Public defence in Computer Science, MSc Jaakko Väkevä

Title of the thesis: Digital Games Enriching Everyday Lives: Exploring Meaningful, Resonating, and Transformative Player Experiences

Thesis defender: Jaakko Väkevä
Opponent: Senior Lecturer Ioanna Iacovides, University of York, United Kingdom
Custos: Associate Professor Janne Lindqvist, Aalto University School of Science

Digital games have evolved from a form of entertainment that is equated with fun, into a medium that is also capable of evoking a rich spectrum of emotionally complex, thought-provoking and deeply meaningful experiences. This thesis investigates the capacity of digital games to evoke meaningful experiences that leave profound, long-lasting impacts in players’ lives beyond gameplay. 

This thesis comprises three qualitative empirical studies, which each explored the topic of meaningful game experiences from distinct conceptual perspectives: (1) the manifestation of art experiences in digital games, focusing on transformative aesthetic experiences, as they have been conceptualized in the field of empirical aesthetics; (2) players’ experiences of mental health benefits with digital games; and (3) how games can resonate with players, drawing on previous conceptualizations of resonance from the fields of psychology and information science. 

This thesis illustrates how digital games can produce profoundly meaningful experiences by mirroring players’ own lived experiences, for example, through storytelling and interactive gameplay mechanics. A common thread between the player experiences that were studied in this thesis was that, in these cases, players had commonly formed intimate, personal connections with something in the game, relating it to some aspects in their own lives, such as questions of identity, difficult life situations, or past lived experiences, for example, in relation to mental health challenges. This thesis elucidates ways in which digital games can evoke such relational experiences where players connect their own lives to the context of the game, and how these experiences can linger with players for long after gameplay has passed, prompting deep reflections and meaning-making processes, which can foster players’ well-being and lead to various positive real-life outcomes. 

Particularly, this thesis highlights the concept of resonance as a promising future framework to help researchers better explain the diverse, profound impacts of digital games, and designers craft more impactful game experiences, whether for entertainment, art, or various serious games with prosocial purposes, for example, to foster positive learning or wellbeing outcomes.

Keywords: player experience, qualitative research, eudaimonia, emotion, reflection, aesthetic experience, meaning, resonance

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at Aalto University's public display page. 

Contact Information:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaakkovakeva/