The Fun of Gaming: Measuring the Human Experience of Media Enjoyment

Slide 1: Lennart Nacke Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden

Slide 2: 2  Some basic facts ◦ Research group and EU FUGA project  The EU FUGA Project ◦ Procedures, objectives and benefits  Inside stimulus development ◦ Research work and CISGS  Conclusion Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 3: 3  Studied computational visualistics ◦ Diplom-Ingenieur from University of Magdeburg ◦ Junior Game Designer at impara GmbH  Recently moved to Sweden ◦ PhD student in Digital Game Development ◦ BTH CISGS research group  Working in the EU FUGA Project ◦ Modding, Programming ◦ Examining game enjoyment Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 4: 4  Cognition, Interaction, Simulation and Game Science  Head of Research ◦ Professor Craig Lindley, PhD  Focus ◦ Empirical research on cognition  Eye-Tracking  Psychophysiology of game play Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 5: 5  European Commission funding ◦ Sixth framework program ◦ New and Emerging Science and Technology (NEST)  PATHFINDER initiative ◦ “Measuring the impossible”  EU financial contribution to FUGA: ◦ ~ 2,000,000 €  Duration of FUGA ◦ 36 months (3 years) Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 6: 6  Helsinki School of Economics ◦ Center for Knowledge and Innovation Research (CKIR)  Helsinki University of Technology ◦ Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (HIIT)  Gotland University (HGO/BTH) ◦ BTH CISGS research group  Hannover University of Music and Drama (HMTH) ◦ Department of Journalism and Communication Research  University of Aachen (UKA)  Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE) Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 7: 7 Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 8: 8  Jussi Holopainen, NOKIA  Thomas Howalt, IO Interactive  Martin Lorber, EA Germany  Stephan Reichart, GAME & Aruba  Sten Selander, Spelplan  Stacey Spiegel, I-mmersion Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 9: 9 The main objective of FUGA is to create novel methods and improve existing measures in order to examine how the different dimensions of computer game experience can be assessed comprehensively with high temporal resolution. Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 12: 12 1) Psychophysiological recordings  facial electromyography [EMG]  electroencephalography [EEG]  electrocardiography [ECG]  electrodermal activity [EDA]  Respiration 2) Functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI) 3) Eye movement, gaze, and interaction logging 4) The so-called (online) implicit association test 5) Tracking of behavioral indicators of emotion and motivation Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 15: 15  Game experience measures  Establishing ◦ Construct validity ◦ Reliability ◦ Predictive validity  Develop a prototype ◦ An emotionally adaptive game Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 16: 16  Scientific impact ◦ Contribute to rise of European games industry  Innovative measurement approaches ◦ Apply methods for game design ◦ Useful for multiple purposes  Entertainment  Education  Therapy  Space Simulation  Aviation and Military Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 18: 18  Developing game stimuli  Stimulus? ◦ Design experiences for players ◦ Modding approach  Decided to use Source SDK (Half-Life 2) ◦ Great editor ◦ Access to source code  Combine with Eye-Tracker SDK  Event logging Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 19: 19  Develop iteratively  Dual development approach:  Priorities 1. Architecture (brushes, props) 2. Npcs, AI 3. Code integration Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 20: 20  Geared towards combat gameplay ◦ Important for measuring challenges  No multiple choice, textual dialog system ◦ Choreography scenes and on-screen text  No inventory ◦ Items collected are health and ammunition Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 21: 21  HMTH direct combat challenges ◦ Easy-to-kill npcs (boredom conditions) ◦ Hard-to-kill npcs (frustration conditions)  CKIR facial expression congruency ◦ Smiling npc  Player shall cooperate with him  Player shall kill him ◦ Angry looking npc  Player shall cooperate with him  Player shall kill him Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 23: 23  Once levels are ready ◦ Experiments start  Psychophysiological data  Questionnaires  Investigate hypotheses  Results will be distributed Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 24: 24  I am looking for… ◦ Support from publishers  Games we can use for our studies  Contribution of other game research studies ◦ Open-minded developers  We always like to look at new middleware  Maybe this will prove to be useful for your game  Possible place to investigate game design for 6 months  Keep in mind ◦ Research results are free!! Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 26: 26  EU wants research in games ◦ Our study starts this fall ◦  Stay open-minded to game research ◦ It is your free benefit  Changing requirements increases dev time ◦ Requirements always change (!!)  Think internationally Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

Slide 28: 28  Email address: Lennart.Nacke@bth.se  Download these slides here ◦ http://gamescience.bth.se  Thanks to ◦ Marko Hein for his superb mouse  ◦ CISGS (Craig, Charlotte, Sophie) ◦ Niklas (CKIR) for sending some slides ◦ Nuvola icons ◦ You for coming this early ;) Lennart Nacke, Quo Vadis 2007

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