Abstract Need for novelty has been proposed as a potential candidate to be a basic psychological need, in addition to autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the Self-Determination Theory literature. In this paper, we investigate the need for novelty in the video gaming domain, and examine whether it differentiates as a distinct construct from the other three basic needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness. To be able to test this, we examined whether novelty uniquely predicts context specific outcomes, such as concentration, satisfaction and commitment in games. We conducted an online survey with 390 online video game players. Regression analyses showed that need for novelty indeed emerges as a distinct construct, and uniquely predicts positive outcomes. This study provides initial support for novelty as a basic psychological need that is needed for players' intrinsic motivation, and shows the importance of novelty in online video gaming. We discuss new avenues for research related to need for novelty and how consideration of novelty may impact game design.

Recent research has begun exploring games as a medium for reflection due to their affordances as interactive systems of challenge. However, little effort has been put into (1) synthesizing insights across studies and disciplines and (2) translating the academic work on reflective play into practical takeaways for game developers. This article takes the first steps toward summarizing existing work on reflective play and translating insights for practical implementation by identifying key game elements present in games that evoke reflection. We divide these elements into five approaches: Disruptions, Slowdowns, Questioning, Revisiting, and Enhancers. Finally, we provide an actionable supplement for practicing game developers to apply these concepts to their games.

Gamification and virtual reality (VR) are increasingly being explored for their potential to enhance mindful practices and well-being. We further explore the potential of gamification and VR for breath awareness and mindfulness, and contribute Stairway to Heaven, a VR artifact that combines gamification with respiratory sensor biofeedback to cultivate mindful awareness of breathing. In our mixed-method study with 21 participants, we evaluated the usability and effectiveness of our artifact in promoting breathing frequencies between 4 and 10 breaths per minute (BPM). We integrate breath-driven teleportation as a virtual locomotion technique (VLT) using respiratory biofeedback to gamify progression through a virtual wilderness. Additionally, we supplement our design with a mindfulness audio guide. The results of our user study showcase the potential of combining actionable gamification and VR, guided mindfulness, and breath-driven VLT to foster slow breathing self-regulation successfully.

The current study is designed to replicate and validate the video game demand scale (VGDS) as a metric for understanding player experiences in video games, while also expanding the application space of that scale to an underrepresented population. Using available materials from prior VGDS research, we created the Video Game Demand Scale-Turkish (VGDS-T). The translated metric was administered online to a volunteer sample of self-identified Turkish-speaking gamers (N = 184), where participants answered questions about perceived cognitive, emotional, exertional, controller, and social demands of their most recent game, as well as other game evaluations (as validation checks). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the translated five-factor scale was a strong fit to the original 26-item scale (VGDS-English) with nominally stronger fit for a 22-item scale (VGDS-Mandarin). Therefore, we both validated the five-factor VGDS on a novel population and provided a translated the metric for researcher and industry use with Turkish-speaking gamers.

Researchers and designers have considered how gamification can make education more effective. In this paper, the role of player-character relationships is considered. Designers can use various factors to get users attached to their character, including the feeling of responsibility. In this paper, we investigate whether feeling responsible for one’s in-game character improved the efficacy of a gamified educational experience. An educational, gamified story called Humanatees was designed to incite the protégé effect to see if participants learned more when they felt responsible for their character. The results suggest that participants in the experimental condition achieved significantly higher learning gains, providing evidence for the protégé effect. However, how this effect is established is more complex than feeling responsible. Future work should shed more light on the dynamics behind the protégé effect.

Board gaming as a leisure activity is becoming increasingly popular. The research on modern commercial board gaming is also gaining momentum. In this study, we aim to investigate the factors that may play a role in board game purchase intentions. We conducted an online survey and collected data from habitual board gamers. Multiple regression analyses showed that enjoyment, positive word of mouth, age and gender were positively associated with purchase intentions whereas income, play frequency, prior board gaming experience and feelings of presence were not. We discuss the results and present potential future research.

Self-determination theory posits that satisfaction of basic psychological needs is essential for well-being. Empirical evidence for the distinction between need frustration and need satisfaction has been growing within the last decade. However, research on player experience of need frustration is lagging behind. This paper investigates whether player experience of need frustration is distinct from need satisfaction in the online video games context. In addition, it examines whether in-game need frustration is a stronger predictor for negative outcomes such as problematic gaming, escapist motivations, real-life stress and exit intentions and whether in-game need satisfaction is a stronger predictor for positive outcomes such as satisfaction, concentration, subjective vitality and voice. We collected survey data from online video gamers. Path analyses showed that in-game need frustration is a distinct construct, predicting negative outcomes uniquely and more strongly than in-game need satisfaction, whereas in-game need satisfaction was more strongly associated with positive outcomes. The findings suggest that assessing both need satisfaction and frustration in gaming research could prove valuable.

In this study, we investigate presence in augmented reality games and how it is related to daily physical activity levels and well-being of players. In a diary study, 49 participants played “Ingress” for 14 days and filled out a questionnaire that consisted of several Likert scales, at the end of every day. Multilevel analyses showed that presence was associated with daily walking duration and daily subjective vitality, and daily walking duration was associated with subjective vitality of players in the same-day level. It was also found that walking duration partially mediated the relationship between presence and daily subjective vitality of players at the same-day level. Lastly, cross-lagged analyses showed that presence predicted next day’s walking duration implying a causal direction from presence to walking duration, whereas walking duration did not predict next day’s presence. The results are discussed and the implications are presented.

In this study, we used recordings of players’ facial expressions that are captured during competitive Hearthstone games to analyse the correlation between in-game player affective responses and subjective post-game self-reports. With this, we aimed to examine whether eye gaze, head pose and emotions gathered as objective data from face recordings would be associated with subjective experiences of players which were collected in the form of a post-game survey. Data was collected during a live offline Hearthstone competition, which involved a total of 17 players and 31 matches played. Correlation analyses between in-game and post-game variables show that players’ facial expressions and eye gaze measurements are associated with both players’ attention to the opponent and their mood influenced by the opponent. In future research, these results may be used to implement predictive player models.

This article highlights several game design choices made during the creation of a browser-based game on mitigation strategies for Covid-19. Additionally, it presents a within group comparison of learning gains and self-reported behavioral changes after playing the game. Results show that the short COVIDCampus game has the potential to change college-age players' Covid-19 related mitigation behaviors and it significantly increased players' confidence in asking important health-related questions (Cohen's d=.27). Some implications are discussed.

In recent years, multiple tabletop games have been released which harness the power of smart phones and tablets to enhance their gameplay. We call these games "augmented tabletop games." Such games have met with a variety of reactions from traditional tabletop gamers, ranging from highly negative to highly positive. The main purpose of this study is to understand the opinions and attitudes of players on the emerging augmented tabletop games. The study also aims to come up with suggestions for game developers by revealing player expectations. A qualitative content analysis was carried out on prevalent tabletop gaming forums. In total, 928 posts on 15 threads were analyzed. From these we derived typologies of negative and positive attitudes towards augmented tabletop games. The overall findings are summarized in a conceptual model. We use this model to discuss design implications for developers of augmented tabletop games.