Towards gameworld studies

Abstract

This article focuses on the phenomenon of meaningful experiences within digital games. To this end, rather than game studies, we propose ‘Gameworld Studies’ as better articulating both the goal of certain theorists and theoretical approaches, and the player experience. In explicating meaning, the authors utilize and link two frameworks: hermeneutic phenomenology and self-determination theory. This interdisciplinary perspective is applied to two data sets, one quantitative, one qualitative, regarding players’ experiences of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Fallout 4. The responses illuminate how certain design decisions have substantial impacts upon both how, and why, particular meanings manifest within the player experience. The article concludes with recommendations for both the design and study of digital games.