| Summary: | The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis is to examine video games, gamers and gaming from an information science perspective. The purpose of the study is partly to study video games as a type of information system and partly to study gamers information use, information seeking and also the experience of gaming. A selection of five games have been analysed using a topology for video game analysis created by Espen Aarseth. A quantitative investigation has also been made, in the form of a web survey distributed through four Swedish online forums, the result of which was analysed using Carol Collier Kuhlthaus model of the information seeking process. The study showed that video games can partly be understood as information systems with built in obstacles, uncertainty and supportive structures. It also showed that gamers are largely independent in their game related information seeking and information use, but that they are also accustomed to turning to informal mediatiors for help. Lastly, the study showed that some similarities can be found in the cogntive and affective experiences of the information seeking process and the gaming experience respectively. These findings may serve as a starting point for further research of how gaming may support the individual's information seeking process, as well as their understanding of the process and the stages involved.
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