Collecting: a way of exploring the difficulty to leave game world Guo Yichen Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China for the degree of Master of Philosophy July 2015 Page 1 Abstract: Digital games have become a part of daily life for people in recent years. they have the capacity of making game users set playing games as top priority in daily life. In this sense, playing digital games can break the balance between the virtual and the reality and it is possible that some people may get lost in the virtual world. However, this thesis argues that it can be inappropriate just equating excessive play with addiction. By discussing and connecting previous literature reviews on games and addiction, as well as adding three game case studies, this thesis finally finds collecting as a different approach to explore the difficulty to leave game world. Through discussing in-game collecting and book collecting in ancient China, this thesis helps answer how people understand the heavy use on digital games and what is hidden behind choosing to stay in game world. Page 2 Acknowledgement: I would like to firstly thank my supervisors Dr. Andrew White and Dr. Bjarke Liboriussen for their priceless academic support. I would also like to thank my father who offered me first-hand resources to help me construct the discussion part, he deserves my special respect. Page 3 Table of content: 1. Introduction and methodology: 5 1) Research background 5 2) Gamer type 7 3) Research contribution and research methodology 9 2. Digital games and the roles they can play: 14 1) The definition of digital games: 14 2) Three possible roles that digital games can play: 18 -- As a kind of play 19 -- As a process of construction 20 -- As a way for escaping 22 3. Addiction: when pleasure becomes a burden: 25 1) The discussion on the term addiction 25 2) Previous researches on Internet addiction 28 4. Collecting: a ‘game’ among collectors: 35 1) The definition of collecting and possible motivations for collecting 35 2) The connections among digital games, collecting, and addiction 36 3) Collecting: a desire-driven behaviour 39 5. Case studies on three different game platforms: 44 1) The achievement system in World of Warcraft 44 2) Ragnarok Odyssey on PlayStation Vita 52 3) SanGuoSha 62 6. Discussion and conclusion: 66 7. References: 75 Page 4 1. Introduction and methodology: 1) Research background: Playing digital games has become a considerable choice for entertainment and to some extent a part of daily life. In China, based on the presentation of Sun Shoushan, deputy director of the Press and Publication Administration, the Chinese online game market has become a 42.85 billion Yuan industry in 2011, with a 23.54 percent growth compared to 2010 (Sina Games, 2012). From the perspective of Sun, the rapid development of online games is a new opportunity for economy growth and game industry should concentrate on satisfying the demands of the masses, especially adolescents (Sina Games, 2012). Meanwhile, according to the recent 2013 China Gaming Industry Report, new statistics show that in 2013 the number of Chinese domestic gamers has reached 0.49 billion, with the contribution of approximately 83.17 billion Yuan (Game Publication Committee, 2014). Although traditional online games (client games) still occupy 64.5% of the entire Chinese game market, it cannot be ignored that webpage games, mobile games and social games are developing rapidly (ibid.). Games are now can be played in and across multiple platforms, including PC, mobile phone, tablet computer and game consoles such as Xbox One and PlayStation 4. This indicates the increasing popularity of digital games and people are more willing to spend time and money to enjoy engaging in game worlds. Nevertheless, the more time spent on playing games, it is more possible to say that people may get lost in the virtual world. Sometimes playing digital games breaks the balance between the virtual and the reality, and Roberts (2010) argues that it may develop into excessive behaviour which to a large extent affects social relationships, individual health, and jobs. Van Cleave (2010: 197) offers a vivid description which shows how a gamer gradually turning away from his or her original social relationships: I’ll phone you later Tomorrow Next weekend Later Never It seems that what Robert and Van Cleave have pointed out means that digital games have the capacity of making game users set playing games as temporarily high priority in daily life. Digital games to some extent substitute some other components of daily life and then become its major part. In this sense, game users feel difficult to leave game world. For example, when playing an online game such as World of Warcraft, it is possible that dining regularly is less important than completing one quest with other players, due to the attractiveness of this game world as well as the fact that it is impolite to make others wait in front of the screen. On the other hand, setting playing games as high priority is temporary, and it is certain that it can become low priority in daily life once people gradually Page 5 lose interest. A game can easily get people involved; at the same time it is also easy to make them feel bored, because no one can stick to just one game for the whole life. Despite the fact that there is a switch from high priority to low priority when playing games, it is also possible that people may turn to another game to continue enjoying engaging in the virtual world. As a result, there is a cycle with the choice of setting playing games from high priority to low priority, and then from low priority to high priority. This to some extent indicates the difficulty to quit from game worlds; and combining one definition of addiction which defines it as ‘a chronic, relapsing, brain disease’ (Heyman, 2009: 17), it seems that playing digital games to some extent shares with the feature of relapsing. It can be common for players to re-experience the same game or search for a similar game in order to recall their game memory. Nevertheless, I believe that it is doubtable to equate excessive play with addiction. The first point is the withdraw distress. Lindesmith (2008) points out that withdraw distress can be the key criterion to recognize addiction which drives addicts eagerly to obtain drugs without caring the sacrifices. As a result, drugs maintain the highest priority for those drug addicts. When referring to excessive play, it is problematic to say that withdraw distress actually has effect because the high priority is temporary which has been argued above. The second point is the difference of the availability. Lindesmith (2008) notes that drug user often have anxiety concerning the limited drug supply, and he makes a hypothesis that if food and drugs exchange their position on supply it is no doubt that famine would be the central anxiety instead of addiction. On the other hand, as mentioned above game industry is enjoying its rapid development on multiple platforms and it suggests that games are more available to people than drugs. In this sense, it is also questionable to judge whether excessive play is a negative behaviour as taking drugs. Moreover, when analysing excessive play it is also vital to recognize the relationship between games and players. Games are designed to be addictive because game companies need to make money from attracting more gamers, but players are not necessarily to be addicted to the every aspect in the game world: in other words, they are actually making choices for various reasons, such as searching for happiness and recreating reality (McGonigal, 2011). These reasons to some extent make players stay in the virtual world, and different opinions arise when regarding the loyalty to games. There are two Chinese idioms: sap one's spirit by seeking pleasures (玩物丧志) and be so absorbed as to forget food and sleep (废寝忘食). Both the two are metaphors which show how a person devotes himself or herself into a certain activity. However, the former one stands for the negative and the latter means the positive. At this point, I want to find out whether playing games should only be related with the first idiom while the second idiom belongs to some other contributory hobbies such as collecting. On the other hand, a famous critic against online games, Tao Hongkai, who claims that online games are spiritual opium, now becomes an image speaker for the online game Show Sword 2 (Xinhua Net, 2012). Tao believes that this game corresponds with the features of healthy online game: healthy content, strong sense of reality, no involvement of addiction in its operation (Xinhua Net, 2012). Page 6 However, according to the investment of Xinhua Net (2012), approximately half of its respondents believe that it is a shame for Tao to become an image speaker for Show Sword 2, and his decision loses trust among the masses. Meanwhile, about 40 percent of respondents reply that they will never play this game because Tao becomes depraved just for making money (Net Ease Games, 2012). In this regard, the rapid growth of Chinese online games and the change of Tao both reflect the fact that online games are gradually becoming an important part for the society. In other words, online game nowadays is challenging the perception of the masses, and the criticism on Tao’s ‘betraying’ is just the case. At this point, the conflict between games and the potential heavy use on them raises the question that what can we get from staying in those online games.