User experience in virtual reality from people with and without disability

[Abstract] Virtual Reality (VR) is a resource for leisure and participation. Recently, VR applications have been introduced progressively into health interventions. The possibility of being immersed in virtual scenarios offers an opportunity to recreate real spaces in a rehabilitation room and to become more motivating. There exist interesting open-access games and applications in platforms such as STEAMVR, VIVEPort or META, that can be used during rehabilitation. Nevertheless, the main problem is the lack of usability and possibility to adapt these applications to demands of final users. The use of VR is conditioned, also, by the experience and perspective of the people. Purpose of research was to analyze and determine the possibilities of generic VR applications from the perspective of final users, based on their experience. A cross-sectional study was done, with sample divided into two groups: people with (N = 24) and without disability (N = 34). The Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) was applied. The applications analyzed were: IkeaVRPancake Kitchen, TheBlue, Adventure climb, Google EarthVR, Cube dancer, Blobby tennis and Richie’s PlankExperience. Results indicated that people without disabilities felt an experience more immersive in VR. No significant differences were obtained concerning the GEQ Post-game. The application with the higher score in terms of positive experience was Richie’s PlankExperience (M = 2,32), and concerning competence was Google EarthVR (M = 2,6) In general, the game experience was positive, but there are still some difficulties detected to implement the games into rehabilitation: control manipulation, interface person-application and understanding instructions. So, is needed to implement adaptations into the games to facilitate their use by people with disabilities.PID 2019-104323RB-C33; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España

Auditory Feedback of False Heart Rate for Video Game Experience Improvement

Changes in emotions affect our physiological responses, and perhaps vice versa. We investigate a new game interaction system that uses false heart rate (fHR) feedback to improve the player experience (PX). The fHR feedback presents false HR information to players so that they perceive changes in the presented HR as being a result of alteration in PX. We introduced auditory fHR feedback into game interaction and investigated its effects through an experiment. Participants repeated gameplay of an action game while hearing heartbeat-like sounds and answered questionnaires regarding PX. Some participants heard the heartbeat-like sounds synchronized with their actual HR, whereas others heard the heartbeat-like sounds whose tempo became gradually faster or slower than their actual HR. The results indicated that an accelerating fHR feedback pattern with +5 bpm/min was appropriate for improving PX; participants were able to maintain their motivation to continue the game. The experiment also indicated that it is necessary for participants to perceive the presented heartbeat-like sounds as reflecting their actual HR. Participants did not maintain their motivation when they were told that the presented sounds were not correlated with their actual HR. The present work provides new principles for video game interaction design based on physiological measurements

A controlled evaluation of a comprehensive mental skills program for Ncaa and youth club swimmers

Previous studies have established that mental skills training is an effective intervention for improving performance in athletes. Relaxation, imagery, and mental preparation interventions have demonstrated efficacy in the improvement of athletic performance. However, relaxation combined with imagery is more effective than either one alone. Similarly, past studies have indicated mental preparation interventions may be more effective in the improvement of athletic performance when combined with other interventions. In team sports such as swimming, optimum performance has been found to improve cohesion. However, whether cohesion leads to improvements in sports performance is undetermined. In this study, a multiple baseline across team sports methodology was utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of cohesion and multi-component interventions in swim performance. The study included thirty-nine NCAA swimmers, and twelve Youth Club swimmers. Results indicated that the cohesion intervention appeared to enhance swim trial times for males, and female youth swimmers. However, this intervention did not appear to influence trial times for NCAA women. Interestingly, the relationship between cohesion and swim performance did not appear to be a direct one. Although improvements in swim trial performance were noted for males and youth swimmers consequent to the implementation of the multi-component intervention, the evaluation of this component was not controlled. Thus, the latter result must be interpreted with caution. Study implications are discussed in light of these results

Using a Team-Based Approach to Psychological Skills Training with an Esports Team

The popularity and commercial success of videogames in the current era has given rise to a new type of competition: electronic sports (or esports). While the debate to determine whether esports deserve to be included under the larger umbrella of “sports” is ongoing (Jenny et al., 2016; Wagner, 2006), researchers have proposed that esports would benefit greatly from research in traditional sport psychology (Murphy, 2009; Pedraza-Ramirez et al., 2020). Since team building and psychological skills training (PST) programs have been employed within traditional sport settings to enhance the performance and outcomes of sport teams (Bruner et al., 2013; Munroe-Chandler & Hall, 2021), the aim of the current study was to examine the impact of a PST-based team building workshop program on collegiate-level esports players’ perceptions of team cohesion as well as their use of PST techniques during training. This was accomplished by comparing the participants’ scores on the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ; Carron et al., 1985), and the Test of Performance Strategies-2 (TOPS-2; Hardy et al., 2010) pre-to post-intervention. The participants included four players of the University of Windsor’s esports program Lancer Gaming. While the effect of the intervention on the participants’ scores on the GEQ and TOPS-2 could not be statistically analysed due to small sample size, the effect sizes that were observed could be indicative of beneficial effect of the intervention workshops. Suggestions are presented for researchers looking to work with collegiate esports player populations

Using a Team-Based Approach to Psychological Skills Training with an Esports Team

The popularity and commercial success of videogames in the current era has given rise to a new type of competition: electronic sports (or esports). While the debate to determine whether esports deserve to be included under the larger umbrella of “sports” is ongoing (Jenny et al., 2016; Wagner, 2006), researchers have proposed that esports would benefit greatly from research in traditional sport psychology (Murphy, 2009; Pedraza-Ramirez et al., 2020). Since team building and psychological skills training (PST) programs have been employed within traditional sport settings to enhance the performance and outcomes of sport teams (Bruner et al., 2013; Munroe-Chandler & Hall, 2021), the aim of the current study was to examine the impact of a PST-based team building workshop program on collegiate-level esports players’ perceptions of team cohesion as well as their use of PST techniques during training. This was accomplished by comparing the participants’ scores on the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ; Carron et al., 1985), and the Test of Performance Strategies-2 (TOPS-2; Hardy et al., 2010) pre-to post-intervention. The participants included four players of the University of Windsor’s esports program Lancer Gaming. While the effect of the intervention on the participants’ scores on the GEQ and TOPS-2 could not be statistically analysed due to small sample size, the effect sizes that were observed could be indicative of beneficial effect of the intervention workshops. Suggestions are presented for researchers looking to work with collegiate esports player populations

Otogarden: Exploring Musical Improvisation in Video Games

Peer reviewe

The Use of digital games to enhance the physical exercise activity of the elderly : a case of Finland

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), population ageing is a global phenomenon, which brings both challenges and opportunities for society. The current longer expected lifespan can create opportunities for the elderly to contribute in many ways to their families and communities. However, it greatly depends on their quality of life, which is affected by many factors, including physical and functional health, social well-being, and cognitive abilities. The WHO (2012) states that physical health is one of the indicators for the elderly’s quality of life, and it declines with increasing age. Participation in regular physical exercises can help the elderly improve their physical and mental health, and this has been aided by the use of modern technologies to promote the elderly’s physical and functional health. Of these latest technologies, digital games have shown promise to improve and enhance the elderly’s physical activities through fun and engaging gameplay. The literature highlights that some commercial games in the market (e.g. Microsoft Kinect- Sports and Nintendo Wii Sports games) have the potential to improve the elderly’s physical health such as gait, balance, and fall prevention. However, researchers argue that these commercial games are not designed specifically for the elderly and their physical exercise activities. They state that most commercial games are not user-friendly for the elderly whose functional and physical abilities are limited due to their advanced years. The literature points out that more studies need to be undertaken to understand the usability and usefulness of digital games for physical exercise activities so that game designers can create elderly-friendly digital games in the future. In Finland, the government has been focusing on promoting healthy ageing and increasing home care services for the elderly. In recent years, Finnish researchers have used digital games to promote older Finns’ healthy and active ageing. The existing literature, whilst showing the potential of digital games for elderly Finns’ physical health, also acknowledges further research is needed particularly in the context of Finland. Thus, in this study, we aimed at investigating digital games to specifically assess their applications for older Finns’ physical activities, focusing on the quality of users’ experiences, and their reported ease of use and perceived usefulness. We used the mixed methods approach, which applies both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study design included four stages: requirements gathering, analysis and design, prototyping, and evaluation. Firstly, we conducted pre-studies to elicit users’ requirements. This was followed by the analysis of the resulting data to identify trends and patterns, which fuelled ideas in the brainstorming game design and development phases. The final product was a digital game-based physical exercise called the Skiing Game. We then evaluated the Skiing Game in Finland with 21 elderly Finns (M=7, F=14, Average Age =76). By using questionnaires, observation, and interviews, we investigated user experiences, focusing on the game’s usability, and usefulness for enhancing the physical activity and wellbeing of the elderly. We also conducted a comparative test of the Skiing Game in Japan with 24 elderly Japanese participants (M=12, F=12, Average Age = 72) to further understand non-Finnish elderly users’ experiences. The findings from the usability study of the Skiing Game in Finland demonstrated that elderly Finns had a positive experience in the gameplay, and their motivation was noticeably high. It also confirmed that elderly Finns have a genuine interest in digital game-based exercises and strong intentions to play digital games as a form of physical exercise in the future. Although prior to the study most of them had negative views and misconceptions about digital games, after the gameplay their attitudes were decidedly positive. They acknowledged that whilst playing digital games could be an alternative way of exercising for them their use would primarily be when they don’t have access to their usual non-digital physical exercise. The Japanese usability of the Skiing Game showed that the elderly Japanese people also had positive user experiences in playing digital games, and also intend to use them in the future. Similarly, after playing the game they reported that their attitudes towards digital games become positive, and indicated playing digital games could be an alternative way of exercising. Although the comparison of the two studies suggests that the elderly Finns had relatively more positive experiences whilst playing the Skiing Game, compared to their Japanese counterparts, in general, both groups had a positive experience in the gameplay and showed interest in digital games as an alternative exercise. Based on the usability lessons learned from these two studies, recommendations for practitioners and designers regarding improvements in game design and development are made in this report. Implementing these modifications into future designs and further development of digital games for the elderly will improve their commercial viability and user uptake. The findings from this study can provide valuable insights, particularly for Finnish policymakers and healthcare practitioners who are keen to introduce digital games into the aged-care sector in Finland. The studies have also provided valuable insights into the optimal methods for introducing Finnish digital games to international markets, in particular, digital games tailored specifically for the physical exercise needs and motivations of the elderly. By taking into consideration the limitations of the study, we provide our future studies and further improvements of the game to be conducted

An investigation of the barriers to referral in child protection for dental team professionals through serious game design

The involvement of the dental team in child protection and safeguarding was initially reported in the scientific literature in the 1960s and 1970s. One of the current concerns is that despite at least 50 years of research, there remains a worldwide ‘gap’ between suspicions of child abuse and neglect by members of the dental team and the reporting of those suspicions appropriately. Current approaches to the teaching and training of the dental team in child protection and child safeguarding may not be reducing the gap and overcoming the reported barriers to closing the gap that have been identified in the literature. This research project investigates how serious games might provide an effective support for teaching and training of dental team professionals in child protection. Following a triadic game design approach all the factors related to the referral of child protection concerns by dental teams in Scotland were explored by a comprehensive investigation of the literature and by qualitative in-depth interviews with dental team professionals throughout Scotland. The interviews were thematically analysed, and all themes considered as potential areas for intervention. This is the first study of this type done with dental team professionals in Scotland. One of the overarching themes identified was that of fear and this was identified as the priority area to be targeted. Based on these results a serious game intervention to support the teaching and training of child protection/safeguarding to dental team professionals was then designed and created using Learning Mechanics-Game Mechanics. No previous examples of a game targeting this area have been reported. Finally, this serious game intervention was play tested and evaluated with dental students by way of pre and post-test questionnaires, the Game Experience Questionnaire and focus groups, which again has not previously been reported. These provided evidence that the game was fit for purpose

Gameful Experience Questionnaire (GAMEFULQUEST): an instrument for measuring the perceived gamefulness of system use

In this paper, we present the development and validation of an instrument for measuring users’ gameful experience while using a service. Either intentionally or unintentionally, systems and services are becoming increasingly gamified and having a gameful experience is progressively important for the user’s overall experience of a service. Gamification refers to the transformation of technology to become more game-like, with the intention of evoking similar positive experiences and motivations that games do (the gameful experience) and affecting user behavior. In this study, we used a mixed-methods approach to develop an instrument for measuring the gameful experience. In a first qualitative study, we developed a model of the gameful experience using data from a questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions posed to users of Zombies, Run!, Duolingo, and Nike+ Run Club. In a second study, we developed the instrument and evaluated its dimensionality and psychometric properties using data from users of Zombies, Run! (N = 371). Based on the results of this second study, we further developed the instrument in a third study using data from users of Duolingo (N = 507), in which we repeated the assessment of dimensionality and psychometric properties, this time including confirmation of the model. As a result of this work, we devised GAMEFULQUEST, an instrument that can be used to model and measure an individual user’s gameful experience in systems and services, which can be used for user-adapted gamification and for informing user-modeling research within a gamification context.</p