Your Gameplay Says It All: Modelling Motivation in Tom Clancy's The Division

Is it possible to predict the motivation of players just by observing their gameplay data? Even if so, how should we measure motivation in the first place? To address the above questions, on the one end, we collect a large dataset of gameplay data from players of the popular game Tom Clancy's The Division. On the other end, we ask them to report their levels of competence, autonomy, relatedness and presence using the Ubisoft Perceived Experience Questionnaire. After processing the survey responses in an ordinal fashion we employ preference learning methods based on support vector machines to infer the mapping between gameplay and the reported four motivation factors. Our key findings suggest that gameplay features are strong predictors of player motivation as the best obtained models reach accuracies of near certainty, from 92% up to 94% on unseen players.Comment: Version accepted for IEEE Conference on Games, 201

“I’m the leader and I’m going to save the world”: Characterizing Empowering and Disempowering Game Experiences

Empowering people through technology is a core concern of HCI, yet little is known about how players experience empowerment or disempowerment through videogames. We surveyed 250 participants about their dis-/empowering videogame experiences, investigating why they felt dis-/empowered, and how these experiences related to core player experience constructs including emotion and basic needs satisfaction. While empowering experiences were often positive, and disempowering experiences often negative, we found meaningful exceptions to this, and a surprising complexity in player accounts. We capture this diversity in seven themes. These range from “heroic victories´´ which follow long periods of failure, to positive experiences of disempowerment, which were appreciated for their narrative meaning. By articulating these complex experiences, and relating them to quantitative measures we provide a foundation for understanding of the role of dis-/empowerment in player experience, and highlight avenues for future work. Data and analyses are available at https://osf.io/zhtu8

Exploring asymmetric roles in mixed-ability gaming

Tese de mestrado, Informática, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2020Noticeably, the majority of mainstreamgames — digitalgames and tabletopgames — are still designed for players with a standard set of abilities. As such, people with someformof disability, oftenface insurmountable challengestoplay mainstreamgames or are limited to playgames specifcally designed for them. By conducting an initial study, we share multiplayer gaming experiences of people with visual impairments collected from interviews with 10 adults and 10 minors, and 140 responses to an online survey. We include the perspectives of 17 sighted people who play with someone who has a visual impairment, collected in a second online survey. We found that people with visual impairments are playingdiversegames,butface limitationsin playing with others who have different visual abilities. What stood out is the lack of intersection ingaming opportunities, and consequently, in habits and interests of people with different visual abilities. In this study, we highlight barriers associated with these experiences beyond inaccessibility issues and discuss implications and opportunities for the design of mixed-abilitygaming.Asexpected,we foundaworrying absenceofgames that caterto different abilities. In this context, we explored ability-based asymmetric roles as a design approach to create engaging and challenging mixed-ability play. We designed and developed two collaborative testbedgamesexploring asymmetric interdependent roles. In a remote study with 13 mixed-visual-ability pairs we assessed how roles affected perceptions of engagement, competence, and autonomy, using a mixed-methods approach. The games provided an engaging and challenging experience, in which differences in visual ability were not limiting. Our results underline how experiences unequal by design can give rise to an equitable joint experience

Real-Time Physics and Graphics Engine for non-Euclidean Geometry using Spherical and Hyperbolic Trigonometry

This thesis presents an implementation of a 2D non-Euclidean physics and graphics engine using spherical and hyperbolic trigonometry. The engine is capable of working with a 2D space of constant negative or positive curvature. It uses polar coordinates to record the parameters of the objects as well as an azimuthal equidistant projection to render the space onto the screen. A polar coordinate system works well with trigonometric calculations, due to the distance from the reference point (analogous to origin in Cartesian coordinates) being one of the coordinates by definition. Azimuthal equidistant projection is not a typical projection, used for neither spherical nor hyperbolic space, however one of the main features of the engine relies on it: changing the curvature of the world in real-time. Any 2D shape can be created and used in the engine, not a pre-determined list of standard shapes. Shapes can be moved around the curved space via user input controls. This thesis describes approaches to improve performance of the engine by analysing and subsequently attempting to reduce the time-complexity of the algorithm as well as parallelizing the calculations by performing them on a GPU in order to avoid a major bottleneck. Empirical tests were performed and it was found that different approaches have an impact on overall engine performance, but the improvement is negligible compared to that gained by parallelisation. A method for texturing shapes in non-Euclidean 2D space in real-time using spherical and hyperbolic trigonometry is introduced. Stress test results show that the engine can render high load scenes in real-time. This thesis presents survey results showing participants’ generally positive feedback upon playing through two different classic games modified to work within the non-Euclidean engine. Overall, the project has been successful in developing a novel method of rendering non-Euclidean geometry in real-time using Spherical and Hyperbolic trigonometry; implementing it within a framework which allows the creation of custom environment; and gauging the interest in non-Euclidean games

The Basic Needs in Games (BANG) Model of Video Games and Mental Health: Untangling the Positive and Negative Effects of Games with Better Science

How do video games affect mental health? Despite decades of research and widespread interest from policymakers, parents, and players, in most cases the best answer we have is: it depends. I argue that our limited success stems largely from (1) a lack of theories that explain more than small portions of the varied evidence base, and (2) methodological limitations related to measurement, self-report data, questionable research practices, and more. In this thesis, I present the Basic Needs in Games (BANG) model. Building upon self-determination theory, BANG offers a novel theoretical account that provides mechanisms for both short- and long-term effects, positive and negative, resulting from quality or quantity of gaming. Under BANG, the primary mechanism through which games impact mental health is via need satisfaction and frustration: the extent to which both games, and players’ life in general, provide experiences of control and volition (autonomy), mastery and growth (competence), and connection and belonging (relatedness). To generate BANG, I conducted semi-structured interviews, finding that need-frustrating experiences within games have important effects on player behavior, likelihood of continuing play, and expectations for future experiences (Study 1). In a mixed-method survey, I show that some—but not all—players are successful in compensating for frustrated needs in daily life by playing games (Study 2). These findings informed the validation of the the Basic Needs in Games Scale (BANGS), as previous instruments either did not measure need frustration or were not designed for gaming contexts. Across 1400 participants and various validity analyses, I show that the questionnaire is suitable for wide-ranging use (Study 3). Finally, I collected 12 weeks of digital trace data using a novel method of monitoring the Xbox network, and combined this with 6 biweekly surveys measuring need satisfaction and frustration alongside three mental health constructs (Study 4). Across 2000 responses (n = 400), I find partial support for BANG: there is strong evidence to rule out a meaningful relationship between playtime and subsequent mental health. However, players who felt more need satisfaction than usual in games also reported higher than usual need satisfaction in general, which in turn related to better mental health. My results help push the field beyond simplified notions of playtime by offering a framework that can systematically account for a wide variety of observed gaming effects. I hope that this work can serve as both a call to action and an illustrative example of how games research can be more productive

Understanding specific gaming experiences: the case of open world games

Digital games offer players a variety of experiences. Open world games allow players to choose what to engage with, and subsequently choose what experiences they want to have. However, this means it is not always clear what players are doing or why, even within the same game. This lack of commonality questions what it means to have `a’ gaming experience if there is little overlap in player behaviour. This thesis explored what it means to experience an open world game, and how experiences are unique to specific games/type of games. The first two studies showed that despite differences in what players do, there is an overarching experience: self-pacing gameplay by choosing what to engage with. Studies three and four explored if motivation could explain what experiences players pursue, but current measurement tools were not statistically or conceptually dependable enough to provide robust findings. Study five conversely explored whether goals can explain player behaviour, and found players consider their actions goal-directed. Finally, study six explored how to overlay goals to actions taken in a specific gaming session. This revealed that the game also provides goals for players to consider, meaning gameplay is not only driven by player intent. Overall, open world games are a series of contextually-situated experiences; players purposefully engage with in-game content, but remain flexible to what the game may offer in the moment. Whilst individual experiences vary greatly, players had the same unifying experience of navigating goal pursuit. Goals can be related to gameplay data to reveal what player-game interactions take place, and how players report them. Therefore, this thesis shows players can have little overlap in the specific experiences they have within games, yet still have the same overarching experience. Understanding such experiences requires data from a player’s perspective, as gameplay data alone cannot reveal player intent

UPEQ: ubisoft perceived experience questionnaire : a self-determination evaluation tool for video games

In order to appeal to a growing market, game developers are offering a wide variety of activities. It is becoming necessary to understand which psychological need each activity caters for. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the development and evaluation of an instrument to assess which basic psychological needs are satisfied by different video games. This work is part of a growing effort in HCI to develop surveys able to capture subtle nuances of the player experience. This model, UPEQ, was developed by transforming a self-determination theory questionnaire into a video game specific survey. UPEQ consists of three subscale of Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness, which, through two studies focusing on development and validation of the model showed significant correlations with other self-reported measures of sense of transportation to the game as well as enjoyment of and engagement with the game. Regression with ingame behavior of players tracked by game engine also confirmed that each subscale of UPEQ independently predicts playtime, money spent on the game and playing as a group

Measuring Players' Experience of Need Satisfaction in Digital Games: An Analysis of the Factor Structure of the UPEQ

In this work, we explore the factorial structure of the Ubisoft Perceived Experience Questionnaire (UPEQ) and its correlation with game enjoyment. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted on the experience with the video game League of Legends. Three hundred and sixty-nine participants provided information about their in- and out-of-game demographics and rated their experience with the game using the UPEQ and the subscale Interest/Enjoyment from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. Using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis, we found weaknesses in the 3-factor model of the UPEQ and propose a 6- or 7-factor structure as a basis for new research and improvement of the UPEQ. All materials are available on OSF: https://osf.io/6nhts/

Your Gameplay Says It All : Modelling Motivation in Tom Clancy’s The Division

Is it possible to predict the motivation of players just by observing their gameplay data? Even if so, how should we measure motivation in the first place? To address the above questions, on the one end, we collect a large dataset of gameplay data from players of the popular game Tom Clancy's The Division. On the other end, we ask them to report their levels of competence, autonomy, relatedness and presence using the Ubisoft Perceived Experience Questionnaire. After processing the survey responses in an ordinal fashion we employ preference learning methods based on support vector machines to infer the mapping between gameplay and the reported four motivation factors. Our key findings suggest that gameplay features are strong predictors of player motivation as the best obtained models reach accuracies of near certainty, from 92% up to 94% on unseen players

Liikeen voimistus sekoitetun todellisuuden trampoliinipeleissä

Lack of motivation for physical activity is a significant public health concern. Exergames or games that require physical exertion can be designed to help alleviate this issue by providing an alternative exercise form that caters to psychological needs important for motivation. Granting people superhuman movement abilities through movement empowerment has been shown to support feeling of competence, an important human need and an essential intrinsic motivation factor posited by self-determination theory. This thesis introduces three mixed-reality trampoline games for the ValoJump trampoline game platform. The games empower movement in both the real world and the game world; a real trampoline exaggerates movement in the real world while the games artificially further exaggerate the movement in the game world. Two of the games were designed and implemented through an iterative process at Valo Motion Oy and one of the games is based on earlier research in Aalto University. This thesis describes the problems we faced when designing the games, how we overcame them and how we created designs that work in the context of commercial indoor activity parks. One of the games is the first mixed-reality empowerment game for trampolines with multiplayer gameplay. For this game, the thesis also presents an in-the-wild user study in which 26 participants played the game in a Finnish indoor activity park. The game scored high in Physical Activity Enjoyment Survey (PACES) as well as in Ubisoft Perceived Experience Questionnaire (UPEQ) and thus further demonstrated the potential of movement empowered exergames in satisfying human needs important for intrinsic motivation.Liikuntamotivaation puute on merkittävä kansanterveydellinen ongelma. Liikuntapelit (exergames), joiden pelaaminen vaatii fyysistä rasitusta, voidaan suunnitella lievittämään tätä ongelmaa. Liikuntapelit voivat tarjota liikuntamuotoja, jotka täyttävät liikuntamotivaation kannalta tärkeitä psykologisia tarpeita. On tutkittu, että koetun pätevyyden tunnetta voidaan tukea tarjoamalla ihmisille yliluonnollisia liikkumiskykyjä liikkeen voimistamisen kautta. Pätevyyden tunne on tärkeä psykologinen perustarve ja oleellinen sisäisen motivaation osa. Tämä diplomityö esittelee kolme sekoitetun todellisuuden trampoliinipeliä ValoJump trampoliinipelialustalle. Pelit voimistavat liikettä sekä oikeassa maailmassa, että pelimaailmassa; trampoliini liioittelee liikettä oikeassa maailmassa samanaikaisesti kun peli liioittelee liikettä keinotekoisesti pelimaailmassa. Kaksi peleistä on suunniteltu ja toteutettu iteratiivisen suunnitteluprosessin kautta Valo Motion Oy:ssä ja yksi pohjautuu Aalto Yliopiston aikaisempiin tutkimuksiin. Diplomityö kuvaa ongelmat, joita pelien suunnittelussa kohdattiin, kuinka ongelmat ratkaistiin ja kuinka luotiin pelejä, jotka toimivat kaupallisissa sisäaktiviteettipuistoissa. Yksi peleistä on maailman ensimmäinen sekoitetun todellisuuden trampoliinimoninpeli. Kyseisen pelin osalta diplomityö sisältää myös käyttäjätutkimuksen sisäaktiviteettipuistossa. Peli sai korkeat pisteet liikunnan iloa mittaavassa PACES-kyselyssä sekä pelikokemusta mittaavassa UPEQ-kyselyssä. Tutkimus demonstroi liikettä voimistavien liikkunnallisten pelien potentiaalia tyydyttää ihmisen sisäiselle motivaatiolle oleellisia tarpeita