Game Enjoyment Research Articles

Gender, weight status and socioeconomic differences in psychosocial correlates of physical activity in schoolchildren

This study sought to assess differences in attraction to physical activity, perceived physical competence and parental socialization influences across gender, body mass index and socioeconomic status in Portuguese children. Cross-sectional study. 683 children, aged 8-10 years, from elementary schools were participants. Attraction to physical activity, perceived physical competence, parental socialization influences and socioeconomic status were assessed via standardized questionnaires. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was calculated using body mass index, based on the international cut-off points. MANOVA and ANOVA models were conducted. Boys reported greater enjoyment of games and sports participation than did girls. Boys and normal-weight children perceived themselves as being more successful and physically competent than did girls and obese children. Normal-weight girls enjoyed participation in vigorous physical activity more than did overweight and obese girls. Obese children felt less accepted by their peers in games and sports than did normal-weight and overweight children. High and medium socioeconomic status children perceived physical activity participation as of greater importance than did low-socioeconomic status children. High-socioeconomic status girls reported greater liking of the exertional aspects of physical activity compared to low socioeconomic status girls. High socioeconomic status children were more likely to perceive their parents as positive role models and perceived that they had greater enjoyment of physical activity than did lower socioeconomic status children. These results suggest that physical activity promotion interventions should focus on girls, obese children and lower socioeconomic status children as these individuals tend to have lower levels of attraction to physical activity, lower perceived physical competence and less parent physical activity support, which puts them at greater risk of being physically inactive.

The Gameplay Enjoyment Model

To date, reviews of the games literature have noted a lack of empirical studies examining the relationships between games and their purported benefits (Huizenga, Admiraal, & Dam, 2011; Vandercruysse, Vanderwaetere, & Clarebout, 2012; Young et al., 2012). Furthermore, researchers have called for a better understanding of the specific game features that may lead to beneficial outcomes (Hartmann & Klimmt, 2006; Klimmt, Schmid, & Orthmann, 2009; McNamara, Jackson, & Graesser, 2010; Vorderer, Bryant, Pieper, & Weber, 2006; Wilson et al., 2009). In this survey study, a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was employed to better understand the specific features that influence player enjoyment of video games. The resulting Gameplay Enjoyment Model (GEM) explains players’ overall Enjoyment of games, as well as their preferences for six specific types of enjoyment, including Challenge, Companionship, Competition, Exploration, Fantasy, and Fidelity. The implications of these model components are discussed in the context of educational game design and future directions for research are offered. GEM provides an empirical framework within which vital progress can be made in understanding the enjoyment of games and the role that games play in education.

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

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.

Between Challenge and Defeat: Repeated Player-Death and Game Enjoyment

This article contributes to research on the complex relation between dying in a digital game and player experience. In this article, we extend recent findings (Ravaja, Turpeinen, Saari, Kelti-kangas-Järvinen, & Puttonen, 2008) indicating that player death may induce positive affect. The study explored whether smiling upon dying in a game should be attributed to transient relief experiences or, instead, related to being challenged to try harder. Facial expressions were recorded while players experienced frequent deaths and occasionally reached safe zones in a shooter game. Players, indeed, smiled after dying, as testified by deactivation of the corrugator supercilii and activation of the zygomaticus major. Although retrospective subjective evaluations showed player-death events were appraised negatively, importantly, zygomaticus major activation decreased with repeated player-deaths. Moreover, safe zones did not result in patterns of facial electromyography activity indicating pleasure, countering a transient relief explanation. We propose that, as part of the ongoing game, player death reinforces the sense of challenge that the game offers. While dying may not be fun in itself, being challenged may initially be experienced as enjoyable and, therefore, evoke a smile. Without clear progress in the game and a lost sense of challenge, however, dying is no longer a laughing matter.

Is cheating a human function? The roles of presence, state hostility, and enjoyment in an unfair video game

In sports and board games, when an opponent cheats, the other players typically greet it with disdain, anger, and disengagement. However, work has yet to fully address the role of the computer cheating in video games. In this study, participants played either a cheating or a non-cheating version of a modified open-source tower-defense game. Results indicate that when a computer competitor cheats, players perceive the opponent as being more human. Cheating also increases player aggravation and presence, but does not affect enjoyment of the experience. Additionally, players that firmly believed that their opponent was controlled by the computer exhibited significantly less state hostility compared to players that were less certain of the nature of their competitor. Game designers can integrate subtle levels of cheating into computer opponents without any real negative responses from the players. The results indicate that minor levels of cheating might also increase player engagement with video games.

Fundamentals Of Interactive Storytelling

The focus of interactive storytelling should not only be on the attributes of the technology or characteristics of the medium, such as the AI techniques, planning formalisms, story representations, etc. but also on the computer-mediated communication processes, such as the relatedness of transmitted messages with previous exchanges of information, the number of attributes to be manipulated by the player, or the level of player control on the messages. It is argued that an approach to maximize player enjoyment in a computer game is to customize/personalize the gaming experience and the associated computer-mediated communication processes. To this aim and to provide answers to “how” and “what” should be customized, the article first explores the problematic notions of interactivity and then frame the discussion in the context of interactive storytelling systems. Secondly, it analyses table-top role-playing games RPGs - the live counterpart of computerized interactive storytelling systems – in an attempt to find “what” to customize. In particular, it focuses on the Dungeon Master whose role in co-ordinating human-to-human communication process of interactive storytelling provides valuable insights into how to handle the human-to-machine/game communication process. Finally, the article proposes a framework to explain “how” to customize for maximum player enjoyment and optimal game experience within an interactive storytelling system.

Associations among children's situational motivation, physical activity participation, and enjoyment in an active dance video game

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between children's situational motivation and physical activity (PA) levels in a Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) program, and perceived PA enjoyment. MethodsA sample of 215 elementary children participated in a weekly 30-min DDR program. Children's situational motivation toward DDR (intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, external regulation, and amotivation) was measured, followed by the measurement of their accelerometer-determined moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) in DDR. Children then reported their PA enjoyment. ResultsOnly intrinsic motivation was positively related with children's MVPA in DDR and PA enjoyment. However, other motivational beliefs were not significantly related to MVPA and PA enjoyment. Regression analyses further suggested intrinsic motivation was the significant predictor for MVPA and PA enjoyment. ConclusionChildren who experienced fun and learned new things when playing DDR reached high PA levels in DDR, as well as developed generalized feeling states of enjoyment.

Causes of State Hostility and Enjoyment in Player Versus Player and Player Versus Environment Video Games

Video games have been under scholarly study since the 1980s, but few studies have blended the research areas of video games and aggression and video game enjoyment. This article seeks to determine how certain game play factors affect hostility, enjoyment, and the relationship between the 2 variables. A total of 289 students played games in player-versus-player (PvP) and player-versus-environment (PvE) situations. Findings indicate that outcome, competitive situation, and genre interact in their influence on state hostility and enjoyment. Results suggest that in some cases, game players are able to enjoy games despite negative experiences, such as losing, but players in PvP situations experience enjoyment-reducing levels of hostility, contrary to P. Vorderer et al.'s (2004) complex entertainment model.

Novel Approaches to Obesity Prevention: Effects of Game Enjoyment and Game Type on Energy Expenditure in Active Video Games

Some active video games have been found to promote physical activity adherence because of enjoyment. However, many active games are exercise themed, which may interfere with the distracting properties that make game-based exercise more enjoyable than traditional exercise. This study compared exercise-themed and game-themed active games to investigate differences in energy expenditure and enjoyment. Young adults (N = 100, 50 female, 55 overweight, aged 18-35 years) played two of four Wii Fit games (one aerobic game and one balance game per person) for 10 min each. Of the two aerobic games, one was exercise themed (jogging) and the other was game themed (hula hooping). Both balance games were game themed. Energy expenditure and enjoyment were measured. After adjustment for gender and weight, aerobic games produced 2.70 kcal/kg(-1)/h(-1) (95% confidence interval 2.41, 3.00) greater energy expenditure than balance games (p < .001), but balance games were more enjoyable (p < .001). In aerobic games, jogging produced greater energy expenditure than hula hooping in normal-weight and male participants (p < .001); in overweight and female participants, no differences were found (p > .17). Hula hooping was enjoyed more than jogging (p = .008). Enjoyment predicted energy expenditure in aerobic games (B = 0.767, p = .010). Aerobic games produced greater energy expenditure but lower enjoyment than balance games, and a game-themed aerobic game was found more enjoyable than an exercise-themed aerobic game. Integrating more strenuous activity into entertaining games instead of games that simply simulate exercise may be a fruitful avenue for active game development.

Empirical Taxonomies of Gameplay Enjoyment

A survey study was conducted to better understand how gameplay enjoyment relates to players’ personality traits and video game preferences. This study demonstrated that the core design elements of games that lead to enjoyment can be empirically identified. Similarly, it showed that considering personality, an individual characteristic, can produce informative insights about how players perceive gaming experiences. Whereas video game research has historically emphasized either games or players in isolation (Juul, 2010), this study is an initial effort towards a holistic approach that considers how design features and player characteristics combine to generate enjoyable video game experiences. Two empirical taxonomies for creating more enjoyable game experiences are presented.

Feeling the Need for (Personalized) Speed: How Natural Controls and Customization Contribute to Enjoyment of a Racing Game Through Enhanced Immersion

Prior research suggests that video game features that appear natural or that otherwise allow players to identify with their in-game experience will promote enjoyment. Using a 2 × 2 experiment, this study demonstrates the positive effects of a steering-wheel controller and the opportunity to customize the driven vehicle on enjoyment of a console driving game, as mediated by transportation and challenge-skill balance. The role of presence is also probed, with results suggesting no direct link to enjoyment.

Need Satisfaction Supportive Game Features as Motivational Determinants: An Experimental Study of a Self-Determination Theory Guided Exergame

Empirical studies have validated that basic needs satisfaction supported by video game play predicts motivation and engagement outcomes. However, few studies specifically manipulated game features for each of the three basic needs specified in the self-determination theory (SDT) to examine how the game features impact players' need satisfaction and game experience. The current study employed an in-house developed exergame and manipulated the game features in a 2 (autonomy-supportive game features: on vs. off) × 2 (competence-supportive game features: on vs. off) experiment to predict need satisfaction, game enjoyment, motivation for future play, effort for gameplay, self-efficacy for exercise using the game, likelihood of game recommendation, and game rating. The manipulated game features led to the corresponding need satisfaction. Manipulated autonomy-supportive and competence-supportive game features had main effects on most motivation and engagement outcomes. Need satisfaction of autonomy and need satisfaction of competence were both found to be mediators for the relationships between the game features and the motivation and engagement outcomes. The findings add evidence to support the underlying mechanism postulated by SDT for media enjoyment and motivation as well as the emerging entertainment research conceptualizing enjoyment as need satisfaction. The findings also have practical implications for intervention effort that intends to capitalize the motivational pull of video games.

Improving behavior of computer game bots using fictitious play

In modern computer games, "bots" -- intelligent realistic agents play a prominent role in the popularity of a game in the market. Typically, bots are modeled using finite-state machine and then programmed via simple conditional statements which are hard-coded in bots logic. Since these bots have become quite predictable to an experienced games' player, a player might lose interest in the game. We propose the use of a game theoretic based learning rule called fictitious play for improving behavior of these computer game bots which will make them less predictable and hence, more a enjoyable game.

Graphics and gratification: Exploring the link between technology and enjoyment in video games

The present study focuses on the influence of improved video game console technology on enjoyment of games played on a sixth- (PlayStation 2) and seventh- (Xbox 360) generation video game console. In a 2 (game console) X2 (game type) mixed-factorial experimental design (N=64), technological advancement, namely, improved video game graphical processing (the most-salient technological difference between the consoles), was manipulated by having participants play an identical game from either the action or racing genre on both consoles. Although significant differences in the evaluation of game play graphics and other important game characteristics were found between consoles, no statistically significant main effect of the platform on enjoyment was reported; rather, game enjoyment was most affected by perceived usability for both consoles irrespective of gaming technology. Additionally, willingness to pay was positively influenced by game enjoyment, but not by game technology.

Spatial Presence and Perceived Reality as Predictors of Motion-Based Video Game Enjoyment

This study investigated the impact of new motion-based video game control systems on spatial presence, perceived reality, and enjoyment of video games. In two experiments, university students played video games on either new motion-based (Sony's Move, Microsoft's Kinect, and Nintendo's Wii), or standard video game systems (PS3 and XBOX 360 with gamepads). The results indicate that, in the context of golf, racing, and boxing games, the higher technological interactivity of motion-based systems (particularly Kinect) increases feelings of spatial presence, perceived reality, and enjoyment. Perceived reality predicted spatial presence; and spatial presence, in turn, was a significant predictor of enjoyment. Moving toward a more natural user interface (NUI) between the player and the game world can create a more immersive, realistic, and fun experience for the player. A new model for enjoyment of motion-based video games is proposed.

The effects of a player’s network centrality on resource accessibility, game enjoyment, and continuance intention: A study on online gaming communities

This study applies social capital theory to investigate how a player’s network centrality in an online gaming community (i.e., a guild) affects his/her attitude and continuance intention toward a Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG). Analysis of 347 usable responses shows that players’ network centrality has a negative impact on their ties to players who belong to other guilds (i.e., non-guild interaction), but a positive effect on players’ access to resources. However, players’ network centrality fails to increase their perceived game enjoyment directly. Players’ resource accessibility and perceived game enjoyment play mediating roles in the relationship between network centrality and attitude toward playing an MMOG, which in turn influences game continuance intention. The results also show that although players’ non-guild interaction is negatively related to their resource accessibility from the networks, it is positively associated with perceived game enjoyment. The article concludes with implications and limitations of the study.

주문형 게임 서비스를 위한 장면 기술자 기반 고속 게임 부호화기

주문형 게임 서비스는 서버에서 실행하는 게임을 동영상 부호화하여 클라이언트에 전송하고, 클라이언트에서 비디오 복호화를 통해 게임을 즐길 수 있게 해 준다. 다수의 사용자가 네트워크상에서 실시간 게임 서비스를 즐기기 위해서는 초고속 게임 인코더가 필요하다. 본 논문에서 제안한 방법은 장면 기술자를 정의하고, 이를 게임 영상을 부호화하는 부호화기에 부가적인 정보로 입력함으로써 움직임 예측, 율 왜곡 최적화와 같은 복잡도가 높은 부호화 과정을 생략하여 부호화기를 고속화한다. 장면 기술자를 움직임 벡터로 사용하고, 장면 기술자를 이용하여 매크로블록 모드를 결정해 부호화기를 고속화한다. 제안하는 방법의 성능 평가를 위해 H.264/AVC의 오픈 소프트웨어인 x264와 비교한 결과, x264에 어셈블리 코드가 포함되지 않은 경우에 대해서 약 192%의 부호화 속도 향상을 확인하였고, x264에서 일부 모듈에 대해서 어셈블리 최적화를 반영한 결과에 대해서는 86%의 부호화 속도가 향상되는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 부호화기의 고속화 결과 60 FPS의 부호화 속도를 넘어 주문형 게임을 실시간으로 수행할 수 있게 되었다. Gaming on demand(GOD) makes people enjoy games by encoding and transmitting game screen at a server side, and decoding the video at a client side. In this paper, we propose a fast game video encoder for multiple users over network with low-powered devices. In the proposed system, the computational complexity of game encoders is reduced by using scene descriptors, which consists of an object motion vector, global motion, and scene change. With additional information from game engines, the proposed encoder does not need to perform various complexity processes such as motion estimation and ratedistortion optimization. The motion estimation and rate-distortion optimization skipped by scene descriptors. We found that the proposed method improved 192 % in terms of FPS, compared with x264 software. With partial assembly code, we also improved coding speed by 86 % in terms of FPS. We found that the proposed fast encoder could encode over 60 FPS for real-time GOD applications.

Human Computation

Human computation is a new and evolving research area that centers around harnessing human intelligence to solve computational problems that are beyond the scope of existing Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms. With the growth of the Web, human computation systems can now leverage the abilities of an unprecedented number of people via the Web to perform complex computation. There are various genres of human computation applications that exist today. Games with a purpose (e.g., the ESP Game) specifically target online gamers who generate useful data (e.g., image tags) while playing an enjoyable game. Crowdsourcing marketplaces (e.g., Amazon Mechanical Turk) are human computation systems that coordinate workers to perform tasks in exchange for monetary rewards. In identity verification tasks, users perform computation in order to gain access to some online content; an example is reCAPTCHA, which leverages millions of users who solve CAPTCHAs every day to correct words in books that optical character recognition (OCR) programs fail to recognize with certainty.

Physical Activity Correlates, Perceived Enjoyment And Quality Of Participation In Children's Structured Play

Understanding the factors that promote physical activity (PA) participation is essential for the development of an effective PA intervention for preventing pediatric obesity. The quality of PA participation during an intervention is assessed by objectively measuring PA intensity. PURPOSE: To assess the relationships among the factors of attraction, self-efficacy and social support for PA with objective measures of the quality of PA (QPA) participation and real-time perceptions of enjoyment of common children's games during structured play. METHODS: Third grade children (8-10 y) volunteered for the study. During the informed consent visit, the children completed questionnaires to assess attraction to PA, positive and negative social support for PA, and PA self-efficacy. The children wore an accelerometer on the right hip to record QPA in counts/min while playing a random selection of 10 games. Immediately following each game, the children scored their perceived enjoyment on a 9-point Likert scale of facial expressions. Regression analyses examined the relationships among the correlates of PA, QPA and perceived enjoyment of the games. RESULTS: Twenty-eight children (15 boys and 13 girls; 12 healthy weight and 16 overweight according to CDC's BMI classifications) participated in 7 - 10 games. The scores for the psychosocial constructs were as follows: attraction: 3.4±0.4 (4 point scale); positive support: 9.6±1.6 (11-point scale); negative support: 0.2±0.5 (7 point scale); and self-efficacy: 12.9±1.9 (15-point scale). The children enjoyed the games (7.3±2.0) but attraction to PA was the only significant predictor for enjoyment (p<0.01). QPA participation was above the cut-point for moderate intensity PA (>803 counts/min) for this age group (2958±1.1 counts/min), although no psychosocial variable predicted QPA participation level during the games (p=0.21; r= -0.12 to 0.09). No relationship existed between real-time perception of enjoyment and QPA (r= 0.02). CONCLUSION: There was no positive relationship between the correlates of PA, the real-time measures of enjoyment and QPA participation during the structured games in this laboratory-based study. More research is necessary to determine if similar findings would persist in a free-living environment over time. Funded by Boston Children's Hospital

Examining Children'S Motivation, Physical Activity Participation, And Enjoyment In An Interactive Dance Game

Examining Children'S Motivation, Physical Activity Participation, And Enjoyment In An Interactive Dance Game