INTRODUCTION This paper historically examines how video game microtransaction monetization method... more INTRODUCTION This paper historically examines how video game microtransaction monetization methods fundamentally change game design and potentially player’s experience with the medium. By examining the history of video game microtransactions, this paper attempts to show how the rise of “loot boxes” have fundamentally influenced game design and experience. Recently, loot boxes have been referred to as “the video game issue of the year” and the “biggest gaming story of the year” by some commentators (Horti, 2017; Kuchera, 2017) with one journalist going so far as to declare the conflicts over this divisive form of monetization as the “battle for the soul of gaming” (Cross, 2017). Therefore, it is essential that we place “loot boxes” in a historical and cultural context.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers are increasingly vital for count... more Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers are increasingly vital for countries, such as the United States and United Kingdom, to remain innovative and productive in the 21st century. Despite the growing demand and lucrative nature of STEM fields, minorities have remained traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers, possibly due to digital divide factors. In this study, we use social cognitive theory to explore the potential of video gameplay to provide a means of increasing minority students’ comfort with information and communication technologies, thereby increasing their positive STEM attitudes. Data were gathered during a large-scale computing intervention in an elementary school district in the southeastern United States. The results indicate that video game experiences may influence STEM attitudes via the mediating role of computer self-efficacy and emotional costs. Video gameplay, including games for entertainment, may be beneficial for young digitall...
Older adults are the most digitally divided demographic group. The present study explores how old... more Older adults are the most digitally divided demographic group. The present study explores how older adults perceive the physical use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly across generations and contexts. Data for the present study come from nine focus groups. Seniors acknowledge that ICTs help them connect with geographically distant social ties, but that they lead to feelings of disconnection with geographically close social ties. We label this phenomenon the “physical–digital divide,” which exists when a group feels ostracized or offended when those around them engage with ICTs while they themselves are not or cannot engage with ICTs. Younger generations are often referred to as “digital natives” and older generations as “digital immigrants.” A more apt label for older adults may be “physical natives,” as their preferred method of communication involves physical face-to-face interactions and traditional codes of etiquette. Suggestions are made for redu...
Background Researchers and therapists have increasingly turned to digital games for new forms of ... more Background Researchers and therapists have increasingly turned to digital games for new forms of treatments and interventions for people suffering from a variety of mental health issues. Yet, the depiction of mental illness within digital games typically promotes stigmatized versions of those with mental health concerns. Recently, more games have attempted to implement more realistic and respectful depictions of mental health conditions. Objective This paper presents an exploratory analysis of a contemporary game that has the potential to change the way researchers, practitioners, and game designers approach topics of mental health within the context of gaming. Methods A case study of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was conducted using frame analysis to show how key design choices for this game present the potential for new ways of approaching games and mental health. Results A case study of Hellblade’s development shows how research-informed collaborative design with mental health...
The tsunami of change triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed society in a series of c... more The tsunami of change triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed society in a series of cascading crises. Unlike disasters that are more temporarily and spatially bounded, the pandemic has continued to expand across time and space for over a year, leaving an unusually broad range of second-order and third-order harms in its wake. Globally, the unusual conditions of the pandemic—unlike other crises—have impacted almost every facet of our lives. The pandemic has deepened existing inequalities and created new vulnerabilities related to social isolation, incarceration, involuntary exclusion from the labor market, diminished economic opportunity, life-and-death risk in the workplace, and a host of emergent digital, emotional, and economic divides. In tandem, many less advantaged individuals and groups have suffered disproportionate hardship related to the pandemic in the form of fear and anxiety, exposure to misinformation, and the effects of the politicization of the crisis. Man...
The development of computer skills, as well as computer self-efficacy, has increased in importanc... more The development of computer skills, as well as computer self-efficacy, has increased in importance along with the role of technology in everyday life. Childhood is a critical time for the development of these skills since early inequalities may substantially impact future life outcomes. In a context of a computing intervention designed to improve digital inclusion, we hypothesize that students’ enactive learning experience (conceptualized as their computer usage) and their vicarious learning experience (conceptualized as their perception of their teacher’s computer usage) are associated with the development of perceived technology efficacy and STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Math) attitudes. Data are from a sample of elementary school students from an urban school district in the Southeastern United States. The results show that both their direct experiences and their perception of their teacher’s computer usage have strong impacts on students’ technology efficacy and STEM...
2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the “digital divide.” Although a quarter century has passed, l... more 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the “digital divide.” Although a quarter century has passed, legacy digital inequalities continue, and emergent digital inequalities are proliferating. Many of the initial schisms identified in 1995 are still relevant today. Twenty-five years later, foundational access inequalities continue to separate the digital haves and the digital have-nots within and across countries. In addition, even ubiquitous-access populations are riven with skill inequalities and differentiated usage. Indeed, legacy digital inequalities persist vis-à-vis economic class, gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity, aging, disability, healthcare, education, rural residency, networks, and global geographies. At the same time, emergent forms of inequality now appear alongside legacy inequalities such that notions of digital inequalities must be continually expanded to become more nuanced. We capture the increasingly complex and interrelated nature of digital inequalities by intro...
INTRODUCTION This paper historically examines how video game microtransaction monetization method... more INTRODUCTION This paper historically examines how video game microtransaction monetization methods fundamentally change game design and potentially player’s experience with the medium. By examining the history of video game microtransactions, this paper attempts to show how the rise of “loot boxes” have fundamentally influenced game design and experience. Recently, loot boxes have been referred to as “the video game issue of the year” and the “biggest gaming story of the year” by some commentators (Horti, 2017; Kuchera, 2017) with one journalist going so far as to declare the conflicts over this divisive form of monetization as the “battle for the soul of gaming” (Cross, 2017). Therefore, it is essential that we place “loot boxes” in a historical and cultural context.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers are increasingly vital for count... more Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers are increasingly vital for countries, such as the United States and United Kingdom, to remain innovative and productive in the 21st century. Despite the growing demand and lucrative nature of STEM fields, minorities have remained traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers, possibly due to digital divide factors. In this study, we use social cognitive theory to explore the potential of video gameplay to provide a means of increasing minority students’ comfort with information and communication technologies, thereby increasing their positive STEM attitudes. Data were gathered during a large-scale computing intervention in an elementary school district in the southeastern United States. The results indicate that video game experiences may influence STEM attitudes via the mediating role of computer self-efficacy and emotional costs. Video gameplay, including games for entertainment, may be beneficial for young digitall...
Older adults are the most digitally divided demographic group. The present study explores how old... more Older adults are the most digitally divided demographic group. The present study explores how older adults perceive the physical use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly across generations and contexts. Data for the present study come from nine focus groups. Seniors acknowledge that ICTs help them connect with geographically distant social ties, but that they lead to feelings of disconnection with geographically close social ties. We label this phenomenon the “physical–digital divide,” which exists when a group feels ostracized or offended when those around them engage with ICTs while they themselves are not or cannot engage with ICTs. Younger generations are often referred to as “digital natives” and older generations as “digital immigrants.” A more apt label for older adults may be “physical natives,” as their preferred method of communication involves physical face-to-face interactions and traditional codes of etiquette. Suggestions are made for redu...
Background Researchers and therapists have increasingly turned to digital games for new forms of ... more Background Researchers and therapists have increasingly turned to digital games for new forms of treatments and interventions for people suffering from a variety of mental health issues. Yet, the depiction of mental illness within digital games typically promotes stigmatized versions of those with mental health concerns. Recently, more games have attempted to implement more realistic and respectful depictions of mental health conditions. Objective This paper presents an exploratory analysis of a contemporary game that has the potential to change the way researchers, practitioners, and game designers approach topics of mental health within the context of gaming. Methods A case study of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice was conducted using frame analysis to show how key design choices for this game present the potential for new ways of approaching games and mental health. Results A case study of Hellblade’s development shows how research-informed collaborative design with mental health...
The tsunami of change triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed society in a series of c... more The tsunami of change triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed society in a series of cascading crises. Unlike disasters that are more temporarily and spatially bounded, the pandemic has continued to expand across time and space for over a year, leaving an unusually broad range of second-order and third-order harms in its wake. Globally, the unusual conditions of the pandemic—unlike other crises—have impacted almost every facet of our lives. The pandemic has deepened existing inequalities and created new vulnerabilities related to social isolation, incarceration, involuntary exclusion from the labor market, diminished economic opportunity, life-and-death risk in the workplace, and a host of emergent digital, emotional, and economic divides. In tandem, many less advantaged individuals and groups have suffered disproportionate hardship related to the pandemic in the form of fear and anxiety, exposure to misinformation, and the effects of the politicization of the crisis. Man...
The development of computer skills, as well as computer self-efficacy, has increased in importanc... more The development of computer skills, as well as computer self-efficacy, has increased in importance along with the role of technology in everyday life. Childhood is a critical time for the development of these skills since early inequalities may substantially impact future life outcomes. In a context of a computing intervention designed to improve digital inclusion, we hypothesize that students’ enactive learning experience (conceptualized as their computer usage) and their vicarious learning experience (conceptualized as their perception of their teacher’s computer usage) are associated with the development of perceived technology efficacy and STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Math) attitudes. Data are from a sample of elementary school students from an urban school district in the Southeastern United States. The results show that both their direct experiences and their perception of their teacher’s computer usage have strong impacts on students’ technology efficacy and STEM...
2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the “digital divide.” Although a quarter century has passed, l... more 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the “digital divide.” Although a quarter century has passed, legacy digital inequalities continue, and emergent digital inequalities are proliferating. Many of the initial schisms identified in 1995 are still relevant today. Twenty-five years later, foundational access inequalities continue to separate the digital haves and the digital have-nots within and across countries. In addition, even ubiquitous-access populations are riven with skill inequalities and differentiated usage. Indeed, legacy digital inequalities persist vis-à-vis economic class, gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity, aging, disability, healthcare, education, rural residency, networks, and global geographies. At the same time, emergent forms of inequality now appear alongside legacy inequalities such that notions of digital inequalities must be continually expanded to become more nuanced. We capture the increasingly complex and interrelated nature of digital inequalities by intro...
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Papers by Christopher Ball