Understanding Consumer Harm in Online Multiplayer Video Games

了解在线多人视频游戏中的消费者伤害

• 批准号: 2748291
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Nottingham
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2748291
• 关键词: Understanding; Consumer; Harm; Online; Multiplayer

This research aims to understand consumer harm experienced by gamers in online multiplayer video games. Consumer harm (or Consumer Detriment) means any loss, damage, or negative impact experienced by a consumer due to the design decisions made by a company to influence consumer decision making. This includes financial loss, psychological distress, negative impacts on mental wellbeing, and consumers being pushed to make decisions that they do not want to make or otherwise would not make.There are concerns among legislators that elements of video games may cause consumer harm to players.Many countries have tried to regulate loot boxes (a video game mechanic where in exchange for real-world money, players receive a randomised in-game reward of uncertain value). Current regulation relies on the assumption that there is a simple, clear-cut relationship between individual problematic game mechanics and the consumer harm players are experiencing and that therefore, removing the mechanic will eradicate the harm.However, it is unknown whether the harms experienced in video games are specifically linked and solely attributable to problematic mechanics or whether they stem from a nexus of harm created by the immersive video game environment.There is little research into the impact of these harms or how to identify those most likely to be negatively affected by them.Regulating an individual game mechanic stops that mechanic appearing in games but without a better understanding of the consumer harm experienced by players, it is impossible to know whether regulating an individual game mechanic will successfully reduce the harm it sought to address.Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand what constitutes consumer harm in video games.This thesis will answer the following questions:1. What harms do gamers experience in online multiplayer video games? Who are the people most affected?2. What methods can be used to measure the intensity of these harms?3. How can a better understanding of video game harm be used to protect consumers?This research will answer these questions through a qualitative methodology that draws on the lived experience of consumers.It is important that gamers are involved in the research process and contribute to the process of understanding gaming harm because any attempt to understand consumer harm should be informed by the individuals experiencing that harm. Through user-centric HCI methods such as participatory design, input from both harmed and non-harmed gamers will be incorporated into this PhD.The research findings will be used to formulate a new conceptualisation of consumer harm in video games that better captures gamers' lived experiences as well as psychological understandings of harm.This work will amplify the voices of harmed gamers, help develop a more complete understanding of the consumer harm experienced in video games, and contribute to the ongoing discussions about how to ensure effective consumer protection in video games. This research may also have an impact on wider understandings of consumer harm particularly in relation to immersive, digital mediums such as social media platforms and the Metaverse.

这项研究旨在了解玩家在在线多人视频游戏中经历的消费者伤害。消费者伤害（或消费者损害）是指由于公司为影响消费者决策而做出的设计决策而导致消费者遭受的任何损失、损害或负面影响。这包括经济损失、心理困扰、对心理健康的负面影响，以及消费者被迫做出他们不想做或本来不会做的决定。立法者担心视频游戏的元素可能会对玩家造成消费者伤害。许多国家都试图监管战利品盒（一种视频游戏机制，玩家可以用现实世界的金钱换取价值不确定的随机游戏内奖励）。目前的监管基于这样的假设：个别有问题的游戏机制与玩家所经历的消费者伤害之间存在简单、明确的关系，因此，删除该机制将消除伤害。然而，尚不清楚视频游戏中经历的伤害是否有明确的联系并仅归因于有问题的机制，或者它们是否源于沉浸式视频游戏环境所造成的伤害的联系。对这些影响的研究很少。 监管单个游戏机制可以阻止该机制在游戏中出现，但如果不能更好地了解玩家所经历的消费者伤害，就不可能知道监管单个游戏机制是否会成功减少其试图解决的伤害。因此，迫切需要了解什么构成了视频游戏中的消费者伤害。本文将回答以下问题：1。玩家在在线多人视频游戏中会遇到哪些伤害？谁是受影响最严重的人？2.可以用什么方法来衡量这些危害的强度？3．如何更好地了解视频游戏伤害来保护消费者？本研究将通过借鉴消费者生活经验的定性方法来回答这些问题。重要的是，游戏玩家参与研究过程并为理解游戏伤害的过程做出贡献，因为任何了解消费者伤害的尝试都应该由经历该伤害的个人告知。通过参与式设计等以用户为中心的人机交互方法，受到伤害和未受到伤害的游戏玩家的意见将被纳入本博士学位。研究结果将用于制定视频游戏中消费者伤害的新概念，更好地捕捉游戏玩家的生活经历以及对伤害的心理理解。这项工作将放大受伤害游戏玩家的声音，帮助更全面地了解视频游戏中经历的消费者伤害，并有助于 关于如何确保视频游戏中有效的消费者保护的持续讨论。这项研究还可能对更广泛地理解消费者伤害产生影响，特别是与社交媒体平台和元宇宙等沉浸式数字媒体相关的伤害。