Journal of Research in Education Sciences (Mar 2024)
青銀世代之數位遊戲使用認知與趨避衝突：語意聯想測驗之內容分析 Cognitive Differences and ApproachAvoidance Conflict in Digital Gaming Across Generations: Content Analysis of Taiwanese Individuals’ Responses on the Word Association Test
Abstract
青銀世代對數位遊戲的使用動機具差異性，而數位遊戲的開發或設計往往無法為所有年齡層量身定做，例如長者對於規則太複雜、時間太緊湊的遊戲設計有負面的認知，但年輕人反而追求遊戲的效率。此外，過去探討不同世代數位遊戲設計及功能評估的研究，大多為受試者自陳、觀察和訪談方法蒐集主動意識層面的資料，較少透過語意聯想這類的結果探究。 據此，本研究欲以數位遊戲認知的語意聯想測驗（Word Association Test, WAT）蒐集多元的資料以探討世代間之異同。本研究以便利取樣招募178位不同年齡層的對象，包含年輕人組73位（女性占78%，年齡介於15-27歲）、中高齡者組50位（女性占80%，年齡介於46-64歲）和高齡者組55位（女性占65%，年齡介於65-92歲）。參與者被邀請以紙筆方式進行測驗，並須回答當提到數位遊戲時，他們會想到什麼詞彙，參與者最多可填答12個詞彙。研究結果共測得962個詞彙，年輕人組、中高齡者組以及高齡者組分別測得640、180以及142個詞彙，後以本研究建構之數位遊戲聯想編碼架構歸納資料。三組參與者的聯想詞彙在不同編碼類目中的分布各有異同，包含：在數位遊戲使用的負面動機中，年輕人組較傾向聯想與心理有害相關之內容，中高齡者與高齡者組則較會聯想到與生理有害相關的部分；在正面動機的部分，年輕人組與中高齡者組較傾向聯想到娛樂性，高齡者組則是聯想到有用性；三組樣本皆出現的重複詞彙有：「動腦」、「有趣」、「打發時間」與「沉迷」。本研究期能啟發數位遊戲相關學術與實務工作者，在未來重視不同世代對數位遊戲的認知異同，且積極扭轉各世代對於玩數位遊戲後所產生的負面印象。 Introduction Digital technologies have driven innovation and changes in information dissemination, consumption, entertainment, and social welfare. The ability to use this innovation is often based on age, with younger generations significantly more comfortable than are older generations. This “digital divide” poses a challenge to societies such as Taiwan’s, where the National Development Council estimated that 14% of the population was above the age of 65 years in 2018 and estimated that this number would reach 20% by 2025, making Taiwan a superaged society. In such superaged societies, scholars suggest, digital technologies can be used to promote social welfare and the mental and physical health of older individuals. Digital gaming, which has the potential to bridge the gap between users of different generations, is a helpful tool for promoting the well-being of young and old alike. The perception of digital games among users of different generations may influence their motivation for playing games and their overall attitude to digital gaming. To collect diverse data from various age groups, this study employed the Word Association Test (WAT) to determine participants’ underlying cognition and emotions. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate differences in cognitive perceptions and approach-avoidance conflict of digital games among users of different generations. The stimulus word “digital games” was used in the WAT to investigate the cognitive perceptions of different age groups regarding digital games. The study began by considering the applications of digital gaming and then reflected on the differences in the perception of digital games between young-adult, middle-aged, and older groups. Subsequently, the intergroup similarities and differences in perceptions of digital gaming were evaluated.. Method Convenience sampling was employed to recruit participants from different generations and living in Taipei, Taiwan. The young-adult participants included college students, graduate students, nearby residents, and high school students from a certain campus. The older-adult participants were recruited from neighborhoods, community centers, and locations near the aforementioned college. After invalid samples (those without age information) were excluded, 178 valid samples remained. To capture inter-age-group differences in cognitive perceptions of digital games, the participants were divided into three groups: the young-adults group, middle-aged and older-adults group, and advanced age group. The age classifications for the two older groups followed the age categories of the Ministry of Labor in Taiwan: 45 years and above and 65 years and above, respectively. The young-adults group comprised 73 participants [22% male, age of 15-27 years, mean (SD) = 20.18 (2.24)], the middle-aged and older-adults group comprised 50 participants [20% male, age of 46-64 years, mean (SD) = 59.40 (4.45)], and the advanced age group comprised 55 participants [35% male, age of 65-92 years, mean (SD) = 70.69 (4.94)]. The primary research method employed in this study was content analysis of associations with digital game vocabulary. The objective was to systematically categorize and describe data in accordance with predetermined coding categories to obtain structured and quantifiable information about content. Through the literature review conducted for this study, three coding themes were identified in cognitive perceptions of digital games: (1) neutral, (2) positive, and (3) negative game perceptions. The study’s WAT was conducted in paper-and-pencil format, and the aim was not to measure how many words the participants could provide within a set time frame. Instead, the participants were encouraged to answer with as many words as possible. The WAT was concluded when the participants indicated they could not think of any more words or when they had provided 12 words. Finally, the participants’ responses were transcribed verbatim, and the number of words provided by each participant and the summarized themes were calculated. Results The distribution of vocabulary in the three participant groups for neutral, positive, and negative game perceptions revealed that the young-adults group and the middle-aged and older-adults group gave the highest number of responses that were coded as positive game perceptions, whereas the advanced age group gave the most responses coded as neutral game perceptions. This indicated that the younger individuals may have had more positive perceptions of digital games than the older individuals did. In the coding theme of neutral game perceptions, the types of words most commonly provided by the young-adults group were those relating to game types; the three most commonly used words were competitive, simulation, and interaction. The types of words most commonly provided by the middle-aged and older-adults group were those relating to game titles, with the three most widely used words being “Mahjong,” “Candy Crush,” and “Su doku”. The types of words most commonly provided by the advanced age group were also those relating to game titles; the three most often recurring words were “Happy Farm,” “Candy Crush,” and playing cards. Interestingly, “Candy Crush” was a common word for both the middle-aged and older-adults group and the advanced age group, suggesting that this digital game is commonly played by middle-aged and older individuals in Taiwan but not by young adults. No other words were shared by the three groups in this coding theme. In the coding theme of positive game perceptions, the types of words most commonly provided by the young-adults group were those relating to entertainment, with the three most commonly used words being stress relief, fun, and happiness. The middle-aged and older-adults group gave similar responses to the young-adults group; their two most frequently used terms were fun and stress relief. The types of words most commonly provided by advanced age group were coded as utility, with the most often used terms being brain exercise, passing time, preventing dementia, and learning. Three terms were common to the three groups: passing time, brain exercise, and fun, indicating that the different age groups had similar positive perceptions of playing digital games. In the coding theme of negative game perceptions, the types of words most commonly provided by the young-adults group were those relating to psychological harm, with the most common term being addiction. The types of words most commonly provided by the middle-aged and older-adults group and the advanced age group were related to physical harm, with the often used term being eye discomfort. Notably, addiction was common to all three groups, suggesting that individuals from all generations perceive digital games as addictive. However, the middle-aged and older-adults group appeared to worry more that digital games were harmful to their eyes than that they were addictive. Conclusion This study examined and coded responses regarding perceptions of digital gaming of individuals in three distinct age groups and discovered specific differences between the groups’ responses.
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