The psychosocial implications of Game Transfer Phenomena: An empirical study by Angelica B. Ortiz de Gortari and Mark D. Griffiths

1. The psychosocial implications
of Game Transfer Phenomena
Angelica B. Ortiz de Gortari
& Mark D. Griffiths
ITAG conference 2013
Nottingham Trent University, UK
Council House, Nottingham, 17 October 2013.
International Gaming Research Unit

2. Background: Video games effects
Videogames have been used effectively
as learning tools in therapy and in the
school (e.g., Griffiths, Kuss, & Ortiz de Gortari,
in press).
Social skills: Pro-social game play
predicted later increases in pro-social
behaviour (e.g., Gentile et al., 2009).

3. Background: Video games’ effects
The effects of videogames’ contents examines particular
videogames types and contents such as violent,
stereotypical and risk behaviour contents (e.g., Anderson,
Gentile, & Buckley, 2007).

4. Background: Video games’ effects
The effects of intense and prolonged videogame
playing: Internet Gaming Disorder (DSM5) Focus on
a particular group of the population who play video
.
games excessively (e.g., Grusser, Thalemann, Griffiths, 2007).

5. Background: Video games’ effects
The psychophysiological side effects:
•Neural adaptations - Have mainly been investigated on
virtual simulators (e.g., motion sickness)  have hardly
investigated side effects in commercial video games played
.
on a screen (Champney et al., 2007).
•Negative effect on sleep patterns - (Dworak, Schierl,
Bruns, & Strüder, 2007; King, 2013).

6. Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP)
Transfer of video game experiences into the real world
Includes: VG content, in-game actions and the use of
cues in the game
Episodic/recurrent
Visual
thoughs
Auditory
Holistic approach
Holistic approach
Perceptions
Cognitions
to understand VG
to understand VG
Body
effects
effects
sensations
Emotions
Impulses
Mood states
Behaviours
Voluntary behaviour
Involuntary behaviour
GTP usually occur spontaneously and without gamers’ control.

7. Method
Aim:
To overview of all the GTP
modalities and to discuss the
.
psychological and psychosocial
implications of GTP.
Three qualitative studies have
been conducted to identify, classify
and explain the different modalities
of GTP:
(i) visual, (ii) auditory, (iii) thoughts
and behaviours.

8. Method
Data collection:
60 online video game forums
.
Participants:
1,681 posts from 1,244 players
Procedure:
Each GTP modality were coded into
a database for classification and
quantification.
Videos of game play were observed.
Games associated with the data were
played.

9. Results:
Re-classification of GTP in two main
categories:
Perseverative states
Manifestation
Perceptually
Cognitively
Behaviourally
Mix-ups between
videogames and real
life experiences

10. Perseverative states
• Lack of cognitive and motor flexibility to change between
tasks: Neural adaptation to virtual tasks.
• Directly after or a short while after stopping playing.
• Encounters with certain real life stimuli appear to be
incidental.
Manifestation
Perceptually
Cognitively
Behaviourally

11. Altered perceptions:
Visual aftereffects - shapes
“After few hours of nonstop Frozen Bubble, I saw everything
insanely blocky. Even quite round shapes were looking like
blocks. It only lasted a few minutes though” (Dan)

12. Seeing video game elements in back the of the
eyelids recurrently
“I would see Rock Band drum notation scrolling
whenever I closed my eyes for a good month” (Kingz)

13. Perseverative mental state:

14. Automatic mental actions
Perseverative mental states: Keep the setting of the game in
their mind.
"I played Vice City and got all the hidden packages at once.
When I quit
playing I was looking in the corners of the
rooms for hidden packages. It was really odd" (Forlife9)

15. Perseverative mental state
“After playing the game Miner Dig Deep for about 5 hours
straight, I literally sat there semi-confused afterwards
wondering how I was going to make it to the door to
leave my living room since I couldn't see where I was
going to dig my tunnels” (Jols)

16. Perseverative mental state:

17. Perseverative mental state: Lowered
motor flexibility
Lack of motor flexibility when changing from the virtual world
to the real life. Moving as they would in the videogame such
as strafing (i.e., moving side-ways).
" Many times! Quake 2 made me literally strafe my way
around corners in real life!"

18. Carrying out stereotypical motor
executions
Reduction
of
complex
psychomotor
flexibility,
reduced motor control has
been previously reported
(e.g., as neural adaptation
effects) after the exposure to
virtual
environment
simulators (Champney et al., 2007).

19. Mix-ups between videogames and real life
experiences
• External stimuli appears to have been crucial as
triggers in such experiences.
• Associations between RL and video games
stimuli.
• Failures of reality monitoring.
Manifestation
Perceptually
Cognitivetly
Behaviourally

20. Altered perceptions triggered by external
stimuli:
Seeing VG images superimposed IRL objects
“After a long Black Ops [Call of Duty] session I saw a red
player tag above a woman riding a bicycle. Fortunately, I
didn't have my gun on hand” (Max4)

21. Altered perceptions triggered by external
stimuli:
Seeing videogame elements open eyes: Triggered
by activities
“The Mass Effect conversation wheel comes up at the
bottom of my vision every time I talk to someone” (Rosk)

22. Involuntary actions: Body reflexes
triggered by stimuli
Here, the gamers' thoughts resulted in involuntary body
movements of fingers, hands or arms when they tried to use
videogame elements in real life.
“A friend flung out his arm. He became embarrassed and
told me that without thinking he was trying to use the
grappling hook from a Quake 2 mod to swing under the
bridge. I absolutely believe this study.”

23. Cognitive distortions –false expectations
The gamers interpreted real life events and/or objects
using the logic from the videogame.
Videogames comprise sequences of events.
"After a marathon of Grand Theft Auto, I was driving
and saw a car flipped upside down and thought "Go! It
is going to explode in 5 seconds!"

24. Responding to real life stimuli and
events as in the game:
Impulses and paying attention to certain stimuli
“I've felt this most strongly after playing a lot of Assassins
Creed 2. I came very close to instinctively trying to scale the
fenced leading to my apartment. It also trains you to see
possible holds on buildings a lot more readily. The
sensations mostly faded about two days later though.”

25. Responding to real life stimuli and events
as in the game
Selective attention: Gamers
found themselves paying
attention to real life objects
relevant to the videogame.
Alcohol
addiction/Gaming
addiction (Cox, W. M., Hogan, L.
M., Kristian, M. R., & Race).

26. Fast reaction time
Short moment of dissociation
“Needs for Speed 2 helped me through a bad slide on ice.
When I hit the ice my brain immediately went into gaming
mode. I did 180. It felt like I was with the PS2 controller in my
hand. I just did what I did in the game and I ended up of the
slide” (Pax7)

27. Failures of control of impulses:
Executions of behaviours as in the VG
without awareness
“I'm going to confess something I'm not proud of … after 3
days in a row of 12-14 hour DK [Donkey Kong] Country
marathons I was in a store and there was a ring of wood
barrels that I instinctive broke looking for the bananas so I
could get the extra life. I didn't get arrested but I had to
write a check for 250 dollars and was banned from the
store nationwide for 12 months” (Calx)

28. Avoid RL objects and events
“When I played too much World Ware 2 Online, I always
refused to go near churches… People asking me why…
The truth is that I was afraid that French snipers where
laying down under the bell, waiting for pull the trigger.”
(Sals3)

29. Conclusions 1/6
The gamers' self-reports showed strategic
thinking: exploring, planning, critical
evaluation of situations, tracking objects.
Moral reasoning and personal boundary
testing when urges to do controversial
things were stimulated.
Hyper-vigilant mood states, confusion,
fright, odd situations, sleep deprivation,
behaving irrationally and uncontrollably,
and engaging in risky behaviours.

30. Conclusions 3/6
What factors appear to be more relevant?
Virtual embodiment, repetitive activities and
movements.
Simulation of RL stimuli Similarities
between real life and videogame stimuli
appear to facilitate some types of GTP.
Gamers’ habits: Prolonged videogame
sessions, skipping meals and playing while
sleep deprived may facilitate GTP.

31. Conclusions 1/6
Who is more susceptible to experience
GTP?
It is speculated that individuals who are
fantasy prone
Individuals with low trait self-control may
have increased risk to experience
negative consequences of GTP  might
not be able to control their impulses when
automatic associations occur
Individuals with some mental disorder
GTP have been experienced positively
and negatively.

32. Conclusions 4/6
Findings suggest that it is necessary to
investigate the neuro-adaptations associated
with VG (e.g., lowered cognitive/motor
flexibility to switch from virtual to real life
tasks)
Warnings about epileptic seizures from
playing VG are already included in
videogame booklets, console screens (e.g.,
Guitar Hero)
But, more work needs to be done for
encouraging safe and healthy gaming

33. Conclusions 5/6
GTP experiences did not only occurred
directly or shortly after stopping playing and
immediately disappearing; some experiences
happened recurrently and became intrusive.
Setup campaigns to inform, educate and
encourage healthy gaming habits.
Developers should be aware of the effects of
the exposure to certain visual and auditory
cues, and the implications about the use of
simulation of RL stimuli in the game

34. Conclusions 6/6
Findings in the GTP studies
invites us to reflect about the
challenges that the human
mind affront due to the
technology advance that is still
to come.

35. www.gametransferphenomena.com