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. 2023 Sep 8:14:1173429.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1173429. eCollection 2023.

A game of persuasion: influencing persuasive game appraisals through presentation frames and recommendation sources

Marloes A Groen  1 , Ruud S Jacobs  1
Affiliations

A game of persuasion: influencing persuasive game appraisals through presentation frames and recommendation sources

Marloes A Groen et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Introduction: As games made with the explicit or implicit purpose of influencing players' attitudes, persuasive games afford a new way for individuals to reflect and elaborate on real-world issues or topics. While research points to effects of these games on their players, little is known about their practical impact. The current study focuses on the decision-making process that takes place between first hearing about a game and deciding to play it. Three elements in a game's presentation to potential players were explored: (1) the way it is framed as an entertaining experience, (2) the way it is framed as intending to persuade its players, and (3) whether it comes recommended by automated systems or through electronic word-of-mouth. These factors were chosen in line with theoretical arguments around framing, eudaimonia, and source credibility.

Methods: A two (entertainment frame: hedonic versus eudaimonic) by two (persuasive intent frame: obfuscated versus explicit) by two (source of recommendation: system- versus peer-based) between-subjects experimental design was performed across (N = 310) randomly distributed participants. Measures were adapted from previous research and included selection and play behavior, attitudes, and obtrusiveness of persuasive intent, among others.

Results and discussion: Results show that frames need to be congruent to be effective, with the most effective stimuli being those where persuasive intent was clear and players could expect to engage meaningfully. Peer recommendations led to greater play intention than system-based varieties. While intention to play positively related to actual play behavior, this relationship was likely the result of avid game players displaying more interest in the game regardless of the study's manipulations. Implications are drawn from the advantages of being open about persuasive intent and the composition and drivers of a persuasive game's target audience.

Keywords: electronic word-of-mouth; eudaimonic; framing; hedonic; media selection; persuasive games; recommendations.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual model of the influences of presentation frames and recommendation sources on pre-play evaluations and subsequent play behavior. Pre-play evaluation variables are encapsulated to improve readability.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Recommendation source stimuli. Left: system-generated recommendation. Right: peer-based recommendation. Game images (DatJuanDesigner, 2020) and itch.io logo reproduced with permission of DatJuanDesigner and itch.io.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Graphs showing the interaction effect of entertainment and persuasive intent frames on interest in playing the game (top), attitude toward the game (middle), and intention to play the game (bottom). Error bars note 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Empirical pathway models on the mediating relationship of perceived obtrusiveness on the effect of persuasive intent frame on selection behavior (top), interest to play the game (middle), and attitude toward the game (bottom).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Empirical pathway models on the mediating relationship of source credibility on the effect of recommendation source on intention to play.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Graph showing the interaction effect of persuasive intent frame and recommendation source on source credibility. Error bars note 95% confidence intervals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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