Thinking Styles Thesis

PREFERENCE OF TYPES OF VIDEO GAMES AS A FUNCTION OF PREFERENCE OF

THINKING STYLES

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF ARTS

IN

COMMUNICATION

April, 2011

By

XXXXX

Instructor:

XXXXX

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you XXXXX for helping me run SPSS.

Thank you XXXXX & XXXXX for helping me conceptualize my key terms.

Thank you XXXXX for helping me hone my survey and research questions.

Thank you to all my participants for their help in gathering data.

II

ABSTRACT

Topic of thinking styles is commonly referred to in creativity research, but

the present study aims to connect thinking styles when solving problems and the

type of game play style they tend to gravitate towards. The present study tested this

relationship through correlating the two thinking styles with the two game play

styles and yielded significant results for all four correlations. These results support

the notion that gamers like games and possibly a potentially untapped market of

games with scripted game play.

III

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Correlations for Hypotheses 1 and 2...............................................................12

IV

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements...............................................................................................IIAbstract................................................................................................................IIIList of Tables........................................................................................................IVTable of Contents..................................................................................................VChapter I: Introduction........................................................................................1

Background........................................................................................................................... 1Research Objectives........................................................................................................... 2

Chapter II: Literature Review.............................................................................4Game Play Styles..................................................................................................................4Thinking Styles.....................................................................................................................5Summary................................................................................................................................ 5

Chapter III: Research Questions & Key Concepts............................................6Research Objective:............................................................................................................6Research Question:............................................................................................................. 6

Hypothesis 1:......................................................................................................................................6

Hypothesis 2:......................................................................................................................................6

Key Concepts......................................................................................................................... 6Divergent Thinking..........................................................................................................................6

Convergent Thinking......................................................................................................................7

Emergent Game Play.......................................................................................................................7

Scripted Game Play..........................................................................................................................7

Chapter IV: Methodology.....................................................................................8Participants........................................................................................................................... 8Instrumentation.................................................................................................................. 8

Demographic Information............................................................................................................8

Part 1: Preference of Thinking Style & Game Play Style.................................................9

Part 2: Favorite Video Game........................................................................................................9

Data Analysis........................................................................................................................ 9Part 1: Preference of Thinking Style & Game Play Style.................................................9

Part 2: Favorite Video Game.....................................................................................................10

Chapter V: Results and Discussions..................................................................11Hypothesis 1:......................................................................................................................11Hypothesis 2:......................................................................................................................11Discussion........................................................................................................................... 12

Chapter VI: Conclusion......................................................................................14Summary of Major Findings..........................................................................................14Contributions of the Study.............................................................................................14

V

Limitations.......................................................................................................................... 15Suggestions for Future Research.................................................................................15

References.............................................................................................................16Appendix A: Sample Consent Form..................................................................18Appendix B: Questionnaire................................................................................19

Demographic Information.............................................................................................19Screening Information....................................................................................................19Part I: Preferences of Thinking Style & Game Play Style.....................................19Part II: Favorite Games................................................................................................... 21

Appendix C...........................................................................................................22Reliability test for Divergent Thinking Questions.................................................22Reliability for Convergent Thinking Questions......................................................22Reliability test for Emergent Game Play Questions..............................................23Reliability test for Scripted Game Play Questions.................................................23Correlations........................................................................................................................ 24Correlations for Divergent thinking and Emergent Gameplay.........................24Correlations for Convergent Thinking and Scripted Gameplay........................25

VI

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

Background

As a business, the gaming industry is all about supply and demand. By

understanding the people who are playing games and the games they tend to

gravitate to (demand), the industry has a better idea of what games to supply.

In order to understand why there is a demand for the gaming industry’s

product, it is important to define the product. Video Games are an interactive,

virtual medium in which a user participates through game play.

The industry has given multiple attempts at figuring out what its consumers

want. The main way they have done this is by categorizing the product, and then

formulating different pitches based on the category. However the current

categories are flawed in truly understanding the reason why there is a demand for

gaming. So, how does the gaming industry categorize its product? The most basic

categorization is by gaming system. Categorizing by gaming system is probably the

most commonly used method of categorizing games. Look at any video gaming

website and content will be divided by Playstation, X-Box 360, Wii, etc. This does

make sense because a game would not want to be marketed to a user who does not

have the means to play it. However, the flaw in this line of thinking is people like

games from different systems. Through this method, the market is driven not by the

consumers, but by their possessions. Another way the gaming industry categorizes

is by genres. This makes sense because genres of games span across gaming

systems and has a wider potential for understanding gamers’ likes. However, the

1

categorical stability of the “genre” is blurring and failing. There are dozens of video

game genres, and most games today fall under multiple genres. Also, even if genres

were used as the rational to marketing games to people (which to an extent, they

already are), it is far from the best method. One person who likes “First-person

shooters (FPS)” can have a complete distaste for “Role-playing games (RPGs)”. Even

further, another “FPS” lover may greatly enjoy “RPGs”. Genres simply do not

account for the wide variety of preferences the gaming consumer market has.

The topic of thinking styles is a subject that is commonly studied in creativity

research. While the debate is ongoing on the relationship between thinking styles

and its link to creativity, there is extremely little information on thinking styles’ link

to video gaming. As much as some may like to think otherwise, playing video games

requires thinking. Also, based on a glimpse of any video game related website or

magazine, one of the core parts of gaming culture is people articulating how much

they like (or dislike) various video games. If video gaming requires thinking and

people like games, it can be gleaned that in order to understand what kind of games

people like, one must understand what thinking style they like.

Research Objectives

Thesis Statement: Preference of thinking style has an effect on preference

of video game play style.

Analysis of the link between preference in thinking styles and preference in

game play style will help the video game industry in coming closer to its goal:

understanding demand to better prepare supply. To do this, this thesis aims to

2

measure gamers’ thinking styles and how that syncs up with the types of game play

they enjoy the most. If there is a significant correlation between the two variables,

this data can be used in the video gaming industry’s ongoing effort to better prepare

their supply.

3

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

The topic of divergent thinking is well researched only in the context of

measuring creativity (Afifi, McManus, Steuber, & Coho, 2009; Baer, 1994, 2008; Kim,

2008, 2006; Kousoulas, 2010; Kuhn & Holling, 2009; Silvia, 2008; Silvia et al., 2008).

While this is fine and dandy for the creativity field, the video gaming industry has

other uses for researching divergent thinking.

Game Play Styles

In all games, there is one common theme: interactivity. Interactivity is the

characteristic that differentiates gaming from other media like movies, books,

music, etc. So how do gaming developers promote this interactivity? They design a

series of problems for a player to solve in the context of the game. This is called

game play. Rowlings and Adams define game play as, “one or more causally linked

series of challenges in a simulated environment” (Rollings & Adams, 2003).

According to Sweetser, there are two types of game play: scripted and

emergent (Sweetser & Wiles, 2011). Scripted game play is described as an entities

based experience that is completely mapped out by the developer. This means there

is a specific way to play a game, and whatever way that is, is the correct way.

Emergent game play is a systems-based experience. This means that general tools

and rules are given to a player, but there is no “correct” way of playing the game.

Regardless of the game play style, the common characteristic between the

two is that there is a problem to be solved and players are charged with solving it.

4

With the gaming industry being worth 10.3 billion dollars in 2004 and rising (“An

Industry Shows Its Growning Value,” 2006), signs show that people must like

solving problems. Now what is left is determining what kinds of problems people

like.

Thinking Styles

Coincidentally, there are two types of thinking styles that people use when

attempting to solve problems: convergent and divergent. Convergent thinking is

defined as the ability to identify the correct solution to a problem (Chamorro-

Premuzic & Reichenbacher, 2008) and divergent thinking is the ability to generate

numerous and diverse ideas to open-ended questions (Kuhn & Holling, 2009).

Sound familiar? This is very similar the description of scripted and emergent game

play.

Summary

Due to the high similarity between thinking style when problem solving and

game play style, the following hypothesis is being made: people who like divergent

thinking will like games with emergent game play and people who like convergent

thinking will like games with scripted game play.

5

CHAPTER III: RESEARCH QUESTIONS & KEY CONCEPTS

Research Objective:

Determine relationship between preference of thinking styles and preference

of game play style?

Research Question:

Will people who prefer a particular thinking style like video games with a

corresponding game play style more than games with the opposite game play style?

Hypothesis 1:

People who prefer divergent thinking will prefer video games with emergent

game play more than games with scripted game play.

Hypothesis 2:

People who prefer convergent thinking will prefer video games with scripted

game play more than games with emergent game play.

Key Concepts

Divergent Thinking

Conceptual Definition: Divergent Thinking is the ability to generate

numerous and diverse ideas to open-ended questions (Kuhn & Holling, 2009).

6

Convergent Thinking

Conceptual Definition: Convergent Thinking is defined as the ability to

identify the correct solution to a problem (Chamorro-Premuzic & Reichenbacher,

2008)

Emergent Game Play

Conceptual Definition: An emergent game is rule-based systems that allow

the creation of game play out of combinations of existing game elements with

globally defined, consistent characteristics and behavior. An emergent game has

seemingly infinite “correct ways” of playing (Sweetser & Wiles, 2011).

Scripted Game Play

Conceptual Definition: A scripted game is the creation of game play out of the

ideas of a particular designer, as needed for a specific, localized occurrence in the

game. Essentially, a scripted game has a single, “correct way” of playing it (Sweetser

& Wiles, 2011).

7

CHAPTER IV: METHODOLOGY

A purposive network & snowball sampling method was used. Snowball

sampling method helps increase the pool of participants that have played video

games, and more specifically, emergent games. Players did not have to know that

the games they played were classified as “emergent”.

Participants

The study consisted of 108 participants ages 18 and older (Male= 56,

Female=52). Through a combination of network and snowball sampling methods,

participants data was collected through an online survey.

Instrumentation

An online survey (Appendix I) was distributed between the dates of March

15, 2011 and March 25, 2011. Information retrieved from survey is as follows:

Demographic Information

For age, participants identified themselves as part of 1 of 3 age groups (18-30

years old, 31-40 years old, 40 years old+). Participants also select which gender

they are (Male or Female). On top of standard demographic information,

participants were asked to select games they have played from a list of games that

all have the emergent game play style. Through a 6 point categorical scale (1= I do

not play any of the listed games, 6= I play the selected games very often),

participants would then rank how often they play their selected game(s).

8

Part 1: Preference of Thinking Style & Game Play Style

Through a 6-point categorical scale (1=strongly disagree, 6=strongly agree),

participants rank their favorability of multiple aspects of divergent thinking (7

items), convergent thinking (7 items), emergent game play (6 items), and scripted

game play (4 items).

Part 2: Favorite Video Game

Participants are asked to list their top 5 favorite video games in order. This

study only requires their number 1 favorite game to cross check with their

responses to part 1. This encourages participants to really think about the games

they list and increases validity of the number 1 choice as their most favorite video

game. Participants’ number 1 selection was then coded as 1= Emergent Game Play

or 2= Scripted Game Play.

Data Analysis

The relationship between participants’ preference of various thinking styles

and preference of game play style is checked through a 2-tailed, bivariate

correlation.

Part 1: Preference of Thinking Style & Game Play Style

People who prefer divergent thinking and emergent game play should score

high on each question. Conversely, people who prefer convergent thinking and

scripted game play style should score lower on each question. The mean of each of

9

the four variables is calculated and used to run correlations.

Part 2: Favorite Video Game

Participants #1 favorite game are then coded as:

1= game with emergent game play

2= game with scripted game play

This variable is then correlated with the four main variables to further verify

the previously stated hypotheses. A significant and positive correlation between

divergent thinking/emergent game play and convergent thinking/scripted game

play is anticipated.

10

CHAPTER V: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

In line with the previous research, correlation 1 (divergent thinking and

emergent game play) is a significant, positive correlation (p= .46). Correlation 2

(convergent thinking and scripted game play) is also a significant, positive

correlation (p=.43).

Hypothesis 1:

People who have divergent thinking style like video games with emergent

game play.

Hypothesis 1 was analyzed using correlations. The two variables of divergent

thinking and emergent game play were strongly correlated, r(106) = .464, p < .01. This

indicates that those participants who rated themselves as divergent thinkers prefer video

games with emergent game play.

Hypothesis 2:

People who prefer convergent thinking will prefer video games with scripted

game play more than games with emergent game play.

Hypothesis 2 was also tested using correlations. The two variables of divergent

thinking and emergent game play were strongly correlated, r(106) = .427, p < .01. This

indicates that those participants who identify themselves as convergent thinkers prefer

video games with scripted game play. Table 1 summarizes the findings of hypothesis 1

and hypothesis 2.

11

Table 1. Correlations for Hypotheses 1 and 2

Items Pearson correlation (r)

Degree of freedom (df)

p-value

Divergent Thinking * Emergent Game Play .464 106 .000Convergent Thinking * Scripted Game Play .427 106 .000

Unexpectedly, correlation 3 (divergent thinking and scripted game play) is

also a significant, positive correlation (p= .28). Also, correlation 4 (convergent

thinking and emergent game play) is also a significant, positive correlation (p=.30).

Further tests verified that there is still a significant difference between

correlations 1 & 3 (t=2.18, p=-.05) and correlations 2 & 4 (t=2.18, p=-.05)

Discussion

Based on the previous research, it was anticipated that there would be an

insignificant correlation between opposing variables (i.e. divergent

thinking/scripted game play and convergent thinking/emergent game play).

However, results yielded significant correlations for all types of thinking styles with

all types of game play styles. To further complicate the situation, correlations 1 & 3

were tested to see if there truly was a significant difference between the two

correlations and, in line with previous research, the result was still yes. So how do

these kinds of results happen when previous research suggests that they shouldn’t?

The best explanation for this outcome can most likely be explained by the

idea that gamers like games. Provided that the person enjoys playing video games, a

gamer will usually be more than willing to play a video game with a game play style

12

opposite to his/her preferred thinking style if the only other option is to not play

video games at all.

A second, albeit less likely, but still plausible explanation for the current

study’s results could be due to the extremely uneven ratio of video games with

emergent game play: video games with scripted game play. Of the 108 participants

in the current research, only 3 gamers’ #1 favorite video game was a game that

classified under “scripted game play” compared to the 101 that classified under

“emergent game play” (4 participants left the section blank). This extraordinarily

small number suggests that the pool of straight scripted game play video games is

also very small. This would mean that gamers would less likely be exposed to this

type of game, which in turn makes a small pool of straight scripted game play

gamers. So, convergent thinking people may vary well like scripted games much

more significantly than emergent games, but the lack of exposure to straight

scripted games prevents them ever knowing about it. If this is the case, this could

explain the rapid growth of the casual gaming industry in recent years. Casual

games tend to be mini-game oriented with few objectives. They are most prominent

on mobile devices like cell phones and iPods. Casual games very often fall under the

scripted game play style and based on the current study’s results, there’s a huge

market for casual games.

13

CHAPTER VI: CONCLUSION

Summary of Major Findings

Gamers like games. In line with previous research, divergent thinking/

emergent game play (correlation 1) and convergent thinking/ scripted game play

(correlation 2) are significantly and positively correlated. Conversely to previous

research, the present study shows positive and significant correlations between

divergent thinking/scripted game play (correlation 3) and convergent thinking/

emergent game play (correlation 4).

These results can also be interpreted as a viable reason for the recent success

of mobile and casual gaming. Because of the significant and positive correlations 3

and 4, it can be inferred that gamers have been craving for simpler, mechanics-

driven, scripted game play, regardless of their thinking style. With the increased

supply of scripted game play through the mobile and casual gaming markets,

gamers are now getting what they wanted, and the sales show it.

Contributions of the Study

The current study contributes to the body of video gaming research as a

whole due to the fact that there is so little video gaming research to begin with.

Frankly, there is little video gaming research research outside of the topic of “do

violent video games make children violent?” This is merely one small step toward

understanding how video gaming plays a role in modern day society, but all bodies

of research start with that first step.

14

Limitations

The biggest limitation hindering this study was time. Time to properly go

through the IRB; time to fine tune research questions to find a causal relationship

between variables; time to learn SPSS properly; time to gather more data and reach

significance for the ”How often do you play Emergent Video Games?” and Scripted

Game Play correlation (about 20 more participants would have helped this

correlation reach significance). More time would have made the difference this

student thesis and a truly publishable work.

Suggestions for Future Research

The biggest suggestions for future research would be increasing the time to

do a project as big as this. More time would allow for future researchers to

disqualify the effect of other potential variables on the current research’s

correlations. This would enable causal relationships between the present research’s

variables to be tested instead of simple correlations. Another suggestion is

recreating this study with a different sample population. If results are still

significant, it can be more confidently supported that the results are not due to a

type 1 error. A larger sample size is also highly recommended to reach significance

for correlations between the convergent thinking and how often participants play

video games with emergent game play.

15

REFERENCES

Afifi, T. D., McManus, T., Steuber, K., & Coho, A. (2009). Verbal Avoidance and Dissatisfaction in Intimate Conflict Situations. Human Communication Research, 35(3), 357-383. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.2009.01355.x

An Industry Shows Its Growning Value. (2006, May 12). . Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/may2006/id20060511_715050.htm?campaign_id=rss_innovate

Baer, J. (1994). Why You Shouldn't Trust Creativity Tests. Educational Leadership, 51(4), 80-83.

Baer, J. (2008). Commentary: Divergent thinking tests have problems, but this is not the solution. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2(2), 89-92. doi:10.1037/1931-3896.2.2.89

Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Reichenbacher, L. (2008). Effects of personality and threat of evaluation on divergent and convergent thinking. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(4), 1095-1101. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2007.12.007

Kim, K. (2008). Meta-analyses of the relationship of creative achievement to both IQ and divergent thinking test scores. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 42(2), 106-130.

Kim, K. H. (2006). Can We Trust Creativity Tests? A Review of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). Creativity Research Journal, 18(1), 3. doi:10.1207/s15326934crj1801_2

Kousoulas, F. (2010). The Interplay of Creative Behavior, Divergent Thinking, and Knowledge Base in Students' Creative Expression During Learning Activity. Creativity Research Journal, 22(4), 387. doi:10.1080/10400419.2010.523404

Kuhn, J., & Holling, H. (2009). Exploring the nature of divergent thinking: A multilevel analysis. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 4(2), 116-123. doi:10.1016/j.tsc.2009.06.004

Rollings, A., & Adams, E. (2003). Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design. David Dwyer.

Sherry, J. L. (2004). Flow and Media Enjoyment. Communication Theory, 14(4), 328-347. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2885.2004.tb00318.x

Silvia, P. J. (2008). Discernment and creativity: How well can people identify their most creative ideas? Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2(3), 139-146. doi:10.1037/1931-3896.2.3.139

Silvia, P. J., Winterstein, B. P., Willse, J. T., Barona, C. M., Cram, J. T., Hess, K. I., Martinez, J. L., et al. (2008). Assessing creativity with divergent thinking tasks: Exploring the reliability and validity of new subjective scoring methods. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2(2), 68-85.

16

doi:10.1037/1931-3896.2.2.68

Sweetser, P. M., & Wiles, J. H. (2011, February 14). Scripting versus Emergence: Issues for Game Developers and Players in Game Environment Design. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:78203

Vorderer, P., Hartmann, T., & Killmt, C. (2003). Explaining the enjoyment of playing video games: the role of competition, 1-9.

17

APPENDIX A: SAMPLE CONSENT FORM

You are being invited to participate in a research study about video game preferences. This study is being conducted by XXXXX and XXXXX, from the School of Communications at University of Hawaii at Manoa. This research is being conducted to fulfill the requirements for the B.A. in Communication.

There are no known risks if you decide to participate in this research study. There are no costs to you for participating in the study. The information you provide will help us know more about people's video game preferences. The questionnaire will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. The information collected may not benefit you directly, but the information learned in this study should provide more general benefits.

This survey is anonymous. Do not type your name on the survey. During participation, no identifying information will be logged (i.e. IP address). However, because the survey is web-based, absolute anonymity cannot be guaranteed due to the nature of the Internet. Still, based on the information you provide, no one will be able to identify you or your answers. No one will know whether or not you participated in the study. Should the data be published, no individual information will be disclosed.

Your participation in this study is voluntary. By clicking “Continue” at the bottom of this page and submit “Submit” at the end of the survey, you are voluntarily agreeing to participate. You must be 18 years or older to participate in this survey. You are free to withdraw your consent and discontinue participation in this study at any time before submission of the completed questionnaire and if you are in any way dissatisfied with any aspect of the research, you may contact the faculty supervisor, XXXXX, at (XXX) XXX-XXXX or at [email protected].

18

mailto:[email protected]

APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE

Demographic Information

Gender: Male/ FemaleAge (18-30, 31-40, 40 years and over)

Screening Information

1) What video games do you usually play? Select the description that best describes the video games you usually play. If

you rarely play video games or have not played in a long while, select the description that best describes the games you have played in the past.

-A video game that gives you general rules and tools and is generally played differently from person to person.

-A video game that gives you specific rules and tools and is played similarly from person to person.

-I have never played a video game before.

2) Have you played games like these:Check all that applyGrand Theft AutoLittle Big PlanetPokemonScribblenautsWorld of WarcraftMinecraftThe SimsI have not played any of the above games

3) How often do you play games like above?I do not play games like above <1,2,3,4,5,6> I play games like above very

often

Part I: Preferences of Thinking Style & Game Play Style

Circle the number that most accurately represents your feelings about each statement. 1= Strongly Disagree and 6= Strongly Agree.

Strongly disagree

Strongly agree

1. An open-ended question is a question with many possible answers.

1 2 3 4 5 6

2. I like open-ended questions. 1 2 3 4 5 6

19

3. I like to come up with as many answers as possible to open-ended questions.

1 2 3 4 5 6

4. I think open-ended questions are fun. 1 2 3 4 5 6

5. I think there is a “right” answer to an open-ended question*.

1 2 3 4 5 6

6. There is always more than one answer to a question.

1 2 3 4 5 6

7. I like the idea of many answers to a question. 1 2 3 4 5 6

8. I dislike the idea of only one answer to a question. 1 2 3 4 5 6

9. I like to think of multiple possible solutions to questions.

1 2 3 4 5 6

10. I like to question “correct” answers. 1 2 3 4 5 6

11. I like the idea of having one answer to a question*. 1 2 3 4 5 6

12. I like the idea of having a correct answer to a question*.

1 2 3 4 5 6

13. I don’t like when a question has multiple correct answers*.

1 2 3 4 5 6

14. In the end, there is always a “right” or a “wrong” answer*.

1 2 3 4 5 6

15. I would rather answer a question with one answer than a question with many answers*.

1 2 3 4 5 6

16. I like ambiguous rules in video games. 1 2 3 4 5 6

17. I dislike being unable to explore in video games. 1 2 3 4 5 6

18. I dislike only being able to play a video game the way the game tells me to.

1 2 3 4 5 6

19. I like being able to play video games in differently from everyone else.

1 2 3 4 5 6

20. I like to believe there are many ways to play a single video game.

1 2 3 4 5 6

21. I like to think there is no “correct” way to play a video game.

1 2 3 4 5 6

22. I like for the video game to show me the “right way” to play it.

1 2 3 4 5 6

23. I like to believe there is a “right way” to play video games.

1 2 3 4 5 6

24. Not doing things the “right way” in video games is something I dislike.

1 2 3 4 5 6

25. I dislike ambiguous rules in video games. 1 2 3 4 5 6

20

Part II: Favorite Games

List your top 5 favorite video games, in order. If it is a game in a series (i.e. Final Fantasy I through XIII, Pokemon series, etc.), choose one game from the series at a time. It is okay to have all choices from the same series, but all games must be different from each other.

1)2)3)4)5)

Thank you for your time and participation. You make now pat yourself on the back and increase your awesomeness points by 9000. Have a great day.

21

APPENDIX C

Reliability test for Divergent Thinking Questions

Reliability StatisticsCronbach's Alpha N of Items

.793 7

Item-Total Statistics

Scale Mean if Item Deleted

Scale Variance if Item Deleted

Corrected Item-Total

Correlation

Cronbach's Alpha if Item

DeletedI like open-ended questions. 26.47 33.784 .433 .782I like to come up with as many answers as possible to open-ended questions.

26.60 30.747 .623 .747

I think open-ended questions are fun. 26.54 30.980 .645 .744There is always more than one answer to a question.

26.86 31.896 .445 .783

I like the idea of many anwers to a question

26.73 30.123 .648 .742

I dislike the idea of only one answer to a question.

27.68 30.931 .485 .776

I like to think of multiple possible solutions to questions.

26.23 35.002 .402 .787

Reliability for Convergent Thinking Questions


.743 6

22




Corrected Item-Total Correlation


DeletedI like to question "correct" answers. 17.97 28.345 .295 .755I like the idea of having one answer to a question.

18.55 24.306 .576 .679

I like the idea of having a correct answer to a question.

19.78 27.464 .405 .726

I don't like when a question has multiple correct answers.

18.22 24.305 .471 .711

In the end, there is always a "right" or a "wrong" answer.

18.00 24.299 .564 .682

I would rather answer a question with one answer thana question with many answers.

18.69 24.479 .585 .677

Reliability test for Emergent Game Play Questions


.745 6



Scale Variance if

Item Deleted

Corrected Item-Total Correlation


DeletedI like ambiguous rules in video games. 23.41 21.440 .405 .734I dislike being unable to explore in video games.

22.63 21.263 .455 .717

I dislike only being able to play a video game the way the game tells me to.

22.87 21.366 .479 .710

I like being able to play video games in differently from everyone else.

22.71 21.478 .597 .682

I like to believe there are many ways to play a single video game.

22.42 22.133 .607 .685

I like to think there is no "correct" way to play a video game.

22.72 21.343 .426 .727

Reliability test for Scripted Game Play Questions


.745 4

23




Corrected Item-Total

Correlation


DeletedI like for the video game to show me the "right way" to play it.

11.95 13.222 .424 .746

I like to believe there is a "right way" to play video games.

11.99 10.364 .673 .602

Not doing things the "right way" in video games is something I dislike.

11.73 12.815 .526 .695

I dislike ambiguous rules in video games.

11.94 11.519 .543 .684

Correlations

Correlations

divergent_thinking

convergent_thinking

emergent_gameplay

scripted_gameplay

How often do you play Emergent Video Games?

divergent_thinking Pearson Correlation

1 .563** .464** .280** -.016

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .003 .871N 108 108 108 108 108

convergent_thinking Pearson Correlation

.563** 1 .295** .427** -.010

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .002 .000 .914N 108 108 108 108 108

emergent_gameplay Pearson Correlation

.464** .295** 1 .553** .164

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .002 .000 .090N 108 108 108 108 108

scripted_gameplay Pearson Correlation

.280** .427** .553** 1 .179

Sig. (2-tailed) .003 .000 .000 .064N 108 108 108 108 108

How often do you play Emergent Video Games?

Pearson Correlation

-.016 -.010 .164 .179 1

Sig. (2-tailed) .871 .914 .090 .064N 108 108 108 108 108

**. Correlation is signiicant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Correlations for Divergent thinking and Emergent Gameplay

Descriptive Statistics

Mean Std. Deviation N

divergent_thinking 4.4550 .92585 108emergent_gameplay 4.5586 .90468 108

24

Correlationsdivergent_thinkin

gemergent_game

play

divergent_thinking Pearson Correlation 1 .464**

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

Sum of Squares and Cross-products 91.720 41.594

Covariance .857 .389

N 108 108emergent_gameplay Pearson Correlation .464** 1




N 108 108

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Correlations for Convergent Thinking and Scripted Gameplay

Descriptive Statistics

Mean Std. Deviation N

convergent_thinking 3.5794 .77063 108scripted_gameplay 3.9676 1.10758 108

Correlations

convergent_thinking scripted_gameplay

convergent_thinking Pearson Correlation 1 .427**




N 108 108scripted_gameplay Pearson Correlation .427** 1



Covariance .364 1.227

N 108 108

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

25

Documents

Thinking Styles Thesis