Self-Determination Theory and HCI Games Research: Unfulfilled Promises and Unquestioned Paradigms

TL;DR

This paper critically examines the use of Self-Determination Theory in HCI games research, revealing superficial applications rooted in limited engagement with the theory and proposing more intentional, rigorous approaches.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of SDT's application in HCI games research, highlighting issues and suggesting pathways for more meaningful integration of the theory.

Findings

SDT is frequently used superficially in HCI games research.

Limited engagement with SDT's core principles affects research quality.

The paper proposes strategies for more rigorous and intentional use of SDT in future studies.

Abstract

Self-determination theory (SDT), a psychological theory of human motivation, is a prominent paradigm in human-computer interaction (HCI) research on games. However, our prior literature review observed a trend towards shallow applications of the theory. This follow-up work takes a broader view -- examining SDT scholarship on games, a wider corpus of SDT-based HCI games research (N=259), and perspectives from a games industry practitioner conference -- to help explain current applications of SDT. Our findings suggest that perfunctory applications of the theory in HCI games research originate in part from within SDT scholarship on games, which itself exhibits limited engagement with theoretical tenets. Against this backdrop, we unpack the popularity of SDT in HCI games research and identify conditions underlying the theory's current use as an oft-unquestioned paradigm. Finally, we outline avenues for more productive SDT-informed games research and consider ways towards more intentional practices of theory use in HCI.