Abstract

A sample of children (n = 240) involved in informal playground activities of formalised sporting activities were first observed using naturalistic observation procedures, followed by focussed interviews to derive statements for subsequent content analysis and validation of a game attraction inventory. This procedure was designed to test a conceptual framework of social motivation in games. The framework, based on a symbolic interactionist perspective of game attraction, suggests that games are able to motivate through three central elements of instrinsic reward or self-expression, co-operation or social reciprocity, and thirdly, task mastery. The development of the framework resulted in a re-interpretation of the conflict-enculturation hypothesis, suggesting a competence mastery alternative whereby the competencies required by games are also adaptive elements in the everyday behaviour of the child. The major findings were that games differ markedly in their form of attraction when degree of formality and sex are considered. Formal settings tend to be perceived as more attractive for their task mastery element, while girls tend to be more attracted by the expressive elements. A factor analysis of items for the total sample tended to offer encouraging insight for the validation of the overall framework. Verf.-Referat