About the GTP project

This project started as my Master research thesis at Stockholm University and today has become in my PhD project at Nottingham Trent University.”The real life impact of virtual interactions: Exploring Game Transfer Phenomena on video game players”

The GTP project will be conduct in different stages.

My objetive with this site is mainly to invite you to post about your video game experiences.

“Virtual experiences have become a matter of emotional touch, evoking not just sensations but lasting emotive imprints, which for the players holds many of the same characteristics as memorable real life experiences” (Ortiz de Gortari, 2007).

Hence it has become important to understand whether player experiences in the virtual world can be transferred to the real world and their effects.

Phase 1-Fieldwork 1 -Master thesis
“Targeting the real life impact of virtual interactions: The Game Transfer phenomenon. 42 video games experiences”. The academic paper is base on my Master research thesis. Presented at the department of Child and Youth Studies at Stockholm University in Sweden in 2009. Then I coined the GTP. This thesis was supervised by Professor Karin Aronsson.

Here you can find a copy of the academic paper:
Game Transfer Phenomena in Video Game Playing: A Qualitative Interview Study

Participants
Experiences from 42 players from Sweden between 15 and 21 years old were used as source material. Some participants were deleted due to age issues. In total they were 39 males and 3 females; 19 participants from 15 to 17 years old and 23 participants from 18 to 21 years old.

I did the majority of the interviews by textual chat with frequent video game players. The narrations are preserved as the participant typed it in the chat.

The participants’ anonymity has been ensured and additionally to the agreement in participating during the interviews, the participants have also agreed to have their narrations published in this blog.

The aim of the study

The objective was to find out how the immersion in an emotionally charged environment influences the player during the game and afterwards. More specifically: if experiences in the virtual world somehow influence players’ mood state and mental processes like fantasies, thoughts as well as behaviours resulting in what I have called ‘The Game Transfer Phenomenon’ (GTP).

• How do young people integrate video games in their daily life?
• What benefits and challenges come from playing video games?
• How has the players’ interpretations of the world, thoughts, fantasies and behaviours been influenced by the video game playing?
• What age group of players does more commonly experience the transfer phenomenon?

Phase 2 -PhD project (3 years)

Aims:

To better understand the psychological engagement mechanism behind video games and video game effects on players.

To explore the acquisition, development, and maintenance of Game Transfer Phenomena.

More specifically, how players’ experiences in the virtual world can be transferredto the real world. This will be done exploring mental processes such as fantasies, thoughts, perceptions and behaviours triggered by experiences with the goal of maximizing the psychological and social benefits of interactive media technologies while reducing the risks or dangers it can present to some individuals.

This project is supervised by Dr. Mark Griffiths and conducted at:
International Gaming Research Unit
Nottingham Trent University
Chaucer Building, Goldsmith Street
Nottingham NG1 4BU, UK

Empirical Research during my PhD:
Study 1 Phd- Digital Induced Altered Visual perceptions.
Aim: Explore how video game playing is impacting player’s visual sensorial perceptions. This was done throught identified, classified and explain visual after effects associated with playing.
Participants:652 players narrations from 482 players.
VGPT categories:(i) Mind visualizations, (ii) pseudo-hallucinations -afterimages- (e.g see video games elements with open and closed eyes, (iii)mispercpetions, (iv) visual distortions, (v) cross-sensory perceptions (e.g induce synesthesia)

Study 2 PhD- Explorative GTP survey
Aim: What types of GTP are more common and general characteristics of GTP.

Study 3- Automatic mental process.

At this blog you can see some video game parodies closely related to my research findings. These videos represent examples of “Intentional Game Transfer Phenomena” since the players are imitating and modeling video games, however players’ narrations from my research in this page refers to “Automatic Game Transfer experiences” that have occurred without premeditation of the players!!!!