Ribbens, W. (2013). Perceived game realism: a test of three alternative models. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 16(1), 31-36. (original) (raw)

Perceived realism is considered a key concept in explaining the mental processing of media messages and the societal impact of media. Despite its importance, little is known about its conceptualization and dimensional structure, especially with regard to digital games. The aim of this study was to test a six-factors model of perceived game realism comprised of simulational realism, freedom of choice, perceptual pervasiveness, social realism, authenticity and character involvement and to assess it against an alternative single- and five-factors model. Data were collected from 380 male digital game users who judged the realism of the first-person shooter Half-Life 2 based upon their previous experience with the game. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to investigate which model fits the data best. The results support the six-factors model over the single- and five-factors solutions. The study contributes to our knowledge of perceived game realism by further developing its conceptualization and measurement.