The free-to-play mobile game Pokémon GO’s (PGO) use of real-world mapping encourages play in public spaces, opening up the possibility greater engagement with other players, local communities, and surrounds. This study conducted a series interviews ( N = 15) collected online social forum reports gameplay 880), order to determine what outcomes may be mechanisms might facilitating connectedness. Thematic analysis revealed that playing PGO produced sense belonging, linked place, as well...

Video game toxicity, endemic to online play, represents a pervasive and complex problem. Antisocial behaviours in play directly harm player wellbeing, enjoyment, retention—but research has also revealed that some players normalize toxicity as an inextricable acceptable element of the competitive video experience. In this work, we explore perceptions how they are predicted by traits, demonstrating participants reporting higher tendency towards Conduct Reconstrual, Distorting Consequences,...

Physiological sensing has been a prominent fixture in games user research (GUR) since the late 1990s, when researchers started to explore its potential enhance and understand experience within digital game play. Since these early days, is widely argued that "affective gaming"---in which gameplay influenced by player's emotional state---can player integrating physiological sensors into Reflecting 2020 on last 20 years of progress, we systematically review field affective gaming answer whether...

While online multiplayer games provide an opportunity for players to both maintain and establish new connections, male female have been found experience these environments differently. Interviews (n = 22) focus groups 14) were used explore differences as they impact on creating social well recommendations the development of tools features that account differences. all participants experienced toxicity performance pressure barriers forming uniquely reported impacts misogynistic targeting...

Game developers, researchers, and players recognize the harm of toxic behaviour in online games-yet toxicity persists. Players' coping strategies are limited to tools that focus on punishing (e.g., muting, blocking, reporting), which inadequate often misused. To address needs experiencing toxicity, we took inspiration from research other spaces provide support for targets harassment. We iteratively designed evaluated in-game toxicity. While found most prefer explicitly increase feelings...

Toxicity in multiplayer gaming is an ongoing problem that threatens the well-being of players, communities, and game developers. Meanwhile, interventions promote positive interactions proactively create spaces are still their infancy; little known about how players respond to positivity. In our study, 959 League Legends were presented with either 10 chat logs or negative logs, asked reflect on content representative such communication own experiences. We thematically coded participants'...

The study examines the relationship of challenge-skill balance and player experience through evaluation competence, autonomy, presence, interest/enjoyment, positive negative affect states. To manipulate balance, three video game modes -- boredom (low challenge), (medium overload (high challenge) were developed experimentally tested (n = 45). showed that self-reported affect, interest/enjoyment differed between levels. condition generally performed well in terms experiences, confirming key...

Despite rewards being seemingly ubiquitous in video games, there has been limited research into their impact on the player experience. Informed by extant literature, we built a casual game to test of reward types, both individually (i.e. of: access, facility, sustenance, glory, praise) and variety no rewards, individual all rewards). No evidence was found for differing types impacting experience differently. However, greater having positive interest enjoyment. Regardless characteristic...

Toxicity in online gaming is a problem that causes harm to players, developers, and communities. Toxic behaviors persist multiplayer games for number of reasons, continue go unchecked due large part lack reliable methods accurately detect toxicity online, real-time, at scale. In this article, we present modeling approach uses features derived from in-game verbal communication game metadata predict if <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"...

Now more than ever, people are using online platforms to communicate. Twitch, the foremost platform for live game streaming, offers many communication modalities. However, lacks representation of social cues and signals audience experience, which innately present in events. To address this, we a technology probe that captures energy response streaming context. We designed integrated custom-communication modality—Commons Sense—in members' heart rates sensed via webcam, averaged, fed into...

The aim of our research is to iteratively refine and begin validating a proposed videogame reward typology its associated definitions. A mixed methods approach has been taken so as best evaluate the taxonomy. views an expert focus group have explored considered. Separately, review rewards observed within recreational videogames undertaken analyzed. collective findings both prompted redesign existing taxonomy, resulting in more robust definitions with increased applicability.

People who play video games do so in a range of social contexts: alone, with people they know and don't know, cooperative competitive settings. However, little is known about what enjoy or dislike these contexts play, how to best design support player preferences. Using open-ended responses from an online survey (N = 326) series interviews 16) this study shows that the solitary context offers immersive, relaxing, autonomous as well avoidance unwanted interactions. Social however, provides...

While evidence supports that some commercial off-the-shelf video games may promote mental wellbeing, it is an extensive time investment to experimentally identify benefit players. The delay between research and game development can render such out-of-date. In this work, we explore player-written reviews as a way expeditiously identifying with potential benefits for wellbeing. Through content analysis of review data, found players publicly disclose experiences consistent self-care. Our...

This paper explores the obstacles associated with designing video game levels for purpose of objectively measuring flow. We sought to create three capable inducing a flow state, an overload state (low-flow), and boredom (low-flow). A pilot study, in which participants self-reported after playing all levels, was undertaken. Unexpected results point challenges operationalising research, experimental design invoking low-flow, concerns about as construct enjoyment, applicability self-report...

Experiencing the thrill of success is one digital gaming's pleasures, but often also involves crush repeated failure. To explore and failure in play, we conducted a mixed-methods study which 182 participants described scenarios their experiences therein. Our results suggest that should be considered relation to players' goals, differentiated into temporary perpetual failure, (the struggle) integral experience (overcoming struggle). We further show although generally more enjoyable than...

Aims This study aims to explore community perspectives on enhancer usage in competitive gaming and esports, focusing the perception of fairness concerns about various potential performance enhancers. Methods We conducted both qualitative quantitative surveys understand community's opinions different types enhancers their impact esports. A thematic analysis was performed identify key themes how players rationalize opinions. Conclusions The differentiates between based problematic they are for...

Measuring the video game player experience is a distinctly challenging task. As of 'fun' in games imprecise and multi-faceted, various psychological experiential phenomena have been investigated an effort to evaluate quantify aspects experience. Psychophysiology provides useful lens through which objectively quantitatively measure these phenomena. This study reports current electrodermal activity (EDA) findings from large-scale ongoing investigating psychophysiology play using activity,...

Toxicity is and remains a problem in multiplayer games, can result harm for players game environments. Grounded prior work, we present four challenges that impede solving the of toxicity harassment. We believe need to overcome these ensure safe gaming spaces, intend stimulate discussion about how HCI Games research make substantial contributions toward this goal.

Videogames are complex stimuli, and selecting games that consistently induce a desired player experience (PX) in an experimental setting can be challenging. The number of relatively high-quality being released each year continues to increase, which makes deriving shortlist plausible candidate from this pool increasingly problematic. Despite this, guidance for structuring reporting on the game selection process remains limited. This paper therefore proposes two approaches selection: first...

Biofeedback holds great potential for augmenting game play, but research to date has focussed predominantly on single player games. This paper proposes an interactional approach, which emphasises how multiple players engage with biofeedback and one another make sense of the feedback incorporate it into their play. To explore this approach in context dice Mia, we designed AMIA (Augmented Mia), a prototype system that gives heart rate, skin conductance, temperature player's hat or armband. A...

This work explores the use of functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess cognitive activity during videogame play, and compare it tasks that executive control. To this end, we assessed haemodynamic response in prefrontal cortex, each manipulated on a spectrum difficulty. In our study (n = 37), find mental effort expended play did not differ from tasks---and speculate regional gameplay is indicative functions pertaining memory encoding retrieval, planning, sustainment attention....

This work explores perceptions of performance enhancer usage in esports. Specifically, we explored the perception of: food and supplements; non-medical use prescription drugs; drugs with some social acceptance (e.g. alcohol, nicotine, cannabis); lower (e.g., psychedelics, opioids); non-invasive brain stimulation transcranial direct current stimulation). A mixed-methods approach was used to triangulate findings around three data sets, including both prompted unprompted online forum comments,...

Video games frequently invoke high-pressure circumstances in which player performance is crucial. These are incubators for 'choking' and 'clutching'-phenomena that broadly address critical failures successes performance, respectively. The eruption of esports into the mainstream has vitalized need to understand video games, particularly competitive spaces. In this work, we explore potential mechanisms behind choking clutching how they related traits tendencies. We report results multiple...