Beyond action video games: Differences in gameplay and ability preferences among gaming genres

Abstract

This paper collated and analysed information regarding the abilities, gameplay and game genre preferences perceived to be important by amateur gamers and whether these perceptions differed based on several criteria, including time spent gaming and the types of games people played. First-person Shooter (FPS), Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) and Real-time Strategy (RTS) games were examined among a sample of 301 gamers (262 male) at the PAX East gaming festival. Participant’s perceptions of the importance of and preference for a subset of gameplay attributes were assessed through a survey and compared with the game genre individuals reported playing most. MOBA and FPS gamers were found to have similar preferences for competitive and fast paced games requiring quick and precise actions, while strategy was preferred for RTS. Preference and the perceived importance of tactical aspects of FPS and MOBA games were found to be unimportant, contradicting their current prominence in esports. Our findings suggest that the current treatment of RTS games in esports research as an action video game is possibly flawed and they should not be grouped with MOBA/FPS games.