CommunityData:CommunityDynamicZach

Online Community Dynamics in the Video Game Industry

We are currently seeking qualified participants who are interested in being interviewed for our study. Participants must be adults (18 years or older or, if not in the United States, have reached the age of majority in their locale), have experience in the United States based video game industry, and are able to conduct an online interview in English. If you qualify please email zarens@uw.edu or complete the google form. We are looking forward to talking to you about your work in the video game industry. You will receive a $20 Tango gift card in return for your participation.

google form: https://forms.gle/ZCWH76uatTwnbS2A7

Please contact your employer/former employer for information on what information you are allowed to disclose during this interview. This interview does NOT seek to obtain sensitive information regarding company strategies but seeks to obtain personal experience from participants. While the video game industry is a young and exciting place to work there is room for process improvement that benefits producers and players of games. The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper knowledge of the change management feedback process within the larger video game development process. A primary goal within this interview is to establish a better understanding of how community feedback impacts game changes in different companies.

The goal of our research is two-fold. First, to gain a deeper understanding regarding the current approach to customer feedback and change management processes employed in the video game industry. Second, to highlight the current state of community impact on game governance. Our research has found that communication between game developers and their customers, or player communities, is an important element in building customer trust, market performance, and longevity. Unlike traditional non-interactive media (i.e., T.V. or movies) or physical products (i.e., software or clothing), online gaming exists in a collaborative and persistent online world (González-Sánchez, 2009). Thus, during initial game planning and gameplay (the service phase), customer feedback is typically critical to organizational success. Our research will explore the intersection between community impact (feedback), marketing influence, and governance (rules) regarding changes in successive versions of the game. Understanding this intersection requires us to define the structure and sources of game governance: the rules that guide development during product creation and game evolution during the service phase of a game’s lifecycle. Utilizing the feedback from our interviews this project aims to clarify our understanding of community impact on video game evolution.

Study Team

Team Lead: Zach Arenson <zarens@uw.edu>

Faculty Supervisor: Benjamin Mako Hill <makohill@uw.edu>

References

González-Sánchez, José & Padilla-Zea, Natalia & Vela, Francisco Luis. (2009). From Usability to Playability: Introduction to Player-Centred Video Game Development Process. 5619. 65-74. 10.1007/978-3-642-02806-9_9.

Seay, A. & Kraut, R. (2007). Project massive: Self-regulation and problematic use of online gaming. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings. 829-838. 10.1145/1240624.1240749..

Teece, David J. (2019) A capability theory of the firm: economics and (strategic) management perspective, New Zealand Economic Papers, 53:1, 1-43, doi:10.1080/00779954-2017.1371208, pg20