Joseph Macey | Tampere University (original) (raw)

Papers by Joseph Macey

Internet Research

PurposeThis paper studies early stages of actor mobilization for institutional change within Swed... more PurposeThis paper studies early stages of actor mobilization for institutional change within Swedish esports.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ interpretative phenomenological analysis.FindingsThe authors’ findings explain how actors become motivated to act in critical reflections linked to conflicting legitimacy judgments and emotionally charged personal struggles. Moreover, the findings show how, as actors get activated in collective action, they identify efficacy lines around valid domains and experience emotionally charged collective endeavors. Furthermore, the findings explain how particularities in early experiences project legitimacy aspirations that orient collective action toward validity ends and particular values and ideals shaping actors' grassroots movements.Originality/valueThis study adds to legitimacy and institutional change theory through individual actors' perspectives, providing key insights into how they are motivated, activated, and oriented....

FDG '22: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games

Forests are, both culturally and ecologically, one of the most important environments on our plan... more Forests are, both culturally and ecologically, one of the most important environments on our planet. As such, there are countless representations of them-with Digital Games being no exception. In this paper we adopt the perspective of ecocriticism, which regards the analysis of the textual portrayal of physical environments of the natural world. In particular, we propose here a framework for the analysis of forest representations in digital games, mindful of the many different layers that coexist together: cultural, discursive, representational and ludic. In order to test our framework and to showcase its potential, in the last section we present a brief analysis of the slicing game Jack Lumber and of the ideological tensions that emerge from the game. CCS CONCEPTS • Applied computing → Computer games; Media arts; • Humancentered computing → Empirical studies in HCI.

Viime vuosikymmenten aikana esiin on noussut kaksi rinnakkaista suuntausta, rahapelikäytäntöjen l... more Viime vuosikymmenten aikana esiin on noussut kaksi rinnakkaista suuntausta, rahapelikäytäntöjen lisääntynyt vapauttaminen sekä pelien kasvanut merkitys viihdemedioina ja kulttuurisina kiinnekohtina. Näistä suuntauksista johtuen video- ja rahapelien välillä tapahtunut nopea lähentyminen ei siis ole yllättävää. Prosessin aikana perinteiset erot ovat yhä enemmän hämärtyneet, luoneet uusia toimintoja sekä vaikuttaneet uudenlaisten sosiaalisten suhteiden ja kulutuskäytäntöjen kehittymiseen. Digitaaliteknologian mahdollistama pelaamisen ja rahapelien lähentyminen on saanut viime vuosina yhä enemmän huomiota myös akateemisessa yhteisössä, näiden digitaalisten mediatuotteiden nopeasti kasvavien sosiaalisten ja taloudellisten vaikutusten vuoksi. Pelien sisäisiin kohteisiin, yllätyslaatikoihin (eng. loot boxes), on kiinnitetty paljon huomiota, mutta esimerkkejä rahapelien kaltaisesta mekaniikasta pelaajien sitouttamiseksi ja siten taloudellisen kannattavuuden edistämiseksi on olemassa paljon ...

Journal of Behavioral Addictions

Background and aims Loot boxes are in-game items which distribute rewards to players via random-n... more Background and aims Loot boxes are in-game items which distribute rewards to players via random-number generation; many games require players to make in-game payments to access their contents. The combination of financial outlay and random rewards has raised concern about similarities to gambling. This debate paper presents a series of themes identified by an inter-institutional working group in Finland, alongside suggested actions, and are presented with the intention of stimulating debate among stakeholders. Methods This work uses an exploratory research approach to gather data from a range of sources, including state-of-the-art reports from several fields and qualitative content analysis of invited presentations from a range of stakeholders, including affected individuals, practitioners, and field-specific experts. Results and Discussion Several significant themes emerged from the work and are presented alongside a series of proposed action points. Based on this preliminary explo...

New Media & Society, 2022

In recent years, gambling has become increasingly prominent in everyday life; the term ‘gamblific... more In recent years, gambling has become increasingly prominent in everyday life; the term ‘gamblification’ first emerged in the late 2000s and was used to describe the colonisation of sports and sporting cultures by the gambling industry. Since that time, gamblification has been used to describe a range of phenomena in increasingly diffuse contexts; it has been variously used as a proxy for the convergence of gaming and gambling, to describe specific monetisation practices, or as a means of motivating consumer behaviours. Conceptual clarity has been further muddied by the positioning of gamblification as a form of gamification. This work provides a definition of gamblification, which draws upon and consolidates existing uses of the term while also providing a lens through which the differing aspects of gamblification can be understood and appraised. By doing so, this work will establish a clear conceptual framework, which can structure in-depth discussions of this multi-dimensional phe...

Modes of Esports Engagement in Overwatch, 2022

Loot boxes are a common monetization mechanic in the contemporary games industry. However, an inc... more Loot boxes are a common monetization mechanic in the contemporary games industry. However, an increasing number of regulatory bodies have been investigating loot boxes, with several having concluded that they constitute gambling. There is, however, a lack of consensus, with some authorities concentrating on the way loot boxes are obtained, while others consider the value of their contents. Overwatch is particularly affected by this disparity as it remains legal in some jurisdictions but not in others. In order to understand the role and function of loot boxes, an expert analysis must be complemented with consumer voices. This chapter utilizes content analysis to investigate discussions of loot boxes in Overwatch fan communities, identifying several prominent themes: monetization, effects, contents, gambling, regulation, alternatives, and their specifics in Overwatch.

Supplemental material, RR2_Appendices_What_predicts_esports_betting_Macey_Abarbanel_and_Hamari fo... more Supplemental material, RR2_Appendices_What_predicts_esports_betting_Macey_Abarbanel_and_Hamari for What predicts esports betting? A study on consumption of video games, esports, gambling and demographic factors by Joseph Macey, Brett Abarbanel and Juho Hamari in New Media & Society

Supplemental material, NMS-17-0746.R2_3RD_REVISED_VERSION_Appendices for eSports, skins and loot ... more Supplemental material, NMS-17-0746.R2_3RD_REVISED_VERSION_Appendices for eSports, skins and loot boxes: Participants, practices and problematic behaviour associated with emergent forms of gambling by Joseph Macey and Juho Hamari in New Media & Society

Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Social Media and Society, 2018

There is no doubt that various social media services shape the ways in which we approach our dail... more There is no doubt that various social media services shape the ways in which we approach our daily lives. The ubiquitous nature of these services, afforded by mobile devices, means that we can take them with us wherever we go including when we attend live events. Uncovering why individuals use social media during live events can help improve their organization, marketing, and the experiences of attendees. Our understanding of the motivations for using social media during live events is, however, still lacking in depth, especially in regard to emerging live events such as esports. This study aims to answer the question: what motivates the use of social media during live eSports events? Data was gathered via a survey (N=255) at the Assembly 2016 LAN-event, a major live esports event. We examine the relationships between using various social media services and the motivations for esports spectating, through the Motivation Scale for Sports Consumption. While the results indicate that using social media services while attending Assembly 2016 was quite popular, it seemed that in many cases social media usage was a distraction from esports spectating, a core activity of the event. The results provide implications as to how marketers of live esports events should encourage or control usage of social media by attendees. CCS CONCEPTS • Information systems➝Social networks • Human-centered computing➝Social media • Networks➝Social media networks

Gamblification" is a rapidly emerging form of media convergence between the more chance-based act... more Gamblification" is a rapidly emerging form of media convergence between the more chance-based activity of gambling and the more skill-based activity of (video) gaming, for example in the competitive video gaming known as esports. The marriage of video gaming and gambling has been theorised as bringing about new forms of gambling-related cognitive processes in individuals and affecting the ways in which they approach and evaluate gambling situations. As such, a pertinent research problem is whether existing measurement instruments designed to identify gambling related cognitions can be employed in this new context and population, and if not, how they can be adapted. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the psychometric properties of Gambling Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS) and a series of items developed following a review of existing literature. We employ three separate datasets gathered from video game players who also gamble (N = 442; 391; and, 335). The results indicate that the GRCS is not a robust measure to use for video game players who gamble; the new GamCog measure was, therefore, developed to address this gap. The study implies that the most significant cognitive differences between video game players and the wider population are the ways in which concepts of skill and luck are perceived, potentially due to the sense of personal agency engendered by video games.

Proceedings of the 22nd International Academic Mindtrek Conference, 2018

This work examined experiences and perceptions of verbal abuse in an online game, Dota 2, in rega... more This work examined experiences and perceptions of verbal abuse in an online game, Dota 2, in regard to age. A dataset (n=364) was gathered via an online survey with a normal age distribution, but skewed to male respondents. Statistically significant relationships were found between age and: perception of seriousness of communication abuse, number of times placed in the low priority pool, and participation in communication abuse. No statistically significant relationship was found between age and number of times target of communication abuse. Findings suggest that as player age increases, so does participation in communication abuse. Although this runs counter to existing research, it may be explained by differing perceptions of communication abuse according to age. The findings have implications both for the ways in which online abuse and harassment is investigated, and for the ways in which it can be addressed by game developers and wider society.

Behaviour & Information Technology, 2020

Contemporary digital technologies have facilitated practices related to games whereby users often... more Contemporary digital technologies have facilitated practices related to games whereby users often produce and consume content for free. To date, research into consumer interactions has largely focused on in-game factors, however, the intention to both play the game and to make in-game purchases are influenced by outside factors, including game streams and game-centred communities. In particular, the growth of competitive gaming, known as esports, offers a new channel for consumer engagement. This research explores the potential for esports to be a significant factor in understanding both intentions to play and spend money on games. Our study draws from Motivations Scale of Sports Consumption to empirically investigate the relationship between esports spectating motivations and game consumption: Watching Intention, Gaming Intention, and Purchasing Intention. This survey uses structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse data collected from a sample of video game players (n = 194). This research contributes empirical evidence of the relationship between esports spectating and game consumption, with the relationship between Watching Intention and Gaming Intention found to be particularly strong. Finally, while the MSSC is an adequate measure for esports spectating, additional aspects specific to esports require further investigation, consequently, there may be more optimal measures which can be developed.

International Gambling Studies, 2020

This study provides an overview of the interactions between the playing of digital games, gamblin... more This study provides an overview of the interactions between the playing of digital games, gambling activities and Social Casino Games (SCG) in the Finnish context. Earlier studies of SCG playing have predominantly focused on US and Australian markets, and have not included digital gaming in examinations. This study uses crosstabulation to analyze data from a nationally representative survey (n = 946). SCG play was found to be associated with lower levels of educational attainment, younger males, increased digital game play, gambling in digital games, increased use of free-to-play (F2P) games, and microtransactions. Finally, positive associations were found to exist with established forms of gambling, both online and offline. The findings of this research contribute to the understanding of growing convergence between digital gaming and gambling as it is the first to consider digital game play, SCG play and participation in gambling holistically. It found stronger associations between digital game play and SCG play than between gambling consumption and SCG play, thereby highlighting the importance of context in relationships between digital game consumption and gambling. Furthermore, younger generations of Finns are likely to experience convergent gambling-gaming elements in digital gaming platforms and online environments before engaging in traditional gambling activities.

New Media & Society, 2020

The parallel media related to sports, gaming and gambling are expanding, exemplified by the emerg... more The parallel media related to sports, gaming and gambling are expanding, exemplified by the emergence of esports and game-related gambling (e.g. loot boxes, esports betting). The increasing convergence of these phenomena means it is essential to understand how they interact. Given the expanding consumer base of esports, it is important to know how individuals’ backgrounds and consumption of game media may lead to esports betting. This study employs survey data ( N = 1368) to investigate how demographics, alongside consumption of video games, esports and gambling can predict esports betting activity. Results reveal that both spectating esports and participation in general forms of gambling are associated with increased esports betting, no direct association was observed between the consumption of video games and esports betting. Findings suggest that while games may act as a vehicle for gambling content, highlighting the convergence of gaming and gambling, there is no intrinsic aspec...

Internet Research, 2019

PurposeEsports (electronic sports) are watched by hundreds of millions of people every year and m... more PurposeEsports (electronic sports) are watched by hundreds of millions of people every year and many esports have overtaken large traditional sports in spectator numbers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate spectating differences between online spectating of esports and live attendance of esports events. This is done in order to further understand attendance behaviour for a cultural phenomenon that is primarily mediated through internet technologies, and to be able to predict behavioural patterns.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs the Motivation Scale for Sports Consumption to investigate the gratifications spectators derive from esports, both from attending tournaments physically and spectating online, in order to explore which factors may explain the esports spectating behaviour. The authors investigate how these gratifications lead into continued spectatorship online and offline, as well as the likelihood of recommending esports to others. The authors employ tw...

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2019

Computers in Human Behavior, 2018

An established body of research exists in which playing video games have been associated with pot... more An established body of research exists in which playing video games have been associated with potentially problematic behaviours, such as gambling. However, this position has recently been questioned in respect to the contemporary environments of both video gaming and gambling. This study investigates relationships between a range of gambling activities and the consumption of video games in general, and the newly emergent phenomenon of esports in particular. In addition, these practices are considered in relation to established measures assessing game addiction and problematic gambling. The study employs Partial Least Squares modelling to investigate data gathered via an international online survey (N=613). Video game addiction was found to be negatively associated with offline gambling, online gambling, and problem gambling. Video game consumption had only small, positive association with video game-related gambling and problem gambling. Consumption of esports had small to moderate association with video game-related gambling, online gambling, and problem gambling. The primary finding of this study are that contemporary video games are not, in themselves, associated with increased potential for problematic gambling, indeed, the position that problem gaming and problem gambling are fundamentally connected is questioned.

Computers in Human Behavior, 2019

The research has been carried out as part of research projects (40009/16 & 40111/14) funded by th... more The research has been carried out as part of research projects (40009/16 & 40111/14) funded by the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation (TEKES).

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2018

Addiction (Abingdon, England), Jan 14, 2018

Nonblind placebo trial: an exploration of neurotic patients' responses to placebo when its inert ... more Nonblind placebo trial: an exploration of neurotic patients' responses to placebo when its inert content is disclosed.