Pith. sign in

REVIEW 4 major objections 5 minor 211 references

"I Would Not Be This Version of Myself Today": Elaborating on the Effects of Eudaimonic Gaming Experiences

T0 review · 4 major / 5 minor · reviewed 2026-08-06 · deepseek-v4-flash

Pith's one-line read Meaningful gaming experiences can produce lasting self-perceived effects across identity, learning, relationships, health, and career.

desk verdict The qualitative core is a keeper, but the RQ2 pathway associations should be treated as exploratory hypotheses, not findings. read the letter →

arxiv 2507.18084 v1 pith:KKXHWOK6 submitted 2025-07-24 cs.HC

classification cs.HC
keywords eudaimonicgamingplayerexperiencemeaningfulplayvideogameeffectsmixedmethodsgeneralizedlinearmodelsself-reflectioninformallearning
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The reading

This paper asks what meaningful (eudaimonic) gaming experiences do to people after the controller is put down, and why. Based on 166 retrospective accounts, it claims such experiences can produce lasting self-perceived effects across five domains: inward-focused changes (identity, confidence, worldview), learning, social connection, perceived health benefits, and career. It further claims these effects are not random: specific components of the experience's formation—personal stress at the time of play, insight gained from narrative, being emotionally moved or challenged, and sociality—are statistically associated with specific effects. The authors frame this as extending the existing four-part process model of eudaimonic gaming by filling in the under-explored 'effects' component.

What carries the argument

The paper's analytical engine is Possler's four-component process model of eudaimonic gaming experiences (motivation, game use, experience, and effects), operationalized through the ANSA model (Agency, Narrative, Sociality, Aesthetics) and the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model for the motivation component, and through the extensional definition of eudaimonia (appreciation, meaning, being moved, self-reflection, deep social bonds, nostalgia, awe, elevation) for the experience component. Effects were inductively coded via thematic analysis, and generalized linear mixed models with binomial logistic regression linked the deductively coded subcomponents to each effect theme.

What would settle it

A prospective study that captures eudaimonic experiences at the time of play and then measures the five outcome domains later without asking participants to attribute changes to the game would test the central claim directly; if such a study finds no elevated rates of inward-focused, learning, social, health, or career outcomes among players of narrative-rich games, the claim would be undermined. Alternatively, a comparison group that is asked to explain 'how a past game changed them' before and after a priming manipulation could reveal how much of the reported effect is constructed in the telling.

Watch

Extended reading notes

Core claim

On the paper's own terms, the central claim is that eudaimonic gaming experiences—moments of meaningful, often mixed-affect play—produce lasting, self-perceived effects in players' lives, and that these effects are shaped by specific components of the experience's formation. From 166 retrospective survey accounts, the authors induce five effect themes: inward-focused change (identity, confidence, worldview), learning, social connection, perceived health benefits, and career influence; 78.3% of participants said the recounted experience still affects them today. Generalized linear mixed models then associate particular formation components with particular effects: personal stress at the time of play predicts perceived health benefits, narrative insight and being emotionally moved or challenged predict inward-focused outcomes, multiplayer design and co-play predict social connection, and deep social bonds with other players predict career outcomes.

Load-bearing premise

Participants can accurately recall a gaming experience from up to 30 years prior (averaging 7.47 years) and correctly attribute present-day life outcomes to it; if memory distortion or misattribution are common, the five effect themes and all statistical associations could reflect post-hoc life narratives rather than real effects of the game experience.

Editorial extensions

If this is right

  • If the central claim is correct, eudaimonic gaming experiences are a genuine pathway to informal learning and personal growth, not only a source of momentary appreciation.
  • The statistical associations imply that designers can tune specific formation elements—narrative insight, emotional challenge, and sociality—to promote particular types of outcomes.
  • The link between personal stress at the time of play and perceived health benefits suggests games are already being used, and can be deliberately designed, as coping resources during difficult life circumstances.
  • With 78.3% of participants reporting that the experience still affects them, eudaimonic gaming effects can persist for years, including experiences reported up to 30 years after play.
  • The alignment of the five themes with existing taxonomies of positive game effects (cognitive, motivational, emotional, social) indicates that eudaimonic frameworks can be integrated into broader media-effects models.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • A prospective longitudinal design—collecting experiences at the time of play and measuring the five outcome domains later—could test whether the reported effects are real consequences or products of retrospective narrative construction.
  • The strong social pathway to career outcomes suggests a targeted study of game communities as career pipelines, examining how fan communities and multiplayer networks transmit skills and opportunities.
  • The five effect themes could be operationalized into a psychometric scale that would make the theoretical model testable in larger samples.
  • Because only one participant reported discussing the meaningful experience with parents, a natural extension is to test whether guided joint media engagement between parents and children converts more eudaimonic experiences into the reported positive effects.
Share X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit HN

Signed reviews

No signed human review yet.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, and a circularity audit.

Referee Report

4 major / 5 minor

Summary. This manuscript reports a survey study (n=166) in which participants recounted a meaningful ("eudaimonic") gaming experience and answered questions about the context, the play experience, and perceived long-term effects. The authors deductively code game characteristics (ANSA), player characteristics (DSMM), game use, and experiential components using published frameworks, and inductively develop a five-theme taxonomy of effects (inward-focused, learning, social connection, perceived health benefits, career) via thematic analysis. They then fit binomial GLMMs to test associations between the formation components and each effect theme. The paper's central claims are that meaningful gaming experiences can lead to lasting self-perceived outcomes across five domains and that specific components (personal stress, narrative insight, emotional challenge, sociality) are associated with specific effects.

Significance. The qualitative contribution is potentially useful: a clearly described five-theme taxonomy of perceived eudaimonic effects, grounded in a sizeable corpus of participant accounts and mapped to prior theory (Possler's process model, ANSA, DSMM, SDT). The paper is transparent about its deductive codebook and reports interrater reliability for those codes, which is a genuine strength. However, the quantitative pathway claims that carry RQ2 rest on associations computed from the same open-ended responses used to derive and code the outcome themes, with overlapping predictor and outcome constructs, no correction for multiple models, and small event counts for health (n=18) and career (n=9). As it stands, the empirical contribution is best read as an exploratory descriptive mapping rather than a confirmed model of effect formation.

major comments (4)
  1. [Section 5.3.3 (Tables 1 and 6)] Criterion contamination is a serious threat to RQ2. The predictor code 'Deep social bonds (other players)' is defined as 'Players strengthening relationships with co-players or making new friends through the game' (Table 1), while the outcome theme 'Social connection' is defined as 'Participants strengthened or formed new relationships with close others' (Table 6). Similarly, 'N-BP-1 Gained insight from game narrative' (Table 4) and the 'Inward-focused' effect (changes in perception of self/world) can be coded from the same narrative-reflection language, and 'Self-reflection' as an experience overlaps with inward-focused outcomes. Because the predictor and outcome codes were applied to the same participants' open-ended responses (EQ4-EQ6 vs. EQ7-EQ9) and the paper does not report whether coders were masked to the other codebook, the significant coefficients (e.g., β=1.763, p<.001 for deep social bonds on social effects) may partly reflect codebook overlap rather than a formation-to-effect pathway. The Limitations section (Section 7) does not mention this threat. I recommend masked re-coding by independent coders, or at minimum a demonstration that the constructs are discriminable (e.g., cross-tabulations or a blinded recode of a subset), and a corresponding softening of the pathway language.
  2. [Section 5.3 (Figures 2-6)] The paper appears to fit at least 15 binomial GLMMs (three predictor blocks—motivation, game use, experience—for each of five effects) and highlights individual coefficients with p-values near .05 (e.g., β=0.197, p=.049 for emotionally moved/challenged on inward-focused; β=-0.167, p=.041 and p=.044 for social bonds on inward-focused and learning). No multiple-comparison correction or pre-registration is reported. At α=.05, 15 tests make one or more false positives likely, and the narrative focuses on the significant subset. The career (n=9) and health (n=18) models in particular are too underpowered to support the reported coefficients. I suggest reporting corrected p-values, or clearly labeling the analysis as exploratory and removing the causal 'influence' framing from the abstract and Section 6.
  3. [Section 4.5 and Table 6] The deductive codes report Fleiss' kappa or Krippendorff's alpha, but the inductive effect themes—which serve as the dependent variables in all GLMMs—are reported without any interrater reliability. Given that the five-theme taxonomy is the answer to RQ1 and the basis for RQ2, the absence of a reliability check (e.g., independent coding of a subset by a second coder using the final codebook) leaves open the possibility that the themes are idiosyncratic to the coding team. Please report reliability for the final effect codes, or justify why it is not applicable.
  4. [Sections 3.2.2, 5.1.2, and 7] The design relies on retrospective self-reports of experiences occurring on average 7.47 years ago (up to 30 years) and asks participants to attribute present-day changes to those experiences (EQ8, EQ9). While RQ1 is framed around 'perceived' effects, the abstract and Discussion (e.g., Section 6.2's language about transformation from avoidant to approach-based coping) generalize beyond perceptions. The Limitations section does not address memory distortion, hindsight bias, or the possibility of post-hoc narrative coherence. I recommend either adding an explicit limitation and tempering the causal language, or providing some convergent evidence (e.g., behavioral or longitudinal data).
minor comments (5)
  1. [Section 6.1 and Ludography] There are typos: 'coveres' should be 'covers', and the Ludography entry for The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening has 'A wakening' instead of 'Awakening'.
  2. [Section 5.3.5] The reported coefficient for deep social bonds in the career model (β=0.095, p=0.011) is much smaller than the corresponding coefficient in the social model (β=1.763, p<0.001); please clarify whether these are on the same scale and consider reporting standardized effects.
  3. [Section 4.1 and Table 2] The text says 'See Table 2 for the finalized codebook' before Table 2 is introduced; consider reordering so that the codebook is referenced at its first occurrence.
  4. [Table 5] The distinction between 'Other (escapism)' and 'OTHER' is unclear; please clarify whether escapism was included in the GLMM or excluded as an OTHER code.
  5. [Section 5.1.2] The reported race/ethnicity percentages sum to more than 100% (72.3 + 16.9 + 9 + 9 = 107.2), suggesting multiple selection was allowed; this should be stated explicitly in the text.

Circularity Check

2 steps flagged · score 6.0 of 10

RQ2's strongest pathway (deep social bonds → social connection) is partly forced by codebook overlap: the predictor and outcome definitions are near-identical, so the headline GLMM association reduces, to a significant degree, to the coding scheme rather than to an independent formation-to-effect pathway.

  1. self definitional [Section 4.4, Table 1; Section 4.5, Table 6; Section 5.3.3]
    "Deep social bonds (other players): Players strengthening relationships with co-players or making new friends through the game. ... Social connection: Participants strengthened or formed new relationships with close others. ... the most common experience was deep social bonds with other players (56.4%), and both factors were significant and positively correlated in their respective models (β = 1.763, p < 0.001; β = 0.308, p < 0.001, respectively)."

    The experience predictor and the effect outcome are near-synonyms: 'making new friends through the game' (Table 1) and 'formed new relationships with close others' (Table 6). A participant who says 'I met my spouse through World of Warcraft' simultaneously satisfies both codes. The GLMM then reports this same code as the strongest predictor of the outcome (β = 1.763). Because both codebooks were applied to the same participants' retrospective narratives (EQ5 vs. EQ7-EQ9) and the paper does not report that coders were blind across codebooks, the association is largely an artifact of overlapping coding definitions rather than evidence of a formation-to-effect pathway. The Limitations section does not mention this threat.

  2. self definitional [Section 5.1.3; Section 5.3.1; Table 4; Table 6]
    "The most common experience that participants described during play of the game itself was gaining insight from the game narrative (31.9%). This often took the form of self-reflection. ... the most common (54.8%) game use surrounding gaining insight from the narrative was significant and positively correlated in our game use model (β = 0.94, p = 0.013)."

    The 'Gained insight from game narrative' code (N-BP-1) is defined using the same reflective language as the 'Inward-focused' effect theme ('The game made participants' perception of themselves and the world more positive'). The paper itself notes that narrative insight 'often took the form of self-reflection,' and self-reflection is also a separate experience code. Since the same open-ended account feeds both the deductive game-use coding and the inductive effect coding, a response describing worldview or identity change can be counted on both sides of the model, inflating the reported association. This overlap is less exact than the social-bond/social-connection one, but it affects another headline RQ2 result.

full rationale

The paper's RQ1 contribution, the five-theme taxonomy of perceived effects, is a standard inductive thematic analysis and is not circular. The RQ2 GLMM results, however, are partially circular for the social pathway: the deductive experience code 'Deep social bonds (other players)' and the inductive effect theme 'Social connection' have nearly identical definitions and are applied to the same retrospective survey narratives, so the strongest reported association (β = 1.763, p < 0.001) is partly forced by the coding scheme. A similar, weaker overlap exists between 'gained insight from game narrative' and 'Inward-focused' effects. Other reported pathways, such as personal stress leading to perceived health benefits and being emotionally moved or challenged leading to inward-focused outcomes, rely on more distinct constructs and retain independent empirical content. No load-bearing self-citation chain or imported uniqueness theorem appears in the paper. Overall, the central claim of specific formation-to-effect associations is only partially independent of the authors' own coding definitions, so the paper is not fully circular but contains a substantial construction-level circularity in its flagship RQ2 result.

Assumptions & free parameters 3 free parameters · 4 assumptions · 0 invented entities

The central claims rest on theoretical frameworks (Possler's process model, ANSA, DSMM) taken as correct decompositions of eudaimonic gaming experiences, and on the validity of retrospective self-reports. The GLMM analysis adds hand-chosen thresholds (Krippendorff's alpha >= 0.5, VIF dropping, OTHER code exclusion) that influence which findings reach significance. No invented entities are introduced.

free parameters (3)
  • Krippendorff's alpha acceptance threshold = alpha >= 0.5
    Adopted in Section 4.1 to accept interrater reliability for multi-author codes; a hand-chosen cutoff that affects which codes entered the model.
  • VIF drop threshold = not specified
    Section 4.1 states variables with extremely high variance inflation factors were dropped, but the specific threshold is not reported, affecting which predictors were modeled.
  • Exclusion of OTHER codes = excluded
    Section 4.1: OTHER codes were dropped from modeling because they did not correspond to well-defined constructs; this is a post-hoc model selection choice.
assumptions (4)
  • domain assumption Possler's process model: eudaimonic gaming experiences are parameterized by motivation, game use, experience, and effects
    Section 1 and 4.1; the entire coding and modeling structure assumes this model is the correct decomposition.
  • domain assumption ANSA model (Agency, Narrative, Sociality, Aesthetics) captures the relevant game characteristics
    Section 2.2 and 4.2.1; game-side predictors are limited to this framework, excluding other possible influences such as audio and haptics.
  • domain assumption DSMM (Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model) captures player characteristics
    Section 4.2.2; dispositional, developmental, and social player variables are coded using this model.
  • ad hoc to paper Retrospective self-report accurately reflects the original experience and its current effects
    The survey design (EQ1-EQ10) relies on participants recalling experiences from up to 30 years ago (Section 5.1.2) and attributing present-day outcomes to them; this is load-bearing for all effect claims.

how reviews work

0 comments
Cite this review

Pith. "Pith review of "I Would Not Be This Version of Myself Today": Elaborating on the Effects of Eudaimonic Gaming Experiences." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/KKXHWOK6

@misc{pith2026250718084,
  author       = {Pith},
  title        = {Pith review of: "I Would Not Be This Version of Myself Today": Elaborating on the Effects of Eudaimonic Gaming Experiences},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/KKXHWOK6}},
  note         = {Machine review of arXiv:2507.18084}
}
read the original abstract

While much of the research in digital games has emphasized hedonic experiences, such as flow, enjoyment, and positive affect, recent years have seen increased interest in eudaimonic gaming experiences, typically mixed-affect and associated with personal meaningfulness and growth. The formation of such experiences in games is theorized to have four constituent elements: motivation, game use, experience, and effects. However, while the first three elements have been relatively well explored in the literature, the effects - and how they may influence positive individual outcomes - have been underexplored thus far. To this end, in this work, we investigate the perceived outcomes of eudaimonic gaming and how different components of the experience influence these effects. We conducted a survey (n = 166) in which respondents recounted meaningful gaming experiences and how they affected their present lives. We used a mixed-methods approach to classify effects and identify significant subcomponents of their formation. We contribute an empirical understanding of how meaningful gaming experiences can lead to positive reflective, learning, social, health, and career effects, extending current theoretical models of eudaimonic gaming experiences and offering implications for how researchers and practitioners might use these findings to promote positive outcomes for players.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2507.18084 by the authors.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Correlation matrix depicting relations between dependent variables. All correlations are low to [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p008_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Results from the three binomial logistic regression models (motivation/game use/experience -> forma [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p018_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Results from the three binomial logistic regression models (motivation/game use/experience -> forma [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p019_3.png] view at source ↗
Figures from the paper (3 more)
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: Results from the three binomial logistic regression models (motivation/game use/experience -> forma [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p019_4.png]
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: Results from the three binomial logistic regression models (motivation/game use/experience -> forma [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p020_5.png]
Figure 6
Figure 6. Figure 6: Results from the three binomial logistic regression models (motivation/game use/experience -> forma [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p020_6.png]

Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

211 extracted references · 63 canonical work pages

  1. [1]

    Paul JC Adachi and Teena Willoughby. 2013. Do video games promote positive youth development?Journal of Adolescent Research28, 2 (2013), 155–165. Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Vol. 9, No. 6, Article GAMES038. Publication date: October 2025. Elaborating on the Effects of Eudaimonic Gaming Experiences GAMES038:25

  2. [2]

    Paul JC Adachi and Teena Willoughby. 2013. More than just fun and games: The longitudinal relationships between strategic video games, self-reported problem solving skills, and academic grades.Journal of youth and adolescence42, 7 (2013), 1041–1052

  3. [3]

    Craig A Anderson and Brad J Bushman. 2001. Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature.Psychological science12, 5 (2001), 353–359

  4. [4]

    Tom Apperley and Catherine Beavis. 2013. A model for critical games literacy.E-learning and Digital Media10, 1 (2013), 1–12

  5. [5]

    Flávio S Azevedo. 2013. The tailored practice of hobbies and its implication for the design of interest-driven learning environments.Journal of the Learning Sciences22, 3 (2013), 462–510

  6. [6]

    Scott Rigby, and Sebastian Deterding

    Nick Ballou, Alena Denisova, Richard Ryan, C. Scott Rigby, and Sebastian Deterding. 2024. The Basic Needs in Games Scale (BANGS): A new tool for investigating positive and negative video game experiences.International Journal of Human-Computer Studies188 (Aug. 2024), 103289. doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103289

  7. [7]

    Matthew Barr and Alicia Copeland-Stewart. 2022. Playing video games during the COVID-19 pandemic and effects on players’ well-being.Games and Culture17, 1 (2022), 122–139

  8. [8]

    Dina H Bassiouni and Chris Hackley. 2016. Video games and young children’s evolving sense of identity: a qualitative study.Young Consumers17, 2 (2016), 127–142

Show all 211 references
  1. [9]

    Baumeister, Kathleen D

    Roy F. Baumeister, Kathleen D. Vohs, Jennifer L. Aaker, and Emily N. Garbinsky. 2015.Some key differences between a happy life and a meaningful life. Routledge, New York, NY, USA, 49–60

  2. [10]

    Catherine Beavis. 2005. Reading, writing and roleplaying computer games. InSilicon literacies. Routledge, New York, NY, USA, 47–61

  3. [11]

    2008.The social impact of the arts

    Eleonora Belfiore and Oliver Bennett. 2008.The social impact of the arts. Springer, New York, NY, USA

  4. [12]

    Arpita Bhattacharya, Uba Backonja, Anh Le, Ria Antony, Yujia Si, and Jin Ha Lee. 2023. Understanding the influence of music on people’s mental health through dynamic music engagement model. InInternational Conference on Information. Springer, Online, 91–108

  5. [13]

    Arianna Boldi and Amon Rapp. 2022. Commercial video games as a resource for mental health: A systematic literature review.Behaviour & Information Technology41, 12 (2022), 2654–2690

  6. [14]

    Arianna Boldi and Amon Rapp. 2023. Making sense of the pandemic: Multiple functions of commercial video games during one year and a half of COVID-19 crisis.International Journal of Human-Computer Studies180 (2023), 103141

  7. [16]

    Müller, Lena Fanya Aeschbach, Klaus Opwis, and Elisa D

    Julia Ayumi Bopp, Livia J. Müller, Lena Fanya Aeschbach, Klaus Opwis, and Elisa D. Mekler. 2019. Exploring Emotional Attachment to Game Characters. InProceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play. ACM, Barcelona Spain, 313–324. doi:10.1145/3311350.3347169

  8. [17]

    An Odd Kind of Pleasure

    Julia Ayumi Bopp, Klaus Opwis, and Elisa D Mekler. 2018. “An Odd Kind of Pleasure” Differentiating Emotional Challenge in Digital Games. InProceedings of the 2018 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems. ACM, Montreal, Canada, 1–12

  9. [18]

    My Soul Got a Little Bit Cleaner

    Julia A. Bopp, Jan B. Vornhagen, and Elisa D. Mekler. 2021. “My Soul Got a Little Bit Cleaner”: Art Experience in Videogames.Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact.5, CHI PLAY (Oct. 2021), 237:1–237:19. doi:10.1145/3474664

  10. [19]

    Jeroen Bourgonjon, Geert Vandermeersche, Bram De Wever, Ronald Soetaert, and Martin Valcke. 2016. Players’ perspectives on the positive impact of video games: A qualitative content analysis of online forum discussions.new media & society18, 8 (2016), 1732–1749

  11. [20]

    Nicholas David Bowman, Rowan Daneels, and Daniel Possler. 2024. Excited for eudaimonia? An emergent thematic analysis of player expectations of upcoming video games.Psychology of Popular Media13, 3 (2024), 416

  12. [21]

    Lowie Bradt, Eva Grosemans, Rozane De Cock, Bruno Dupont, Maarten Vansteenkiste, and Bart Soenens. 2024. Does parents’ perceived style of setting limits to gaming matter? The interplay between profiles of parental mediation and BIS/BAS sensitivity in problematic gaming and onl...

  13. [22]

    Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke. 2006. Using thematic analysis in psychology.Qualitative Research in Psychology3, 2 (Jan. 2006), 77–101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

  14. [23]

    Rick Busselle and Helena Bilandzic. 2008. Fictionality and Perceived Realism in Experiencing Stories: A Model of Narrative Comprehension and Engagement.Communication Theory18, 2 (May 2008), 255–280. doi:10.1111/j.1468- 2885.2008.00322.x

  15. [24]

    2003.The hero’s journey: Joseph Campbell on his life and work

    Joseph Campbell. 2003.The hero’s journey: Joseph Campbell on his life and work. Vol. 7. New World Library, Novato, CA, USA

  16. [25]

    Elin Carstensdottir, Erica Kleinman, and Magy Seif El-Nasr. 2019. Player interaction in narrative games: structure and narrative progression mechanics. InProceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games. Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Vol...

  17. [26]

    1978.Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film

    Seymour Benjamin Chatman. 1978.Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, USA. Google-Books-ID: ewrOp9uPjYUC

  18. [27]

    2017.Defining Identification: A Theoretical Look at the Identification of Audiences With Media Characters

    Jonathan Cohen. 2017.Defining Identification: A Theoretical Look at the Identification of Audiences With Media Characters. Routledge, New York, NY, USA, 253–272

  19. [28]

    Tom Cole and Marco Gillies. 2021. Thinking and Doing: Challenge, Agency, and the Eudaimonic Experience in Video Games.Games and Culture16, 2 (March 2021), 187–207. doi:10.1177/1555412019881536

  20. [29]

    Tom Cole and Marco Gillies. 2022. Emotional Exploration and the Eudaimonic Gameplay Experience: A Grounded Theory. InCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, New Orleans LA USA, 1–16. doi:10.1145/ 3491102.3502002

  21. [30]

    Mia Consalvo, Jason Begy, Pierson Browne, Sarah Ganzon, Rainforest Scully-Blaker, and Rebecca Waldie. 2018. Finding sociality in single player games: A case study of tandem play amongst friends and couples. InProceedings of the 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sc...

  22. [31]

    Mia Consalvo, Thorsten Busch, and Carolyn Jong. 2019. Playing a Better Me: How Players Rehearse Their Ethos via Moral Choices.Games and Culture14, 3 (May 2019), 216–235. doi:10.1177/1555412016677449

  23. [32]

    Sarah M Coyne, Alexander C Jensen, Nathan J Smith, and Daniel H Erickson. 2016. Super Mario brothers and sisters: Associations between coplaying video games and sibling conflict and affection.Journal of adolescence47 (2016), 48–59

  24. [33]

    Bowman, Daniel Possler, and Elisa D

    Rowan Daneels, Nicholas D. Bowman, Daniel Possler, and Elisa D. Mekler. 2021. The ‘Eudaimonic Experience’: A Scoping Review of the Concept in Digital Games Research | Article | Media and Communication.Media and Communication9, 2 (2021), 178–190. doi:10.17645/mac.v9i2.3824

  25. [34]

    Rowan Daneels, Steven Malliet, Lieven Geerts, Natalie Denayer, Michel Walrave, and Heidi Vandebosch. 2021. As- sassins, Gods, and Androids: How Narratives and Game Mechanics Shape Eudaimonic Game Experiences.Media and Communication9, 1 (Jan. 2021), 49–61. doi:10.17645/mac.v9i1.3205

  26. [35]

    Just for fun?

    Rowan Daneels, Heidi Vandebosch, and Michel Walrave. 2020. “Just for fun?”: An exploration of digital games’ potential for eudaimonic media experiences among Flemish adolescents.Journal of Children and Media14, 3 (July 2020), 285–301. doi:10.1080/17482798.2020.1727934

  27. [36]

    Deeper gaming

    Rowan Daneels, Heidi Vandebosch, and Michel Walrave. 2023. “Deeper gaming”: A literature review and research agenda on eudaimonia in digital games research.Technology, Mind, and Behavior4, 2 (May 2023), 1–13. doi:10.1037/tmb0000108

  28. [37]

    Deci and Richard M

    Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan. 2008. Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: an introduction.Journal of Happiness Studies9, 1 (Jan. 2008), 1–11. doi:10.1007/s10902-006-9018-1

  29. [38]

    Whatever the emotional experience, it’s up to them

    Alena Denisova, Julia Ayumi Bopp, Thuy Duong Nguyen, and Elisa D Mekler. 2021. “Whatever the emotional experience, it’s up to them”: Insights from designers of emotionally impactful games. InProceedings of the 2021 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems. ACM, New...

  30. [39]

    Nisha Devasia, Adrian Rodriguez, Logan Tuttle, and Julie A Kientz. 2025. Partnership through Play: Investigating How Long-Distance Couples Use Digital Games to Facilitate Intimacy. InProceedings of the 2025 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference. ACM, Funchal, Portugal, ...

  31. [40]

    Domínguez, Rogelio E

    Ignacio X. Domínguez, Rogelio E. Cardona-Rivera, James K. Vance, and David L. Roberts. 2016. The Mimesis Effect: The Effect of Roles on Player Choice in Interactive Narrative Role-Playing Games. InProceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. AC...

  32. [41]

    Adam Eichenbaum, Daphne Bavelier, and C Shawn Green. 2014. Video games: play that can do serious good.American Journal of Play7, 1 (2014), 50–72

  33. [42]

    Malte Elson, Christopher J Ferguson, Mary Gregerson, Jerri Lynn Hogg, James Ivory, Dana Klisanin, Patrick M Markey, Deborah Nichols, Shahbaz Siddiqui, and June Wilson. 2019. Do policy statements on media effects faithfully represent the science?Advances in Methods and Practice...

  34. [43]

    Sarah Evans, Katie Davis, Abigail Evans, Julie Ann Campbell, David P Randall, Kodlee Yin, and Cecilia Aragon. 2017. More than peer production: Fanfiction communities as sites of distributed mentoring. InProceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative W...

  35. [44]

    Carrie A Ewin, Andrea E Reupert, Louise A McLean, and Christopher J Ewin. 2021. The impact of joint media engagement on parent–child interactions: A systematic review.Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies3, 2 (2021), 230–254

  36. [45]

    Christopher J Ferguson. 2015. Do angry birds make for angry children? A meta-analysis of video game influences on children’s and adolescents’ aggression, mental health, prosocial behavior, and academic performance.Perspectives on psychological science10, 5 (2015), 646–666

  37. [46]

    Christopher J Ferguson, Hayley Barr, Grace Figueroa, Kimberly Foley, Alexander Gallimore, Rachel LaQuea, Alexandra Merritt, Stephanie Miller, Hien Nguyen-Pham, Cameron Spanogle, et al. 2015. Digital poison? Three studies examining the influence of violent video games on youth....

  38. [47]

    Christopher J Ferguson and John Kilburn. 2010. Much ado about nothing: the misestimation and overinterpretation of violent video game effects in eastern and western nations: comment on Anderson et al.(2010).Psychological Bulletin136, 2 (2010), 174–178

  39. [48]

    Joseph L Fleiss, Bruce Levin, Myunghee Cho Paik, et al. 1981. The measurement of interrater agreement.Statistical methods for rates and proportions2, 212-236 (1981), 22–23

  40. [49]

    Sandro Franceschini, Sara Bertoni, Matteo Lulli, Telmo Pievani, and Andrea Facoetti. 2022. Short-term effects of video-games on cognitive enhancement: The role of positive emotions.Journal of Cognitive Enhancement6, 1 (2022), 29–46

  41. [50]

    Barbara L Fredrickson and Thomas Joiner. 2002. Positive emotions trigger upward spirals toward emotional well-being. Psychological science13, 2 (2002), 172–175

  42. [51]

    Barbro Fröding and Martin Peterson. 2013. Why computer games can be essential for human flourishing.Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society11, 2 (May 2013), 81–91. doi:10.1108/JICES-01-2013-0001

  43. [52]

    James Paul Gee. 2003. What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy.Computers in entertainment (CIE)1, 1 (2003), 20–20

  44. [53]

    James Paul Gee. 2013. Games for learning.Educational Horizons91, 4 (2013), 16–20

  45. [54]

    Erica A Giammarco, Travis J Schneider, Julie J Carswell, and William S Knipe. 2015. Video game preferences and their relation to career interests.Personality and Individual Differences73 (2015), 98–104

  46. [55]

    Janet Go, Rafael Ballagas, and Mirjana Spasojevic. 2012. Brothers and sisters at play: exploring game play with siblings. InProceedings of the ACM 2012 conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work. ACM, Seattle, WA, USA, 739–748

  47. [56]

    Isabela Granic, Adam Lobel, and Rutger CME Engels. 2014. The benefits of playing video games.American psychologist 69, 1 (2014), 66

  48. [57]

    C Shawn Green and Daphne Bavelier. 2003. Action video game modifies visual selective attention.Nature423, 6939 (2003), 534–537

  49. [58]

    C Shawn Green and Daphne Bavelier. 2007. Action-video-game experience alters the spatial resolution of vision. Psychological science18, 1 (2007), 88–94

  50. [59]

    Melanie C Green, Timothy C Brock, and Geoff F Kaufman. 2004. Understanding media enjoyment: The role of transportation into narrative worlds.Communication theory14, 4 (2004), 311–327

  51. [60]

    Tobias Greitemeyer. 2013. Effects of playing video games on perceptions of one’s humanity.The Journal of social psychology153, 4 (2013), 499–514

  52. [61]

    Tobias Greitemeyer and Dirk O Mügge. 2014. Video games do affect social outcomes: A meta-analytic review of the effects of violent and prosocial video game play.Personality and social psychology bulletin40, 5 (2014), 578–589

  53. [62]

    Tobias Greitemeyer and Silvia Osswald. 2010. Effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behavior.Journal of personality and social psychology98, 2 (2010), 211

  54. [63]

    Tobias Greitemeyer, Silvia Osswald, and Markus Brauer. 2010. Playing prosocial video games increases empathy and decreases schadenfreude.Emotion10, 6 (2010), 796

  55. [64]

    GAMER Group. 2024. VGMS. https://gamer.ischool.uw.edu/releases/

  56. [65]

    Yemaya J Halbrook, Aisling T O’Donnell, and Rachel M Msetfi. 2019. When and how video games can be good: A review of the positive effects of video games on well-being.Perspectives on Psychological Science14, 6 (2019), 1096–1104

  57. [66]

    Juho Hamari and Lauri Keronen. 2017. Why do people play games? A meta-analysis.International Journal of Information Management37, 3 (June 2017), 125–141. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2017.01.006

  58. [67]

    Christian Happ, André Melzer, and Georges Steffgen. 2013. Superman vs. BAD Man? The Effects of Empathy and Game Character in Violent Video Games.Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking16, 10 (Oct. 2013), 774–778. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0695

  59. [68]

    Tilo Hartmann. 2013. Media entertainment as a result of recreation and psychological growth. InMedia effects/media psychology. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, United Kingdom, 170–188

  60. [69]

    Scott H Hemenover and Nicholas D Bowman. 2018. Video games, emotion, and emotion regulation: Expanding the scope.Annals of the International Communication Association42, 2 (2018), 125–143

  61. [70]

    Joseph Hilgard, Christopher R Engelhardt, and Jeffrey N Rouder. 2017. Overstated evidence for short-term effects of violent games on affect and behavior: A reanalysis of Anderson et al.(2010).Psychological Bulletin143, 7 (2017), 757–774

  62. [71]

    Elisabeth Holl, Philipp Sischka, Gary L Wagener, and André Melzer. 2023. The Motivation to Play Scale (MOPS)- introducing a validated measure of gaming motivation.Current Psychology43, 39 (2023), 31068–31080

  63. [72]

    Ioanna Iacovides and Anna L. Cox. 2015. Moving Beyond Fun: Evaluating Serious Experience in Digital Games. In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, Seoul Republic of Korea, 2245–2254. doi:10.1145/2702123.2702204

  64. [73]

    Ioanna Iacovides, Patrick McAndrew, Eileen Scanlon, and James Aczel. 2014. The gaming involvement and informal learning framework.Simulation & gaming45, 4-5 (2014), 611–626. Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Vol. 9, No. 6, Article GAMES038. Publication date: October 2025. GAME...

  65. [74]

    Ioanna Iacovides and Elisa D Mekler. 2019. The role of gaming during difficult life experiences. InProceedings of the 2019 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems. ACM, Glasgow, Scotland, 1–12

  66. [75]

    Juan-José Igartua and Isabel Barrios. 2012. Changing real-world beliefs with controversial movies: Processes and mechanisms of narrative persuasion.Journal of communication62, 3 (2012), 514–531

  67. [76]

    Iten, Sharon T

    Glena H. Iten, Sharon T. Steinemann, and Klaus Opwis. 2018. Choosing to Help Monsters: A Mixed-Method Examination of Meaningful Choices in Narrative-Rich Games and Interactive Narratives. InProceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, Mont...

  68. [77]

    Sophie H Janicke, Diana Rieger, Leonard Reinecke, and Winston Connor. 2018. Watching online videos at work: The role of positive and meaningful affect for recovery experiences and well-being at the workplace.Mass Communication and Society21, 3 (2018), 345–367

  69. [78]

    Sophie H Janicke-Bowles, Arthur A Raney, Mary Beth Oliver, Katherine R Dale, Robert P Jones, and Daniel Cox. 2021. Exploring the spirit in US audiences: The role of the virtue of transcendence in inspiring media consumption.Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly98, 2 (2021)...

  70. [79]

    Qihao Ji, Sophie H Janicke-Bowles, Rebecca NH De Leeuw, and Mary Beth Oliver. 2021. The melody to inspiration: The effects of awe-eliciting music on approach motivation and positive well-being.Media Psychology24, 3 (2021), 305–331

  71. [80]

    Niklas Johannes, Matti Vuorre, and Andrew K Przybylski. 2021. Video game play is positively correlated with well-being. Royal Society open science8, 2 (2021), 202049

  72. [81]

    Daniel Johnson, Christian Jones, Laura Scholes, and Michelle Carras. 2013. Videogames and wellbeing: A comprehensive review

  73. [82]

    2018.Questions over answers: Reflective game design

    Rilla Khaled. 2018.Questions over answers: Reflective game design. Springer, New York, NY, USA, Chapter 1, 3–27

  74. [83]

    2021.A Synergistic Multiprocess Model of Video Game Entertainment

    Christoph Klimmt and Daniel Possler. 2021.A Synergistic Multiprocess Model of Video Game Entertainment. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom, 0. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190072216.013.33

  75. [84]

    2020.Four pillars of healthy escapism in games: Emotion regulation, mood management, coping, and recovery

    Mehmet Kosa and Ahmet Uysal. 2020.Four pillars of healthy escapism in games: Emotion regulation, mood management, coping, and recovery. Springer, New York, NY, USA, 63–76

  76. [85]

    Viviane Kovess-Masfety, Katherine Keyes, Ava Hamilton, Gregory Hanson, Adina Bitfoi, Dietmar Golitz, Ceren Koç, Rowella Kuijpers, Sigita Lesinskiene, Zlatka Mihova, et al. 2016. Is time spent playing video games associated with mental health, cognitive and social skills in you...

  77. [86]

    Rachel Kowert, Emese Domahidi, and Thorsten Quandt. 2014. The relationship between online video game involve- ment and gaming-related friendships among emotionally sensitive individuals.Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking17, 7 (2014), 447–453

  78. [87]

    Klaus Krippendorff. 2011. Computing Krippendorff’s alpha-reliability

  79. [88]

    J Richard Landis and Gary G Koch. 1977. The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data.Biometrics33, 1 (1977), 159–174

  80. [89]

    Pierre Le Bras, David A Robb, Thomas S Methven, Stefano Padilla, and Mike J Chantler. 2018. Improving user confidence in concept maps: Exploring data driven explanations. InProceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, Montreal, Canada, 1–13

  81. [90]

    Jin Ha Lee, Nicole Santero, Arpita Bhattacharya, Emma May, and Emma S Spiro. 2022. Community-based strategies for combating misinformation: Learning from a popular culture fandom.Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review3, 5 (2022)

  82. [91]

    Jin Ha Lee, Joseph T Tennis, Rachel Ivy Clarke, and Michael Carpenter. 2013. Developing a video game metadata schema for the Seattle Interactive Media Museum.International journal on digital libraries13 (2013), 105–117

  83. [92]

    Amy Shirong Lu and Arlen C Moller. 2024. Elaborating the Role of Narrative and Self-Determination Theory in Video Game Design Research.Interacting with Computers(Dec. 2024), 1–15. doi:10.1093/iwc/iwae058

  84. [93]

    Kai Lukoff, Cissy Yu, Julie Kientz, and Alexis Hiniker. 2018. What makes smartphone use meaningful or meaningless? Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies2, 1 (2018), 1–26

  85. [94]

    Tim Marsh and Brigid Costello. 2013. Lingering serious experience as trigger to raise awareness, encourage reflection and change behavior. InInternational Conference on Persuasive Technology. Springer, Springer, Berlin, Germany, 116–124

  86. [95]

    Jesse J Martinez, Travis W Windleharth, Qisheng Li, Arpita Bhattacharya, Katy E Pearce, Jason Yip, and Jin Ha Lee

  87. [96]

    Nora McDonald, Sarita Schoenebeck, and Andrea Forte. 2019. Reliability and inter-rater reliability in qualitative research: Norms and guidelines for CSCW and HCI practice.Proceedings of the ACM on human-computer interaction3, CSCW (2019), 1–23

  88. [97]

    John McDowell. 2023.19. The Role of Eudaimonia in Aristotle’s Ethics. University of California Press, Oakland, CA, USA, 359–376. doi:10.1525/9780520340985-022 Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Vol. 9, No. 6, Article GAMES038. Publication date: October 2025. Elaborating on the ...

  89. [98]

    Erin M McTigue and Per Henning Uppstad. 2019. Getting serious about serious games: Best practices for computer games in reading classrooms.The Reading Teacher72, 4 (2019), 453–461

  90. [99]

    Mekler, Julia Ayumi Bopp, Alexandre N

    Elisa D. Mekler, Julia Ayumi Bopp, Alexandre N. Tuch, and Klaus Opwis. 2014. A systematic review of quantitative studies on the enjoyment of digital entertainment games. InProceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, Toronto Ontario Canada, ...

  91. [100]

    Mekler and Kasper Hornbæk

    Elisa D. Mekler and Kasper Hornbæk. 2016. Momentary Pleasure or Lasting Meaning? Distinguishing Eudaimonic and Hedonic User Experiences. InProceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’16). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY,...

  92. [101]

    A Game that Makes You Question

    Elisa D Mekler, Ioanna Iacovides, and Julia Ayumi Bopp. 2018. " A Game that Makes You Question... " Exploring the Role of Reflection for the Player Experience. InProceedings of the 2018 annual symposium on computer-human interaction in play. ACM, Melbourne, Australia, 315–327

  93. [102]

    Bonnie Nardi and Justin Harris. 2006. Strangers and friends: Collaborative play in World of Warcraft. InProceedings of the 2006 20th anniversary conference on Computer supported cooperative work. ACM, Banff, Canada, 149–158

  94. [103]

    Jeff L Nay and José P Zagal. 2017. Meaning without consequence: virtue ethics and inconsequential choices in games. InProceedings of the 12th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games. ACM, Hyannis, MA, USA, 1–8

  95. [104]

    Mary Beth Oliver. 2022. Social media use and eudaimonic well-being.Current Opinion in Psychology45 (2022), 101307

  96. [105]

    Mary Beth Oliver and Anne Bartsch. 2010. Appreciation as Audience Response: Exploring Entertainment Gratifications Beyond Hedonism.Human Communication Research36, 1 (Jan. 2010), 53–81. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.2009.01368.x

  97. [106]

    Woolley, Ryan Rogers, Brett I

    Mary Beth Oliver, Nicholas David Bowman, Julia K. Woolley, Ryan Rogers, Brett I. Sherrick, and Mun-Young Chung

  98. [107]

    Mary Beth Oliver, Keunyeong Kim, Jennifer Hoewe, Mun-Young Chung, Erin Ash, Julia K Woolley, and Drew D Shade. 2015. Media-induced elevation as a means of enhancing feelings of intergroup connectedness.Journal of Social Issues71, 1 (2015), 106–122

  99. [108]

    Mary Beth Oliver, Arthur A Raney, Anne Bartsch, Sophie Janicke-Bowles, Markus Appel, and Katherine Dale. 2021. Model of inspiring media.Journal of Media Psychology33, 4 (2021), 191–201

  100. [109]

    Jared M Ott, Naomi QP Tan, and Michael D Slater. 2021. Eudaimonic media in lived experience: Retrospective responses to eudaimonic vs. non-eudaimonic films.Mass Communication and Society24, 5 (2021), 725–747

  101. [110]

    2023.Organismic integration theory: a theory of regulatory styles, internalization, integration, and human functioning in society

    Luc G Pelletier and Meredith Rocchi. 2023.Organismic integration theory: a theory of regulatory styles, internalization, integration, and human functioning in society. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom, Chapter 3, 53–83

  102. [111]

    Wei Peng, Jih-Hsuan Lin, Karin A Pfeiffer, and Brian Winn. 2012. Need satisfaction supportive game features as motivational determinants: An experimental study of a self-determination theory guided exergame.Media Psychology 15, 2 (2012), 175–196

  103. [112]

    2020.Handbook of game-based learning

    Jan L Plass, Richard E Mayer, and Bruce D Homer. 2020.Handbook of game-based learning. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA

  104. [113]

    2024.Video Games as Meaningful or Eudaimonic Experiences

    Daniel Possler. 2024.Video Games as Meaningful or Eudaimonic Experiences. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom, 1–41. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.1485

  105. [114]

    Daniel Possler, Nicholas David Bowman, and Rowan Daneels. 2023. Explaining the formation of eudaimonic gaming experiences: a theoretical overview and systemization based on interactivity and game elements.Frontiers in Communication8 (Sept. 2023), 1–14. doi:10.3389/fcomm.2023.1215960

  106. [115]

    Daniel Possler, Rowan Daneels, and Nicholas D. Bowman. 2024. Players Just Want to Have Fun? An Exploratory Survey on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Game Motives.Games and Culture19, 5 (July 2024), 611–633. doi:10.1177/15554120231182498

  107. [116]

    2023.Towards a model of the entertaining appeal of video game aesthetics

    Daniel Possler and Christoph Klimmt. 2023.Towards a model of the entertaining appeal of video game aesthetics. Leverkusen-Opladen: Verlag Barbara Budrich, Leverkusen, Germany, Chapter 6, 141–157

  108. [117]

    Daniel Possler, Christoph Klimmt, and Nicholas D Bowman. 2021. How awe affects players’ entertainment experiences over six weeks of playing. InInternational Conference on Entertainment Computing. Springer, Springer, New York, NY, USA, 223–235

  109. [118]

    Daniel Possler, Anna Sophie Kümpel, and Julian Unkel. 2020. Entertainment motivations and gaming-specific gratifications as antecedents of digital game enjoyment and appreciation.Psychology of Popular Media9, 4 (2020), 541–552. doi:10.1037/ppm0000248

  110. [119]

    Andrew K Przybylski, Netta Weinstein, Kou Murayama, Martin F Lynch, and Richard M Ryan. 2012. The ideal self at play: The appeal of video games that let you be all you can be.Psychological science23, 1 (2012), 69–76

  111. [120]

    Andrew K Przybylski, Netta Weinstein, Richard M Ryan, and C Scott Rigby. 2009. Having to versus wanting to play: Background and consequences of harmonious versus obsessive engagement in video games.CyberPsychology & Behavior12, 5 (2009), 485–492

  112. [121]

    Muhannad Quwaider, Abdullah Alabed, and Rehab Duwairi. 2019. The impact of video games on the players behaviors: A survey.Procedia Computer Science151 (2019), 575–582. Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Vol. 9, No. 6, Article GAMES038. Publication date: October 2025. GAMES038:3...

  113. [122]

    Raney, Mary Beth Oliver, and Anne Bartsch

    Arthur A. Raney, Mary Beth Oliver, and Anne Bartsch. 2019.Eudaimonia as Media Effect(4 ed.). Routledge, New York, NY, USA, Chapter 17, 258–274

  114. [123]

    Movie & TV reviews for parents. 2025. The 2025 common sense census: Media use by kids zero to eight. https: //www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-2025-common-sense-census-media-use-by-kids-zero-to-eight

  115. [124]

    Diana Rieger, Leonard Reinecke, Lena Frischlich, and Gary Bente. 2014. Media entertainment and well-being—Linking hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment experience to media-induced recovery and vitality.Journal of Communication 64, 3 (2014), 456–478

  116. [125]

    C Scott Rigby and Andrew K Przybylski. 2009. Virtual worlds and the learner hero: How today’s video games can inform tomorrow’s digital learning environments.Theory and Research in Education7, 2 (2009), 214–223

  117. [126]

    Ryan Rogers, Julia Woolley, Brett Sherrick, Nicholas David Bowman, and Mary Beth Oliver. 2017. Fun Versus Meaningful Video Game Experiences: A Qualitative Analysis of User Responses.The Computer Games Journal6, 1–2 (June 2017), 63–79. doi:10.1007/s40869-016-0029-9

  118. [127]

    Ryan and Edward L

    Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci. 2017.Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness. Guilford Publications, New York, NY, USA

  119. [128]

    Ryan, Veronika Huta, and Edward L

    Richard M. Ryan, Veronika Huta, and Edward L. Deci. 2008. Living well: a self-determination theory perspective on eudaimonia.Journal of Happiness Studies9, 1 (Jan. 2008), 139–170. doi:10.1007/s10902-006-9023-4

  120. [129]

    Richard M. Ryan, C. Scott Rigby, and Andrew Przybylski. 2006. The Motivational Pull of Video Games: A Self- Determination Theory Approach.Motivation and Emotion30, 4 (Dec. 2006), 344–360. doi:10.1007/s11031-006-9051-8

  121. [130]

    Simone Schnall, Jean Roper, and Daniel MT Fessler. 2010. Elevation leads to altruistic behavior.Psychological science 21, 3 (2010), 315–320

  122. [131]

    Raymond Scupin. 1997. The KJ method: A technique for analyzing data derived from Japanese ethnology.Human organization56, 2 (1997), 233–237

  123. [132]

    DW Shaffer. 2006. How computer games help children learn

  124. [133]

    David Williamson Shaffer, Kurt R Squire, Richard Halverson, and James P Gee. 2005. Video games and the future of learning.Phi delta kappan87, 2 (2005), 105–111

  125. [134]

    2007.Open-ended video games: A model for developing learning for the interactive age

    Kurt Squire. 2007.Open-ended video games: A model for developing learning for the interactive age. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 167–198

  126. [135]

    Frode Stenseng, Jostein Rise, and Pål Kraft. 2012. Activity engagement as escape from self: The role of self-suppression and self-expansion.Leisure Sciences34, 1 (2012), 19–38

  127. [136]

    Ron Tamborini, Nicholas David Bowman, Allison Eden, Matthew Grizzard, and Ashley Organ. 2010. Defining media enjoyment as the satisfaction of intrinsic needs.Journal of communication60, 4 (2010), 758–777

  128. [137]

    Marko Tkalčič and Bruce Ferwerda. 2018. Eudaimonic modeling of moviegoers. InProceedings of the 26th conference on user modeling, adaptation and personalization. ACM, Singapore, Singapore, 163–167

  129. [138]

    Selen Türkay, Allan Lin, Daniel Johnson, and Jessica Formosa. 2023. Self-determination theory approach to under- standing the impact of videogames on wellbeing during COVID-19 restrictions.Behaviour & Information Technology42, 11 (2023), 1720–1739

  130. [139]

    April Tyack and Elisa D. Mekler. 2020. Self-Determination Theory in HCI Games Research: Current Uses and Open Questions. InProceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, Honolulu HI USA, 1–22. doi:10.1145/3313831.3376723

  131. [140]

    April Tyack and Elisa D Mekler. 2024. Self-determination theory and HCI games research: Unfulfilled promises and unquestioned paradigms.ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction31, 3 (2024), 1–74

  132. [141]

    April Tyack and Peta Wyeth. 2017. Exploring relatedness in single-player video game play. InProceedings of the 29th Australian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction. ACM, Brisbane Queensland Australia, 422–427. doi:10.1145/ 3152771.3156149

  133. [142]

    Don’t You Dare Go Hollow

    Jaakko Väkevä, Perttu Hämäläinen, and Janne Lindqvist. 2025. " Don’t You Dare Go Hollow": How Dark Souls Helps Players Cope with Depression, a Thematic Analysis of Reddit Discussions. InProceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, Yokohama...

  134. [143]

    Patti M Valkenburg and Jochen Peter. 2013. The differential susceptibility to media effects model.Journal of communication63, 2 (2013), 221–243

  135. [144]

    Stijn Van Petegem, Evelien de Ferrerre, Bart Soenens, Antonius J van Rooij, and Jan Van Looy. 2019. Parents’ degree and style of restrictive mediation of young children’s digital gaming: Associations with parental attitudes and perceived child adjustment.Journal of Child and F...

  136. [145]

    Geert P Verheijen, Sabine EMJ Stoltz, Yvonne HM van den Berg, and Antonius HN Cillessen. 2019. The influence of competitive and cooperative video games on behavior during play and friendship quality in adolescence.Computers in Human Behavior91 (2019), 297–304

  137. [146]

    Peter Vorderer. 2011. What’s next? Remarks on the Current Vitalization of Entertainment Theory.Journal of Media Psychology23, 1 (2011), 60–63. Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Vol. 9, No. 6, Article GAMES038. Publication date: October 2025. Elaborating on the Effects of Eudai...

  138. [147]

    Peter Vorderer, Christoph Klimmt, and Ute Ritterfeld. 2004. Enjoyment: At the heart of media entertainment. Communication theory14, 4 (2004), 388–408

  139. [148]

    Ka Wong, Praveen Paritosh, and Lora Aroyo. 2021. Cross-replication Reliability – An Empirical Approach to Interpreting Inter-rater Reliability. arXiv:2106.07393 [stat.AP] https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.07393

  140. [149]

    Good Morning?

    Michael Yin and Robert Xiao. 2022. How Should I Respond to “Good Morning?”: Understanding Choice in Narrative- Rich Games. InDesigning Interactive Systems Conference. ACM, Virtual Event Australia, 726–744. doi:10.1145/3532106. 3533459 Ludography

  141. [152]

    2019.A Short Hike

    Adam Robinson-Yu. 2019.A Short Hike. Game [Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One]. adamgryu

  142. [153]

    1984.Tetris

    Alexey Pajitnov. 1984.Tetris. Game [Electronika 60, Game Boy, NES, Windows, Web, multiple platforms]. AcademySoft / Elektronorgtechnica, Moscow, USSR

  143. [154]

    2004.Dofus

    Ankama Games. 2004.Dofus. Game [Windows, macOS, Linux, Web]. Ankama, Roubaix, France

  144. [155]

    2006.Persona 3

    Atlus. 2006.Persona 3. Game [PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 (PS2 Classics)]. Atlus, Tokyo, Japan

  145. [156]

    2012.Persona 4 Golden

    Atlus. 2012.Persona 4 Golden. Game [PlayStation Vita, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S]. Atlus, Tokyo, Japan

  146. [157]

    2011.The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

    Bethesda Game Studios. 2011.The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Game [Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S]. Bethesda SoftWorks, Rockville, Maryland

  147. [158]

    2014.Dragon Age: Inquisition

    BioWare. 2014.Dragon Age: Inquisition. Game [Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One]. Electronic Arts, Redwood City, California

  148. [159]

    2004.World of Warcraft

    Blizzard Entertainment. 2004.World of Warcraft. Game [Windows, macOS]. Blizzard Entertainment, Irvine, California

  149. [160]

    2001.Halo: Combat Evolved

    Bungie. 2001.Halo: Combat Evolved. Game [Xbox, Windows, macOS, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S]. Microsoft Game Studios

  150. [161]

    2001.Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

    Capcom. 2001.Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Game [Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Windows, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One]. Capcom, Osaka, Japan

  151. [162]

    2009.Resident Evil 5

    Capcom. 2009.Resident Evil 5. Game [PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch]. Capcom, Osaka, Japan

  152. [163]

    2020.Cyberpunk 2077

    CD Projekt RED. 2020.Cyberpunk 2077. Game [PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S]. CD Projekt, Warsaw, Poland

  153. [164]

    2007.osu!Game [Windows, macOS, Linux (unofficial), Android (osu!droid), Web]

    Dean Herbert. 2007.osu!Game [Windows, macOS, Linux (unofficial), Android (osu!droid), Web]. ppy

  154. [165]

    2013.The Last of Us

    Naughty Dog. 2013.The Last of Us. Game [PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4]. Sony Interactive Entertainment, San Mateo, California

  155. [166]

    2005.Need for Speed: Most Wanted

    EA Canada and EA Black Box. 2005.Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Game [PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Windows, Nintendo DS, PSP, Game Boy Advance]. Electronic Arts, Redwood City, California, USA

  156. [167]

    2002.Age of Mythology

    Ensemble Studios. 2002.Age of Mythology. Game [Windows, macOS]. Microsoft Game Studios, Redmond, Washington

  157. [168]

    2020.Animal Crossing: New Horizons

    Nintendo EPD. 2020.Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Nintendo, Kyoto, Japan

  158. [169]

    2015.Undertale

    Toby Fox. 2015.Undertale. Game [macOS, Windows, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One]. https://undertale.com/ Toby Fox, 8-4

  159. [170]

    2011.To the Moon

    Freebird Games. 2011.To the Moon. Game [Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS]. Freebird Games, Canada

  160. [171]

    2011.Dark Souls

    FromSoftware. 2011.Dark Souls. Game [PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch]. Bandai Namco Entertainment, Tokyo, Japan

  161. [172]

    2022.Elden Ring

    FromSoftware. 2022.Elden Ring. Game [Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S]. Bandai Namco Entertainment, Tokyo, Japan

  162. [173]

    2004.Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor

    Her Interactive. 2004.Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor. Game [Windows]. Her Interactive, Bellevue, Washington

  163. [174]

    1998.Caesar III

    Impressions Games. 1998.Caesar III. Game [Windows]. Sierra On-Line, Oakhurst, California

  164. [175]

    2003.Call of Duty

    Infinity Ward. 2003.Call of Duty. Game [Windows, macOS, N-Gage, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360]. Activision, Santa Monica, California, USA

  165. [176]

    2001.RuneScape

    Jagex. 2001.RuneScape. Game [Windows, macOs, Linux, Android, iOS]. Jagex, Cambridge, England

  166. [177]

    2005.Shadow of the Colossus

    Japan Studio and Team Ico. 2005.Shadow of the Colossus. Game [PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4]. Sony Computer Entertainment, Tokyo, Japan

  167. [178]

    1998.Metal Gear Solid

    Konami Computer Entertainment Japan. 1998.Metal Gear Solid. Game [PlayStation, Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable]. Konami, Tokyo, Japan. Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Vol. 9, No. 6, Article GAMES038. Publication date: October 2025. GA...

  168. [179]

    2023.Baldur’s Gate 3

    Larian Studios. 2023.Baldur’s Gate 3. Game [Windows, macOS, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S]. Larian Studios, Ghent, Belgium

  169. [180]

    2024.Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

    MachineGames. 2024.Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Game [Windows, Xbox Series X/S]. Bethesda Softworks, Rockville, Maryland

  170. [181]

    2019.Outer Wilds

    Mobius Digital. 2019.Outer Wilds. Game [Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch]. Annapurna Interactive, West Hollywood, USA

  171. [182]

    2009.Minecraft

    Mojang Studios. 2009.Minecraft. Game [Windows, macOS, Linux Android, iOS, iPadOS, Xbox 360, Raspberry Pi, Windows Phone, PlayStation 3, Fire OS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Apple TV, tvOS, Nintendo Switch, New Nintendo 3DS]. Mojang Studios, Stockholm, Sweden

  172. [183]

    1994.Tekken

    Namco. 1994.Tekken. Game [Arcade, PlayStation, Windows, PlayStation 2 (via collections)]. Namco, Tokyo, Japan

  173. [184]

    1993.The Legend of Zelda: Link’s A wakening

    Nintendo. 1993.The Legend of Zelda: Link’s A wakening. Game [Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Nintendo Switch]. Nintendo, Kyoto, Japan

  174. [185]

    2007.Wii Fit

    Nintendo. 2007.Wii Fit. Game [Wii]. Nintendo, Kyoto, Japan

  175. [186]

    1996.Mario Kart 64

    Nintendo EAD. 1996.Mario Kart 64. Game [Nintendo 64, Wii (Virtual Console), Wii U (Virtual Console), Nintendo Switch Online]. Nintendo, Kyoto, Japan

  176. [187]

    1998.The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

    Nintendo EAD. 1998.The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Game [Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii (Virtual Console), Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch Online]. Nintendo, Kyoto, Japan

  177. [188]

    2017.The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

    Nintendo EPD. 2017.The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Game [Nintendo Switch, Wii U]. Nintendo, Kyoto, Japan

  178. [189]

    2024.Duet Night Abyss

    Pan Studio. 2024.Duet Night Abyss. Game [Windows, Android, iOS]. Pan Studio / Hero Games

  179. [190]

    2014.Sparta: War of Empires

    Plarium. 2014.Sparta: War of Empires. Game [Web Browser, Facebook, Windows, macOS]. Plarium, Herzliya, Israel

  180. [191]

    2009.League of Legends

    Riot Games. 2009.League of Legends. Game [Windows, macOS]. Riot Games, Los Angeles, California

  181. [192]

    2004.Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

    Rockstar North. 2004.Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Game [macOS, Windows, iOS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Android, Xbox, Xbox 360]. Rockstar Games, New York, New York, USA

  182. [193]

    2018.Red Dead Redemption 2

    Rockstar Studios. 2018.Red Dead Redemption 2. Game [PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Stadia]. Rockstar Games, New York, New York

  183. [194]

    2015.Batman: Arkham Knight

    Rocksteady Studios. 2015.Batman: Arkham Knight. Game [Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One]. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Burbank, California

  184. [195]

    2024.Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

    Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. 2024.Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Game [PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows]. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Tokyo, Japan; Sega, Tokyo, Japan

  185. [196]

    2010.Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

    Spike Chunsoft. 2010.Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. Game [PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4]. Spike Chunsoft, Tokyo, Japan

  186. [197]

    1997.Final Fantasy VII

    Square Co., Ltd. 1997.Final Fantasy VII. Game [PlayStation, Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS, Android]. SquareSoft, Tokyo, Japan

  187. [198]

    1999.Chrono Cross

    Square Co., Ltd. 1999.Chrono Cross. Game [PlayStation, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows]. SquareSoft, Tokyo, Japan

  188. [199]

    1999.Final Fantasy VIII

    Square Co., Ltd. 1999.Final Fantasy VIII. Game [PlayStation, Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS, Android]. SquareSoft, Tokyo, Japan

  189. [200]

    2001.Final Fantasy X

    Square Co., Ltd. 2001.Final Fantasy X. Game [PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Windows]. SquareSoft, Tokyo, Japan

  190. [201]

    2007.Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII

    Square Enix. 2007.Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Game [PlayStation Portable]. Square Enix, Tokyo, Japan

  191. [202]

    2013.Final Fantasy XIV Online

    Square Enix. 2013.Final Fantasy XIV Online. Game [Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5]. Square Enix, Tokyo, Japan

  192. [203]

    2016.Final Fantasy XV

    Square Enix. 2016.Final Fantasy XV. Game [PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Stadia]. Square Enix, Tokyo, Japan

  193. [204]

    2024.Metaphor: ReFantazio

    Studio Zero. 2024.Metaphor: ReFantazio. Game [PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows]. Atlus, Tokyo, Japan

  194. [205]

    2020.Ghost of Tsushima

    Sucker Punch Productions. 2020.Ghost of Tsushima. Game [PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows]. Sony Interactive Entertainment, San Mateo, California

  195. [206]

    2019.The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series

    Telltale Games. 2019.The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series. Game [Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch]. Telltale Games, San Rafael, California

  196. [207]

    2020.Spiritfarer

    Thunder Lotus Games. 2020.Spiritfarer. Game [Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Stadia]. Thunder Lotus Games, Montreal, Canada

  197. [208]

    2011.Just Dance 3

    Ubisoft Paris and Ubisoft Montreal. 2011.Just Dance 3. Game [Wii, Xbox 360 (Kinect), PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Move)]. Ubisoft, Saint-Mandé, France

  198. [209]

    2012.Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

    Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment. 2012.Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Game [Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360]. Valve Corporation, Bellevue, Washington. Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Vol. 9, No. 6, Article GAMES038. Publication date: October 2025. Elabor...

  199. [210]

    2017.Rain World

    Videocult. 2017.Rain World. Game [Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One]. Adult Swim Games, Atlanta, Georgia

  200. [211]

    2020.Factorio

    Wube Software. 2020.Factorio. Game [Windows, macOS, Linux]. Wube Software, Prague, Czech Republic

  201. [212]

    2019.Disco Elysium

    ZA/UM. 2019.Disco Elysium. Game [Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch]. ZA/UM, London, United Kingdom. Received 2025-02-19; accepted 2025-07-24 Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Vol. 9, No. 6, Article GAMES038. Publication da...

  202. [2016]

    2016), 390–405

    Video games as meaningful entertainment experiences.Psychology of Popular Media Culture5, 4 (Oct. 2016), 390–405. doi:10.1037/ppm0000066

  203. [2022]

    Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction6, CSCW1 (2022), 1–22

    Joint media engagement in families playing animal crossing: new horizons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction6, CSCW1 (2022), 1–22

Pith tools

Reviewed August 6, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.