Validating Gameplay Activity Inventory (GAIN) for Modeling Player Profiles

In the present study, we validated Gameplay Activity Inventory (GAIN), a short and psychometrically sound instrument for measuring players' gameplay preferences and modeling player pro les. In Study 1, participants in Finland (N = 879) responded to a 52-item version of GAIN. An exploratory factor analysis was used to identify ve latent factors of gameplay activity appreciation: Aggression, Management, Exploration, Coordination, and Caretaking. In Study 2, respondents in Canada (N = 1; 322) and Japan (N = 1; 178) responded to GAIN, and the factor structure of a 15-item version was examined using a Con rmatory Factor Analysis. The results showed that the short version of GAIN has good construct validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity in Japan and in Canada. We demonstrated the usefulness of GAIN by conducting a cluster analysis to identify player types that differ inboth demographics and game choice. GAIN can be used in research as a tool for investigating player pro les. Game companies, publishers and analysts can utilize GAIN in player-centric game development and targeted marketing and in generating personalized game recommendations.</p

View, play and pay? – The relationship between consumption of gaming video content and video game playing and buying

Consuming live-streamed or pre-recorded gaming video content through video sharing services such as YouTube and Twitch has become a significant aspect of the modern gaming and online media culture. Although it has been argued that watching such content may replace some first-hand gaming activities, it has also been argued that consuming gaming video content may further increase both gaming activities and purchases related to gaming. This study provides the first empirical evidence on how the consumption of three popular types of gaming video content (game reviews, let’s plays and esports) affect the gameplay activity and game related purchasing behaviour and therefore extends our knowledge about digital consumer behaviour and its latest forms. Results indicate that all three forms of gaming video content have a positive association with time spent playing games. Moreover, gaming video consumption, especially the consumption of review video content, is positively associated with game purchasing behaviour

Self-reported playing preferences resonate with emotion-related physiological reactions during playing and watching of first-person shooter videogames

The present aim was to investigate emotion-related physiological responses and subjective ratings of two groups of active gamers (N = 24) in response to both playing and watching a video of a first-person shooter game. Participants of one group had high preferences for game dynamics in first-person shooter games, whereas the other group disliked such dynamics. Electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate (HR), and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the corrugator supercilii (i.e., brow furrowing) and the zygomaticus major (i.e., smiling) muscles were measured while playing and watching a gameplay video. After the playing and watching sessions, the participants rated their experienced level of valence and arousal. The results showed that those who liked the game dynamics showed comparable and stable levels of EDA and HR during both playing and watching. Those who disliked the game dynamics showed overall higher levels of EDA and HR during playing than watching a video, and a rising EDA tendency especially during watching a video. Playing evoked overall higher corrugator supercilii activity than watching in both groups. The group that liked the game dynamics showed a steep EMG increase in the activity of the corrugator supercilii, whereas the group that disliked the game dynamics showed less EMG increase. As for ratings of valence and arousal, both groups reported more positive valence and higher arousal after playing than after watching a video, and there were no differences between the groups. In sum, the results showed that player preferences were associated with players’ emotion-related physiological responses. The results also showed that playing as opposed to watching generated higher autonomic arousal, but only for players who disliked the dynamics of the game.</p

Proceedings of ACM Woodstock conference (WOODSTOCK’18). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 2 pages

We generate player personas from game preference survey data using the system and methodology of automatic persona generation (APG). The purpose is to demonstrate the potential of data driven technologies for segmenting players by their game preferences. The resulting prototype personas are particularly intended for game marketing purposes, e.g. targeting gamers with social media advertising. The personas can also be enhanced by additional data to provide deeper insights.</p

Adaptation and Validation of the Scale of Types of Users in Gamification with the Spanish Adolescent Population

The video game has been one of the phenomena with the greatest impact on the entire social fabric, and especially among young people. Therefore, it is essential to understand the interaction between the players and the video game itself. However, few instruments have been designed to assess the types of players in the adolescent population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to validate the Gamification User Types Hexad Scale for the Spanish adolescent population. The sample of participants consisted of 1345 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18. To evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale, a confirmatory factor analysis and a multi-group analysis of invariance by sex were performed. The results provide evidence of a valid and reliable six-factor instrument to measure the types of players in the Spanish adolescent population, regardless of their sex

Proceedings of the 53rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences

Consuming live-streamed or pre-recorded gaming video content through video sharing services such as YouTube and Twitch has become a significant aspect of the modern gaming and online media culture. Although it has been argued that watching such content may replace some first-hand gaming activities, it has also been argued that consuming gaming video content may further increase both gaming activities and purchases related to gaming. This study provides the first empirical evidence on how the consumption of three popular types of gaming video content (game reviews, let’s plays and esports) affect the gameplay activity and game related purchasing behaviour and therefore extends our knowledge about digital consumer behaviour and its latest forms. Results indicate that all three forms of gaming video content have a positive association with time spent playing games. Moreover, gaming video consumption, especially the consumption of review video content, is positively associated with game purchasing behaviour. </p

ATITIUDES TOW ARDS COMPUTER GAMES FOR LEARNING AND Pl.A YER ARCHETYPES: AN EXPLORATION OF MEASURES ON PREINTERVENTION PLAYER CHARACTERISTICS FOR SERIOUS GAME-BASED INTERVENTIONS

Serious game-based interventions offer promising health outcome results with the aid of pre-intervention player tailoring and the development of measurements that evaluate pre-intervention player characteristics and subgroups. Video gaming measures can potentially provide helpful tailoring information that discerns individual video gaming preferences which could influence their overall user experience. It is critical that measures that target adolescent video gaming be psychometrically validated. There is a gap in the literature with psychometrically validated measures evaluating adolescent attitudes towards computer games for learning and gaming archetypes. Therefore the aims of this dissertation were to 1) evaluate the psychometric properties (i.e., reliability and validity) of the Attitudes Towards Computer Games for Learning (ATCGFL) adapted from Askar et al.’s Attitudes towards computer-assisted learning (CAL) scale that assessed attitudes towards computer games for learning among a sample of adolescents, and 2) explore and identify the latent class structure (LCA) of the BrainHex measure among the same sample of adolescents. Secondary data analysis of a data set extricated from the “It’s Your Game-Family” study was conducted. Participants were youth aged 11-14 years in Houston, TX, who answered self-guided questionnaires in their home. Exploratory data analysis of the ATCGFL scale was performed. Reliability testing through analyzing internal consistency and test-retest reliability were also performed with the ATCGFL scale. Then, exploratory data analysis of the BrainHex measure was performed through latent class analysis. Results from the exploratory analysis of the ATCGFL scale suggest the adapted attitudes scale supports a 3-factor solution (Satisfaction, Motivation, and Cognition). The 3-factor solution indicates the scale has a mixed quality level of internal consistency because Factor 1 and Factor 2 we have an acceptable level of internal consistency, but Factor 3 has a questionable level of internal consistency. The test-retest reliability of the ATCGFL scale was low, but significant. Last, the latent class analysis of the BrainHex measure results revealed a 3-class model (low probability of gaming element likability gamers, moderate probability of gaming element likability gamers, and high probability of gaming element likability gamers). Overall, these findings suggest the Attitudes Towards Computer Games for Learning scale and BrainHex measure both possess promising utility as measures in tandem with serious game-based interventions, and that further research to conduct confirmatory analysis with both measures is merited

The subjective gameplay experience: An examination of the revised game engagement model

The study of the subjective gameplay experience spans multiple disciplines, from teachers who want to harness the power of gameplay to enhance instruction to game developers hoping to create the next big hit. Despite decades of interest, little agreement has been found regarding the way constructs—such as immersion, involvement, presence, and flow—are used to describe the subjective gameplay experience. Without the consistent usage of well-defined constructs, it becomes impossible to further scientific understanding of this domain. This dissertation examined the theoretical evolution of the key subjective gameplay experience constructs. From this, definitions for immersion, involvement, presence, and flow were extracted. Based on the prior work of Brockmyer et al. (2009), a revised game engagement model was created that incorporated these definitions. To test the proposed relationships within the revised game engagement model, experienced players of the computer game Minecraft were recruited for an experimental study. The participants played the game Minecraft, which was manipulated with respect to both level of difficulty and immersive aspects. This allowed for a range of potential game engagement states to be experienced by the participants. Several individual differences hypothesized to influence the different constructs of game engagement also were measured. The results of the study supported many proposed aspects of the revised game engagement model and revealed ways in which the model could be further refined. The theoretically-derived definitions and revised game engagement model resulting from this work, along with the suggested measures for these relevant constructs, provides a framework for future work in this area. This framework will improve the consistency of construct operationalization, benefiting the continued study of the subjective gameplay experience