Discriminatory behaviours like harassment and bullying are widely normalized in competitive gaming communities, such as League of Legends (LoL). Negativity is often seen as inevitable, which hinders efforts to address online toxicity. These behaviours affect all players, reduce well-being, and cause financial losses in the gaming industry. Our mixed-methods study investigates pathways to de-normalizing harmful behaviour by capturing responses to what is considered normal communication by many players (such as unsolicited advice). Through four conditions, we explore players’ views on resisting or giving in to unproductive demands of other players and their perspectives on bystander support. We provide insights on the prevalence of diverging player viewpoints, and further, propose strategies to improve communication based on player suggestions for creating more positive gaming environments. We highlight the importance of clarifying codes of conduct because there is little agreement between players as to what is or is not acceptable behaviour in games.

Abstract Presence, as a psychological state, is typically assessed using questionnaires. While many researchers in this field assume that these self-report instruments are standardized, the reliability of such questionnaires remains uncertain. This knowledge gap challenges the accuracy and validity of data derived from studies assessing presence. Ensuring reliable and precise data collection and reporting is essential for the credibility of findings in presence research, because inaccuracies may cause errors in conclusions, which affects theoretical understandings, methodological approaches and practical applications. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic analysis of 397 empirical quantitative studies on presence. We investigated the use of presence scales, including applications, modifications, a variety of measures and reporting practices. We found that the majority of the presence studies modify questionnaires, do not re-validate them and improperly report their methods. Based on these findings, we propose solutions to enhance transparency and validation of the presence measurements.

Video game onboarding faces the challenge of teaching game mechanics in a fun and engaging way. Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions have become a quick fix to help users understand technology. However, little is known about how AI supports player onboarding in video games. To address this knowledge gap, this research explores player perspectives on AI-supported onboarding. We conducted a qualitative user study (n=20) to investigate player expectations, attitudes, and concerns about AI-supported learning experiences. Players learn primarily through the lived experience of a game and value personalized guidance during onboarding. Participants emphasized the importance of maintaining control over how AI is used during onboarding and the freedom to choose their support level. Our results suggest that players want future AI-supported onboarding systems to prioritize their agency, encourage active learning, and maintain transparency throughout the learning process. We contribute to game design research by proposing balanced, player-centric AI-supported onboarding experiences in video games.

Figure 1: In our cooperative co-located exergame Space Scavenger Squad, players work together to catch orbs that appear on the ExerCube's panels.In a user study, we compared three cooperative mechanics:  free , where players share one task;  coupled , where players perform specific tasks; and  concurrent , where players have to sync their actions to succeed.

In Social Virtual Reality (SVR), mediated social communication blends with simulated virtual environments and bodies.However, little is known about how these social and physical (or embodied) affordances intersect in user experiences.We bridge this research gap by applying phenomenological analysis to SVR user interviews to reveal embodiment in SVR based on their lived experiences.We contribute empirical evidence to the concept of "collective embodiment, " described as a mutually maintained feeling of embodiment that SVR provides beyond individual experiences and avatar-related sensations.This involves intertwined senses of agency, location, and appearance influenced by the presence and actions of others in the virtual environment.We also observed SVR users' difficulties controlling avatar visual representations and communication or social functions.This research uncovers the multifaceted nature of collective embodiment in SVR, offering insights into its social dynamics, design, and user experience implications.

Virtual Reality (VR) technologies offer compelling experiences by allowing users to immerse themselves in simulated environments interacting through avatars. However, despite its ability to evoke emotional responses, and seeing 'through the eyes' of the displayed other, it remains unclear to what extent VR actually fosters perspective-taking (PT) or thinking about others' thoughts and feelings. It might be that the common belief that one can "become someone else" through VR is misleading, and that engaging situations through a different viewpoint does not produce a different cognitive standpoint. To test this, we conducted a 2 (perspective, first-person or third-person) by 2 (perspective-taking task or no task) to examine effects on perspective taking, measured via audio-recordings afforded by the think-aloud protocol. Our data demonstrate that while first-person perspective (1PP) facilitates perceived embodiment, it has no appreciable influence on perspective-taking. Regardless of 1PP or third-person perspective (3PP), perspective-taking was substantially and significantly increased when users were given a specific task prompting them to actively consider a character's perspective. Without such tasks, it seems that participants default to their own viewpoints. These data highlight the need for intentional design in VR experiences to consider content rather than simply viewpoint as key to authentic perspective-taking. To truly harness VR's potential as an "empathy machine," developers must integrate targeted perspective-taking tasks or story prompts, ensuring that cognitive engagement is an active component of the experience.

Although Social Virtual Reality (SVR) affordances are designed to enable embodied social activities and interactions within virtual environments, the ways that users perceive and interpret these affordances can shape how SVR platforms are used and experienced. In this study, we examined the design and use of SVR affordances based on qualitative survey data from 100 SVR users. We observed that user practices diverge in important ways from intended designs, adding complexity to conventional interpretations of SVR platforms as embodied social environments. This research highlights dynamic user behaviour in which users interpret and reconfigure the affordances of SVR platforms, ranging from asocial use cases to actions that reflect the current limits of embodied communication. We contribute findings that may improve SVR design by revealing opportunities to foreground user needs and expectations, leveraging both the designed possibilities of SVR and the interpretations of those possibilities.