Innovations in computer game interfaces continue to enhance the experience of players. Affective games - those that adapt or incorporate a player’s emotional state - have shown promise in creating exciting and engaging user experiences. However, a dearth of systematic exploration into what types of game elements should adapt to affective state leaves game designers with little guidance on how to incorporate affect into their games. We created an affective game engine, using it to deploy a design probe into how adapting the player’s abilities, the enemy’s abilities, or variables in the environment affects player performance and experience. Our results suggest that affectively adapting games can increase player arousal. Furthermore, we suggest that reducing challenge by adapting non-player characters is a worse design choice than giving players the tools that they need (through enhancing player abilities or a supportive environment) to master greater challenges.

Context. Smartphones contain advanced sensors called microelectromechanical systems(MEMS). By connecting a smartphone to a computer these sensors can be used to test new interaction techniques for games. Objective. This study aims to investigate an interaction technique implemented with a gyroscope that utilises the leaning of a user’s torso and compare it in terms of precision and enjoyment to using a joystick. Method. The custom interaction technique was implemented by using the gyroscope of a Samsung Galaxy s6 Edge and attaching it to to the torso of the user. The joystick technique was implementation by using the left joystick of an Xbox One controller. A user study was conducted and 19 people participated by playing a custom-made obstacle course game that tested the precision of the interaction techniques. After testing each technique participants took part in a survey consisting of questions regarding their enjoyment using the technique. Result. The results showed that the leaning technique was not as precise as the joystick implementation. The participants found the learning technique to be more fun to use and also more immersive compared to the joystick implementation. The leaning technique was however also more uncomfortable and difficult to use, and players felt less competent in their ability to control the player character with it. Conclusion. The performance difference might have been due to the lack of familiarity with the leaning technique compared to the joystick implementation. The leaning technique was more difficult to use and more uncomfortable than the joystick method. However, the leaning technique was also more fun to use and more immersive. This offers up the opportunity to keep exploring possibilities with this technique.

Den här studien är en empirisk studie genomförd via en enkät online där deltagarnahar fått svara på frågor som rör utforskning och inlevelse i spelet Starbound.Deltagarna fick svara fritt i löpande text hur de upplever att dessa aspekter påverkarderas förmåga för immersion. Dessa svar har vi sen analyserat med tematisk analysför att ta fram teman och kategorier som ger underlag för vår forskning. Vi fann att deredan etablerade kategorierna för immersion kunde utökas då svaren vi fick tydligtindikerade på att utforskning är av stor vikt för spelarnas förmåga att uppnåimmersion i spelet. Utöver utforskningsbaserad immersion fann vi också att tillgångtill flerspelarläge var en återkommande viktig aspekt för spelarnas immersion. / This study is an empirical study that was conducted via an online survey where theparticipants have answered questions regarding exploration and immersion in thegame Starbound. The participants answered the questions in their own words abouthow these aspects affected their ability to immerse themselves in the game. Theseanswers were then analyzed using thematic analysis in order for us to establish themesand categories that we used as a foundation for our research. We found that thealready established categories for immersion could be complemented by our findings;the answers from the participants indicated that exploration is of great importance forthe players ability to achieve immersion in the game. In addition to explorativeimmersion, we also found that immersion via multiplayer was a recurring importantaspect for the participants.

The focus of this research is on the development of a real time application that uses a low cost EEG headset to measure a player's state of mind while they play a video game. Using data collected using the Emotiv EPOC headset, various EEG processing techniques are tested to find ways of measuring a person's engagement and arousal levels. The ability to measure a person's engagement and arousal levels provide an opportunity to develop a model that monitor a person's flow while playing video games. Identifying when certain events occur, like when the player dies, will make it easier to identify when a player has left a state of flow. The real time application Brainwave captures data from the wireless Emotiv EPOC headset. Brainwave converts the raw EEG data into more meaningful brainwave band frequencies. Utilizing the brainwave frequencies the program trains multiple machine learning algorithms with data designed to identify when the player dies. Brainwave runs while the player plays through a video gaming monitoring their engagement and arousal levels for changes that cause the player to leave a state of flow. Brainwave reports to researchers and developers when the player dies along with the identification of the players exit of the state of flow.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore and examine how gameplay experiences differ in the gacha game Genshin Impact (miHoYo, 2020). In particular, there is a focus on the economic systems of the game along with the general play experience. People can have different perspectives as veteran players or newbie players, so the objective is to find differences in how these players approach the reward systems of the game, and how their relationship to these systems is affected. This is done by utilizing a mixed-method approach, using aspects of both formal analysis and autoethnography. It is further explored how players interacted with these economic systems, with a focus on the harder to acquire, premium currency of Primogems. The characteristics of reward systems in Genshin Impact, particularly the content unlocking mechanisms of the game, are discussed further, as they have implications for both types of players. The paper goes deeper into discussing dark design patterns, which are prevalent in the experiences of both players. As Genshin Impact is a large game with a variety of content, this is further explored and related to relevant theory to better facilitate a discussion about possible design implications. By comparing and analyzing the experiences of both players in regards to relevant theory, it was concluded that at a certain point the game no longer concerns itself with rewarding players adequately. This was further compounded by the game offering less and less goals to work towards for players, as they simply run out of meaningful content to do. Players are distracted from this lack of a goal by expertly crafted dark design patterns, introduced to the players in such a way that they have all but no choice, but to engage in these patterns willingly.

With a recent rise in popularity (and controversy) of challenging games, many have attempted to emulate their success. These games are commonly styled with dark, gritty and often surreal settings and characters. Beyond setting the tone, is there a measurable effect from these visual styles on the perception of challenge, and if so, what are those effects? This study looks at similar research and/or the fields visual style, and/or challenge in games to create a game with two distinct styles, from which as a result, a set of categories to better describe a visual style is proposed. The game is then used as an investigation into what to look for when testing for the impact of visual style on perceived challenge.

This paper investigates if real-time biofeedback can be used to enhance individual player experience by increasing the sense of flow and immersion with the player and to what extent this can be achieved. We used an oximeter, the Contec CMS50D+ to capture live biometric data which was in turn interpreted and implemented in the game Half-Life 2. The data was used to alter the damage taken and inflicted by the player, the timescale and the field of view, all to enhance the players sense of flow and immersion.An experiment group playing the modification and a control group playing the original game were evaluated, whose test results were compared to one another to analyze the alterations. The test subjects filled out a game experience questionnaire customized to this game and research, and were lastly interviewed. While the results indicate that it is possible to enhance gameplay experience by using biometric data, further research is needed in order to conclude to what extent this is possible.

I den här studien har frågeställningen “Vilken påverkan på spelupplevelsen har Coyote Time och Jump Buffer i 2D-Plattformsspel?” studerats. Coyote Time och Jump Buffer är två hjälpmekaniker som hjälper spelare att prestera bättre i plattformsspel där deras timing kan påverkas negativt av latens i hård- och mjukvara. En kvantitativ metodansats användes där data insamlades från två källor, en enkät baserad på modellen Player Experience Inventory (PXI) samt data från ett enkelt plattformsspel som skapats utifrån studiens behov av författarna. Data från spelet bestod av missade hopp, antal gånger som Coyote Time användes, antal gånger som Jump Buffer användes samt hur lång tid det tog för spelarna att klara nivån. I ett laboratorium, inrett som en lägenhet, fick tolv testdeltagare spela två spelnivåer i spelet. Vid varje testsession fick testdeltagarna spela en spelnivå med aktiva hjälpmedel och en spelnivå med inaktiva hjälpmedel. Efter avslutad spelnivå svarade testdeltagarna på den del av enkäten som hörde ihop med spelnivån. En analys av den insamlade datan tyder på att aktiva hjälpmedel generellt, med några få undantag, påverkar spelupplevelsen positivt. / <p>Det finns övrigt digitalt material (t.ex. film-, bild- eller ljudfiler) eller modeller/artefakter tillhörande examensarbetet som ska skickas till arkivet.</p><p>There are other digital material (eg film, image or audio files) or models/artifacts that belongs to the thesis and need to be archived.</p>

This study explores the role of agency and music agency in shaping players' experiences in video games. Using a qualitative approach, the study analyzed the experiences of four participants who played a music-based video game. The results suggest that agency and music agency play a crucial role in shaping players' engagement, immersion, and emotional investment in the game. Participants reported that having control over the music in the game provided them with a sense of control and agency, contributing to a more immersive and enjoyable experience. However, the study also highlights the importance of balancing agency with the level of challenge presented in the game. While providing players with agency can enhance engagement and satisfaction, it may not necessarily increase the level of challenge in the game. The study offers insights into the complex interplay between agency, music agency, and challenges in shaping player experiences in video games. Overall, the study provides valuable contributions to the field of game design research, highlighting the importance of considering player agency and music agency in crafting engaging and satisfying gaming experiences.

The purpose of this thesis is to find out how interactive level design directly impactsplayers’ experience of immersion. This was done by researching different perspectives andtheories for immersion and interactivity while using Genshin Impact as an example. For thisstudy, interactive level design means a piece of environment that reacts to a player’s input.This research is important as there is a gap in the research, as while there are existing theoriesfor interactivity, immersion, and level design independently, there is little existing researchlinking them together. Additionally, this thesis is important for future level design, as it willaid in making more interactive and immersive levels for games. The method of this thesisrelied on answers from 2 qualitative and quantitative surveys and 5 semi-structuredinterviews. The data gathered from the surveys and interviews were then separately analyzed.The results indicate that interactive level design indeed has an influence that heightensplayers’ experience of immersion.