Not All Games Play the Same: Specifying How Components of Video Games May Be Associated with Creativity
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| Title: | Not All Games Play the Same: Specifying How Components of Video Games May Be Associated with Creativity |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Darian Stapleton (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Creative Behavior. 2025 59(3). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 22 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Video Games, Creativity, Problem Solving, Play, Cognitive Processes, Fantasy, Computer Simulation, Visual Aids, Aesthetics, Creative Thinking, Interaction |
| DOI: | 10.1002/jocb.1522 |
| ISSN: | 0022-0175 2162-6057 |
| Abstract: | Understanding the impacts of digital media such as video games is critical for scholarship during the digital transformation. While the literature on the effects of video games continues to grow, there is little work on positive effects, including creativity, either as an outcome from or process within games. Video games are a media type that often requires creative problem-solving and multiple idea generation. Importantly, adequately theorizing, measuring, and assessing creativity as both an action within video games and a possible outcome of engaging with video games necessitates a detailed understanding of what video games are. Here we propose and outline a taxonomy of the various components within video games that could impact different aspects of creativity interventions and creative processes. We then break down those components, including genre, graphics, mechanics, instructions, incentive systems, and multiplayer functionality. We apply this taxonomy briefly in several games, and "Minecraft" and "Baldur's Gate 3" are used in more depth to show how researchers can apply our proposed framework. Knowing which video game components affect which creativity outcomes can clarify our understanding of creativity and the creative process in a digital world, and identify how gameplay itself can be a creative artifact. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1483006 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Understanding the impacts of digital media such as video games is critical for scholarship during the digital transformation. While the literature on the effects of video games continues to grow, there is little work on positive effects, including creativity, either as an outcome from or process within games. Video games are a media type that often requires creative problem-solving and multiple idea generation. Importantly, adequately theorizing, measuring, and assessing creativity as both an action within video games and a possible outcome of engaging with video games necessitates a detailed understanding of what video games are. Here we propose and outline a taxonomy of the various components within video games that could impact different aspects of creativity interventions and creative processes. We then break down those components, including genre, graphics, mechanics, instructions, incentive systems, and multiplayer functionality. We apply this taxonomy briefly in several games, and "Minecraft" and "Baldur's Gate 3" are used in more depth to show how researchers can apply our proposed framework. Knowing which video game components affect which creativity outcomes can clarify our understanding of creativity and the creative process in a digital world, and identify how gameplay itself can be a creative artifact. |
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| ISSN: | 0022-0175 2162-6057 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/jocb.1522 |
