As modern tabletop play becomes more hybrid through the integration of digital tools, hybrid digital boardgames (HDBs) – games which mix physical and digital components – can be seen as ”gimmicky”. Previous work has explored the use of technology in hybrid play settings, but relatively little work exists on what makes hybridity meaningful in HDBs. In this paper, we present a model for understanding how meaningful hybridity is constructed through the relationship between the technology, game, and player. Over twelve months, we convened a monthly Critical Play Reference Group of 21 local players to play and discuss a curated selection of HDBs. We analysed 37 semi-structured group interviews for qualities of meaningful hybridity across 25 unique published HDBs. This model identifies what players assess in their HDB experience and how that maps to their overall perception of hybridity, informing the design and evaluation of meaningful hybrid game experiences.

Despite increasing interest in Hybrid Digital Boardgames (HDBs) that necessarily combine smart technology with a physical boardgame, little is known about how the design of hybrid functions impacts player experience (PX). Additionally, it is unclear whether existing, videogame-centric, PX measures apply to tabletop settings. We designed a mixed-methods study to examine the PX of a boardgame in both its published form and as a custom HDB. We learned that players’ expectations of the “core” gameplay influence their perceptions of technology, highlighting a balance between the values and drawbacks of hybridity in relation to its impact on their sense of autonomy, fairness, and challenge in play. Our results also highlight methodological considerations for future tabletop PX studies, and suggest the existence of a Goldilocks Factor where the game offers “just right’’ hybridity that satisfies players without impacting core gameplay.

As Facial Recognition Technologies (FRTs) are increasingly common in society, it is imperative to support the public in understanding and critiquing their use.We used an existing FRT application to generate characters for Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), a tabletop Role-Playing Game, based solely on an uploaded photograph of a player's face.Results from over 30,000 generated characters demonstrate that an FRT dataset is sufficient to generate simple D&D characters.However, it is essential to interrogate the underlying assumptions that feed into the generated characters and the value that this provides to player groups.This work highlights the biases that are embedded in FRT datasets, particularly in relation to assumptions relating to players' inferred gender.

Discussions of game-related experiences are facilitated (and hampered) by the shared vocabulary and conceptual frameworks we have. Currently many such frameworks are heavily focused on players and mechanics, even though many other types of experience exist. The Experiential Tetrad (ExperT) is our conceptual framework encompassing a broader set of game-related experiences. ExperT is based on a synthesis of work on user, player and spectator experiences. We have used ExperT in our own work to help organize and classify existing literature, and it has also helped us find new avenues of research. While ExperT is not yet all-encompassing, we have already found it useful to clarify our discussions of experiential theories for games.

Tabletop gaming spaces are becoming increasingly hybrid, necessitating further study into the effects of hybridity on player experiences.Hybrid digital boardgames provide an opportunity to examine the relationship between technology and player experience in an atomic way.We present an exploratory mixed-methods A/B study (N = 16) comparing the player experience of Spy Guy: Fantasy, a published, non-hybrid boardgame, and a custom hybrid version which replaces the original game's deck of cards and sand timer with an app.The study contributes insights into player experience of hybrid games as well as into study of hybrid player experience.We found no statistical difference in player experience between the non-hybrid and hybrid versions.However, comparing responses based on play-order shows preference for the hybrid version, which is further supported by rich interview data.This reveals players' expectations about the "core" and "chore" elements of a game, and the role of technology in facilitating the "core" by handling the "chores".Future work examining the effects of hybridity on player experience should consider study design, the selection or development of appropriate measures of player experience, and participants' prior exposure to and literacy in boardgames.