Gameplay in an Unfamiliar Environment: Novice and Expert Adult Players Encountering Portal for the First Time
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Gameplay In An Unfamiliar Environment: Novice and Expert Adult Players Encountering Portal For The First Time by Andrew Keenan A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Information University of Toronto Copyright © 2018 by Andrew Keenan Abstract Gameplay In An Unfamiliar Environment: Novice and Expert Adult Players Encountering Portal For The First Time Andrew Keenan Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Information University of Toronto 2018 This thesis asks how adult video game players encounter an unfamiliar game for the first time by examining their gameplay. Gameplay is “the way a game is actu- ally played” (Juul, 2005, p. 83). Players were invited to participate in a recorded gameplay session and share their reflections on their first encounter with Portal, a first-person puzzle video game. Using the video commentary model methodology with an exploratory approach, players reviewed and commented on their gameplay footage immediately following their session using a retroactive talk aloud protocol. These sessions were analyzed, comparing how different players encountered the game, how they identified challenges, and how they created solutions to those challenges. There was a noteworthy diversity in how different players encountered Portal with trends emerging amongst players with similar expertise. Novice players found it more difficult to progress through Portal than expert players. There were differences in times to completion, puzzle comprehension, and assessment of game mechanics when comparing novice and expert players. A continuum of players emerged between those with less gameplay expertise and those with significant gameplay expertise. There were considerable barriers to entry for novice players. ii Contents Abstract.................................. ii Table of Contents............................. iii List of Tables...............................x List of Figures............................... xii 1 Introduction1 1.1 Information studies and video game research..............5 1.2 Research design..............................6 1.3 Significance................................8 1.4 Chapter overview............................. 10 2 Literature review and theoretical framework 13 2.1 Learning to play video games...................... 13 2.1.1 Situated cognition........................ 15 2.1.2 Situated action.......................... 17 2.1.3 Zone of proximal development and scaffolding......... 20 2.1.4 Affinity groups.......................... 22 2.1.5 Problems of self-reporting.................... 26 2.1.6 Summary of learning theories.................. 28 2.2 Gameplay................................. 29 iii 2.2.1 The Possibility space and emergent play............ 31 2.2.2 Rationalized play......................... 34 2.2.3 Flow Theory............................ 37 2.2.4 Flow and failure.......................... 41 2.2.5 Summary of gameplay theories................. 42 2.3 Information practice........................... 43 2.3.1 Episodic information practice.................. 45 2.3.2 Sense-making........................... 47 2.3.3 Gameplaying practice....................... 49 2.3.4 Summary of information studies theories............ 51 2.4 Assumptions................................ 52 2.5 Conclusion................................. 56 3 Methodology 57 3.1 Research questions............................ 58 3.1.1 Research question one...................... 58 3.1.2 Research question two...................... 60 3.1.3 Research question three..................... 61 3.2 Research Design.............................. 63 3.2.1 Similar gameplay research design................ 65 3.3 Choosing Portal as the research site................... 68 3.3.1 Game mechanics of Portal.................... 69 3.3.2 Learning to play Portal...................... 71 3.3.3 Scaffolding............................. 72 3.3.4 Not quite a first-person shooter................. 74 3.4 Data collection.............................. 76 iv 3.4.1 Interview design.......................... 79 3.4.2 Mapping Portal.......................... 81 3.4.3 Recruitment............................ 82 3.4.4 Pilot study............................ 84 3.4.5 Research Site........................... 85 3.5 Data analysis............................... 85 3.6 Conclusion................................. 87 4 The Players 89 4.1 Player demographics........................... 89 4.1.1 Age and gender.......................... 90 4.2 Previous gameplay experience and expertise.............. 90 4.2.1 Preferred genres.......................... 90 4.2.2 Most recently played video game................ 91 4.2.3 Favorite video game....................... 91 4.2.4 Frequency of playing video games................ 92 4.3 Self-perceived experience and confidence................ 93 4.3.1 Experience playing video games................. 93 4.3.2 Confidence playing video games................. 94 4.3.3 Experience playing first-person perspective games....... 95 4.3.4 Confidence playing first-person perspective games....... 95 4.4 Determining player expertise....................... 96 4.4.1 Progress in Portal ........................ 97 4.4.2 Secondary factors to player progress............... 98 4.4.3 Times to completion....................... 98 4.4.4 Increasing times to completion.................. 99 v 4.4.5 Difficult chambers......................... 99 4.4.6 Average completion time..................... 100 4.5 Player groups............................... 100 4.5.1 Novice players........................... 101 4.5.2 Intermediate players....................... 102 4.5.3 Expert players........................... 103 4.5.4 Moving forward with the player groups............. 104 4.6 Revising the research questions..................... 104 4.6.1 Research question two...................... 105 4.6.2 Research question three..................... 105 4.7 Overview of the players.......................... 106 4.8 Conclusion................................. 106 5 Findings 108 5.1 Player reflections............................. 109 5.1.1 Portal is too easy......................... 109 5.1.2 Portal is too difficult....................... 111 5.1.3 Frustrating experiences...................... 113 5.1.4 Rewarding experiences...................... 117 5.2 Gameplaying practices.......................... 120 5.2.1 Observations and visual cues................... 120 5.2.2 Experimental gameplaying practices............... 130 5.2.3 Sense-making........................... 131 5.3 Previous gameplay experience...................... 137 5.3.1 Comparisons to other games................... 137 5.3.2 Gameplaying practices from first-person shooters....... 140 vi 5.3.3 Semiotics of games........................ 142 5.4 Challenges in Portal........................... 147 5.4.1 Different players, different challenges.............. 147 5.4.2 Description of challenges..................... 151 5.5 Learning in Portal ............................ 155 5.5.1 Tutorials.............................. 155 5.5.2 Scaffolding............................. 159 5.5.3 Learning the portal mechanic.................. 161 5.5.4 Struggling with the interface................... 163 5.6 Conclusion................................. 168 6 Discussion 169 6.1 First encounters.............................. 169 6.1.1 Consistencies and continuities.................. 170 6.1.2 Divergences and variations.................... 171 6.2 Gameplaying practices.......................... 172 6.2.1 Novice players........................... 173 6.2.2 Intermediate players....................... 174 6.2.3 Expert players........................... 176 6.3 Previous gameplaying experience and player expertise......... 178 6.3.1 Previous experience and first encounters............ 179 6.3.2 Semiotic domain of Portal .................... 180 6.4 Challenges................................. 182 6.4.1 Challenges for novice players................... 182 6.4.2 Challenges for intermediate players............... 183 6.4.3 Challenges for expert players................... 184 vii 6.4.4 Description of challenges..................... 185 6.4.5 Conceptualizing challenges.................... 187 6.5 Learning in Portal ............................ 187 6.5.1 Tutorials.............................. 188 6.5.2 Scaffolding............................. 189 6.5.3 Portal mechanic.......................... 190 6.5.4 Improving first encounters.................... 191 6.6 Revisiting the assumptions........................ 192 6.7 Gender and expertise........................... 198 6.8 Conclusion................................. 200 7 Conclusion 201 7.1 Revisiting Canada's digital society................... 204 7.2 Contributions............................... 206 7.3 Future work................................ 210 Bibliography 213 Appendices 229 A Consent letter 231 B Email query to participants 234 C Interview questions 236 D Snowball sample recruitment letter 238 E Recruitment brochure 240 viii F Portal map 242 G Demographic survey 266 H Portal chamber completion times 270 I Developing Portal 272 J Portal 2 276 K Aperture Science 281 L Characters of Portal 284 M Most recently played video game 288 N Favorite video game 290 O Summary of the theories 292 ix List of Tables 2.1 Summary of learning theories...................... 28 2.2 Summary of gameplay theories...................... 43 2.3 Summary of information studies theories................ 51 4.1 Players preferred genres......................... 91 4.2 Frequency of playing video games