Player–video game interaction: A systematic review of current concepts

International audienceVideo game design requires a user-centered approach to ensure that the experience enjoyed by players is as good as possible. However, the nature of player-video game interactions has not as yet been clearly defined in the scientific literature. The purpose of the present study was to provide a systematic review of empirical evidences of the current concepts of player-video game interactions in entertainment situations. A total of 72 articles published in scientific journals that deal with human-computer interaction met the criteria for inclusion in the present review. Major findings of these articles were presented in a narrative synthesis. Results showed that player-video game interactions could be defined with multiple concepts that are closely linked and intertwined. These concepts concern player aspects of player-video game interactions, namely engagement and enjoyment, and video game aspects, namely information input/output techniques, game contents and multiplayer games. Global approaches, such as playability, also exist to qualify player-video game interactions. Limitations of these findings are discussed to help researchers to plan future advances of the field and provide supplementary effort to better know the role of less-studied aspects. Practical implications are also discussed to help game designers to optimize the design of player-video game interactions

Multiplayer mechanism design for soil tillage serious game

The primary goal of Serious Games is not only for fun but also for lesson. In learning the first stage of soil tillage which using the mouldboard plow, a proper understanding is needed so that the soil tillage process will follow the needs of plant growth. The use of serious games as a study instrument for soil tillage is under the concept of digital game-based learning (DGBL). The problem of players when playing serious games is less motivated to play because the serious game system and scenario are less challenging. That challenges accelerate the shape of knowledge and experience when playing the games (user experience). By referring to the Learning Mechanics Gaming Mechanics (LM-GM) model, which is based on multiplayer in serious games, hopefully the learning process of land management using the mouldboard plow can be optimized. This process can increase learning motivation and elevate the user experience. This research results a design concept of a learning mechanism and a game mechanism for a serious multiplayer game of soil tillage with a mouldboard plow. There are three types of learning mechanisms in conceptual and concrete components, also six types of game mechanisms that can be used as a reference for the formation of multiplayer serious games and the increase player motivation

Serious Game Design Principles: The Impact of Game Design on Learning Outcomes

This dissertation examines the research question How do video game design principles affect learning outcomes in serious games? This research first develops a theoretical foundation concerning the meaning of the terms game and serious game . This conceptual clarification is broken down into analytic propositions, which state that games have participants, rules, goals and challenges, and synthetic propositions, which state that the games should be intrinsically compelling, provide meaningful choices, and be self encapsulated. Based on these synthetic propositions, three hypotheses were developed. The hypotheses are that games with an enhanced aesthetic presentation, more meaningful choices, or provide player competition will elicit higher learning outcomes than identical games without these factors. These hypotheses were tested via a quantitative experiment involving 172 undergraduate students in the Old Dominion University Chemistry Department. The students were asked to play a chemistry-oriented serious game entitled Element Solitaire©, which was created by the research author. The students were randomly given different treatments of the Element Solitaire© game to play, and the difference between their learning outcomes were compared. The experimental results demonstrated that the aesthetic presentation of a game can have a significant impact upon the learning outcome. The experiment was not able to discern significant effects from the choice or competition conditions, but further examination of the experimental data did reveal some insight into these aspects of serious game design. Choices need to provide the player with options that have a sufficient value that they will be considered and the application of competition within games needs to be judiciously implemented to promote a positive affect for all players. The results of the theoretical foundations and empirical evidence were then combined with additional theoretical research to develop a set of design principles and a proposed serious game development process. These guidelines were researched and examined via the design and development process of several serious game prototypes and the examination of a large body of existing serious games. The end result is a practical procedure that is rooted in theory and quantitative experimentation

Systems at Play: The Construction of International Systems in Social Impact Games

This thesis explores how game makers conceive of and navigate the intersection between digital systems and real world systems by asking, how can social impact game designers shape procedural rhetoric to effectively address complex real world systems with digital systems? By examining three game case studies, I reach four significant findings regarding player agency, subversive play, design approaches to scale, and game difficulty in regards to systems fluency

Applying quantitative models to evaluate complexity in video game systems

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, February 2009.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 41).This thesis proposes a games evaluation model that reports significant statistics about the complexity of a game's various systems. Quantitative complexity measurements allow designers to make accurate decisions about how to manage challenge, keeping in mind the player's physical and mental resources and the amount/type of actions the game requires players to act upon. Managing the operational challenge is critical to keeping players in a state of enjoyment, the primary purpose of video games. This thesis first investigates the relationship between enjoyment and complexity through the concept of Flow. From there it examines the properties of GOMS that are useful to analyzing videogames using Tetris as a case study, and then it examines and dissects the shortcomings of a direct usability approach and offers solutions based on a strategy game example. A third case study of the idle worker scenario in strategy games is detailed to further corroborate the usefulness of applying a GOMS based analysis to videogames. Using quantitative measurements of complexity, future research can aggressively tackle difficulty and challenge precisely, mitigate complexity to widen market appeal, and even reveal new genre possibilities.by Matthew Tanwanteng.M.Eng

Analysis of the impact of various gamification factors on the level of player satisfaction

Gamification has become a very popular term for a wide range of opportunities to increase customer interest and satisfaction. This has many uses, including science, commerce and everyday life. Despite the widespread use of gamification mechanisms, the scale of possible benefits is still unknown. The following work examines the influence of various gamification factors on a player's playing time and satisfaction in order to find the factor that brings the greatest benefit. The research was carried out using a game specially created for this purpose and on the basis of the results of the survey presented to the players. The results show that the five selected gamification factors are the challenges and the badges awarded for them have the greatest impact on both examined metrics

A New Learning Theory-based Framework for Combining Flow State with Game Elements to Promote Engagement and Learning in Serious Games

Serious games (SGs) are seen as a clear aid and a potential technique for motivating learners to engage in active and beneficial learning. The creation of SGs is a difficult task. Learning theory, learning aspects (pedagogy and learning materials), and game design are three cross-disciplinary issues related to successful SG design. Numerous studies have looked at this matter and provided guidelines and frameworks for resolving important research concerns. We discovered, however, that research hardly ever discusses the roots of learning theory in SGs. Unfortunately, designing proper SGs is still more of an art than a science. The science of SGs has to be developed on a strong theoretical basis. By illustrating how SGs may be understood from several theoretical viewpoints in learning theory and going through a number of core game design elements that are necessary for successful learning, this paper makes an attempt to solve this issue. Then, in order to encourage engagement and learning in SG contexts, we provide a new framework for the design and development of SG models that makes it easier to combine flow state with such game elements. The agile software process model serves as the basis for the development process in our system. The Unified Modeling Language was used to model prototypes and diagrams. A case study entitled One day without the use of computer-based intervention technologies was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework

An Analysis of the Insertion of Virtual Players in GMABS Methodology Using the Vip-JogoMan Prototype

The GMABS (Games and Multi-Agent-Based Simulation) methodology was created from the integration of RPG and MABS techniques. This methodology links the dynamic capacity of MABS (Multi-Agent-Based Simulation) and the discussion and learning capacity of RPG (Role-Playing Games). Using GMABS, we have developed two prototypes in the natural resources management domain. The first prototype, called JogoMan (Adamatti et. al, 2005), is a paper-based game: all players need to be physically present in the same place and time, and there is a minimum needed number of participants to play the game. In order to avoid this constraint, we have built a second prototype, called ViP-JogoMan (Adamatti et. al, 2007), which is an extension of the first one. This second game enables the insertion of virtual players that can substitute some real players in the game. These virtual players can partially mime real behaviors and capture autonomy, social abilities, reaction and adaptation of the real players. We have chosen the BDI architecture to model these virtual players, since its paradigm is based on folk psychology; hence, its core concepts easily map the language that people use to describe their reasoning and actions in everyday life. ViP-JogoMan is a computer-based game, in which people play via Web, players can be in different places and it does not have a hard constraint regarding the minimum number of real players. Our aim in this paper is to present some test results obtained with both prototypes, as well as to present a preliminary discussion on how the insertion of virtual players has affected the game results.Role-Playing Games, Multi-Agent Based Simulation, Natural Resources, Virtual Players