Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Toward Individualistic Cooperative Play: A Systematic Analysis of Mobile Social Games in Japan

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Mobile Gaming in Asia

  • 1168 Accesses

Abstract

This study examines the social features of the 31 most popular games in Japan’s rapidly expanding mobile social game market, as ranked through a survey of 2660 teenagers and young adults in November 2013. Results showed that all 31 games had at least one of the three social features, namely, connections to social networking services (SNSs), competition, and cooperation. In the games, SNS connections were present in 84 % of games, competition in 87 % of games, cooperation in 94 %. Among the cooperative features, individualistic cooperative play was more prevalent than team play.

The original version of this chapter was revised. An erratum to this chapter can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0826-3_14

An erratum to this chapter can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0826-3_14

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    A major part of this study was first presented in Japanese at the Summer Research Conference of the Digital Games Research Association Japan (DiGRA JAPAN), held at the Tokyo University of Technology on August 24, 2014. It was later presented in English at the Digital Research Association 2015 conference (DiGRA 2015) at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany. Both conference papers are available at the DiGRA JAPAN conference site and the DiGRA digital library.

  2. 2.

    The average exchange value of one U.S. dollar (USD) for the year 2013 was taken as 98.65 Japanese yen (JYN; Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting 2014).

  3. 3.

    The authors have also analyzed the monetary and event features of mobile social games. This part of analysis will be published as a chapter of another book (Shibuya et al. forthcoming).

  4. 4.

    This chapter is the first step of this study, and effects of these social features will be reported in another conference.

  5. 5.

    We would have preferred to include 1140 paying players to create the same 2:1 ratio that we established with young adults, but the number of teenage game players who made in-game purchases was not large enough.

  6. 6.

    We verified that creating multiple accounts for this study did not cause problems or violate the rules and guidelines of SNSs or social apps. We obtained oral or written permission from certain SNSs when it was considered necessary.

References

  • Anderson, C. (2009). Free: How today’s smartest businesses profit by giving something for nothing. New York: Hyperion.

    Google Scholar 

  • App Annie. (2016). App Annie 2015 retrospective. Obtained as App-Annie-2015-Retrospective-EN. pdf by signing up for App Annie.

    Google Scholar 

  • App Annie index. (2015). App Annie index: 2014 summary; A report about trends of application market. Obtained as App-Annie-Index-2014-Retrospective-jp. pdf by signing up for App Annie.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arai, N. (2013). Sousharugeemu niokeru yuuzaa no shinritokusei to kakinkoudou no kanrensei nitsuite [The analysis of the social psychological factors that influence the enthusiasm of social game]. Jouchi Keizai Ronsyuu [Sophia Economic Review], 58, 277–287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory of mass communication. Media Psychology, 3(1), 265–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, H., & Griffiths, M. D. (2007). Social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing gamers. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 10(4), 575–583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA). (2014). CESA games white paper. Tokyo: CESA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Consalvo, M. (2011). Using your friends: Social mechanics in social games. In M. Cavazza, K. Isbister, & C. Rich (Eds.), Proceedings of the 11th conference on foundations of digital games (pp. 188–195). France: Bordeaux.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elson, M., Breuer, J., Ivory, J. D., & Quandt, T. (2014). More than stories with buttons: Narrative, mechanics, and context as determinants of player experience in digital games. Journal of Communication, 64, 521–542. doi:10.1111/jcom.12096.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Enterbrain. (2014). Famitsu gemu hakusho 2014[game white paper 2014]. Tokyo: Kadokawa, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enterbrain. (2015). Famitsu gemu hakusho 2015[game white paper 2015]. Tokyo: Kadokawa, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentile, D. A., Anderson, C. A., Yukawa, S., Ihori, N., Saleem, M., Ming, L. K., et al (2009). The effects of prosocial video games on prosocial behaviors: International evidence from corelational, longitudinal, and experimental studies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 752–763.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greitemeyer, T. & Mügge, D. O. (2014). Video games do affect social outcomes: A meta-analytic review of the effects of violent and prosocial video game play. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(5), 578–589.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Institute for Information and Communications Policy (IICP) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). (2014). Heisei 25 nendo ICT shinkou bunya no kokusaitenkai to tenbou nikansuru chousa kenkyu houkokusyo [A survey research report on ICT international development and outlooks of new ICT areas]. http://www.soumu.go.jp/iicp/chousakenkyu/data/research/survey/telecom/2014/2014game.pdf. Accessed 31 May 2015.

  • Juul, J. (2005). Half-real: Video games between real rules and fictional worlds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Juul, J. (2010). A casual revolution: Reinventing video games and their players. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitsubishi Research Institute. (2013). Heisei 24 nendo kontentsu sangyou kyouka taisaku shien jigyou (nettowaak kei geemu kankyou seibi kenkyuu jigyou) houkokusho [A report about a project of supporting strategies of content industry (a research project of reconstructions of environment of networking games)]. Retrieved from http://www.meti.go.jp/meti_lib/report/2013fy/E002770.pdf.

  • Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting. (2014). Exchange quotation yearly average[Zennen no nenmatsu nenkan heikin]. http://www.murc-kawasesouba.jp/fx/yearend/index.php?id=2013. Accessed 12 Oct 2015.

  • Nojima, M. (2011). Soosharu geemu niokeru nihongata deeta doribun no arikata toha? [How should the Japanese model of data-driven in social games?] Business Media Makoto. Retrieved from http://bizmakoto.jp/makoto/articles/ 1109/22/news015.html.

  • Paavilainen, J., Hamari, J., Stenros, J., & Kinnunen, J. (2013). Social network games: Players’ perspectives. Simulation and Gaming, 44(6), 794–820.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paavilainen, J., Koskinen, E., Korhonen, H., & Alha, K. (2015). Exploring playful experiences in social network games. Proceedings of DiGRA2015: Diversity of play: Games – Cultures – Identities. Lüneberg, Germany. Retrieved from http://www.digra.org/digital-library/publications/exploring-playful-experiences-in-social-network-games/.

  • Paik, H., & Comstock, G. (1984). The effects of television violence on antisocial behavior: A meta-analysis. Communication Research, 21, 516–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmierbach, M. (2009). Content analysis of video games: Challenges and potential solutions. Communication Methods and Measures, 3(3), 147–172. doi:10.1080/19312450802458950.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, W. A. (1955). Reliability of content analysis: The vase of normal scale coding. Public Opinion Quarterly, 19, 321–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shibuya, A., & Sakamoto, A. (2005). The quantity and context of video game violence in Japan: Toward creating an ethical standard. In R. Shiratori, K. Arai, & F. Kato (Eds.), Gaming, simulations, and society: Research scope and perspective. Tokyo: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shibuya, A., Teramoto, M., & Shoun, A. (forthcoming). In-game purchases and event features of mobile social games in Japan. In S. A. Lee & A. Pulos (Eds.), Transnational contexts of play: Video games in East Asia (vol. 1). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S. L., Lachlan, K., & Tamborini, R. (2003). Popular video games: Quantifying the presentation of violence and its context. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 47, 58–76. doi:10.1207/s15506878jobem4701_4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stenros, J., Paavilainen, J., & Mäyrä F. (2011) Social interaction in games. International Arts and Technology, 4(3), 342–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki, K., Sakamoto, A., Kobayashi, K., Ando, R., Kashibuchi, M., & Kimura, F. (2003). Intaanetto shiyou ga sousharu sukiru ni oyobosu eikyou: Paneru chousa niyoru hyouka kenkyuu [The effects of the Internet use on social skills: A panel survey of male students]. Japan Journal of Educational Technology, 27(Suppl), 117–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanaka, T., & Yamaguchi, S. (2015) Soosharu geemu no bijinesu moderu: Furiimiamu no Keizai bunseki [Business model of social games]. Tokyo: Keisoshobo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teramoto, M., Shibuya, A., & Akiyama, K. (2014). Sousharugeemu no riyoudouki to riyoujoukyou: Mobairu intaanetto chousa no houkoku [Game playing motivations and micro-transactions: A mobile-Internet survey on social game players]. Proceedings of the 2014 Spring Conference of Japan Association of Simulation and Gaming (JASAG), pp. 10–15. Chiba- Matsudo, Japan, 31 May 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2007). Preadolescents’ and adolescents’ online communication and their closeness to friends. Developmental Psychology, 43(2), 267–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, D., Martins, N., Consalvo, M., & Ivory, J. D. (2009). The virtual census: Representations of gender, race and age in video games. New Media & Society, 11, 815–834. doi:10.1177/1461444809105354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, B. J., Kunkel, D., Linz, D., Potter, J., Donnerstein, E., Smith, S. L., Blumenthal, E., & Gray, T. (1997). Violence in the television programming overall: University of California, Santa Barbara study. In National Television Violence Study (vol. 1, pp. 3–268). Newbury Park: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamaguchi, S. (2014). Soosharu geemu yuuzaa no koudou kettei youin: Nettowaaku kouka no jissyou bunseki [Behavioral determinants of social game users: Empirical analysis of the network effect], InfoCom Review, 62, 2–17.

    Google Scholar 

Game References

  • Acquire. (2013). Divine Gate [Google Play/App Store], GungHo Online Entertainment, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambition. (2011). Animal Boyfriend [GREE], Ambition, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambition. (2012). Fairy doll [GREE], Ambition, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ateam. (2011). AKB Stage Fighter [GREE], GREE, Nagoya Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandai Namco Entertainment. (2011). Gundam Card Collection [Mobage], Bandai Namco Entertainment, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandai Namco Entertainment. (2012). One Piece Grand Collection [Mobage], Bandai Namco Entertainment, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cyber Agent. (2012). Girl Friend (Beta). [Ameba], Cyber Agent, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cygames. (2011). Rage of Bahamut [Mobage], Cygames, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeNA. (2010). Nouen Hokkorina [Mobage], DeNA, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeNA. (2011). Idol m@ster Cinderella Girls [Mobage], DeNA, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • GREE. (2008). Hakoniwa [GREE], GREE, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • GREE. (2011). Tanken Driland [GREE], GREE, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • GungHo Online Entertainment. (2012a). Princess Punt Sweets [Google Play/App Store], GungHo Online Entertainment, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • GungHo Online Entertainment. (2012b). Puzzle and Dragons [Google Play/App Store], GungHo Online Entertainment, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • King Digital Entertainment. (2012). Candy Crush Saga [Google Play/App Store], King Digital Entertainment, London UK: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klab. (2012). Love Live! School Idol Festival [App Store/Google Play], Bushiroad, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konami Digital Entertainment. (2010a). Dragon Collection [GREE], Konami Digital Entertainment, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konami Digital Entertainment. (2010b). Sengoku Collection [Mobage], Konami Digital Entertainment, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuma the Bear. (2013). Quiz RPG: The World of Mystic Wiz [Google Play/App Store], COLOPL, Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • LINE. (2012a). LINE POP [LINE], LINE, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • LINE. (2012b). LINE Bubble [LINE], LINE, Tokyo Japan: February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • LINE. (2013a). LINE Pokopan [LINE], LINE, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • LINE. (2013b). LINE Windrunner [LINE], LINE, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mobcast. (2010). Moba Pro [Mobcast], Mobcast, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mobility Ware. (2010). Solitaire [Google Play/App Store], Mobility Ware, Irvine USA: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nintendo. (2001). Animal Crossing Series. [Nintendo 64/GameCube,/Nintendo DS/Wii/Nintedo 3DS/Wii U], Nintendo, Kyoto Japan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nintendo. (2006). Wii Sports [Wii], Nintendo, Kyoto Japan.

    Google Scholar 

  • PONOS. (2012). Battle Cats [App Store/Google Play], PONOS, Kyoto Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • SEGA. (2013a). Puyopuyo! Quest [App Store/Google Play], SEGA, Tokyo, Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • SEGA. (2013b). Chain Chronicle [Google Play/App Store], SEGA, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Supercell. (2012a). Clash of Clans [App Store/Google Play] Supercell, Helsinki Finland: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Supercell. (2012b). Hay Day [App Store/Google Play], Supercell, Helsinki Finland: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  • Voltage. (2011). My Forged Wedding [GREE], Voltage, Tokyo Japan: Played February and March, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 25380857. We thank eleven coders, who played and analyzed social games during spring break, for their patience, efforts, and suggestions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Letters, Soka University, Tokyo, Japan

    Akiko Shibuya

  2. Doctoral Program in Human Developmental Sciences, Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan

    Mizuha Teramoto & Akiyo Shoun

Authors
  1. Akiko Shibuya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mizuha Teramoto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Akiyo Shoun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akiko Shibuya .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Communication, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

    Dal Yong Jin

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Shibuya, A., Teramoto, M., Shoun, A. (2017). Toward Individualistic Cooperative Play: A Systematic Analysis of Mobile Social Games in Japan. In: Jin, D. (eds) Mobile Gaming in Asia. Mobile Communication in Asia: Local Insights, Global Implications. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0826-3_12

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0826-3_12

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-024-0824-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-024-0826-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation