dc.contributor.author |
Bell, Rebecca |
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2011-09-19T23:08:11Z |
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2022-10-30T23:16:09Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2011-09-19T23:08:11Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2022-10-30T23:16:09Z |
|
dc.date.copyright |
1998 |
|
dc.date.issued |
1998 |
|
dc.identifier.uri |
https://ir.wgtn.ac.nz/handle/123456789/26449 |
|
dc.description.abstract |
Playing computer games has become an increasingly popular activity of New Zealand adolescents but the reasons behind this trend are largely under-researched. The purpose of this thesis was to explore why young New Zealand males and females play computer games. Adolescent motivations for computer game-playing were identified and comparisons were made with their motivations for participating in other leisure activities. The ways in which same-sex participants interacted when they played computer games was also investigated to provide further evidence of adolescents' motivations behind computer game-playing.
A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods enabled 12 participants' experiences to be set in a broader context. The study involved two parts: firstly, the observational study that identified the interactions between same-sex pairs while playing a computer game; secondly, the open-ended questionnaire that discovered adolescents' attitudes to and motivations for computer game-playing and their participation in other leisure activities.
The findings showed that computer game-playing is equally popular with males and females, although males tend to play more often and for longer periods of time. Other findings of the study were: the importance of fun, excitement, skill and competition as intrinsically motivating factors for male computer game players; the importance of challenge, fun, and excitement as intrinsically motivating factors for female computer game players. It was found that the intrinsically motivating factors for computer game-playing were not unlike the participants' reasons for playing sport and socialising. Co-operation was a strong behaviour for both males and females in the study, as was control that was displayed through instances of dominance.
The concepts of assimilation and flow offered a possible explanation for why adolescents play computer games as a leisure activity. |
en_NZ |
dc.format |
pdf |
en_NZ |
dc.language |
en_NZ |
|
dc.language.iso |
en_NZ |
|
dc.publisher |
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington |
en_NZ |
dc.title |
Computer games: what motivates New Zealand adolescents? |
en_NZ |
dc.type |
Text |
en_NZ |
vuwschema.type.vuw |
Awarded Research Masters Thesis |
en_NZ |
thesis.degree.discipline |
Recreation and Leisure Studies |
en_NZ |
thesis.degree.grantor |
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington |
en_NZ |
thesis.degree.level |
Masters |
en_NZ |
thesis.degree.name |
Master of Arts |
en_NZ |