Virtual Reality Prosumers on YouTube and Their Motivation on Digital Design Students

Abstract

There is no denying that in our digital culture, prosumers have an impact on brand positioning and purchase decisions with their audience. However, the actions and discourse of the prosumers can also exert other types of motivation in the academic field. Thus, we wanted to assess if the YouTube prosumer movement has had any impact in the desire of digital design students towards video game development. In this chapter we first introduce the concept of motivation, the different types, and how it relates to the design process. Though motivation theory is not the focus of the research, it is relevant to better understand what the driving force behind the students’ video game projects proposals is. Through the literature review we explore the work of authors on the topic of impact on motivation prosumers have had on students. Finally, we present the results of two surveys conducted amongst students of the Digital Design for Interactive Media (DDIM) undergraduate program. Subjects had to have some video game and Virtual Reality (VR) design and development experience to participate in this research. The first survey laid foundation about students’ motivation in relation to YouTube prosumers. Second survey focused on finding if the opinion of prosumers regarding VR, motivated the students in pursuing school projects that use this technology. Both questionnaires were based on a fivepoint Likert scale and dichotomous questions. The information gathered, allowed a better understanding of the context of video games and VR from the perspective of YouTube content creators. In addition, the influence they have on DDIM students.