Video Games and Choice Culture

Video Games and Choice Culture (Topic #3)

As culture is influenced by the “post-modern condition” the need for choice becomes more and more prevalent (Wilkinson & Clark, 2014). Rigid rules and predictability are mundane and often not tolerated by today’s youth. Video games offer a truly unique and exceptional experience compared to its heavily scripted counterparts in the media realm. Video games are reliant on choice, so I wanted to explore the correlation between choice theory and video games.

a. DIGITAL CHOICES AND FULFILLMENT OF CHOICE THEORY'S FOUR BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS

i. In this article I learned about the four basic psychological needs (love, power, freedom, and fun) and how video game players were able to achieve at least one of these needs through the choices presented in gameplay (Alexander, Rainey, & Page, 2016). This shows that, through choice theory, we can allow audience members to potentially meet all four of their basic psychological needs.

ii. I can easily see how this information should be applied to the video game industry. Being able to meet the needs of a player’s psychological needs should be a top priority of any game designer. Understanding that meeting these needs will lead to other benefits such as increased immersion and character identification will have an untold positive influence on the audience’s experience.

iii. During the Game Expo project this month, I will implement by knowledge of choices and psychological need fulfillment to provide the best possible experience for those involved possible.

b PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN: THE REJECTION OF ARTIFICE AND THE CULTURE OF CHOICE

i. This article did well to instruct me much on American society has shifted towards utilizing less-rigid, more ambiguous systems. More choices are available in nearly every corner of our daily experiences, and stagnation isn’t accepted by younger generations anymore. This allows video games, and other “user-controlled” forms of media, to give players a form of choice control needed by their culture.

ii. Understanding how the culture and its demands has shifted is important to anyone working within the video game industry. Being able to adapt to the needs of the consumer, in this case a multitude of assortments to pick from, will give one an advantage in the field. Additionally, I would strive to further explore the choice culture and how it relates to the decisions available to us throughout the overarching narrative of a game.

iii. Part of my project this month, coordinating the Game Expo, will potentially require me to deal with feedback. I will apply my knowledge of the choice culture to better understand the needs of the players.


                                                               

Topic #3 References

Alexander, J., Rainey, S., & Page, B. (2016). DIGITAL CHOICES AND FULFILLMENT OF         CHOICE THEORY'S FOUR BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS. International Journal Of             Choice Theory & Reality Therapy, XXXV(2), 25-35. Retrieved from                                                   http://search.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/login.aspx?                           direct=true&db=a9h&AN=115876649&site=ehost-live

Wilkinson, M. & Clark, P. (2014). PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE                   CURTAIN: THE REJECTION OF ARTIFICE AND THE CULTURE OF CHOICE. ASBBSEjournal, 10(1), 132-141. Retrieved from                                                                     http://search.ebscohost.com.oclc.fullsail.edu:81/login.aspx?                                                               direct=true&db=bth&AN=102984642&site=ehost-live