A4 Article in conference proceedings
The Role of Game Elements in Shaping Three Dimensions of Techno-Distress and Techno-Eustress in Online Multiplayer Games (2024)

Hämäläinen, A., Salo, M., & Lampi, A. (2024). The Role of Game Elements in Shaping Three Dimensions of Techno-Distress and Techno-Eustress in Online Multiplayer Games. In A. Asatiani, A. S. Islind, & J. Magnusson (Eds.), SCIS 2024 : Proceedings of the 15th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems. Association for Information Systems. https://aisel.aisnet.org/scis2024/24/

JYU authors or editors

Hämäläinen, Antti
Salo, Markus
Lampi, Anna

Publication details

All authors or editors: Hämäläinen, Antti; Salo, Markus; Lampi, Anna

Parent publication: SCIS 2024 : Proceedings of the 15th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems

Parent publication editors: Asatiani, Aleksandre; Islind, Anna Sigridur; Magnusson, Johan

Place and date of conference: Uddevalla, Sweden, 11.-14.8.2024

eISBN: 978-1-958200-09-4

Publication year: 2024

Publisher: Association for Information Systems

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

Persistent website address: https://aisel.aisnet.org/scis2024/24/

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/96940

Abstract

Playing digital games is an immensely popular leisure activity, offering players numerous benefits. Despite this, research, practitioner reports, and mainstream media discussions have highlighted various issues associated with gaming. In the information systems (IS) discipline, research on the phenomenon of technostress, referring to stress caused by information technology (IT) use, has been instrumental in understanding the negative consequences of IT use. Nevertheless, while technostress has received attention in various IT use contexts, digital games have received minimal scrutiny. To address this gap, we studied technostress in the context of playing online multiplayer games. By employing qualitative data collection and analysis methods, we investigated gamers’ experiences of technostress and the game elements underlying them via 19 semi-structured interviews. We highlight how technostress can manifest both negative and positive aspects and explain how the same game elements and gaming situations can lead to both types of outcomes. Through our three-dimensional view of technostress, we emphasize the direct role of gameplay, in addition to the indirect roles of social interactions and self-perception, in shaping technostress when playing online multiplayer games. By delineating specific associations between game elements and technostressors, we provide practical insights for game developers and organizations implementing gamification in various activities.

Keywords: stress (biological phenomena); technostress; anxiety; digital games; multiplayer games; players (non-music); experiences (knowledge); interview study