Session Title

Session 1-3-B: Getting Social – Games, Responsibility, and Game Play

Presentation Type

Event

Location

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Start Date

28-5-2019 1:45 PM

End Date

28-5-2019 3:10 PM

Disciplines

Communication Technology and New Media | Social Media | Sociology of Culture

Abstract

Social casino games (SCG), for example those played on Facebook and on mobile devices, are one of the most profitable genres of free-to-play games. They are also an example of a convergence trend, where the line between gambling and digital gaming is blurring. Digital games integrate gambling elements, such as loot boxes, while new forms of digital, online and hybrid gambling games use similar immersive elements as those which are employed in video games.

The Finnish Player Barometer 2018, a nationally representative dataset (n = 946), included questions about digital gaming, gambling and SCG. It reveals that 5.9% of Finns play SCG at least occasionally and 2% of Finns play them at least once of month.

But how is SCG playing connected with offline and online gambling and with digital game playing?

Ridge regression analysis was employed to investigate the predictive power of a range of variables regarding the frequency of SCG play. Results show that a higher frequency of SCG play is associated with higher frequency of digital game playing, but with lower frequency of both online and offline gambling. Furthermore, a higher frequency of playing skill based (digital) gambling games is the strongest predictor of SCG playing.

Implications:

Our analysis contribute to understanding better who SCG players, online and offline gamblers and digital game players are and how playing new forms of gaming and gambling are interrelated.

Keywords

Social casino games, Digital games, Convergence of gambling and gaming, Free-to-play games

Author Bios

Jani Kinnunen is a researcher at the Game Research Lab of Tampere University. His research is focused on similarities and differences between gambling and digital gaming, qualities of play money and gam(bl)ing related social interaction.

Joseph Macey is a doctoral researcher at the Tampere University, and is a member of the Gamification Group and of the Game Research Lab. His current work focuses on investigating the relationships between video games and behavioural conditions such as problematic gambling. Other research interests include esports, cognitive framing, digital convergence, heuristic evaluation, and user experience testing.

Funding Sources

The Finnish Player Barometer study was part of Academy of Finland funded Ludification of Culture and Society research project. The funding body had no involvement in any aspects of the research.

Competing Interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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May 28th, 1:45 PM May 28th, 3:10 PM

What Predicts Social Casino Game Playing? Interrelations of Social Casino Gaming, Gambling, and Demographic Factors

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Social casino games (SCG), for example those played on Facebook and on mobile devices, are one of the most profitable genres of free-to-play games. They are also an example of a convergence trend, where the line between gambling and digital gaming is blurring. Digital games integrate gambling elements, such as loot boxes, while new forms of digital, online and hybrid gambling games use similar immersive elements as those which are employed in video games.

The Finnish Player Barometer 2018, a nationally representative dataset (n = 946), included questions about digital gaming, gambling and SCG. It reveals that 5.9% of Finns play SCG at least occasionally and 2% of Finns play them at least once of month.

But how is SCG playing connected with offline and online gambling and with digital game playing?

Ridge regression analysis was employed to investigate the predictive power of a range of variables regarding the frequency of SCG play. Results show that a higher frequency of SCG play is associated with higher frequency of digital game playing, but with lower frequency of both online and offline gambling. Furthermore, a higher frequency of playing skill based (digital) gambling games is the strongest predictor of SCG playing.

Implications:

Our analysis contribute to understanding better who SCG players, online and offline gamblers and digital game players are and how playing new forms of gaming and gambling are interrelated.