Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Towards a Tabletop Gaming Motivations Inventory (TGMI)

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Videogame Sciences and Arts (VJ 2019)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1164))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

Tabletop gaming is currently experiencing a golden age. The size of the tabletop gaming industry and the number of people engaged with the hobby are at a peak, and are still increasing. However, what motivates people to engage with tabletop games is not well studied. This study aims to understand the motivations for tabletop game play; it does so by introducing a questionnaire, called the tabletop gaming motivation inventory (TGMI), to measure these motivations. The inventory is based on literature, in particular literature which deals with similar inventories used to investigate video gaming motivations. We carried out a survey with tabletop game players (N = 867). Our inventory is validated using factor analyses, which lead to a final questionnaire consisting of 11 factors based on 39 items. Moreover, we investigated how these motivations vary with respect to prior experience of players, their frequency of play and geographical locations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Woods, S.: Eurogames: The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games. McFarland, North Carolina, USA (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Maggie, L., Darrow, C.: Monopoly. Hasbro, Rhode Island, USA (1935)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Angel, R.: Pictionary. Angel Games, Seattle (1985)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Teuber, K.: Settlers of Catan. Kosmos, Germany (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Seyfarth, A.: Puerto Rico. Ravensburger, Germany (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Martin, T.: How board games became a billion-dollar business. https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/games/2017/01/how-board-games-became-billion-dollar-business. Accessed 23 May 2019

  7. Birkner, C.: From Monopoly to Exploding Kittens, Board Games Are Making a Comeback. https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/from-monopoly-to-exploding-kittens-board-games-are-making-a-comeback/. Accessed 23 May 2019

  8. Taylor, H.: Tabletop games are bigger than ever, and its driving growth in the digital sector. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-10-25-asmodee-digital. Accessed 23 May 2019

  9. Leorke, D.: Solo board gaming: an analysis of player motivations. Analog Game Stud. 5(4) (2018). http://analoggamestudies.org/2018/12/solo-board-gaming-an-analysis-of-player-motivations/

  10. Murray, H.J.R.: A history of Board-Games Other Than Chess. Clarendon Press, UK (1952)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Parlett, D.: The Oxford History of Board Games, vol. 5. Oxford University Press, Oxford (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jones, C.E., Liapis, A., Lykourentzou, I., Guido, D.: Board game prototyping to co-design a better location-based digital game. In: Proceedings of the 2017 Computer Human Interaction Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1055–1064. ACM, New York (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Xu, Y., Barba, E., Radu, I., Gandy, M., MacIntyre, B.: Chores are fun: understanding social play in board games for digital tabletop game design. In: Digital Games Research Association Conference (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Whalen, T.: Playing well with others: applying board game design to tabletop display interfaces. In: ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, vol. 5. ACM Press, New York (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Zagal, J.P., Rick, J., Hsi, I.: Collaborative games: lessons learned from board games. Simul. Gaming 37(1), 24–40 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Kosa, M., Yilmaz, M.: The design process of a board game for exploring the territories of the United States. Press Start 4(1), 36–52 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Eisenack, K.: A climate change board game for interdisciplinary communication and education. Simul. Gaming 44(2–3), 328–348 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Weisz, J.D., Ashoori, M., Ashktorab, Z.: Entanglion: a board game for teaching the principles of quantum computing. In: Proceedings of the 2018 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play, pp. 523–534. ACM, New York (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Peppler, K., Danish, J.A., Phelps, D.: Collaborative gaming: teaching children about complex systems and collective behavior. Simul. Gaming 44(5), 683–705 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Berland, M., Lee, V.R.: Collaborative strategic board games as a site for distributed computational thinking. Int. J. Game-Based Learn. (IJGBL) 1(2), 65–81 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Triboni, E., Weber, G.: MOL: developing a European-style board game to teach organic chemistry. J. Chem. Educ. 95(5), 791–803 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Booth, P.: Game Play: Paratextuality in Contemporary Board Games. Bloomsbury Publishing, London (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Evans, J.: Translating board games: multimodality and play. J. Spec. Transl. 20, 15–32 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Rogerson, M.J., Gibbs, M.: Finding time for tabletop: board game play and parenting. Games Cult. 13(3), 280–300 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. IJsselsteijn, W., Poels, K., De Kort, Y.A.: The game experience questionnaire: development of a self-report measure to assess player experiences of digital games. TU Eindhoven, Eindhoven (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Al Mahmud, A., Mubin, O., Shahid, S., Martens, J.B.: Designing and evaluating the tabletop game experience for senior citizens. In: Proceedings of the 5th Nordic Conference on Human-Computer Interaction: Building Bridges, pp. 403–406. ACM, New York (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Barbara, J.: Measuring user experience in multiplayer board games. Games Cult. 12(7–8), 623–649 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Yee, N.: The demographics, motivations, and derived experiences of users of massively multi-user online graphical environments. Presence: Teleoperators Virtual Environ. 15(3), 309–329 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Hilgard, J., Engelhardt, C.R., Bartholow, B.D.: Individual differences in motives, preferences, and pathology in video games: the gaming attitudes, motives, and experiences scales (GAMES). Front. Psychol. 4, 608 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Rubin, A.M.: Media uses and effects: a uses-and-gratifications perspective. In: Bryant, J., Zillmann, D. (eds.) Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research, pp. 417–436. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Sherry, J.L., Lucas, K., Greenberg, B.S., Lachlan, K.: Video game uses and gratifications as predictors of use and game preference. Int. J. Sport. Mark. Spons. 24(1), 213–224 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Tekofsky, S., Miller, P., Spronck, P., Slavin, K.: The effect of gender, native English speaking, and age on game genre preference and gaming motivations. In: Poppe, R., Meyer, J.-J., Veltkamp, R., Dastani, M. (eds.) INTETAIN 2016 2016. LNICST, vol. 178, pp. 178–183. Springer, Cham (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49616-0_17

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  33. Tekofsky, S.: You are who you play you are. Ph.D. thesis, Tilburg University, Tilburg (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Rogerson, M.J., Gibbs, M., Smith, W.: I love all the bits: the materiality of boardgames. In: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 3956–3969. ACM, New York (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Birk, M.V., Mandryk, R.L., Atkins, C.: The motivational push of games: the interplay of intrinsic motivation and external rewards in games for training. In: Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play, pp. 291–303. ACM, New York (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Hoffman, B., Nadelson, L.: Motivational engagement and video gaming: a mixed methods study. Educ. Technol. Res. Dev. 58(3), 245–270 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Yee, N.: Chinese Gamers are More Competitive and Completionist, More Homogeneous in Gaming Motivations Than US Gamers. https://quanticfoundry.com/2018/11/27/gamers-china-us/. Accessed 32 May 2019

  38. Hu, L.T., Bentler, P.M.: Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct. Equ. Model.: Multidiscip. J. 6(1), 1–55 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. MacCallum, R.C., Browne, M.W., Sugawara, H.M.: Power analysis and determination of sample size for covariance structure modeling. Psychol. Methods 1(2), 130 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Tabachnick, B.G., Fidell, L.S.: Using Multivariate Statistics. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson Education, Boston (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  41. Comrey, A., Lee, H.: A First Course in Factor Analysis. Psychology Press, New York (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Hinkin, T.R.: A brief tutorial on the development of measures for use in survey questionnaires. Organ. Res. Methods 1(1), 104–121 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Ferguson, E., Cox, T.: Exploratory factor analysis: a users’ guide. Int. J. Sel. Assess. 1(2), 84–94 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Nunnally, J.C.: Psychometric Theory, 2nd edn. McGraw-Hill, New York (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  45. Hinton, P.R., McMurray, I., Brownlow, C.: SPSS Explained. Routledge, UK (2004)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  46. Eisinga, R., Te Grotenhuis, M., Pelzer, B.: The reliability of a two-item scale: Pearson, Cronbach, or Spearman-Brown? Int. J. Public Health 58(4), 637–642 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Fornell, C., Larcker, D.F.: Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: algebra and statistics. J. Mark. Res. 18(3), 382–388 (1981)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Hair Jr., J., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., Kuppelwieser, G.V.: Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) an emerging tool in business research. Eur. Bus. Rev. 26(2), 106–121 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Kohr, R.L., Games, P.A.: Robustness of the analysis of variance, the Welch procedure and a box procedure to heterogeneous variances. J. Exp. Educ. 43(1), 61–69 (1974)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Hogg, R.V., Tanis, E.A., Zimmerman, D.L.: Probability and Statistical Inference, vol. 993. Macmillan, New York (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  51. The Dice Tower: Top 10 Story Driven Games - with Tom Vasel. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRI7cyxJEfE. Accessed 23 May 2019

  52. Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons and Dragons Role Playing Game, 5th edn. Wizards of the Coast, Washington (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  53. Chaosium: Call of Cthulu Role Playing Game. 7 edn. Chaosium, Michigan (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  54. Cohen, J.: Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. L. Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, Hillsdale (1988)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  55. Daviau, R., Leacock, M.: Pandemic Legacy. Z-Man Games, New York (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  56. Konieczka, C. Valens, N.: Eldritch Horror. Fantasy Flight Games, Minnesota (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  57. Hawthorne, J.: Mice & Mystics. Plaid Hat Games, USA (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  58. Wu, J., Holsapple, C.: Imaginal and emotional experiences in pleasure-oriented IT usage: a hedonic consumption perspective. Inf. Manag. 51(1), 80–92 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  59. Lewis, J.R., Utesch, B.S., Maher, D.E.: UMUX-LITE: when there’s no time for the SUS. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 2099–2102. ACM, New York (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  60. Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., Anderson, R.E.: Multivariate Data Analysis, 7th edn. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River (2010)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tilburg University, 5037 AB, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Mehmet Kosa & Pieter Spronck

Authors
  1. Mehmet Kosa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pieter Spronck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mehmet Kosa .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Nelson Zagalo

  2. University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Ana Isabel Veloso

  3. University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Liliana Costa

  4. University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Óscar Mealha

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Kosa, M., Spronck, P. (2019). Towards a Tabletop Gaming Motivations Inventory (TGMI). In: Zagalo, N., Veloso, A., Costa, L., Mealha, Ó. (eds) Videogame Sciences and Arts. VJ 2019. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1164. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37983-4_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37983-4_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-37982-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-37983-4

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation