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Designing online games for real-life relationships: Examining QQ farm in intergenerational play

Research output: Chapters, Conference Papers, Creative and Literary WorksRGC 32 - Refereed conference paper (with host publication)peer-review

Abstract

Intergenerational players are online game players of different generations within an extended family. We investigated intergenerational play between older parents and their adult children in the popular Chinese social networking game QQ Farm. We identified game features that encourage intergenerational play. To do this, we conducted online observations and semi-structured interviews with nine pairs of Chinese parents and their adult children. The results of this study suggest that an online game for intergenerational play needs to consider a range of factors, including social and occupational responsibilities, gaming interests, and gaming expertise among extended family members. The data suggests that intergenerational online games may generally benefit from the following features: (1) low entry barrier, (2) appealing game theme, (3) online interactions that extend real-life relationships, (4) low time commitment, and (5) asynchronous play. We have also found features which may have unique appeal to Chinese intergenerational gamers. © 2012 ACM.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, CSCW
Pages613-616
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes
EventACM 2012 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, CSCW'12 - Seattle, WA, United States
Duration: 11 Feb 201215 Feb 2012

Conference

ConferenceACM 2012 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, CSCW'12
PlaceUnited States
CitySeattle, WA
Period11/02/1215/02/12

Research Keywords

  • china
  • intergenerational players
  • online games
  • socialnetworking site

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