Showing papers by "Lennart E. Nacke published in 2019"

Older Adults’ Physical Activity and Exergames: A Systematic Review

Abstract: Exertion games, also referred to as exergames, have become popular because they combine physical activity (PA) with game mechanics, such as actions, challenges, and achievements. Exergames have bee...

Empirical validation of the Gamification User Types Hexad scale in English and Spanish

Abstract: Gamification, the use of game elements in non-game systems, is now established as a relevant research field in human-computer interaction (HCI). Several empirical studies have shown that gameful interventions can increase engagement and generate desired behavioral outcomes in HCI applications. However, some inconclusive results indicate that we need a fuller understanding of the mechanisms and effects of gamification. The Gamification User Types Hexad scale allows us to parse different user motivations in participants’ interactions with gameful applications, which are measured using a self-report questionnaire. Each user type represents a style of interaction with gameful applications, for example, if the interactions are more focused on achievements, socialization, or rewards. Thus, by scoring an individual in each one of the user types of the Hexad model, we can establish a profile of user preferences for gameful interactions. However, we still lack a substantial empirical validation of this scale. Therefore, we set out to validate the factor structure of the scale, in both English and Spanish, by conducting three studies, which also investigated the distribution of the Hexad's user types in the sample. Our findings support the structural validity of the scale, as well as suggesting opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, we demonstrate that some user types are more common than others and that gender and age correlate with a person's user types. Our work contributes to HCI research by further validating the utility of the Gamification User Types Hexad scale, potentially affording researchers a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and effects of gameful interventions.

Defining gameful experience as a psychological state caused by gameplay: Replacing the term ‘Gamefulness’ with three distinct constructs

Abstract: Background and Aim Gamefulness is commonly cited as the primary goal of gamification, a family of approaches employed in education, business, healthcare, government, and elsewhere However, gamefulness is defined imprecisely across the literature To address this, we present a theory of gamefulness that splits gamefulness into more specific constructs and outlines their effects in a process model Method We integrate extant literature from psychology, human-computer interaction, and other fields to define gameful design, systems, and experiences Most critically, we argue that gameful experience is the core focal construct of this theory and define it as an interactive state occurring when a person perceives non-trivial achievable goals created externally, is motivated to pursue them under an arbitrary set of behavioral rules, and evaluates that motivation as voluntary Results We present six resulting propositions: (1) gameful systems lead to gameful experiences, (2) gameful systems impact psychological characteristics, (3) effective gameful design leads to gameful systems, (4) effective gameful systems lead to behavioral change, (5) appropriate behavioral change causes the distal outcomes gamification designers target, and (6) individual differences moderate the effectiveness of gameful systems Conclusion Gameful experience theory provides researchers with a unified foundation to study gamification from any social scientific lens

“I Don’t Fit into a Single Type”: A Trait Model and Scale of Game Playing Preferences

Abstract: Player typology models classify different player motivations and behaviours. These models are necessary to design personalized games or to target specific audiences. However, many models lack validation and standard measurement instruments. Additionally, they rely on type theories, which split players into separate categories. Yet, personality research has lately favoured trait theories, which recognize that people’s preferences are composed of a sum of different characteristics. Given these shortcomings of existing models, we developed a player traits model built on a detailed review and synthesis of the extant literature, which introduces five player traits: aesthetic orientation, narrative orientation, goal orientation, social orientation, and challenge orientation. Furthermore, we created and validated a 25-item measurement scale for the five player traits. This scale outputs a player profile, which describes participants’ preferences for different game elements and game playing styles. Finally, we demonstrate that this is the first validated player preferences model and how it serves as an actionable tool for personalized game design.

Player Characteristics and Video Game Preferences

Abstract: The Games User Research literature has advanced considerably on understanding why people play games and what different types of games or mechanics they prefer. However, what has been less studied is how models of player preferences explain their game choices. In this study, we address this question by combining and analyzing two datasets (N = 188 and N = 332) containing data about the games that participants enjoy, their player trait scores, and their preferred game elements and playing styles. The results provide evidence that these scores can significantly explain participants' preferences for different games. Additionally, we provide information about the characteristics of players who enjoy each game.

The quest for a better tailoring of gameful design: An analysis of player type preferences

Abstract: Gameful systems are often developed using "one size fits all" approaches. However, it would be better to tailor the experience according to each participant's personal preferences. On that regard, player types and game design elements are the main personalization dimensions that have been studied in the literature, even though such studies often lack empirical validation, employing very small or local samples. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study that further investigates user types and preferences for different game design elements. Results show the relationships between gender and age among and between player types as well as how different game design elements influence the participants.

Cross-Car, Multiplayer Games for Semi-Autonomous Driving

Abstract: We investigate and characterize a design space for in-car games based on a survey of previous work, and identify an opportunity for "cross-car" multiplayer games played among occupants in nearby cars. This is supported by innovations in automotive technology like autonomous driving, full-window heads-up displays, and ad hoc communication between vehicles. In a custom virtual reality driving simulator, we created three games to illustrate design dimensions: Killerball, a competitive free-for-all game; Billiards, a player versus player, massively multiplayer online game with player assists; and Decoration, an idle-style game with multiplayer resource management. A 12-participant evaluation with a semi-structured interview revealed a positive response to input controls and HUDs, and suggests game genres have a similar effect on time for an emergency driving takeover task. We used insights from our process and evaluation to formulate design considerations for future cross-car games.

Gameful Design Heuristics: A Gamification Inspection Tool

Abstract: Despite the emergence of many gameful design methodologies in the literature, there is a lack of methods to evaluate the resulting designs. Gameful design techniques aim to increase the user’s motivation to interact with a software, but there are presently no accepted guidelines on how to find out if this goal was achieved during the design phase of a project. This paper presents the Gameful Design Heuristics, a novel set of guidelines that facilitate a heuristic evaluation of gameful software, with a focus on the software’s potential to afford intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for the user. First, we reviewed several gameful design methods to identify the most frequently employed dimensions of motivational affordances. Then, we devised a set of 28 gamification heuristics that can be used to rapidly evaluate a gameful system. Finally, we conducted a summative empirical evaluation study with five user experience professionals, which demonstrated that our heuristics can help the evaluators find more motivational issues in interactive systems than they would without the heuristics. The suggested method fulfills the need for evaluation tools specific to gameful design, which could help evaluators assess the potential user experience of a gameful application in the early phases of a project.

"It Started as a Joke": On the Design of Idle Games

Abstract: With idle games, active withdrawal from the game comprises an essential part of gameplay as players wait for the game state to change over time. This mode of interaction is paradigmatic for the change of roles technologies have in our lives. However, the design elements of idle games are less well understood, particularly from the perspectives of developers. We interviewed six designers of six different popular idle games and inquired into their individual approaches. Via thematic analysis, we refine and expand on existing definitions of idle games as a genre, shed light on ethically charged practices of care in their design, and identify shared core characteristics between the games and processes. We then generate intermediate-level knowledge on the design of idle games. Our work contributes designers' perspectives on idle games and their design to a growing body of literature on the genre.

User Experience (UX) Research in Games

Abstract: This course will allow participants to understand the complexities of games user research methods for user experience research in games. For this, we have put together three-course sessions at CHI (80 minutes each) on applications of different user research methods in games evaluation and playtesting exercises to help participants turn player feedback into actionable design recommendations. This course consists of three interactive face-to-face units during CHI 2019.

Motivational Affordances for Older Adults’ Physical Activity Technology: An Expert Evaluation

Abstract: Gamification has become popular as a behavior change strategy to increase the motivation and engagement of clients in health and wellness applications. Motivational affordances or gamification elements can help to foster intrinsic or extrinsic motivation for an activity as mundane as achieving fitness and wellness goals. Research indicates that there are many motivations among older adults for playing digital games and exergames to encourage physical activity (PA). Although studies investigate the influence of game elements in exergames on older adults PA, our study focuses on the usage of gamification elements for gamified PA technology. We designed Spirit50, a gamified PA technology app and conducted an expert evaluation using long form questionnaires and the Heuristics Evaluation for Gameful Design instrument. Content analysis and comparisons of expert ratings of the heuristics provided specific insights into motivational affordances for older adults’ PA technology.

Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2019

Abstract: The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has had a major impact on data collection and processing practices. It has also challenged interaction design aiming to support the effectiveness of data owners’ rights, their informed decisions, and their actions regarding how personal information is used by companies, governments, and others. Similar legislation has been issued in various non-European countries, which means that, in this respect, the HCI community has an important role to play for users all over the world. This paper presents the conclusions of a contrastive study with four major e-commerce websites in Portugal, where data protection law has been effective since 2018, and four analogs in Brazil, where the national Data Protection Law (DPL) has been sanctioned but will only be effective in 2020. The purpose of the study is to examine the pre-legislation to post-legislation evolution in the design of interaction for communication and action about personal data protection matters, so as to anticipate some of the threats and opportunities ahead of us. Using concepts and elements of Semiotic Engineering methods and techniques, we found that, within the scope of this study, GDPR seems to have had little impact on what European users can do and experience online, compared to pre-DPL Brazilian users. We discuss some of the possible reasons for this and conclude with thoughts on the role of interaction design in empowering data owners for this new regulation era.

A Pilot Study of a Digital Skill Tree in Gameful Education.

Abstract: Gameful digital applications have been adopted in higher education to help increase student engagement and improve learning. However, many studies have only evaluated educational applications that combine some common game design elements—such as points, leaderboards, or levels. Consequently, we still lack studies exploring different ways of designing gameful learning experiences. Therefore, we introduce the design and implementation of a digital system employing a skill tree to mediate instructor feedback and assignment grading in a university course, Additionally, we present the results of a pilot evaluation with 16 students in which we summarized the positive and negative aspects of the experience to derive lessons learned for the use of digital skill trees in similar contexts. Finally, we suggest topics for further investigation.

How to Write CHI Papers (Third Edition)

Abstract: We base everything that we do as researchers on what we write. Primarily for graduate students and young researchers, it is hard to turn a research project into a successful CHI publication. This struggle continues for postdocs and young professors trying to author excellent reviews for the CHI community that pinpoint flaws and improvements in research papers. This third edition of the successful CHI paper writing course offers hands-on advice and more in-depth tutorials on how to write papers with clarity, substance, and style. It is structured into three 80-minute units with a focus on writing CHI papers.

Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2019: 17th IFIP TC 13 International Conference, Paphos, Cyprus, September 2–6, 2019, Proceedings, Part IV

Abstract: Recent market reports have suggested that adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) does not always lead to long-term use. This paper aims to advance an understanding of the sociological process of the (non-)use of the IoT. To this end, we present results from a mixedmethods study that analyzed survey data from 834 IoT users in the U.S. Many of our participants treated these devices as co-actors for achieving their goals and continued to use them because they had developed a routine or because the devices influenced their social interactions and identity. Participants limited their use of a device when they did not feel in control, when the device failed to understand their intent, or when they did not understand the device’s behavior. We also found that excessive information offered by, disappointment due to, and the complexity of the devices led to their abandonment. Lastly, we discuss the implications of our results for understanding technology (non-)use and provide design

The Impact of Using a Gamified Interface on Engagement in a Warehousing Management Task: A NeuroIS Research Proposal

Abstract: Engagement, or rather lack thereof has become a major issue because of its negative impact on productivity. Recently, gamification has successfully been implemented into corporate technological interfaces to increase engagement of employees. This paper proposes a theory-driven experiment that examines the impact a gamified interface has on engagement and performance of workers in a warehouse-management task. Specifically, the experiment proposed in this paper compares how the integration of two different types of goal-setting (self-set goals or assigned goals) into a warehouse-employee interface will affect engagement and performance.

The Development of "Orbit": The Collaborative BCI Game for Children with AD(H)D

Abstract: Children with Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder or AD(H)D can require treatment for which they need to experience long-lasting neurofeedback sessions. Children might not adhere to at-home treatment activities because of the nature of these sessions; thus, not getting the benefits of the program. To increase adherence and effectiveness of the treatment itself, we propose neurofeedback gaming and social encouragement. Our hypothesis is that by playing a collaborative neurofeedback game, children will be more adherent to their treatment and therefore derive a stronger benefit. For this purpose we designed the game "Orbit", a first multiplayer prototype that was evaluated in a pilot study with five neuropsychologists. It was found that collaborative multiplayer games are suitable from a therapeutic standpoint and long-term use because of its higher social motivation and collaboration between children with AD(H)D; albeit there are some drawbacks including unreliability of electroencephalography (EEG) input and the risk for the collaborative environment to be distracting for the player.

Biologically-Inspired Gameplay: Movement Algorithms for Artificially Intelligent (AI) Non-Player Characters (NPC)

Abstract: In computer games, designers frequently leverage biologicallyinspired movement algorithms such as flocking, particle swarm optimization, and firefly algorithms to give players the perception of intelligent behaviour of groups of enemy non-player characters (NPCs). While extensive effort has been expended designing these algorithms, a comparison between biologically inspired algorithms and naive directional algorithms (travel towards the opponent) has yet to be completed. In this paper, we compare the biological algorithms listed above against a naive control algorithm to assess the effect that these algorithms have on various measures of player experience. The results reveal that the Swarming algorithm, followed closely by Flocking, provide the best gaming experience. However, players noted that the firefly algorithm was most salient. An understanding of the strengths of different behavioural algorithms for NPCs will contribute to the design of algorithms that depict more intelligent crowd behaviour in gaming and computer simulations.

Crushed it!: Interactive Floor Demonstration

Abstract: We introduceCrushed It!, an interactive game on a sensor floor. This floor is combined with a multiple projector system to reduce occlusions from players' interactions with the floor. Individual displays, an HTC Vive to track player position, and smart watches were added to provide an extra layer of interactivity. We created this interactive experience to explore collaboration between people when interacting with large displays. We contribute a novel combination of different technologies for this game system and our studies showed this game is both entertaining and provides players with motivation to stay physically active. We believe presenting at interactivity would be a benefit to both our research and to the attendees of CHI 2019.