Immersive Mediation: The Roles of Flow and Narrative Engagement in a Persuasive Health Game
Open Access
- Author:
- Sherrick, Brett Isaac
- Graduate Program:
- Mass Communications
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- March 06, 2015
- Committee Members:
- Francis Erin Dardis, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Francis Erin Dardis, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Michael Grant Schmierbach, Committee Member
Richard Denny Taylor, Committee Member
James Dillard, Committee Member - Keywords:
- video games
persuasion
flow
narrative engagement - Abstract:
- This project investigated the effectiveness of a persuasive health game through two experimental studies. Based on prior research, a model was constructed to explain the persuasive capability of games; this model included a gameplay mechanism leading through flow and a narrative mechanism leading through transportation, or narrative engagement, to predict persuasive outcomes. Flow and transportation – forms of immersion – were further expected to persuade via enjoyment of the game. A casual computer game about nutrition was created to test this model. In Study 1, the difficulty of the game was manipulated to optimize flow states, and the narrative of the game was manipulated to optimize narrative engagement. Results of Study 1 showed that the narrative alteration to the game was marginally successful at optimizing narrative engagement, but the alteration to difficulty did not optimize flow. Further these manipulations did not explain persuasive gains exemplified by the game players. However, players who experienced flow states were improved their attitudes toward nutrition and intentions of conducting nutritious behaviors. Study 2 replicated Study 1, with modifications. In Study 2, both the difficulty and the narrative manipulations optimized immersion, but these gameplay characteristics still did not predict persuasive outcomes. As in Study 1, data from Study 2 showed that flow predicted persuasive health outcomes. Study 2 also added an orthogonal branding manipulation through the inclusion of brand messaging for some game players. As expected, the game improved attitudes and shopping intentions toward the brand, but this change was not different between branding conditions. Further, as with evaluations of health messaging, flow was positively related to evaluations of the brand. Finally, in both studies, flow, transportation/narrative engagement, and enjoyment were statistically indistinguishable, which suggests that theories differentiating these concepts might need to be revisited.