Social context
• Peers
• Play context
• No more free to play
• Alternative
games/leisure activities
• Game related issues
Discussion
Limitations & Future research:
Cessation
Behavior
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No play habits
• Better instrument/more objective measures?
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No (real) framework for experiences
• Other additional theories?
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Personal
Motives &
Experiences
Social & Play
Context
Predictive power of gamer, content
and contextual factors in cessation
• Especially relations between factors (not
mutually exclusive)
• Through more quantitative research?
Questions?