A Framework and Taxonomy of Videogame Playing Preferences

© Owners/Authors, 2017. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive Version of Record was published in CHI PLAY '17 - Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play.Player preferences for different gaming styles or game elements has been a topic of interest in human-computer interaction for over a decade. However, current models suggested by the extant literature are generally based on classifying abstract gaming motivations or player archetypes. These concepts do not directly map onto the building blocks of games, taking away from the utility of the findings. To address this issue, we propose a conceptual framework of player preferences based on two dimensions: game elements and game playing styles. To investigate these two concepts, we conducted an exploratory empirical investigation of player preferences, which allowed us to create a taxonomy of nine groups of game elements and five groups of game playing styles. These two concepts are foundational to games, which means that our model can be used by designers to create games that are tailored to their target audience. In addition, we demonstrate that there are significant effects of gender and age on participants’ preferences and discuss the implications of these findings.NSERC || RGPIN-418622-2012 SSHRC || 895-2011-1014, IMMERSe CFI || 35819 Mitacs || IT07255 SWaGUR CNPq, Brazi

Disentangling Fun and Enjoyment in Exergames Using an Expanded Design, Play, Experience Framework: A Narrative Review

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Affective level design for a role-playing videogame evaluated by a brain\u2013computer interface and machine learning methods

Game science has become a research field, which attracts industry attention due to a worldwide rich sell-market. To understand the player experience, concepts like flow or boredom mental states require formalization and empirical investigation, taking advantage of the objective data that psychophysiological methods like electroencephalography (EEG) can provide. This work studies the affective ludology and shows two different game levels for Neverwinter Nights 2 developed with the aim to manipulate emotions; two sets of affective design guidelines are presented, with a rigorous formalization that considers the characteristics of role-playing genre and its specific gameplay. An empirical investigation with a brain\u2013computer interface headset has been conducted: by extracting numerical data features, machine learning techniques classify the different activities of the gaming sessions (task and events) to verify if their design differentiation coincides with the affective one. The observed results, also supported by subjective questionnaires data, confirm the goodness of the proposed guidelines, suggesting that this evaluation methodology could be extended to other evaluation tasks

Modern Trends in the Automatic Generation of Content for Video Games

Attractive and realistic content has always played a crucial role in the penetration and popularity of digital games, virtual environments, and other multimedia applications. Procedural content generation enables the automatization of production of any type of game content including not only landscapes and narratives but also game mechanics and generation of whole games. The article offers a comparative analysis of the approaches to automatic generation of content for video games proposed in last five years. It suggests a new typology of the use of procedurally generated game content comprising of categories structured in three groups: content nature, generation process, and game dependence. Together with two other taxonomies – one of content type and the other of methods for content generation – this typology is used for comparing and discussing some specific approaches to procedural content generation in three promising research directions based on applying personalization and adaptation, descriptive languages, and semantic specifications

Development and empirical testing of a game engagement scale : case r/Stopgaming

The thesis conceptualises gaming from leisurely and labour-like starting points and both measures and develops this perspective by pioneering a concept of game engagement. Putting forth this perspective is grounded by appeals to burnout in and out of professional contexts in the videogame industry, ludology and research on player experiences. These views coming together prompted a need to verify whether games are to be normatively held as engaging in only popular belief, or verifiably so in actuality. In so doing, both methodological and theoretical insight is provided. The engagement construct was adapted from the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale -9 (short form) and a survey study was conducted. Data was analysed using ordinal logistic regression and exploratory factor analysis. Results showed those not holding games dear to them may require substantial investment increases to reap adequate increases in engagement, if playtime is low, while a committed orientation towards gaming (in terms of subjective gamerhood and hours played) showed marked differences in engagement per incremental increase in playtime. These results are considered descriptive, rather than predictive. Future directions for game studies are suggested to uncover how players become disengaged and how rationalisation affects the gaming experience

A taxonomy and state of the art revision on affective games

Affective Games are a sub-field of Affective Computing that tries to study how to design videogames that are able to react to the emotions expressed by the player, as well as provoking desired emotions to them. To achieve those goals it is necessary to research on how to measure and detect human emotions using a computer, and how to adapt videogames to the perceived emotions to finally provoke them to the players. This work presents a taxonomy for research on affective games centring on the aforementioned issues. Here we devise as well a revision of the most relevant published works known to the authors on this area. Finally, we analyse and discuss which important research problem are yet open and might be tackled by future investigations in the area of Affective GamesThis work has been co-funded by the following research projects: EphemeCH (TIN2014-56494-C4-{1,4}-P) and DeepBio (TIN2017-85727-C4-3-P) by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity, under the European Regional Development Fund FEDER, and Justice Programme of the European Union (2014–2020) 723180 – RiskTrack – JUST-2015-JCOO-AG/JUST-2015-JCOO-AG-

An overview of structural characteristics in problematic video game playing

Purpose of Review: There are many different factors involved in how and why people develop problems with video game playing. One such set of factors concerns the structural characteristics of video games (i.e., the structure, elements, and components of the video games themselves). Much of the research examining the structural characteristics of video games was initially based on research and theorizing from the gambling studies field. The present review briefly overviews the key papers in the field to date. Recent Findings: The paper examines a number of areas including (i) similarities in structural characteristics of gambling and video gaming, (ii) structural characteristics in video games, (iii) narrative and flow in video games, (iv) structural characteristic taxonomies for video games, and (v) video game structural characteristics and game design ethics. Many of the studies carried out to date are small-scale, and comprise self-selected convenience samples (typically using self-report surveys or non-ecologically valid laboratory experiments). Summary: Based on the small amount of empirical data, it appears that structural features that take a long time to achieve in-game are the ones most associated with problematic video game play (e.g., earning experience points, managing in-game resources, mastering the video game, getting 100% in-game). The study of video games from a structural characteristic perspective is of benefit to many different stakeholders including academic researchers, video game players, and video game designers, as well as those interested in prevention and policymaking by making the games more socially responsible. It is important that researchers understand and recognize the psycho-social effects and impacts that the structural characteristics of video games can have on players, both positive and negative

Designing player agency experiences for environmental awareness gameplay

This study applies the creation of a survival-themed video game called Little Farm Island. The goal of the game is to provide players with an immersive and challenging survival experience that tests their problem-solving skills and decision-making abilities. The game Little Farm Island is set in a low poly environment with limited resources and features character customization to enhance player immersion. The objective of this project is to design and implement gameplay mechanics that can effectively increase player engagement and enjoyment, evaluating the effectiveness of these mechanics through playtesting and analysis based on survey data gathered by players. Through the development process, various mechanics were enforced and tested, including growing crops and open-world exploration. The results of the playtesting showed the potential of this game for promoting environmental awareness and problem-solving skills through engaging gameplay. In addition, the game was found to provide players with knowledge and skills that can be applied in real life, and the importance of caring strategies for increasing player satisfaction and happiness through meaningful gameplay experiences. This project demonstrates that is possible to create an engaging and immersive survival game through the use of well-implemented mechanics and character customization.O jogo Little Farm Island é ambientado em um ambiente low poly com recursos limitados e conta com personalização de personagem para aumentar an imersão do jogador. O objetivo deste projeto é implementar mecânicas de jogo que aumentem efetivamente o seu engajamento e a felicidade dos jogadores durante a jogabilidade, avaliando a eficácia dessas mecânicas por meio de testes provenientes da sessão de jogo e a análise com base em um questionário realizado para os jogadores do mesmo. Durante o processo de desenvolvimento, várias mecânicas foram implementadas e testadas, incluindo o cultivo de plantas e a exploração do mundo aberto disponível no jogo. Os resultados dos testes mostraram o potencial deste jogo para promover a conscientização ambiental e habilidades de resolução de problemas por meio de jogabilidade cativante. O jogo fornece aos jogadores conhecimentos e habilidades que podem ser aplicados na vida real em meio de consciencialização ambiental, criando estratégias úteis para futuros desenvolvedores de jogos usarem mecânicas e experiências significativas construidas neste estudo. Demonstrando que é possível criar um jogo de sobrevivência imersivo através do uso de mecânicas bem estruturadas, exemplificando que a personalização do personagem implementado para Little Farm Island cria um sentido de imersão entre jogador e jogo positivamente

Revisiting the Twentieth Century Through the Lens of Generation X and Digital Games: A Scoping Review

Video games have been around since the 1960s and have impacted upon society in a myriad of different ways. The purpose of this scoping review is to identify existing literature within the domain of video games which recruited participants from the Generation X (1965–1980) cohort. Six databases were searched (ACM, CINHAL Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) focusing on published journal papers between 1970 and 2000. Search results identified 3186 articles guided by the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR); 4 papers were irretrievable, 138 duplicated papers were removed, leaving 3048 were assessed for eligibility and 3026 were excluded. Articles (n = 22) were included into this review, with four papers primarily published in 1997 and in 1999. Thematic analysis identified five primary themes: purpose and objectives, respective authors’ reporting, technology, ethics and environment) and seven secondary themes: populations, type of participants (e.g. children, students), ethical approval, study design, reimbursement, language, type of assessments. This scoping review is distinctive because it primarily focuses on Generation X, who have experienced and grown-up with videogames, and contributes to several disciplines including: game studies, gerontology and health, and has wider implications from a societal, design and development perspective of video games

The development of the Online Player Type Scale: construct validity and reliability testing

The present study outlines the development of the Online Player Type Scale (OPTS) utilizing a motivational taxonomy developed. This taxonomy was comprehensively reviewed to create scale items, and the conceptual framework of the scale was defined. The study group was comprised of 1,479 students attending grades 5 to 8 of a private school. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit the study group, and playing any videogame frequently was the criterion to be included in the sample. The construct validity and reliability testing showed the OPTS comprised four factors: achievement-oriented (ACH), socialization-oriented (SOC), exploration-oriented (EXP), and competition-oriented (COMP). The Cronbach alpha internal consistency coefficients and composite reliability coefficients were 0.89 and 0.99 for KIL, 0.83 and 0.98 for EXP, 0.83 and 0.98 for SOC, and 0.94 and 0.99 for ACH. It is concluded that the Online Player Type Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing gaming motivation