| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立交通大學 === 傳播所 === 91 === This research investigates the differences between expert and novice computer game players in their spatial abilities, memory, and problem solving process. Electronic game in this research is defined as computer games, video games, arcade games, and handheld games.
A single factor experiment was conducted to study the three research issues. Thirty participants aging from eighteen to thirty years old included fifteen expert computer game players and fifteen novice computer game players. Age of Empires II: The Conquerors introduced by Microsoft was chosen in this research. It is a war and strategy game involving economic development, and diplomatic and war strategy.
All participants began to fill out a general information questionnaire concerning their personal characteristics, including age, education, and computer and Internet experience. Then the participants took tests of spatial abilities including 2D rotation scale, 3D rotation scale, and spatial organization scale. 2D rotation scale is designed by Dai (1998), 3D rotation scale and spatial organization scale are designed by Dai, Chen, and Sun (2001). Each participant was given a on-screen instruction. A brief practice session was then conducted to help the participants to understand the operation of the game and the tasks to be performed. Following the practice, each participant played the game individually without connecting to the Internet for forty minutes. On the completion of the tasks, each participant was given free recall and cued recall tests. Then each participant discussed with the experimenter for his/her problem solving process in the experiment.
The results indicated that the expert computer game experts performed better in spatial organization test, free recall test, cued recall test than novice computer game players. Also, experts were more sensitive on observing and finding problems than novice and experts analyzed problems more diversely, and perceived problems deeper and broader than novices. Unlike novices, who relied heavily on visual messages, experts found visual messages distracted and uncomfortable and relied on audio messages in the experiment.
Based on spatial ability and memory, problem solving is a process of analyzing problems and making solutions. These three cognitive process studied in this research are relevant to game playing and learning. According to the results of problem solving, this research provides two suggestions for designing visual messages in computer games. First of all, reducing subordinate visual messages and keeping major visual messages. Enclosing the subordinate visual messages into the function menu that require users’ requests. In short, players need to select a specific menu in order to start relatively less important messages. Second, increasing the frequency of audio messages. The features of audio messages, attracting players’ attention easily and appearing once at a time, could help players to perceive sudden incidents quickly and respond swiftly. Therefore, it is recommended to increase the types and designs of audio messages, such as different sound effects for different items and diverse volume for various situations.
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