Introduction to the
Theory of Player Experience
lecture outline & key points
Aki Järvinen
aki@gameswithoutfrontiers.net
http://www.gameswithoutfrontiers.net

Contents
• Introduction to key psychological concepts
• On the psychology and ludology of goals
• Theories of entertainment & enjoyment
• Player abilities in the context of human abilities
• Emotion theory in terms of applied ludology
• Examples of practical applications for game
studies and design
• Exercises
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What is Player Experience?
• The cognitions, emotions, and physical
activity during playing a game, and
immediately afterwards
• I.e. a play experience in the particular
context of a game
• Studying player experience equals studying
psychological, cognitive, physiological, and
emotional aspects of gaming encounters
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A Resource for Game Studies & Design

Psychology of Goals
• The not be overemphasized player experience
importance of goals for
can
• The road to attaining goals is beset by
emotions
• Emotions function inset as primary of goals. i.e.
the managing
which goals players
• Goals are embodied into the design of game
components, characters, environments, and
their attributes
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A Resource for Game Studies & Design

Types of Emotions
• Ortony, Collins & Clore: The Cognitive Structure of Emotions (1990)
• Emotions are valenced (+/-) reactions towards agents, events, or
objects in the world
• Games create micro-worlds with agents, events, and objects
• Emotion categories according to the OCC model:
• Prospect-based emotions
• Fortunes-of-others emotions
• Attribution emotions
• Attraction emotions
• Well-being emotions
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A Resource for Game Studies & Design

Variables aecting
intensity of emotions
• Sense of reality
• Proximity
• Unexpectedness
• Arousal
• The variables have consequences for
identification with goals, immersing oneself
to the game as a world, how surprised one
feels about events in the game, etc.
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A Resource for Game Studies & Design

Player abilities as
uncertainty factors
• Any game that allows use of skill in attaining goals (instead of,
e.g., pure chance) must oer opportunities for the skills to
develop.
• Skills are based on abilities and aptitudes
• Requires an interpretation of general human abilities from a
ludological perspective (see Thesis chapter)
• Identifying non-trivial abilities in the face of goals and game
mechanics
• Analysis method: which abilities make a successful
performance of game mechanics uncertain, i.e. which player
abilities contribute to the margin of error?
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Player Ability Sets
• Player Ability Sets: sets of human
cognitive, psychomotor, and physical
abilities that cater for specific skills and
aptitudes
• What constitutes a ‘dance game’ ability
set? How about a ‘brain flexing’ set for
crossword puzzles and Sudokus?
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A Resource for Game Studies & Design

Player performances as
sources of emotions
• Performance can also be conceptualised through the
three-fold division to self, other, and system
• In games of skill, hopes and fears of players are anchored
to their own abilities to perform in the face of goals
• Skill is a prospect for prospect-based emotions
• Thus, performance-of-self is the source of pride and
disappointment
• And self-judgment on one’s abilities has consequences for
the variables that aect the intensity of emotions
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A Resource for Game Studies & Design

Game states as scenarios for
eliciting conditions
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Harvesting exercise
• Use 5 mins to come up
with game state scenarios
where there is high
emotional intensity or
potential
• After which we’ll analyse
their constitution in terms
of game design
• Let’s practice with Zuma
Games without Frontiers
A Resource for Game Studies & Design