CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON VIDEO GAMES: PLAYERS ’ PREFERENCES IN NARRATIVE AND GAME-PLAY

I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. Anita Ching Yi Ngai ii As an entertainment media, video games provide pleasure and enjoyment through interactions with various game elements. Some games are more successful in one part of the world than others, which sales data have clearly shown over the years. Games designed in various parts of the world often have distinct differences, as developers implicitly or subconsciously convey their values and culture in their creations. Thus, in examining “what is fun, ” one must move beyond technical aspects of game design and look into immersion and emotional experiences. In this paper, sales data for 2004 were first examined, followed by a case study to investigate any differences between Japan and the US, where major game console manufacturers an