Papers by Wouter van den Hoogen
Multimedia Design for Cognition, Affect & Behaviour User Experience (UX): end user experience (af... more Multimedia Design for Cognition, Affect & Behaviour User Experience (UX): end user experience (affective, cognitive and behavioural) as a result of system interaction. User-Centered Design (UCD): designing systems, such as serious games, based on the wants, needs and limitations of the intended end users.
With the increased adoption of real-time objective measurements of player experience, advances ha... more With the increased adoption of real-time objective measurements of player experience, advances have been made in characterising the dynamically changing aspects of the player experience during gameplay itself. A direct coupling to player action, however, is not without challenges. Many physiological responses, for instance, have an inherent delay, and often take some time to return to a baseline, providing challenges of interpretation when analysing rapidly changing gameplay on a micro level of interaction. The development of event-related, or phasic, measurements directly coupled to player actions provides additional insights, for instance through player modelling, but also through the use of behavioural characteristics of the human computer interaction itself. In this study, we focused on the latter, and measured keyboard pressure in a number of different, fast-paced action games. In this particular case, we related specific functional game actions (keyboard presses) to experiential player behaviour. We found keyboard pressure to be higher for avoidance as compared to approach-oriented actions. Additionally, the difference between avoidance and approach keyboard pressure related to levels of arousal. The findings illustrate the application potential of qualifying players' functional actions at play (navigating in a game) and interpret player experience related to these actions through players' real world behavioural characteristics like interface pressure.
Proceedings of Measuring Behavior, Aug 26, 2008
The area of digital games constitutes a tremendously varied set of applications, with a wide rang... more The area of digital games constitutes a tremendously varied set of applications, with a wide range of associated player experiences, defying a one-size-fits-all approach to its conceptualization and measurement. One of the main challenges facing the gaming research community is a lack of a coherent and fine-grained set of methods and tools that enable the measurement of entertainment experiences in a sensitive, reliable and valid manner. Much like the six wise (but blind) men touching the elephant, no single ...
Journal of Applied Mechanics-transactions of The Asme, 2008
This paper describes a first exploration of human motor behavior that may be associated with play... more This paper describes a first exploration of human motor behavior that may be associated with player experiences in digital games. Evidence from literature suggests that patterns in pressure and postural movement data may be indicative for experiences such as interest, arousal, frustration and boredom. In the current study we explore the relation between behavioral measures and people's emotional experience during game play. Results from the study presented in this paper indicate that the intensity of people's actions (e.g. pressure exerted on the mouse) and bodily movement relates to several experiences during game-play, including frustration. However, the results show that these behavioral measures do not exclusively relate to one specific experience. Rather, the results imply these behavioral measures to relate to the level of arousal and level of dominance felt during game-play. From these results it is evident that behavioral measures have a clear application potential. This study presents a starting point in the development of a set of behavior-based measures of player experiences. Establishing sensitivity and validity of such measures can be regarded as the necessary first step in the process of creating an emotionally adaptive game.
As the game industry matures and games become more and more complex, there is an increasing need ... more As the game industry matures and games become more and more complex, there is an increasing need to develop scientific methodologies for analyzing and measuring player experience, in order to develop a better understanding of the relationship and interactions between players and games. This panel gathers distinguished European playability and user experience experts to discuss current findings and methodological advancements within player experience and playability research.
Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 2012
Background: Many contemporary systems for neurorehabilitation utilize 3D virtual environments (VE... more Background: Many contemporary systems for neurorehabilitation utilize 3D virtual environments (VEs) that allow for training patients' hand or arm movements. In the current paper we comparatively test the effectiveness of two characteristics of VEs in rehabilitation training when utilizing a 3D haptic interaction device: Stereo Visualization (monoscopic vs stereoscopic image presentation) and Graphic Environment (2.5D vs 3D).
This article contributes to research on the complex relation between dying in a digital game and ... more This article contributes to research on the complex relation between dying in a digital game and player experience. In this article, we extend recent findings (Ravaja, Turpeinen, Saari, Kelti-kangas-Järvinen, & Puttonen, 2008) indicating that player death may induce positive affect. The study explored whether smiling upon dying in a game should be attributed to transient relief experiences or, instead, related to being challenged to try harder. Facial expressions were recorded while players experienced frequent deaths and occasionally reached safe zones in a shooter game. Players, indeed, smiled after dying, as testified by deactivation of the corrugator supercilii and activation of the zygomaticus major. Although retrospective subjective evaluations showed player-death events were appraised negatively, importantly, zygomaticus major activation decreased with repeated player-deaths. Moreover, safe zones did not result in patterns of facial electromyography activity indicating pleasure, countering a transient relief explanation. We propose that, as part of the ongoing game, player death reinforces the sense of challenge that the game offers. While dying may not be fun in itself, being challenged may initially be experienced as enjoyable and, therefore, evoke a smile. Without clear progress in the game and a lost sense of challenge, however, dying is no longer a laughing matter.
… , Behavior, and Social …
This study investigated how player emotions during game-play, measured through self-report and ph... more This study investigated how player emotions during game-play, measured through self-report and physiological recordings, predict playing time and game preferences. We distinguished between short-term (immediately after game-play) and long-term (after 3 weeks) playing time and game preferences. While pleasure was most predictive for short-term playing time and game preferences, arousal, particularly for game preferences, was most predictive on the longer term. This result was found through both self-report and physiological emotion measures. This study initiates theorizing about digital gaming as a hedonic consumer product and sketches future research endeavors of this topic.
This paper describes a first exploration of human motor behavior that may be associated with play... more This paper describes a first exploration of human motor behavior that may be associated with player experiences in digital games. Evidence from literature suggests that patterns in pressure and postural movement data may be indicative for experiences such as interest, arousal, frustration and boredom. In the current study we explore the relation between behavioral measures and people's emotional experience during game play. Results from the study presented in this paper indicate that the intensity of people's actions (e.g. pressure exerted on the mouse) and bodily movement relates to several experiences during game-play, including frustration. However, the results show that these behavioral measures do not exclusively relate to one specific experience. Rather, the results imply these behavioral measures to relate to the level of arousal and level of dominance felt during game-play. From these results it is evident that behavioral measures have a clear application potential. This study presents a starting point in the development of a set of behavior-based measures of player experiences. Establishing sensitivity and validity of such measures can be regarded as the necessary first step in the process of creating an emotionally adaptive game.
Journal of Applied Mechanics-transactions of The Asme, 2008
digra.org
In this paper we investigate the relation between immersion in a game and the player's intensity ... more In this paper we investigate the relation between immersion in a game and the player's intensity of physical behaviours, in order to explore whether these behaviours can be reliably used as indicators of player experience. Immersion in the game was manipulated by means of screen size (20" vs 42" screen), and sound pressure level (60dBA vs 80 dBA), according to a 2 x 2 design. The effects of these manipulations on self-reported experience (including arousal and presence) and behavioural intensity (controller tilt and button pressure) were measured. Results showed that sound pressure level in particular strongly influenced both the self-reported measures of people's affective reactions and feelings of presence and the force people applied to the interface device. Results from controller tilt demonstrated that participants did move along with the dynamics of the game. The measure was, however not sensitive to either of the two manipulations of sensory immersion. In the paper the implications for the use of behavioural indicators of player experience in general and the feeling of presence are discussed.
Virtual Rehabilitation ( …
Virtual environments (VE) are emerging for the creation of effective and motivating exercise ther... more Virtual environments (VE) are emerging for the creation of effective and motivating exercise therapy for neurorehabilitation of MS and stroke patients. Although these interactive systems are promising tools in rehabilitation, the targeted end users often suffer from visual system disorders and cognitive dysfunctions, which may influence their capabilities while navigating in a virtual 3D world. Cues like shades are proven to be effective navigation and localization aids in a 3D environment for healthy people, but little is known about their benefit for persons with a neurological disease. Therefore, we conducted a user study to test the impact of visual cues such as shading on navigation tasks in a VE for a population of MS and stroke patients. We compared 3 visual conditions in the environment: one without shading, one with shading, and one with shading as well as a dropline between the shade and the object representing the person's location in the environment. Participants in the user study were 11 persons diagnosed with MS, 9 with stroke and 9 healthy control persons. Subjective measures were not uninfluenced by the use of shade or a dropline, but objective measures show a significant increase in speed, and lower execution time resulting from the addition of object-shading.
… of Measuring Behavior …, Jan 1, 2008
... _World of warcraft, the aftermath : how game elements transfer to real life perceptions and e... more ... _World of warcraft, the aftermath : how game elements transfer to real life perceptions and experiences. Poels, Karolien; IJsselsteijn, WA; Kort, de, YAW; Iersel, Van, B. (in: Proceedings of DiGRA 2009, Breaking New Ground : Innovation in Games, Play, Practice and Theory ...
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Papers by Wouter van den Hoogen