The Effects of Customization on Player Engagement in an Extended Online Social Game

• In Event: Roundtable Session 24
  In Roundtable Session: Engagement, Inquiry, and Community in Immersive Learning Environments

Abstract

This study investigated the role of customization as function of user control in a Massively Multiplayer Online game, Lord of the Rings Online. It extends and adds to the studies examining the effects of choice as a vehicle to understanding users’ dynamic relationships with new media. Sixty-six participants’ data were collected over ten hours of gameplay in four sessions to measure the effects of customization on players’ engagement. Participants’ gameplay experience was assessed with Likert Scale questionnaires and semi structured interviews. Results indicate that players who were able to customize various aspect of the game became increasingly more engaged over time than those who did not get to customize. Implications of the results are discussed using Self-Determination Theory.

Author

• Selen Turkay, Harvard University