{"title":"How cultural elements shape game evaluations: The role of cultural authenticity and perceived effort","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.chb.2024.108452","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>As cultural products, games frequently integrate cultural elements, which can be classified as indexical elements or iconic elements based on their degree of connection to real-world cultures. Indexical elements are more directly tied to specific cultural references, while iconic elements are more symbolic. This study explores how these elements influence game evaluations through secondary data analysis and three experiments. Our findings reveal that indexical elements indexical elements enhance perceived cultural authenticity more than iconic elements, but do not necessarily lead to better game evaluations. Conversely, iconic elements positively impact perceived effort, which contributes to better game evaluations. Furthermore, for players with strong authenticity-seeking motivations, indexical elements improve game evaluations by increasing perceived cultural authenticity. This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of cultural element integration in game design, while providing actionable insights for game developers and cultural product firms.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48471,"journal":{"name":"Computers in Human Behavior","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Computers in Human Behavior","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563224003200","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, EXPERIMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
As cultural products, games frequently integrate cultural elements, which can be classified as indexical elements or iconic elements based on their degree of connection to real-world cultures. Indexical elements are more directly tied to specific cultural references, while iconic elements are more symbolic. This study explores how these elements influence game evaluations through secondary data analysis and three experiments. Our findings reveal that indexical elements indexical elements enhance perceived cultural authenticity more than iconic elements, but do not necessarily lead to better game evaluations. Conversely, iconic elements positively impact perceived effort, which contributes to better game evaluations. Furthermore, for players with strong authenticity-seeking motivations, indexical elements improve game evaluations by increasing perceived cultural authenticity. This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of cultural element integration in game design, while providing actionable insights for game developers and cultural product firms.
期刊介绍:
Computers in Human Behavior is a scholarly journal that explores the psychological aspects of computer use. It covers original theoretical works, research reports, literature reviews, and software and book reviews. The journal examines both the use of computers in psychology, psychiatry, and related fields, and the psychological impact of computer use on individuals, groups, and society. Articles discuss topics such as professional practice, training, research, human development, learning, cognition, personality, and social interactions. It focuses on human interactions with computers, considering the computer as a medium through which human behaviors are shaped and expressed. Professionals interested in the psychological aspects of computer use will find this journal valuable, even with limited knowledge of computers.