Play constructed brick by brick: building theory by investigating the implicit in player experience research

Given the recent replication crisis in psychology and the complex nature of play, player experience research requires a closer examination of its theories and methods. Otherwise, the field is at risk of being unable to produce robust empirical evidence and remain in the dark concerning aspects of play that may be implicitly known but not explicitly elaborated on. This thesis contributes to continued meta-critical commitment in player experience research by investigating the implicit. Presented are three manuscripts employing different methods to deepen our understanding of theory in player experience. The first manuscript investigates the current reporting transparency of subjective measures in player experience research and finds a need for increased definitional and theoretical work in the field. The second manuscript thoroughly examines the definitional requirements for play and its theoretical consequences. This theoretical work proposes a working definition for an essential construct in player experience research: immersion. The third manuscript applies psychological theories on overestimating skill and motivation to a community of esports players to explain a folk theory of causal beliefs called ELO Hell. In summary, this thesis concerns current theory use, how to build theory, and how to apply theory to empirical data within player experience research.