Videogames Fill Psychological Needs for Players

codegen writes "The CBC (among others) is reporting that researchers at the University of Rochester and Immersyve Inc. have released a study indicating that people enjoy video games because they satisfy a psychological need. The study showed that the interrelations between players in MMOGs were particularly important. From the article: 'Gamers said they felt the best about their experience when the games they played produced positive outcomes in scenarios related to the real world ... The researchers evaluated players' motivations in virtual worlds by asking four groups of people to play different games, including a genre known as massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, which some industry watchers regard as the future of video games.'"

So wait, are all videogames MMOGs now?

[sottitron]

I don't know about anyone else, but I play to escape, not to feel fulfilled about anything of the real world.

This just in

[indros13]

People also enjoy sunshine, sexual activity, and singing in the rain. Some of these are also enjoyed in a massively multiplayer environment.

I play videogames because...

[Pojut]

...well, for a few reasons I suppose.

1. They can be damned fun.
2. They continually make my brain keep working, continually trying out new tactics.
3. Many a LAN party are included in my top 10 favorite memories of my entire life.
4. There are parts of the gaming community that are fantastic and allow for great friendships to come about.
5. They provide a fun alternative to the daily grind (much like drugs)
6. They have the ABILITY to be educational
7. They provide a safe place for the dark desires that dwell within all of us to be satiated. Afterall, would you rather someone be killing people on screen, or people on the street?

As far as fulfilling some psychological need, I wouldn't put myself in that group...however, I don't dispute it either; I know many people who are anti-social, have anxiety, are overly shy, have aspergers, or various other things that prevent them from interacting properly face to face. Put them behind a WoW toon though, and suddenly they become open and talkative and friendly.

Video games to me are a fantastic form of entertainment. They are similar to reading, the difference being instead of working your imagination, they work your reasoning and reaction. They require you to part with "daily reality", however, and embrace a different world. This is most definately not a bad thing when used in moderation.

Last but not least, it serves for a way for me and my fiance to bond...granted, there are many lonely gamers out there, but for geeks and nerds who are lucky enough to have a spouse who is just as geeky and nerdy...well, playing video games with a spouse who not only wants to but EXPECTS to brings about some amazingly fun times.

The reason is obvious

[cy_a253]

We like videogames (and films and TV drama series) simply because we lead exceedingly boring lives, whether we realize it or not.

Just take this simple test: would the last 24 hours of your life make for a good season of "24"? Would anyone watch it?

Re:So wait, are all videogames MMOGs now?

[Maximum Prophet]

You can, and some people do, escape by digging a hole in your back yard and moving in. (The deeper, the better the escape)

Video games are more fulfilling than the hole. Better games are more fulfilling than not so good games, although we are seeing some MMOGs that are achieving a low-level, lizard-brain kind of fulfillment that is more adicting than good-for-you.

Re:Duh

[moore.dustin]

I dont play for "entertainment" as much as I am entertained by what the game offers. Competition, strategic thinking, social aspects (MMO), and others depending on the game. I go to a movie, read, or watch TV more for pure entertainment than I do with games. Games also offer some to escape reality for a while and "let loose", which is not simple entertainment. Sometime I like a good 20 minutes of fragging before sitting down to code something for example. I am playing to zone out, relax, and not worry about whatever is looming in the near future.

Of all the things I *COULD* be...

[HerculesMO]

I'm a gamer.

I could be an alcoholic. I could be abusive. I could be a prick. I could be an asshole. I could be any combination of the aforementioned, or even more that I haven't mentioned.

All that said, I come home after work, turn in Counterstrike: Source (don't give me shit about 1.6!), and play for about an hour. After this my mind is at ease. I'm relaxed. I make dinner, clean the house, and a lot of the crap that I deal with during the day disappears.

There is an obvious escape from reality, and the bonus is that when you are done playing, the reality you HAD is put in the back of your mind. You're fresh off a high from 20 kills straight, or you got the high score. Your mind is happy, and happy thoughts ensue.

And the only thing I did was burn a little electricity and time. And I'm still not an asshole. Yet.

Re:I play videogames because...

[garcia]

I don't need any psychoanalytical reason why, I simply play video games because they are fun to play.

It's the same reason I'm involved with geocaching [mngca.org] and post "articles" and photos to my website...

Slow news day.

Re:So wait, are all videogames MMOGs now?

[idlemind]

I'll expand a little on what need I think MMOs fill. MMO games fill a need that life does not. In the MMO your character always progresses forward. It's hard to 'fail' in an MMO and even if you do you can walk away. You can't really just walk away from failures in life.

Possibly, yes:

[Anonymous Coward]

GTA & rest of the kill-'em-all games give you the possibility to safely exercise your desire to destroy. In those games, you only develop in terms of becoming a more proficient killer. In those games, being a good killer means you are good.

Games like Tetris, Civilization, Monkey Island, exercise your desire to construct / create. In those games, creating things or solutions means you are good.

Which type of games is more popular, and why? Read the newspapers, watch the evening news, and think about it.

Leveling

[MonkeyCookie]

It's a lot more difficult to level up at work. You usually need an enormous amount of experience to level up. Some poor saps never level up at all, not even after 20 years of grinding. Others level up quickly, not because they have the necessary experience, but because they're good buddies with the guild leader. That makes it much more frustrating than WoW.

If I got a pay raise after a week of grinding, I'd sure enjoy work a lot more.

Re:Doesn't it seems obvious to you?

[HappySqurriel]

Well, indirectly it says something which everyone knows yet doesn't say ...

Gamers are looking for a sense of achievement meaning they don't actually have to achieve anthing to feel fulfilled with a game. I have noticed (personally) that when I am playing a MMORPG the game is a lot of fun until I get to the point where I see no worthwhile accomplishment left to complete; essentially, where the game has become mostly about grinding and nothing else.

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Re:So wait, are all videogames MMOGs now?

[O.W.M]

You can't really just walk away from failures in life.

Why not?

Granted death is an exception, but that isn't as likely to happen very soon in real life as in a MMORPG. Other than that you really can walk away from most failures.

I myself have some really serious failures behind me. Some by choice (we all make bad choices sometimes) and some more or less by accident. Sometimes there has been consequences, sometimes more than just a lost level, but I've always been able to walk away with a new lesson learned. So in the end I've gained as much - or sometimes even more - XP from my failures as my successes in real life :-)