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Trucking for Victory : The role of collective player action in shaping the environment of Foxhole

Schwartz, Noah (2023) Trucking for Victory : The role of collective player action in shaping the environment of Foxhole.

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Abstract:Background: Foxhole is a real time, large scale, massive multiplayer, war simulator. Almost every aspect of the game is directly influenced or created by the players. The social systems created to support gameplay are vast, numerous, and very complex. Due to this complexity both within the gameplay as well as the community, playing this game has been likened to having a job. The numerous social connections that players have within the game coupled with frustrations based on issues the game has, fosters an environment where collaboration towards achieving a shared goal becomes a realistic occurrence. Due to the niche nature of Foxhole and its comparatively low playerbase when compared to other games such as EVE Online or Call of Duty, literature directly related to the game is at best journalistic articles related to special occurrences. Aim: The aim of this paper was to discover the effect that collective player action has had in shaping the environment in the videogame Foxhole. Methods: This research consists of qualitative interviews in which participants are asked about their experiences in relation to the game as well as their knowledge of the community and the games development. Data from 22 participants was gathered, all of which are members of the L.O.G.I (Logistics Organisation for General Improvement) Union. This union is directly involved in the logistics, often shortened to “logi” aspects within the game Foxhole. A simple explanation of logistics is the moving of resources from one point to another. Interviews were conducted on the logi (logistics) community Discord server and only audio was recorded. Qualitative data analysis was conducted via inductive coding based on the topic list. Results: In general logistics players see themselves as the backbone of the entire system present in the game. A common point of frustration voiced by participants had been the mishandling of communications with the community by the developers, this was most commonly in the shape of lacking communication rather than incorrect or antagonistic. This, alongside other issues such as quality of life for logistics players, was a major reason for crises that the game experienced, such as the strike of the logistics players. Conclusion: Collective player action in foxhole allowed the player base to enact major changes within their environment. Negative perceptions of the game were based on various frustrations, with developers of the game playing a key role in this. Their main point of failure was a severe lack of communication. Their inability or unwillingness to interact with the community effectively forced the hand of players so that their opinions could be seen. The strike of the logistics players demonstrated the power that the player base possesses. Future research should compare the events of the strike with similar occurrences of collective actions by players in other games to identify what fuels these events and what leads to their success or failure.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:05 communication studies
Programme:Communication Studies BSc (56615)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/95538
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