According to this sequence, the videogame’s position as a ‘game’ in the historicized evolution of culture is mainly metaphorical, while at the same time its artifactuality, dynamic system structure, time-critical strategic input requirements and aporetically rhematic aesthetics allow it to be discovered as a conceptually stable but empirically transient uniexistential phenomenon that currently thrivesbut may soon die out. Videogames are theorized as ‘games,’ ‘puzzles,’ ‘stories,’ and ‘aesthetic artifacts’ (or ‘artworks’), which produces a geneontological sequence of the videogame as a singular species of culture, Artefactum ludus ludus, or ludom for short. To counteract these problems this dissertation establishes a geneontological research methodology that enables the identification of the videogame in relation to its cultural surroundings. Such generalizations make it increasingly difficult to comprehend how the instances of this phenomenon actually work, which in turn generates pragmatic problems: the lack of an applicable identification of the videogame hinders its study, play, and everyday conceptualization. The persistent surfacing of novel ludic forms continues to expand the conceptual range of ‘games’ and ‘videogames,’ which has already lead to anxious generalizations within academic as well as popular discourses. Along with the phenomenon’s proliferation the aspects that constitute its identity have become more and more challenging to determine, however. Within the last few decades, the videogame has become an important media, economic, and cultural phenomenon. Finally, the usefulness of the validated 12-CHA is shown by connecting the discovered challenges and their preferences to known videogame play motivations and to habits of playing specific videogame genres. The 12-CHA had an acceptable fit to the data, and the model passed construct, convergent, and discriminant validity tests. A confirmatory factor analysis was executed after an item screening process with a 12-item version of CHA via UK-based survey data (N=1,463).

The second EFA suggested a four-factor structure very similar to the first EFA.

CHA was amended in another EFA with USA-based survey data (N=536). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a latent structure of five challenge types: Physical, Analytical, Socioemotional, Insight, and Foresight. Based on a comprehensive review of literature, we developed a 38-item version of CHA that was included in a social media user survey (N=813). But what kind of challenge types videogames include, and which of them players prefer? This article answers the above questions by developing and validating Videogame Challenge Inventory (CHA), a psychometrically sound measurement for investigating players’ challenge preferences in videogames. Secondly, the games can be read as parodic texts humorous comments on both previous digital games, in particular hyper-masculinity and militarized settings, as well as on notions of active aging.Ĭhallenge is a key motivation for videogame play. Firstly, it may serve to position the old women of the games as Others who must contain both the hope and fears for old age.

This ambiguity can be understood in several ways. During play, it is in fact the player who may be left wanting, while the old women contain all the potential for progression. Yet, the player-characters are simultaneously portrayed as highly capable and resisting victimization. In their portrayal of the four player-characters, the games reinforce existing understandings of old women as unimportant, homebound, lonelyand child-like. The representation of old women featured as player-characters in four casual digital games is here analyzed through a close playing. Yet, aging adults are still relatively seldom featured in digital games as game-controlled or player-controlled characters. Digital games have become a mainstream medium used by players of all ages and genders.

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