What is the GTP

What is the Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP)

Game Transfer Phenomena explore the transfer of video game experiences into the real world. These experiences can be triggered by the association between real life stimulus and video game elements, resulting in the subsequent alteration of mental process, sensory perception, impulses or reflexes, automatic behaviours, and players’ actions based on the content of video games.

The study of GTP makes a clear difference between involuntary experiences and voluntary experiences (e.g., involuntary daydreams and impulses vs. intentional behaviour). The GTP can occur involuntarily or without premeditation of the players, but it also it happen when players use things from video games for interact with others, imitates or models things from the game (e.g. jokes, imitating game characters, trying to do things as in the game).

The study of GTP includes all human senses (e.g., sight, hearing, touch). GTP is manifest in one sense modality or a cross sense modalities (e.g seeing video game elements accompanied by the music of the game).

A multimodal and eclectic framework is used to explain and understand GTP experiences and mainly focuses on socio-cognitive and behaviourist theories.

It is important to remember that some of the GTP experiences can be misunderstood as pathological due to their similarity with symptoms of mental conditions or disorders (e.g., hallucinations). However, the GTP experiences appear to be induced by a prolonged exposition to a virtual stimulus and repetitive activities in the game environment. Some individuals may be more prone to experience GTP than others. However, it has found that different individuals have similar experiences in the same games (Ortiz de Gortari, et al, 2011).