”Let’s just take the L and move on”: Exploring players’ experiences of losing in Overwatch 2
Nurmio, Nelli (2025)
2025
Master's Programme in Game Studies
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2025-04-29
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202504294356
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202504294356
Tiivistelmä
The aim of this study is to explore and discuss the various factors that can influence the players’ experiences in relation to losing in the video game Overwatch 2. The research questions of this thesis are “what factors influence the experiences with losing in Overwatch 2” (RQ1) and “how do players experience loss based on these factors” (RQ2). The data for this thesis was collected through semi-structured interviews with ten players. The interviews were conducted online via Zoom and the participants were between the ages of 19-28. Majority of the participants were in their mid-twenties and eight identified themselves as men, and two as women. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed by using reflexive thematic analysis.
Participants described factors related to difference between game modes, social context, performance, match specific context and impact of loss which all influenced the way they experienced losing in Overwatch 2. For example, participants described that the stakes of game mode affected their experiences of losing. Most participants had given significance to their competitive ranking which made losing in competitive mode more frustrating. Participants also described how team composition and toxic players affected their experiences. For example, if participants were playing with their friends, they felt more motivated to try if their team was losing, however this was the complete opposite with strangers. The way both participants and their teammates performed seemed to have an effect on their experiences. The results of this thesis also indicate that players experienced loss in relation to the type of the loss that occurred: whether participants got completely overrun or if they barely lost the match. Participants explained that losing multiple times in a row most of the times resulted in wanting to either take a break or quit gaming altogether. Further, the results also show that the participants had also come up with different ways to deal with situations in relation to losing.
It would be important for future research to explore this topic more in detail by including a bigger group of participants. It may also be fruitful for future research to examine whether players share similar experiences across different competitive multiplayer games. As losing is a very central theme in competitive video games, it is important to do research about both the positive and negative experiences players may encounter.
Participants described factors related to difference between game modes, social context, performance, match specific context and impact of loss which all influenced the way they experienced losing in Overwatch 2. For example, participants described that the stakes of game mode affected their experiences of losing. Most participants had given significance to their competitive ranking which made losing in competitive mode more frustrating. Participants also described how team composition and toxic players affected their experiences. For example, if participants were playing with their friends, they felt more motivated to try if their team was losing, however this was the complete opposite with strangers. The way both participants and their teammates performed seemed to have an effect on their experiences. The results of this thesis also indicate that players experienced loss in relation to the type of the loss that occurred: whether participants got completely overrun or if they barely lost the match. Participants explained that losing multiple times in a row most of the times resulted in wanting to either take a break or quit gaming altogether. Further, the results also show that the participants had also come up with different ways to deal with situations in relation to losing.
It would be important for future research to explore this topic more in detail by including a bigger group of participants. It may also be fruitful for future research to examine whether players share similar experiences across different competitive multiplayer games. As losing is a very central theme in competitive video games, it is important to do research about both the positive and negative experiences players may encounter.