The Player-Character Position: Understanding how Computer Game Players Relate to Predefined Characters
Author
Schandel, Iben
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2014
Submitted on
2014-05-28
Pages
69
Abstract
Dette projekt undersøger, hvordan spillere forholder sig til på forhånd designede spilfigurer. Metoden er grounded theory, dvs. at begreber udvikles ud fra data frem for at teste en på forhånd fastlagt teori. På baggrund af indlæg fra et online spilforum og fokusgruppeinterviews udvikles Player-Character Position Model, som beskriver flere måder, spillere kan “indtage en position” i forhold til figuren: Bruger (ser figuren som et redskab eller værktøj), Hjælper/Seer (guider eller iagttager figuren udefra), samt Identifikation (føler at man er figuren). Modellen omfatter også Projektion, Projektiv identifikation og Substitution, som handler om, hvordan spillere kan tillægge figuren egne egenskaber eller lade den stå i stedet for dem selv. Data peger på, at valget af position påvirkes både af figurens design og af spilsystemet, og at spillere kan skifte mellem flere positioner under spillet. For at undersøge identifikation nærmere blev der udviklet et spilforløb som en mod til The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim med Bethesda Creation Kit. Denne mod er foreløbigt testet i førsteperson, og interviews med 10 mandlige deltagere indikerer, at spillerne mindst indtager positionerne Bruger, Hjælper/Seer og Identifikation. Der er dog behov for yderligere studier for at skelne tydeligere mellem Projektion og Substitution.
This project explores how players relate to predesigned characters in video games. It uses a grounded theory approach, meaning concepts are built from data rather than tested against a preset hypothesis. Drawing on posts from an online game forum and focus group interviews, the study develops the Player-Character Position Model, which outlines several ways players can take a “position” toward a character: User (treating the character as a tool), Helper/Viewer (guiding or observing the character from the outside), and Identification (feeling as if one is the character). The model also includes Projection, Projective Identification, and Substitution, referring to ways players may read aspects of themselves into the character or let the character stand in for themselves. Findings indicate that both character design and the wider game system shape which positions players adopt, and that players can move between positions during play. To examine identification more closely, a game scenario was created as a mod for The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim using the Bethesda Creation Kit. Tested so far in first-person, interviews with 10 male participants suggest that players at least take on the User, Helper/Viewer, and Identification positions. Further research is needed to clarify the difference between Projection and Substitution.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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