Evidence that digital game players neglect age classification systems when deciding which games to play

Hollett, Ross; Tomkinson, Sian; Illingworth, Sam; Power, Brad; Harper, Tauel

Abstract

This article considers players’ experiences seeking out new games to play, and their use of the Australian National Classification Scheme in doing so. The global video game industry is booming, with hundreds of games being released each month across numerous platforms. As a result, players have an unprecedented number of games available when choosing what games to purchase. However, a number of confounding issues around the emergent content of games and the subjective nature of game reviewing makes it difficult to relate what kinds of experiences a given game will facilitate. In this study, we surveyed game players in order to find their game platform and acquisition preferences; strategies and experiences when choosing games; and attitudes towards classification systems. Our findings suggest that players find it difficult to choose what games to purchase, and that existing classification systems are mostly only beneficial when choosing games for minors.

Citation

Hollett, R., Tomkinson, S., Illingworth, S., Power, B., & Harper, T. (2022). Evidence that digital game players neglect age classification systems when deciding which games to play. PLOS ONE, 17(2), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263560

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 22, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Feb 22, 2022
• Publication Date: Feb 22, 2022
• Deposit Date: Feb 23, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 23, 2022
• Journal: PLOS ONE
• Print ISSN: 1932-6203
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 2
• Article Number: e0263560
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263560
• Keywords: Video games, Games, Computer games, Advertising, Australia, Social media, Marketing, Surveys
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2847849