Short answer
Designers should consider how to actively prompt and support users in building their own mental narratives and connections to a product's fictional or conceptual world.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- Journal of Consumer Research (2004)
- Method
- Qualitative research, specifically in-depth interviews.
- Sample
- 15 participants
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Designing games with strong thematic elements that encourage players to actively construct and engage with a 'fantastic imaginary' significantly increases player involvement and loyalty. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2004 study published in Journal of Consumer Research. Using Qualitative research, specifically in-depth interviews. with 15 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers should consider how to actively prompt and support users in building their own mental narratives and connections to a product's fictional or conceptual world.
Fantasy Game Design Enhances Player Engagement Through Thematic Immersion
Designing games with strong thematic elements that encourage players to actively construct and engage with a 'fantastic imaginary' significantly increases player involvement and loyalty.
Journal of Consumer Research · 2004
Key Findings
- 01Consumers actively construct and engage with a 'fantastic imaginary' when interacting with fantasy-based products.
- 02Players employ specific thematizing strategies to deepen their immersion and connection to the game's fictional world.
Application
Design takeaway
Designers should consider how to actively prompt and support users in building their own mental narratives and connections to a product's fictional or conceptual world.
How to apply
When designing a new game, app, or even a brand narrative, consider creating elements that encourage users to fill in the gaps with their own imagination and develop personal connections to the story or world.
Project actions
- 01Consider how your design can encourage users to create their own stories or interpretations.
- 02Think about the 'world' your product exists in and how users can contribute to that world mentally.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a novel framework for understanding consumer imagination in product interaction.
- +Offers a typology of user strategies for engaging with fictional worlds.
Limitations
The study focused on a specific type of game, so the findings might be different for other types of products or experiences.
Reliability & validity
The qualitative nature of interviews may introduce subjectivity. Reliability could be improved with multiple coders for thematic analysis. Validity is supported by the depth of participant accounts and the development of a new framework.
Think critically
To what extent can the principles of evoking the 'fantastic imaginary' be applied to non-entertainment products, and what design strategies would be necessary?
Design Principles
"Facilitate user-driven imaginative engagement to enhance product experience and loyalty."
Understanding how consumers mentally construct and interact with fictional worlds is crucial for developing products and experiences that resonate deeply. This insight can guide the creation of more compelling narratives, immersive environments, and engaging gameplay mechanics that foster a stronger connection between the user and the product.
What This Means for Your Design
When you're designing something like a game or a story, think about how to get people to use their imagination to make it more exciting and real for themselves.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify designing elements that encourage user imagination and world-building in your design project.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research highlights the importance of the 'fantastic imaginary' in consumer engagement, suggesting that products designed to actively evoke and support user imagination can foster deeper connections and loyalty. By incorporating elements that encourage players to construct their own narratives and engage with a product's world mentally, designers can create more immersive and meaningful experiences.
Source
Journal of Consumer Research
Using the Imagination: Consumer Evoking and Thematizing of the Fantastic Imaginary
journal · 2004
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about fantasy game design enhances player engagement through thematic immersion?
- Designers should consider how to actively prompt and support users in building their own mental narratives and connections to a product's fictional or conceptual world. Evidence: Journal of Consumer Research (2004).
- Why does "Fantasy Game Design Enhances Player Engagement Through Thematic Immersion" matter for design?
- Understanding how consumers mentally construct and interact with fictional worlds is crucial for developing products and experiences that resonate deeply. This insight can guide the creation of more compelling narratives, immersive environments, and engaging gameplay mechanics that foster a stronger connection between the user and the product.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Designers should consider how to actively prompt and support users in building their own mental narratives and connections to a product's fictional or conceptual world.
- What were the main findings?
- Consumers actively construct and engage with a 'fantastic imaginary' when interacting with fantasy-based products.. Players employ specific thematizing strategies to deepen their immersion and connection to the game's fictional world.
- What research method was used?
- Qualitative research, specifically in-depth interviews. with 15 participants.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2004 journal from Journal of Consumer Research.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing a new game, app, or even a brand narrative, consider creating elements that encourage users to fill in the gaps with their own imagination and develop personal connections to the story or world.
- What are the limitations?
- Findings are specific to fantasy trading card game players and may not generalize to all consumer contexts or product types.