Exploring the Design of Game Enjoyment Through the Perspectives of Novice Game Developers

Abstract

In this collaborative research, the authors explored the ways in which novice game designers utilize strategies and methods to promote player enjoyment. Adopting the GameFlow model and an exploratory survey, this study examined the perceptions of the 2011 Global Game Jammers at three different sites in regards to designing games that result in player enjoyment. The results of the study were consistent with the findings of the current literature on game enjoyment, and insinuated the notion of interconnected relationships between each GameFlow element. The study also suggested the existence of five latent groups of novice game designers who differed in their preference or perceived importance of game enjoyment elements. Lastly, there appeared to be an association between individual characteristics and perceptions of game flow design elements among novice game designers.