The Avion Newspaper
@theavionnewspaper
Korbin Martin Managing Editor
Thunderbirds Interview 2021
The United States Air Force Thunderbirds flew into KDAB at 5 p.m. on February 12, 2021. The Thunderbirds come to Daytona every year for a flyover of the Daytona 500. The Avion was fortunate enough to receive the opportunity to interview Thunderbird #4, Major Michael Brewer. The Avion interviewed MAJ Brewer in 2020, so having the chance to follow up and ask more questions a year later was a great opportunity. To read the interview from 2020, check out our website! AN: What airshow are you looking forward to the most in the 2021 show season? MB: All of them! Last season was such an off-year, so I'm looking forward to performing at shows again! AN: What advice do you have for the graduating class of ‘21 regarding finding jobs in the aviation industry following COVID-19? MB: Never give up. Just keep trying no matter what the landscape is. There are always challenges, and every generation has its unique challenges to face. This year's challenge is COVID-19. My freshman year of college was 2001, and no one knew what the industry would look like following 9/11. When I graduated in 2005, there was a recession, and Aviation wasn't hiring. When the furloughs happened a few years later, a lot of pilots I knew ended up working at Applebee's. Those same pilots are now working for FedEx. There will always be a need for people in aviation; you just have to be ready. When COVID-19 goes away, the demand will still be there. AN: What advice do you have for the ROTC students at ERAU that are commissioning this spring? MB: The first thing I would say is congratulations! It took a lot of hard work, and now it's starting to pay off. The military has so many opportunities for you that you don't even know about yet. If I could go back in time and do my journey again, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Korbin Martin / The Avion
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Malik Turner / The Avion
Rajan Khanna / The Avion
Seamus Lyons / The Avion
Korbin Martin/ The Avion
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Paying It Forward! Andrea Gamble News Editor As we all know, COVID-19 has unexpectedly changed our lives in more ways than we can imagine, some of us more than others. All over the world, many people have lost their source of income, causing a ripple effect in terms of food, homes, and much more. Knowing this, the Orientation Team (O-Team) has decided to help those who are struggling by dedicating a day of their Orientation week to packaging meals for those who are food insecure. Food insecurity is, in a sense, not knowing where one’s next meal will come from. This is devastating to simply think about, yet alone living it. Volusia county has struggled greatly, being that most jobs come from working at restaurants, hotels, and other tourist attractions. The O-Team has joined the Halifax Urban Ministries, whose mission is to provide food and shelter for struggling families. The O-Team ended Week of Welcome by hosting a meal packaging day. During this time, volunteers from Riddle came together to package and send out meals, which provide families food for the duration of a week to ten days. A guest speaker from Halifax Urban Ministries also gave their time to discuss why we were packaging food. Knowing the purpose makes the mission that much better. There was much excitement this day in the Student Union: listening to music and seeing some insane dance moves as well as connecting through the love of our community. We ended the packaging with personal note cards made for each of the families, including words made for encouragement and inspiration. If you missed this one, but are still interested in doing some community service, the Halifax Urban Ministries hosts meal packaging days every week on Tuesday afternoons. This is a great chance to get connected with your community and provides a safe space for anyone interested. Visit the website https://www.halifaxurbanministries.org/ to sign up for newsletters. This is not the only event the O-Team hosts. If you are interested in joining the Orientation Team, drop by the Student Leadership Suite (SLS) and we will be happy to tell you how to get involved!
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The Pats in Tampa for the Superbowl-LV Jackson Fields Correspondent For this year’s slightly different Super Bowl 55, Tampa International Airport received many unique arrivals the day of the big game, from private Boeing Business Jets to small turboprop charters. But one arrival that put us in awe was the outstanding Patriots’ Boeing 767. The Patriots purchased this aircraft back in 2017, along with an identical one from American Airlines, which are both being used to carry the team, making them the first NFL team to purchase such a jet. Believe it or not, the aircraft surprisingly has a name. The team calls it “AirKraft,” named after the Patriots owner Robert Kraft. When the Patriots aren’t using the jet during the season, it’s available for rent, so if you and your buddies can gather a couple thousand dollars, you may be able to get a ride in it.
Photo courtesy/ Jackson Fields
We started out bright and early leaving campus around 8 am, making sure we had plenty of time to set up. We watched the ramp quickly fill up more and more as each hour passed. Runway 10-28 had to be closed to park jets; just take a minute to think of that, a whole runway with private jets lined up and down on it. Don’t get me wrong, each arrival that came in was really cool, but nothing could contain the excitement we had for the Patriots’ 767 to make its way over. As the time crept closer, the parking garage we had used to take photos slowly filled up with more and more people. When the aircraft was landing, our cameras were running like crazy to get that one perfect shot. After the jet landed and taxied to the ramp, we all stood there shocked at what we had just seen. Personally, I have never experienced anything Super Bowl related, so not only was being in Tampa the day of the game really cool, but to experience this on top of that, was a crazy opportunity for me. Page 5
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2021 Rolex 24 The 59th running of the Rolex 24 at the Daytona International Speedway took place January 28 - 31 with one of the most diverse groups of race car drivers ever. The driver line up included big names from Formula 1 (including Kevin Magnussen and Juan Pablo Montoya), big names from IndyCar (like Simon Panegaud), and even celebrity Nascar drivers (including Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliot). The Rolex 24 race is the most prestigious Sports Car race in North America, and it’s the first official race of the IMSA season. Historically, this race has extremely close competition over the 24-hour long race, and this year was no exception. Between the 49 cars that lined up to race this year, Wayne Taylor Racing’s Konica Minolta car finished first place overall by only seconds, which is an unfathomably minuscule separation in time for a round-the-clock endurance race. This year, Wayne Taylor Racing’s victory was one for the record books when they became the second team ever to win three consecutive races at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The other class winners this year included the #18 car from Era Motorsport in LMP2, the #74 car from Riley Motorsports in LMP3, the #3 Corvette from Corvette Racing in GTLM, and lastly, the #57 Mercedes car from Winward Racing. These cars have 11 more races this season around North America before they end up here in Daytona again in January for another Rolex 24 Hour Race in 2022. Christian Muller Correspondent
Connor Adair / The Avion
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Gianna Castano (Top) The #75 SunEnergy Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo coming around the high bank of turn #8 (Bottom) The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE in the pit lane after the last lap of the 24hour race.
Malik Turner
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Seamus Lyons The #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3.R still in the race after taking some serious damage in the rear quarter of the car a few laps earlier.
Christian Muller The #28 Alegra Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo driven by Daniel Morad speeding around turn 4 after a successful pass of the highly-competitive #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3.R
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YOU GOT THE HURT? CALL THE ERT! Have you ever been injured on campus only to be helped by a group of students fully equipped in medical gear? If so, you have met the Emergency Response Team (ERT), the often-unspoken heroes of Embry-Riddle. To better understand what it’s like being an ERT member, I interviewed Jeronimo Marquez, an ERT member and the person in charge of their public relations.
Photo Courtesy/ERT
Salim Roig(SR): First things first, what is ERT? Jeronimo Marquez(JM): The ERT is a medical organization that is part of the SGA. We are composed of many different students from every single college on campus. We provide 24/7 free medical service for students on campus and respond to any medical emergency that may appear on campus throughout the day. I feel this has helped campus a lot because our response time is usually faster than an ambulance since we, as students, understand the layout of the campus far more than a nurse from a nearby hospital would. Thanks to this fast response time, we have been able to help people that suffered severe medical injuries. SR: Do you believe that anyone could be an ERT? JM: Definitely! Anyone could be an ERT. The only thing we do require to be a member is to be trained to be a CFR. Sadly because of COVID we can’t hold any CFR classes currently this semester, but one could still join as an associate. That means you could come to the meetings, but you can’t have a shift as a CFR. Still, I recommend anyone who has an interest to come join ERT. It is something that has personally affected my life here at Embry-Riddle for the better, and I wouldn’t be the same if I never joined. SR: With that being said, how could one join ERT? JM: There are a couple different ways. You could join our Instagram @ERAU_ERT, or you could visit our webpage at ERAUERT.org, or you could send an email to me at publicrelations@erauert.org. We are always happy to welcome new members! To view the full interview, please visit theavion.com
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If you ever need medical assistance, call ERT at (386) 226-7233.
Low Contact Sports Salim Roig Business Manager Sports have always been an integral part of the college experience; however, ever since the COVID-19 Pandemic started, many college sports have been postponed until the virus has been cured. This of course brings the question of how student athletics are reacting to the virus and the low-contact sports only law that the school has enforced to reduce infections here on campus. To answer this question I interviewed Sydney Bonbrest, a student lacrosse player here on campus. Salim Roig (SR): How has the low-contact sports only rule affected your life? Have you encountered any new problems because of it? Sydney Bonbrest (SB): Lacrosse has always been an organized sport, it keeps everything on a schedule. When we start the school year in fall we are already thinking about our season during spring. So last semester when all the restrictions were being made, spring was the only thing we were really looking forward to. I was excited that we were gonna have a full season this year, so finding out that wasn’t the case really bummed me out. SR: I’m sorry to hear that, so how have you guys been training considering the sports restriction put in place? SB: So, last semester it was based on phases, so we really didn’t get to the field for a week or two. Then it was only condition in small groups, and then it was only practicing in small groups. We could have gotten together as a team, but we made sure to never reach full on contact. SR: So, you haven’t been able to play against other schools? Has it been just training? SB: Just training, and even then we make sure to never make full contact with each other. SR: Do you believe the school made the right call in enforcing the low contact sports only restriction? SB: I do think they made the right decision, although it is a hard decision to accept because it was made so abruptly. I hope that in the future they consider their choices more carefully when it comes to sports due to the vaccine coming out for example. SR: Thank you so much for your time Sydney, I hope things return to normal one day as well! You can read the rest of the interview on http://theavion.com Page 11
Photo Courtesy/ERAU Athletics
Meet the Greeks - Fraternity Style! Shrina Iyer Correspondent
The spring semester is kicking in, and the quad and student union are filled with activity fairs with groups introducing themselves and giving away free stuff! “Meet the Greeks” is the best place to go if you are wondering where to learn about Greek life. Just go up and talk to them to find out more. We interviewed Gavin Olson, the President of the Interfraternity Council, to learn more about Greek life, who said that 99% of people at the fair are approachable. Flag someone down and go for it! Ask them questions about the finances, values of the sorority, what a daily meeting looks like, average time commitments, and opportunities to take up leadership positions. It
Photo Courtesy/Gavin Olson
is also Gavin’s third year being in a fraternity, so you guys can even head to his office in SLS to know more. Greek life in Embry-Riddle is not the same as at the bigger state universities because here they understand how expensive and hard it is to be at this university. It’s beyond just wearing the jerseys and going to parties; it’s more about education and the mentorship side of things, like leadership development, social skills, and accountability. It allows you to grow and find out who you are in a mix of a social and professional environment. All the fraternities and sororities share the same values underneath, but each of them has a different personality. You can look for values of a partic-
ular committee that you resonate with. Try finding people you can be yourself with and look at the intangibles, like how well you click with them. Embry-Riddle’s Greek life committee was the only one in the state of
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Embry-Riddle’s Greek life committee was the only one in the state of Florida that did not get shut down during COVID.
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Florida that did not get shut down during COVID. There were quite a few changes that the committees went through during COVID. The most difficult change was trying to give the same social experience online, which involved getting creative and interactive. As things are slowly getting better, chapter meetings are shifting to physical mode with necessary precautions. The values are the same but with a little bit of a different interpretation. Many new changes will be seen in the committees in the upcoming year, with national topics like diversity, inclusion, and mental health. Finally, coming to the real question that many of us have, sometimes students feel that they are just paying to make friends while joining a so-
rority or fraternity, so is it so? It depends on how much you are willing to put in. If you show up and do the bare minimum, it could seem like you’re just paying for friends, but if you are actively involved and engaged, you get much more out of it. Your time commitment will also impact your experience, and roles like executive board positions and chair roles in Greek Life demand a heavier schedule. Besides the social aspect, you also gain access to leadership development courses, contacts with professionals in the field, and networking with alumni, including many Deans on this campus who were in Greek life and people in all sorts of areas, including the military. After university, Greek life stays with you in the form of support from seniors and alumni for your life. You grow a vast network that will advise and guide you for every step of your career. Greek life is different from other groups because it becomes a part of your personality and something to talk about during any professional environment or interviews. Greek life has changed throughout the years with new generations coming in, and it is something you want to check out in the upcoming week at “Meet the Greeks!”
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Panhellenic Party! Interview with
Izzy Hoare
Carly McDonald Staff Reporter
Izzy Hoare is a junior Astronomy & Astrophysics major with two minors: space studies and applied mathematics. She is also the President of the Embry-Riddle Panhellenic Council, which four sororities are a member of: Alpha Xi Delta, Theta Phi Alpha, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and Sigma Kappa. Avion Newspaper (AN): Which sorority are you in? Izzy Hoare (IH): I’m a sister of Tri Sigma, but since I’m the president of Panhellenic for this year, I do have to disaffiliate with certain things, but right now, yes, I am a sister of Tri Sigma.
Photo Courtesy/Gavin Olson
AN: Why did you choose to go Greek? IH: So, I had all these preconceived notions about Greek life when I was in high school, and when I got to college, I was like, “I wanna do all the things that I saw in the movies.” I went through formal recruitment my first semester and I realized, “Wow. This is nothing like the movies… this is nothing like I ever expected. This is something that I want to be a part of.” I’m an only child- I have two stepbrothers, so it’s always just been either me or being surrounded by boys, so the idea of having sisters was just such a fun idea to me. Joining was definitely an easy choice.
AN: Why did you choose the sorority you’re in? IH: So, when I went into formal recruitment, I had this idea that I wanted to join a very specific organization. After going through recruitment and meeting everybody, I feel like I didn’t choose Tri Sigma- Tri Sigma chose me. I feel that’s how a lot of girls in our Greek community feel- their organization chose them, and they found their home. Really, it was my second night of formal recruitment, I just kind of knew that this was it, this is the only place that’s right for me. I felt right in my heart. I didn’t really choose based on the philanthropies; it was more of the connections. AN: How has Greek life impacted your Embry-Riddle experience? IH: I love this question! So, I would’ve dropped out of college if it wasn’t for Greek life. I had a very bad mental health episode my freshman year, and I went through things by myself for a while that I’d never experienced in life and was very, very close to dropping out of college. My sisters were constantly there to help me through it, and they pushed me to get the help that I needed. The only reason that I got my GPA up- I had very bad grades my freshman year- the only reason I wanted to get better grades was so that I could hold leadership positions
in the Greek community. There’s so many people that get bad grades and then they lose motivation to be a part of clubs that have grade minimums and I really took that as like lighting a fire in me to get my stuff together and get on top of it, to do better. Without the Greek community, I really wouldn’t be in school. AN: What sort of philanthropic work do the sororities do here, not just limited to Tri Sigma? IH: So, every organization has specific philanthropies that they sponsor. Whenever you see the sororities tabling or doing fundraising events, that money is typically going to their philanthropy/ organization. For Alpha Xi Delta, theirs is Autism Speaks. For Sigma Kappa, they actually have five national philanthropies but the biggest one is the Alzheimer’s Association. Tri Sigma has three national philanthropies, and our biggest one is the March of Dimes. Theta Phi Alpha has three national philanthropies. Their biggest one is The House That Theta Phi Built, which helps out homeless people, but they also locally work with the Halifax Humane Society. Like I said, everything that we do, if we’re raising money, it goes straight to those organizations. Read the full article @ theavion.com
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Andrea Gamble: News Editor
TAXIWAY TUNES PRESENTS: KEVIN CHAMBERS Touch-N-Go hosted an epic Week of Welcome, launching great vibes all around for the start of the Spring 2021 semester. Many events occurred during this week, such as the Skyline Social, giveaways, and service projects. There was also a live performance as part of Taxiway Tunes, which featured cinematic singer/songwriter Kevin Chambers. After his performance, The Avion sat down with Chambers to gain a better understanding of his story. Here is what he had to say: The Avion (TA): What sparked your interest in music? Kevin Chambers (KC): I have actually been playing piano since I was five years old, it was okay. But then, I went to a Ben Folds concert when I was sixteen, and it completely switched my view. I realized how amazing this instrument was by seeing him play these orchestral sounds on the piano. I just fell in love with this instrument. From there, I grew up singing, and I started playing a lot of sing/songwriter stuff. I grew up studying classical, but I switched over after going to the concert, and being a part of an acapella group when I was in college. TA: Do you play any other instruments? KC: I actually used to play the trumpet when I was in middle school, but not anymore. I used to play the guitar for about two years. I tried to learn it myself, but it being another instrument I would have to master, it took up a lot of time, so I was fine with just sticking to the piano. I do write a lot for orchestra, so I will write string arrangements for many different instruments. TA: What hardships have you encountered while being a musician, and how did you push through them?
Photo Courtesty: Salim Roig
KC: Well, the stroke was definitely one. I was actually going to play a show on the radio with my friend. It was Monmouth College radio. It was during that gig that I had the stroke. I actually played backup for my friend, and I was about to do my own, and then it happened. I lost a full week of my life, have no idea what happened. Once that happened, it took me a while to recover. I recovered for about five weeks, then had brain surgery, which is why I am able to talk with you right now. After that, I realized I needed to do music and not do anything else. You can find Chambers’ music on all streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.). He is on Instagram and TikTok @kevinchambersmusic. Lastly, you can find him on Patreon as Kevin Chambers. Page 14
THE AVION GOES TO THE CIRCUS! Salim Roig Business Manager This past Thursday, two photographers and I were given the amazing opportunity to visit the Cirque Italia Water Circus in Port Orange. As stated in the name, it is a fantastic performance that uses a 35 gallon water tank to create a stunning waterfall that alters its shape, depending on what is happening in the story. The water circus story tells the tale of Alex the Clown, a child from 1950s Italy who falls Malik Turner / The Avion asleep one night and dreams of becoming a movie director. Under the guise of this theme, every performance in the circus is based on different movie genres. One of the most memorable acts includes the archery showcase, where a professional archer pops balloons on top of his assistant’s head while heavy metal plays. With each balloon pop, they get progressively smaller and closer to her until you start to lean to the edge of your seat to wonder if he can make the shot or if he will fail horribly, killing her. Another memorable performance, and my personal favorite, is the wheel of death. In this performance, a young man around his 20s starts walking on a wheel, spinning in midair as it swings from the floor to the roof of the tent. A feat that is impressive by itself, but then while the wheel is still spinning midair, he climbs out and starts walking outside the wheel. Then once you get used to that act, he pulls out a jump rope from his jacket and starts jump roping as this wheel that would scare anyone to death is spinning and swinging faster than before. Watching that act made me wonder how a human could achieve such a level of dexterity and be amazed as I saw what, from as far as I could tell, was a superhero.
Christian Muller / The Avion
Christian Muller / The Avion
Acts like this and much more make Cirque Italia a noteworthy performance that anyone should watch if they love death-defying acts, catchy 1950s music, and overall family fun with a twist.
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Why You Should Watch Jujutsu Kaisen Korbin Martin Managing Editor Jujutsu Kaisen is a Shonen anime series that premiered on Crunchyroll during Winter 2020. This series is animated by MAPPA studio and is based on the bestselling manga (over 30 million copies sold) of the same name written by Gege Akatumi. Jujutsu Kaisen currently has an 8.5/10 rating on MyAnimeList and an 8.7/10 rating on IMDb. There are currently 18 episodes released out of 24 for the initial season. While there is no news yet on a second season, it is almost guaranteed that Jujutsu
Kaisen will be picked up for season two with how popular it has become. The manga is still ongoing, but there is more than enough content available for a second season. A third and potentially final season may be a few years out. Jujutsu Kaisen follows the story of Yuji Itadori as he trains to become a “Jujutsu Sorcerer” who fights curses that threaten humanity. Some of these curses are on a small scale while others are on a large scale. Jujutsu Kaisen strays from your typical shonen anime series in several ways. The most obvious difference being that Jujutsu Kaisen is a lot dark-
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er than most Shonen. Curses are brutal and unforgiving, and decisions made by the characters have real consequences. Death is “part of the job” for Jujutsu Sorcerers. Most of the time, they simply clean up the mess. Jujutsu Sorcerers usually can’t do anything to save victims, only prevent the damage from spreading. Many characters are morally grey, and Jujutsu Kai- Image Courtesy / Gege Akutami, Shueisha sen does an excellent our protagonist, Itadori job of making a wild an- Yuji, and his supporting ime setting full of tropes cast. If this type of dark still feel realistic because and gritty plotline apof how believable the peals to you, you should characters are and how definitely give Jujutsu well the character de- Kaisen a chance. velopment is handled for
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How Much is that Video
William Shelstad, Ameer Hosein, Jessyca Derby | Graduate Researchers Weerachet Sinlapanuntakul | Undergraduate Researcher
William, Ameer, Weerachet, and Jessyca are students in the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world. This is a regular column that explores different technologies typically used by Embry-Riddle students. Recently, buying online has become the default, especially when purchasing video games. Video game players with consoles who want to buy a digital game typically go through their console's digital shop or buy a key through another retailer. PC players have several digital distribution platforms (e.g., Steam, Epic Store, Origin, Uplay) that they can purchase games from. Many websites sell digital keys for those various platforms. We wanted to get a greater understanding of where PC gamers are purchasing their digital games and what elements of an online store page inform their decision to buy a game. We then conducted interviews with PC gamers about their experience buying games using digital storefronts: Steam, Humble Bundle, and GoG due to their popularity, differing layouts, and features. Why Buy Online? All gamers had experience buying games online from various stores (e.g., Steam, Humble Bundle, Nintendo Store, Playstation Store, etc.). The convenience of buying online was one of the top reasons, along with some already having extensive online games collection. Moreover, most gamers mentioned that price and reviews from friends, other gamers, or publications influence their decision to purchase a game. Friends were the most influential for multiplayer video games. Some gamers who did browse games online noted that they would use the online stores’ recommendation feature if available to find games similar to the ones they already have. PC gamers wanted to see the gameplay’s images and videos highlighting the gameplay on the storefront side.
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Photo Courtesy/William Shelstad
Price should be easily noticeable, especially if there is a sale occurring. Gamers found reviews from other purchasers of the game helpful but not so much if it was a publication (but a link to them was fine). These are some expected features that can affect their decision when purchasing a game. Steam vs. Humble Bundle vs. GoG We conducted interviews conducted with PC gamers about their experience buying games using digital storefronts: Steam, Humble Bundle, and GoG due to their popularity, differing layouts, and features. Steam, introduced in 2003, is the longest-running digital distribution platform, is regarded as the most popular, and has a catalog of over 8,000 games. Humble Bundle is one of the latest digital distribution platforms, which started as a platform where gamers could only get games in a bundle. Gamers were not able to get games outside the limited-time bundles. The
Photo Courtesy/William Shelstad
Game in the Window?
Photo Courtesy/William Shelstad
Humble Bundle store, within the platform, is unique because it allows gamers to donate to a charity when purchasing a game. They can choose which charity their portion of the purchase goes to and how much they want to contribute. GoG treats every game equally, from 90’s Classics to today’s latest video games; it highlights and celebrates new releases no matter how big or small the game’s audience. Besides, all the titles are DRM-free, meaning that gamers can continue to play a game after it has shut down its servers. As expected, these unique features seem to affect the buyer’s decisions. Videos and Images Gamers liked having the videos and pictures to show the gameplay, helping them decide when buying the game to see if it was something they wanted. They liked how this feature was available across all platforms, especially Humble Bundle that emphasized these videos and pictures of gameplay and minimized written information about the game. User Reviews Looking at the user reviews also helped gamers understand others’ insights about the game, giving them an idea of how the game would be. Steam’s user-generated reviews were helpful to the gamers, but they were disappointed when they saw that this feature was lacking from Humble Bundle. Amount of Content The amount of content on the page also played a role in gamers’ decisions. They liked how GoG and Humble Bundle’s game pages were simplified, clean, and easy to use, unlike Steam. When compared to these other digital distribution platforms, Steam’s game page has a lot of content. Gamers reported this interface appeared “old” and displayed too much information.
Community Section GoG still needs to improve its features to affect the user’s decisions, although gamers did not mind the platform itself. However, compared to Steam, GoG still lacks the community section that keeps the gamers engaged, the online discussion community that is centered on interaction through games. This may explain why the gamers often choose to browse and buy from other platforms instead. What was Useless? However, several aspects were not beneficial to the gamers, such as the description, goodies, and “why buy on GoG” sections. Besides, the “You may like these products” feature mainly displays DLC or downloadable content for the game, not other genre-related games. Gamers also found the Humble Bundle store’s trait system unnecessary and not helpful for their purchase decision. These responses showed why gamers liked using the Humble Bundle store but ultimately purchased their competitor’s games. Who Lands on Top? To better understand which one is the most preferred platform, we asked each participant to rank these digital distribution platforms after the interview considering each site’s features and qualities that play a role in their choices. The results show that more than 70% of our participants picked Steam as their first choice. For the Humble Bundle and GoG, the results were mixed. However, Steam was ranked first due to its popularity and the fact that it has been around the longest. Although these digital storefronts have various features, designs, and information, they all share visual elements, including videos and images, of the game on the page. Gamers seemed to enjoy looking at these visuals first rather than reading long descriptions or reviews. It is undeniable that other elements are also important factors, but visual elements seem to have the most positive impact on the user’s decision to purchase a video game.
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