Creating an Impressive Gaming Experience - Research Paper Example

Running Head: Criminal Theories of Crime How are game console interfaces assisting in creating an impressive gaming experience Name] [Institution's Name] How are game console interfaces assisting in creating an impressive gaming experience Rationale Players enjoy the competitiveness as well as the increasingly social aspects offered by interacting with others in the online gaming environment. This trend of playing online games as a leisure pursuit has been at the expense of television viewing, the medium traditionally used to reach target audiences. However, rather than perceiving it as a concern, marketers should consider it as an opportunity to develop more innovative and interactive promotional messages. Sports games manufacturers have been one of the first to consider new promotional techniques such as the insertion of billboards as it emulates the 'real world' environment at sports events. These embedded billboards of product names add to the realism particularly for car racing and field-sports with placement around perimeters. Whether this can be successfully extended to other genre of games such as an online first person shooter (FPS) has yet to be determined. Therefore this exploratory study embedding billboards in a first person shooter game was designed to add to our knowledge of the effectiveness of billboards in a gaming environment. In particular, whether billboards are recalled and whether they have any effect on gamers in terms of their game experience, was examined. Objectives This paper will discuss in details how are game console interfaces assisting in creating gaming experience. As it is a relatively new strategy, there is a dearth of research on in-game advertising; indeed the first studies of online games were undertaken as recently as 2002. Kim et al. (2002) investigated motivations to using online games and Nelson (2002) studied recall of brand placements in computer racing games. Even though billboard use in the virtual environment has not been the focus of academic research there has been some academic interest in the context of real world' billboards (Bloom 2000; Donthu, Cherian, and Bhargava 1993; Pham 1992; Taylor and Franke 2003). For the 'real world' studies, recall of the billboards is employed as a common measure of outdoor advertising effectiveness (Donthu, Cherian, and Bhargava 1993; Fitts and Hewett 1977). Factors that are related to the recall of billboards include ( 1) those concerned with the billboard itself, i.e. colour, position, location, number of words and brevity and legibility of message, and ( 2) consumer characteristics, i.e. attitude to advertising which incorporates attitude to outdoor advertisements (Bhargava, Donthu, and Caron 1994; Donthu, Cherian, and Bhargava 1993). Methodology To achieve the objectives of the study a multiplayer 'fragging' session was organized. The first step in the process was to identify an appropriate online multiplayer game in which to embed billboards. A FPS game was chosen for this study as this genre is the most popular in online multiplayer games (Euromonitor 2003; Game Research 2002). A new map i.e. a level within the game world, was created into which three billboards for different products were inserted. The locations of the billboards were highly visible in areas where all gamers would pass. Exposure time could not be controlled as it is determined by the player, however, the strategic positioning of the billboards ensured maximum exposure. Furthermore, players would repeatedly pass all three of the billboards throughout the duration of the session. This difficulty in controlling for exposure is not unique to online gaming; studies of outdoor billboards would encounter the same issue. The choice of products to be advertised on each of the three billboards was made after a discussion with two online gamers. The gamers suggested that consumables such as pizza and soda would have personal relevance particularly when playing games. A third product, a digital camera, was chosen as the final product to provide a contrast between low and high cost products. Hypothetical brand names were chosen to reflect the product category. Each of the three billboards featured an image of the product with the brand names in a clear textual format. Particular attention was paid to legibility (i.e. the message can be read in the usual exposure time) and brevity of message as these have been shown to be important for recall (Bhargava, Donthu, and Caron 1994). Participants Participants were recruited by placing an invitation to a fifteen minute 'fragging' session on the online gaming community site http://www.trickery.net described as "the home of homeless gamers". Further information for interested gamers was provided on the researcher's website. In exchange for a small incentive it was explained they would be required to complete a short questionnaire immediately after playing. The questionnaire was divided into four parts: initially it focused on recall of the billboards, followed by gaming experience and demographic questions, then a section on attitudes to the inclusion of billboards, and finally questions relating to online word-of-mouth activity. The final number of participants was 42, which compares favourably with the 16 subjects in Nelson's (2002) study assessing advertisements in a computer game. Conclusion One major limitation with this study is that gamers had only one fifteen-minute gaming session in which to view the billboards. In reality the hardcore gamers, particularly those involved in clans, will play the same map repeatedly and thus will be exposed to billboards each time they play rather than once as in this scenario. It is probable that the effectiveness of the billboards in the normal gaming situation is underrated in this study. The second limitation relates to the sample both in terms of size and selection. Forty-two participants, although more than double that of the previous gaming study by Nelson (2000), is a small number from which to draw conclusive results. Added to this, the sample did not reflect the population of online gamers as no females agreed to participate and the results may not be generalizable in respect to online gamers as an entire group. However, as FPS games tend to be played by males, generalizability for this genre is not such a major issue. This study has provided some evidence that in the virtual world billboards for both high and low value products have a higher recall than in 'real life' situations such as sports events. An explanation for this is that gamers view only one billboard at a time as they pass through various 'rooms' and the information for each product has some chance of being assimilated. Whereas at a sports event, such as a soccer match, all the perimeter billboards are in view simultaneously, all vying for attention at the same time. References Bhargava, Mukesh, Naveen Donthu, and Roseanne Caron (1994), "Improving the Effectiveness of Outdoor Advertising: Lessons from a Study of 282 Campaigns," Journal of Advertising Research, March/April, 46-55. Bloom, Derek (2000), "Measuring the Audience to Poster Advertising," International Journal of Market Research, 42 (4), 395-412. Euromonitor (2003), Toys and Games: Strategic Management Overview. Fattah, Hassan and Pamela Paul (2002), "Gaming Gets Serious," American Demographics, 24 (5), 38-44. Fitts, Robert L. and Wendell C. Hewett (1977), "Utilizing the Before After with Control Group Experimental Design to Evaluate an Outdoor Advertising Campaign," Journal of Advertising, 6 (1), 26-28. Game Research, (2002), "Online Gaming Habits," (April 7). Hewett, Wendell C. (1972), "What One Little Showing Can Do," Journal of Advertising Research, 12 (5), 29-30. Kim, Kyung H., Jin Yong Park, Dong Yul Kim, Moon Hak II, and Ho Chan Chun, (2002), "E-Lifestyle and Motives to Use Online Games," Irish Marketing Review, 15 (2), 71-77. Nelson, Michelle R. (2002), "Recall of Brand Placements in Computer/Video Games," Journal of Advertising Research, March/April, 80-92. Pham, M. Tuan (1992), "Effects of Involvement, Arousal, and Pleasure on the Recognition of Sponsorship Stimuli," Advances in Consumer Research, 19, 85-93. Taylor, Charles R. and George R. Franke (2003), "Business Perceptions of the Role of Billboards in the U.S. Economy," Journal of Advertising Research, June, 150-161. Read More