Greater rewards in videogames lead to more presence, enjoyment and effort

There is currently limited understanding of whether and how different amounts and diversity of virtual rewards impact on the player experience. A repeated-measures experiment was undertaken in which participants (N = 59) were compared on subjective measures (competence, presence-immersion, tension, effort and enjoyment), as well as psychophysiological measures (electrodermal activity and heart-beat rate), during the play of a videogame with three levels of video game reward (high, medium, low). Effort, enjoyment and presence-immersion significantly varied across conditions such that they were greater when all rewards were present compared to one or both of the other conditions. Heart-beat rate was found to vary across conditions consistent with the explanation that greater rewards lead to greater arousal. Our study suggest a number of advantages to greater amount and diversity of virtual rewards in the context of a casual videogame, with potential application to the design of new gamification systems

Positive Gaming: Workshop on Gamification and Games for Wellbeing

© 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 Extended Abstracts - Extended Abstracts Publication of the Annual Symposium on Computer- Human Interaction in Play. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3130859.3131442Gamification and games have been used and studied in a variety of applications related with health and wellbeing. Nevertheless, there are very few studies aimed at designing games (whether serious games or recreational games) or gameful applications for improving wellbeing or flourishing – the pursuit of a happy and meaningful life, rather than the avoidance of illness. Therefore, this full-day Workshop aims to form a community, discuss theoretical and practical considerations, and promote the development of research projects focused on “Positive Gaming” – the use of gamification and games as tools for realizing Positive Computing objectives. This will create the opportunities for interested researchers to form a common understanding, develop methods and procedures, and establish a roadmap for future research in Positive Gaming

Flourishing and video games

Studies dedicated to understanding the relationship between gaming and mental health, have traditionally focused on the effects of depression, anxiety, obsessive usage, aggression, obesity, and faltering ‘real life’ relationships. The complexity of game genre and personality aside, this review aims to define a space for a positive relationship between videogame play and wellbeing by applying current videogame research to the criteria that defines the wellbeing construct ‘flourishing’. Self- determination theory (SDT), and flow provide context, and areas of overlap are explored

The social context of video game play: Relationships with the player experience and wellbeing

This thesis examines the relationships between different social contexts of video game play, the player experience and wellbeing. In doing so it challenges the notion that video game play is socially isolating and shows that there are potential benefits to all contexts of play, including solitary play. Four studies utilizing different methodologies (survey, interview, experiment) collectively demonstrate how different social contexts of play provide distinct opportunities to maintain or enhance wellbeing

Pick Me Up Before You Go-Go: Sociotechnical Strategies for Waste in Music Festival Campsites

Multi-day music festivals have a waste problem with much of it centred around patron campgrounds. Interviews and co-design workshops were conducted with festival patrons (N = 19) and professionals (N = 9). The interviews indicated the factors impacting festival campground waste including the proliferation of cheap items, the continuity of management decisions, highly social camping practices, the land, and interactions between these. Co-design workshops explored these to produce sociotechnical strategies using the festival timeline as a frame, with one of these, a patron planning tool chosen for further development. This paper contributes new insights on how information and communication technologies might enhance sustainable practices by facilitating relational change through better organisation, evaluation, and feedback. It concludes with examination of the challenges and opportunities for Sustainable HCI, including how to carve out a design response to a wicked problem by situating relations, meaning making, telling invisible stories, and finding leverage points

Positively playful: When videogames lead to player wellbeing

Videogames are an increasingly popular entertainment choice, yet we have a limited understanding of their potential wellbeing benefits. The current research used an online survey (N = 429) to investigate how gameplay choices and the psychological experience of gameplay impact on player wellbeing. Specifically, a hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to determine if, controlling for age and gender, current gameplay choices (amount of play, game genre, mode of play) and play experience (flow, psychological need satisfaction) predicted current wellbeing. Results indicated that age, social play, relatedness during gameplay and flow were positively associated with player wellbeing. Implications for our understanding of player wellbeing, as well as directions for future research are discussed

Playing alone, playing with others: Differences in player experience and indicators of wellbeing

Video game play is becoming an increasingly social experience, yet we have little understanding of how social and solitary modes of play differ in terms of the player experience or interact with player wellbeing. An online survey (n = 446) collected data on players' current mode of play, their game play experience, social capital gained from game play and wellbeing. The results indicate that social and solitary players differ in terms of degree of autonomy, presence and relatedness experienced, while the different types of social play are associated with differences in relatedness and social capital experienced. Different predictors of wellbeing were also present across solitary and social player samples. People who play games on their own experience greater wellbeing when experiencing in-game autonomy. Social players experience greater wellbeing when playing with strangers, and when experiencing in-game bridging social capital. All players experienced increased wellbeing with age and decreased wellbeing with greater amounts of play

Indicators of wellbeing in recreational video game players

Video game play is a popular entertainment choice, yet we have a limited understanding of the potential wellbeing benefits associated with recreational play. An online survey (final sample, n = 297) addresses this by investigating how the player experience related to wellbeing. The impact of amount of play, game genre, mode of play (social or solitary play) and the psychological experience of play (flow and need satisfaction) on a multi-dimensional measure of wellbeing (emotional, psychological and social) was examined via hierarchical regression. Age, gender, the play of casual games compared to shooters, and in-game experiences of flow, autonomy and relatedness were associated with increases in dimensions of wellbeing

Playing support: Social connectedness amongst male videogame players

While video games are becoming increasingly social, little is known regarding whether games might also facilitate social support. In tandem, while both genders experience similar overall rates of mental illness [1], men seek and use health services less often than women [2]. A series of interviews (N=15) were held with male social video game players to determine if video game play provides a means for them to access social support. Preliminary analyses suggest that games afford a means of gaining support from new connections, describes how these trusting relationships develop, and demonstrates that gameplay itself offers some emotional benefits. This research contributes to the understanding of how men use technology to support their emotional and social needs

Human-Nature Relations in Urban Gardens: Explorations with Camera Traps

As cities grow, their people become increasingly distanced from nature except within private and public green spaces. Sensing technologies provide a means to harness curiosity about the animals living in these spaces, and possibly also connect interest to care. Yet little is known as to how people may use these technologies, or the implications for human-nature relations. To learn more, we gave commercial camera traps to ten adult participants to understand how they explored their gardens, what they wanted to learn, and what they did with this knowledge. We discovered trade-ofs between control and care; the usefulness of diferent media and mystery; the temporalities of engaging in natural sensing practice; and a prevalence of sharing media within households. We discuss design for convivial cohabitation with the creatures in our garden. This research contributes to better human-nature relations through citizen sensing, as well as HCI for urban biodiversity conservation.</p