A Survey of Students’ Motivations for Playing Computer Games: a Comparative Analysis of Three Studies in Higher Education

Computer games are exceptionally popular and play an increasingly important role in the lives of children and adults. This popularity has captured the attention of educationalists interested to ascertain if the highly engaging features of computer games can be used to help people learn effectively. To properly develop computer games for learning it is important to have an appreciation of what motivates people to play computer games. This paper will present the results of a survey of students' motivations for playing computer games at Higher Education (HE) level and their views of what features of computer games may be useful for learning. The survey was performed at the University of the West of Scotland in March 2009. As well as presenting the results of the 2009 survey, the paper will draw comparisons on two identical previous studies performed in 2005 and 2007. The study will assess whether the game playing habits, motivations for playing computer games, motivations for playing computer games in a HE setting, attitudes and perceptions of students are consistent over a four year period.