Tech Trends
FIFA 18 players – What Do They See While They Are Winning or Losing? : An Eye Tracking Experiment
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Tomasz Gackowski
This study was conducted with a group of around sixty non-professional players - men in three age groups: teenagers (14-15 years old), young adults (21-22) and adults (34-35). While respondents were playing FIFA 18 games, their reactions were measured by eye tracking (SMI 500Hz RED) in the iMotions’ environment. The games were held in the tournament formula which was supposed to intensify respondents’ engagement. In the study, I analyzed eye movements of the respondents. In the course of the data analysis, special events of the match (e.g. scoring a goal, losing a goal, penalty kick, one-to-one situation with a goalkeeper etc.) were determined and marked on the recordings. Furthermore, the AOIs as the particularly important parts of the frames were drawn. In the course of the biometric (not only eye tracking) research project, which is still ongoing, my research team is seeking answers to the following questions: Can we determine the model reactions of non-professional players to specific situations happening during the game? Do certain elements of the game arouse greater engagement of players than other events? Is it possible to create players’ profiles by the way they look on the screen or engage in the specific moments of the game? Finally - what kind of biometric differences can we distinct comparing professional and non-professional FIFA players? This is probably the most interesting for the e-sport business. This paper focuses on the first part of the results of this complex research project.
From Unfamiliar to Familiar: Processes of Normalization through TV/Web-Video Content on the Example of Smart Speakers
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Konstantin Daniel Haensch
This paper situates the processes of familiarization, normalization, and domestication of new technology through different forms of media such as YouTube videos or TV Commercials. On the example of the smart speaker/online assistant Amazon Echo/Alexa, it presents findings of a three-year qualitative study that gathers examples of (emergent) strategies of producers to establish the new technology in the markets and therefore everyday culture of their clients through marketing and advertisement. It dissects how a highly aligned content mix in mass and niche media is used to address the customer’s skepticism about new datafied media objects and other forces of customer opposition (based on the discourse of data surveillance, platform autocracy; the novelty of technology etc.). Furthermore, it shows how popular culture is utilized to gather the audience’s interest. By examining video clips from 2015 to 2018, it unfolds strategies of (1) education, (2) fascination, (3) cultivation and (4) de-/re-mystification that aim for the acceptance and normalization of objects which enable the integration of data services, AI, and machine learning in the private sphere of customers.
Can Online Reality Make You See Reality? : Effects of Immersive vs. Non-Immersive Advertisement Messages on Brand Engagement and Willingness to Donate to Non-profit Organisations
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nelly Anna Dux
Non-profit organizations have been using online reality to raise awareness and to increase donations as they are reported to trigger better understanding of issues. This research adds to the current research by evaluating the immersive factors of 3D online worlds and investigates whether immersion triggers an empathic bond between the charity and the viewer. The concepts of immersion and brand engagement are present in current research, however research comparing 3D online mediums and 2D PC screens for NGOs, with emotive and storytelling content is scarce. Research investigating the relationship of the brand and the consumer using online reality is also limited. Using the integrative post-digital model of media reception, an experiment with two conditions was conducted. One showed a 360° video advert of an internationally known non-governmental institution (NGO) using a Head-Mounted-Display device. The second condition showed a similar advert on a regular PC screen. Sixty-seven students were recruited at three different locations in Germany. In a controlled setting, the two conditions were compared for felt immersion through telepresence and interactivity. Brand engagement was measured through the cognitive, affective, and behavioral reactions of the viewers and the general attitude and involvement with the charity, using independent T-test and ANOVA analysis. The results showed that felt immersion, involvement, attitude towards the charity and willingness to donate was significantly higher in the 3D group (P<0.000). The results of the study can help researchers gain insight on the future of immersive media, especially if these new technologies are adopted by the masses.
