This is a qualitative study of motivators for gaming. The method used was grounded theory and data was collected through internet surveys on gaming forums, followed by further questions through e-mails. The data was analysed with affinity diagrams categorized by content to identify patterns. The results show that, entertainment, interactivity, experience and escapism are the overall motivating factors, while the factors that motivate players to play a specific game are narrative, gameplay, social and aesthetics. Furthermore, it was possible to find indications of a relationship between these factors.

Dans ce travail de thèse l´auteur explore le lien entre virtualité et réalité pour montrer l´enjeu des identifications possibles, dans un jeu vidéo, pour un adolescent avec son avatar. Cette identification serait, d´après l´auteur, un facteur important dans le développement de certaines psychopathologies. L´auteur présente notamment le phénomène de la relation à l´objet cyber-narcissique, un mécanisme à l´œuvre dans la pratique excessive de jeu vidéo. Le travail est structuré en trois parties : une première partie théorique d´orientation psychanalytique, une deuxième partie empirique basée sur les résultats d´un questionnaire à choix multiples (N = 67) et une troisième partie clinique de 12 études de cas provenant de la pratique clinique de l´auteur, ainsi que de deux adolescents joueurs excessifs hospitalisés en pédopsychiatrie. Enfin les possibilités du jeu vidéo comme support psychothérapeutique sont présentées et discutées. / In this thesis, the author explores the link between virtual and reality as a means of demonstrating the stakes at play in the identifications teenagers establish with their avatars in videogames. The idea is that these identifications play a key role in the development of some psychopathologies. In particular, the phenomenon of the cyber-narcissistic object relation is presented. This mechanism seems to be involved in excessive video-gaming. The thesis is divided in three parts: first, the theoretical framework oriented on psychoanalytic theories is defined; second, an empirical study based on results from a multiple choice questionnaire (N = 67) is presented; and third, a clinical part is laid out on 12 case studies that emerged from the author’s practice, as well as on two cases of teenagers hospitalized in child psychiatry due to excessive video-gaming. Finally, the possibilities of including videogames in psychotherapeutic processes are presented and discussed.

The research in this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Twitch’s current advertising option, which includes mid-roll, pre-roll, and sponsored streams. It will focus on usefulness of content, brand credibility, purchase intent, and streamer credibility. Twitch has seen a surge in growth and attention in recent years, with an average of 31 million daily visitors and 1.3 trillion minutes watched globally in 2021 alone (Twitch Sales, 2022). However, despite Twitch’s growing popularity as an entertainment and entrepreneurship platform, little research has been conducted on the impact of its advertising options on brand perception. This study seeks to address this gap in literature by examining the effect of mid-roll, pre-roll, and sponsored streams on Twitch’s unique community-driven audience. To achieve this, the study employed a mixed-methods approach, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. First, a pre-survey was administered to participants to gather data on demographics, video game usage, and experience with Twitch.tv. Participants were then shown a 5-minute video containing different types of Twitch ads. After viewing the video, participants completed a post-survey to measure perception of their purchase intent and brand credibility. Overall, the study aims to provide valuable insights for marketers and advertisers looking to leverage the growing popularity of Twitch as an advertising platform.

Video games are common hobbies today, and as such they have been studied within the field of LIS. However, video gaming is a wide subject, and therefore there still exist areas that have not yet been properly researched. This bachelor thesis investigates the ways video game players experience the use of external and internal information and the effect it has on their gameplay experiences. The aim of this study is to determine players’ motivations behind searching for information in relation to gaming and the factors they consider when doing so. Metagaming, which is a commonly used term when it comes to describing what is popular and considered optimal within gaming communities, is explored within the thesis. The theoretical framework that is being adopted for this study and which is being used to interpret the empirical data is Information Practices, Cognitive Authority and McKenzie’s Information Practices model, with related terms. This study is qualitative in nature, and the method that is being used is semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that the kinds of information sources and media types that are used by the players are varied. Furthermore the type of game that is being played has a significant impact on the ways in which the players view external and internal information seeking. Metagaming is shown to be a strong influence on how information is searched for in relation to online games. The impact of communally negotiated norms is clear and is clarified within the thesis.

This study examines how professional social workers relate to problematic computer and video gaming as an addiction. It is a qualitative interview study aimed to describe and analyze how professional social workers, who in some way work with problematic computer gaming, relate to the player’s problems in terms of a concept of dependency. The theoretical approach is based on social constructivist theories of discourses, normality, the definition of dependency and diagnoses. The study was conducted through five qualitative half structured definition interviews with professional social workers that work directly or comes in contact with problematic computer gaming. The results portray a consistent, yet fragmented understanding of the problem. Daily life is described as "reality" and the problematic computer gaming as "escapism". The player can’t meet the normative requirements of its surroundings and is classified as addicted. The informants describe similar problems related to computer gaming, but have different ideas on how the problems arise. The study concludes that professionals specifically describing problematic gaming as an addiction explain their clients in terminology comparable to substance abuse. Those who don’t relate to the concept of dependence as firmly describe the problematic gaming as more of a consequence of the interaction between the player and its surroundings.

Ce travail doctoral se propose de prendre pour objet un jeu vidéo très connu du grand public paradoxalement ignoré par la communauté scientifique alors que son premier opus fut distribué dès l’an 2000. Alors que les études précédemment réalisées sur les jeux vidéo portent principalement sur une pratique en ligne, nous avons voulu nous consacrer à un jeu hors-ligne afin de nous questionner sur la relation que le joueur entretient avec ses avatars dans cette configuration. En effet, quelle est la nature de cette relation entre le joueur et ses personnages ? Que se passe-t-il durant le jeu ? Que font les joueurs et pourquoi ? En étudiant les joueurs de Les Sims ainsi que leurs pratiques, nous avons pu mettre en évidence la présence d’une socialisation spécifique, la socialisation vidéo-ludique, via un processus particulier comportant différentes étapes. L’adolescence nous est apparue comme un moment de la vie à la charnière entre des temporalités socialisatrices favorisant la richesse de l’expérience de simulation et un âge de la vie où le jeu est encore socialement permis et même encouragé. Dans le but d’améliorer notre interprétation, nous avons dessiné un modèle théorique prenant la forme d’un voyage que le joueur effectue durant son activité. Ce voyage identitaire véhicule le processus de socialisation vidéo-ludique advenant au cours de la pratique de simulation de vie. En prenant du recul, et en ajoutant les résultats d’une enquête menée en parallèle de la recherche doctorale, nous avons complété notre modèle avec des explications relevant d’un niveau macro social. Notre objectif a été d’inscrire la pratique vidéo-ludique dans la globalité de la vie sociale du joueur. / In many books, articles, conferences, we can read, hear, notice that gaming is helping the socialization process, that games are socializing tools and that is the reason why video games could be “good” for individuals (Greenfield, 1994 ; Taylor, 2002 ; Gee, 2003). But what is that socialization? What does this specific socialization is bringing to the overall understanding of the evolution of individuals in our societies? In one word: what is the video-ludological socialization? The concept of socialization is widely used by many disciplines such as Sociology, Social Psychology, Communication Sciences, Media Studies, Game Studies and Educational Studies and so forth. Socialization, which is the social process that makes a subject become a social being, is a key concept for understanding society and its functioning. That is why I scrutinize video-ludological socialization in this dissertation. To cast light on benefits of this specific socialization, no game is better than one simulating life which is also very popular: The Sims. For my research I overlooked praxis of teenagers gaming and how they utilize the gameplay to experiment social behaviours. In this thesis, I propose to explain what video gaming is bringing more than usual play by presenting findings of this study carried out in two steps with 180 teenagers from 12 to 16 years old.This video-ludological socialization, befalling through interacting, is part of the main socialization process which lasts during all the lifespan of individuals (Berger & Luckmann, 1966). In my research, I demonstrated that gaming with The Sims channels the video-ludological socialization process and that gaming plays an active role in gamers’ social lives.

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