Facebook Gaming and User Experience

Melissa Ditty maditty@bsu.edu Ball State University Sarah Luttenbacher Sjluttenbach@bsu.edu Ball State University Abby Miller Admiller2@bsu.edu Ball State University

8 December 2010 Abstract: Gaming applications are one of many popular features on the social networking site, Facebook. Facebook games are often played to pass time or for simulation into other worlds. This study analyzes the data collected from Facebook game users in the age group 18-30. Keywords: Facebook, Social Media, Games, Applications, Excessive Use

Executive Summary Facebook gaming applications have risen in popularity ever since their release on the social network. Users of Facebook might have used other gaming sites for their gaming entertainment. Recent additions to Facebook made it possible for their users to be able to access games from external gaming networks such as: Playfish, Zynga and PopCap games. Interacting through games and having fun online is hardly new; multiple-player online games have been around for a very long time and are immensely popular (McClard and Anderson 2008)i. Facebook gaming applications not only provide interaction with Facebook friends, but they allow user to fill short time gaps between appointments. Gaminglight, breezy and fun interactions with friends near and farkeeps ties alive without being burdensome (McClard and Anderson 2008.)ii In this paper, the researchers will address the usage of Facebook gaming application amongst local college students aged 18-30. Rather than defining Facebook and its multiple uses, this paper narrows down its Facebook analysis to focus primarily on the gaming applications. The researchers asked, when are college students using Facebook gaming applications, what gaming applications are they using and why are they using Facebook gaming applications? The researchers will narrow their focus of data to show the use of Facebook applications in day to day life. They will analyze what affect Facebook games have on the life of the users and how the games manage socially.

Much of Facebooks gaming applications are purely profitable to the gaming creators who host the game. Contradictory to what InsideNetworkiii predicts to be a 2.1 billion dollar industry, the researchers of this paper catered their research to see how true this study is. Often Facebook applications are useful in maintaining a social network amongst friends. In this paper the researchers searched for an answer into how the Facebook user utilized the gaming applications available. We will also address how Facebook users addressed a friend who obsessed over a particular game. INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF OUTSIDE RESEARCH While conducting research with Subject One, they had heard of someone who was very involved with FarmVille. They were so involved with the game that they resorted to using someone elses Facebook account so they could receive more gifts. This relates to Matthew Shaers study Social Gaming: The Parlor-Game Crowd Logs Oniv Where he interviewed a woman named Angela Morales. Angela was introduced to the Facebook gaming world through her mother; when she was invited to play FarmVille. Angela was at first skeptical about having enough time to play this game as she was a busy working woman. She never considered herself a serious gamer, but she found herself playing FarmVille for several hours a day. FarmVille was created by social media game giant Zynga. Zynga has not only created FarmVille but owns claim to many of the current popular games that have hit Facebook. Six of the top ten games on Facebook have been created by Zynga. In order to keep their users coming back Zynga frequently updates their games in an effort to hold user interest. This strategy has worked for them and they have over 225 million users every month (Zynga Builds on Games Success.)v What makes these games so attractive to users? According to an article by Simon Dumenco, people see the games as something simple that they can sit down and play and then easily walk away from. Other users he interviewed stated that they enjoyed playing the Facebook games because they were an easy way to relax and unwind after a long day at work. So in a sense the games come as much needed distraction from their daily lives (Game Theory: How (and why) Facebook, Twitter, ect., Became Recess For Grownups.)vi

METHODS The researchers were looking for how Facebook users utilized the gaming applications in their daily lives. In doing so, the researchers started their interview observations by asking a randomly selected 25 people located in Bracken Library of Ball State University if they had ever participated in a Facebook gaming application, out of the 25 questioned only five of the possible participants answered that they had. This proved contrary to the primitive research conducted by the researchers. They also found it interesting, in their primitive research, that the Facebook gaming industry was so large and that there were reports of people spending so much time utilizing the games. They wanted to see if they could find any similarities or differences when observing their peers that would align or skew with the research they had conducted. The researchers randomly selected our participants from our peer group in an effort to get a wide variety of Facebook gaming users. This in turn would help give the researchers different perspectives about how

their peers utilize the Facebook gaming applications. The researchers peers tend to be the leaders in trends for online innovation; not only are they more open to trying new technologies, they are also the ones to have the most free time. In order to find answers to their questions, the researchers further questioned the five randomly selected subjects. The researchers observed the subjects interacting with the gaming applications while asking them previously designed questions. The questions asked to them were about their Facebook gaming habits and if the game habits had any implications on their daily lives. The researchers designed their questions to be open ended to allow for the study participant to add any information that would result in emergent codes. FINDINGS In the second story of Bracken Library of Ball State University set about 75 persons, of which 50 were using public terminals. Of those 50 public terminals most were on Facebook, but had the site running in the background. Even though these persons were utilizing Facebook, only 5 of those asked acknowledged using the gaming applications. While most showed knowledge of the applications, they tended to respond with a negative attitude when being asked about such. One subject answered the question, lame. After asking the yes or no question about if they utilized Facebook gaming applications, the researchers began asking previously designed questions in search of information on their starter codes. The starter codes were: Facebook, Social Media, Gaming, Applications and Excessive use. While interviewing the first subject, they claimed to utilize the Facebook gaming applications mostly when bored or when they were procrastinating and didnt study because they were on Facebook playing games. This same person willingly disclosed that they played ESPNU, FrontierVille, CSI, City of Wonders and Christmas Crunch. Out of the multiple games they played, they only logged onto the games 2 times at the most in a day. They were introduced to the gaming by the significant other, which they later admitted that they werent overly into the game. When questioned who they thought played Facebook games, they responded that they thought people over the age of 40 and kids under 12 utilized Facebook gaming applications the most. Although Subject 1 was a mostly weekend or leisurely Facebook gamer, they said that they would, never buy credits and that they were a waste of money. After observing the second Subject, the researchers concluded that this subject utilized Facebook since their freshman year of high school and only ever played Bejeweled Blitz. Although, they had stopped playing the game for a while, they still admitted to a heavy amount of playtime on the game to compete with their friends and family. They used Facebook gaming applications less than once a day and said that the games had no effect on their daily life. The subject later added that Facebook was negative in that it was a distraction and took up too much time, yet it was positive in that it improved hand eye coordination. Subject three had used Facebook since their sophomore year of high school. They played College Town and Franchise Football. The Subject admitted to playing the game twice a day and that the games didnt have a whole lot of effect on their life, but that it did sometimes get in the way of homework. They had never bought game credits and also said that it was a waste of money. They said the only positive feature of Facebook games was that it was good if you needed a break, but was negative because you have to invite people.

Subject four has about four years of Facebook using experience. They played Family feud, Bejeweled Blitz and The Price is Right, but was particularly interested in The Price is Right. The Subject said they used games on Facebook two to three times a day and only really played when procrastinating and for entertainment. They thought of Facebook gaming applications as a Time killer. This subject had never bought credits and agreed that it was a waste of money. They thought that Facebook gaming applications were good for casual play, but bad because of the games slow loading times. After interviewing subject five, the research showed that this Facebook user had been acquainted with Facebook since their sophomore year of high school. They played Backyard Monsters, City of Wonders and Mafia Wars. They utilized the games they played 5 times a day, but only played when they had time and were trying to procrastinate. This subject never bought game credits and thought that paying money for items in a free game was ridiculous. The subject is annoyed at some of the slow loading times of games and at the constant game requests. This subject wasnt competitive with their gaming, but had talked other people into playing a game so that he could obtain certain items in the game. After compiling all of the research, the researchers were able to find commonalities between all the data collected that resulted in emergent codes. These emergent codes were: Procrastination, competitive, bored, distraction, time killer, slow loading, breaks, entertainment, interests, friend influence and dislike of Facebook credits. DISCUSSION The researchers went into this study assuming that the vast majority of people who utilize Facebook also use the gaming applications. They assumed this because of the prior research that has been conducted as previously discussed. However; the researchers found that the majority of people they asked to participate in their study said that they did not use the Facebook gaming applications. When the data was being collected the researchers only found five willing participants to talk to about their Facebook gaming application use. The researchers conclude the phenomenon is a result of people not wanting to give themselves a certain image; due to the standards of popular culture. According to Faber; Power is about ones self reflexive ability to control an image. Powerful organizations and people are able to influence the ways in which others view them. Research Subject number one noted that there is a stigma associated with people who tend to spend a lot of time playing games online. They stated that the stigma is that, they have no life and tend to live alone or with their parents. The people the researchers approached probably did not want this negative stigma attached to them even if they were just casual Facebook gaming users.vii This phenomenon is also described by Emig as the governing gaze. A persons governing gaze is determined by expectations which are determined by our experiences and what we have decided to make of them.viii All of the subjects in this study agreed that there was some level of discomforting stigma that was perceived about persons who utilize the gaming applications on Facebook. Their experiences of these discomforts allowed them to expect some ridicule by their peers after admitting to play these games. If they felt someone was going to judge them they were reluctant to even participate in the study as discussed by Fabers power image.

According to Winsor, this phenomenon of power image can also be attributed to a persons agency in the situation the researchers put them in. Winsor defines agency as; the intent and capacity to make something happen which grows from a conjunction of structure and an individuals disposition.ix Subject number 2 was an avid Bejeweled Blitz player because their friends all played the game. Once their friends stopped playing the game, the subject stopped playing the game. Simply put, the subject wanted to follow the agency of their friend base and didnt want to skew their image to be outdated with the new power image. The subject did not want to be the oddball out in that social situation, so they discontinued their use. Research Subject number five was very persuasive when it came to getting other people to play the same Facebook games that they played. They once talked their roommate into signing up for a gaming application just so they had enough friends playing to get certain items in the game. The roommate only signed up because they were tired of hearing the subject ask them to join. The roommate never accessed the application again after initially installing it on Facebook. This enabled the subject to play the game longer because it held their interest and they were able to continue to make progress within the game, even though their roommate never touched the application again. Research Subject number 3 only liked to play Facebook games that pertain to their interests. This was a common trend of all five subjects. The subject was interested in sports, so the two main gaming applications that they utilized were College Town and Franchise Football. The two games allowed them to simulate as though they owned a franchised NFL team or college. Both of the games allowed the subject to interact within a situation they otherwise would have never had in real life. The subject did not have much interest in any of the other genres of Facebook games because they felt the games had little impact on their life. They had a friend one time who tried to get them into playing FarmVille, but they never stuck with the game because it did not hold their interest. The subject elaborated that they only ever played the Facebooks games for study breaks, but didnt neglect to add that the games sometimes get in the way of their homework.
i

From Focus on Facebook: Who are We Anyway, by Mcclard, Anne and Anderson, Ken, 2008, Anthropology News, March, p. 12. Copyright 2008 Anthropology News. ii From Focus on Facebook: Who are We Anyway, by Mcclard, Anne and Anderson, Ken, 2008, Anthropology News, March, p. 12. Copyright 2008 Anthropology News. iii From Pure Bang Games Target Facebook From the Blogs Ballttech, by Sentementes, Gus, 2010, The Baltimore Sun, November, p.3C. Copyright 2010 The Baltimore Sun Company iv From Social Gaming: The Parlor-Game Crowd Logs On, by Shaer, Matthew, 2010, Christian Science Monitor, October, p.1 Copyright 2010 Christian Science Monitor v From Zynga Builds on Games Success, by Swartz, Jon, 2010 USA Today, November, p.01b. Copyright 2010 USA Today vi From Game Theory: How (and why) Facebook, Twitter, ect. Became Recess For Grownups, by Dumenco, Simon, 2010, Advertising Age, August, p.16. Copyright 2010 Advertising Age vii From Community Action and Organizational Change: Image, Narrative, Identity, by Faber, Brenton, 2002, Southern Illinois University Press, 2002 p. 36. Copyright 2002 Southern Illinois University Press. viii From Inquire Paradigms and Writing by Emig, Janet, 1982, College Composition and Communication, February, p. 64-75. Copyright 1982 College Composition and Communication ix From Using Writing to Structure Agency: An Examination of Engineers Practice by Winsor, Dorothy, 2006, Technical Communication Quarterly, p.417. Copyright 2006 Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.