Play Across Boundaries: Exploring Cross-Cultural Maldaimonic Game Experiences

TL;DR

This study investigates cross-cultural differences in maldaimonic gaming experiences between Western and Japanese players, confirming the construct's relevance in Japan and providing a foundation for future measurement tools.

Contribution

It extends the concept of maldaimonia to Japanese gamers, showing cultural universality and offering initial quantitative validation for this gaming experience construct.

Findings

Little divergence between Japanese and US cohorts in maldaimonic experiences

Confirmed the maldaimonic construct in Japan through qualitative and quantitative data

Set the stage for developing a scale to measure maldaimonic experiences

Abstract

Maldaimonic game experiences occur when people engage in personally fulfilling play through egocentric, destructive, and/or exploitative acts. Initial qualitative work verified this orientation and experiential construct for English-speaking Westerners. In this comparative mixed methods study, we explored whether and how maldaimonic game experiences and orientations play out in Japan, an Eastern gaming capital that may have cultural values incongruous with the Western philosophical basis underlying maldaimonia. We present findings anchored to the initial frameworks on maldaimonia in game experiences that show little divergence between the Japanese and US cohorts. We also extend the qualitative findings with quantitative measures on affect, player experience, and the related constructs of hedonia and eudaimonia. We confirm this novel construct for Japan and set the stage for scale development.