Family communication within parent-emerging adult dyads in the context of an interactive narrative game play

Abstract

In South Korea, a country with a large population of game players, intergenerational game play activities have gained significant popularity. However, there is a notable generational gap in intergenerational game play, particularly among parents with emerging adult children, where engagement is much lower compared to parents with young children. This highlights a significant gap in intergenerational games research, which often overlooks the potential of games to engage emerging adult children with their parents, despite the importance of this transitional period in the parent-emerging adult relationship. To address this gap, our study aimed to explore the potential of interactive narrative games as a tool for facilitating communication and bonding between parent-emerging adult dyads. We observed the gameplay of 10 parent-emerging dyads (n=20) and conducted post-interviews to understand their communication behavior and conversation experience. Thematic analysis revealed two main themes: "Affordances of As Dusk Falls Facilitating Open Family Communication" and "Dyad's Communication and Co-Play Experience Facilitated by As Dusk Falls." The first theme encompassed three subthemes: the game providing emotional distance, game choices reflecting personality and values, and the game mediating conversation by creating a shared story. The second theme included three subthemes: shared experience of the parent-emerging adult dyad, emerging adult's experience, and parent's experience. Our findings showed that the multiplayer aspect and focus on player interaction outside of the game of As Dusk Falls encouraged dyads to frequently and openly communicate with each other, allowing them to create a shared experience focused on communication with one another. Importantly, the communication experience emerged as the most memorable and meaningful aspect for the dyads, surpassing the significance of the gameplay itself. This study highlights the importance of open communication mediated by the gameplay activity, underscoring the potential of co-playing interactive narrative games as a means to promote communication and strengthen relationships within parent-emerging adult dyads.