Affective adaptation design for better gaming experiences

Ollie Hall, Salma Elsayed*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

227 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Affective adaptation is a creative way for game designers to add an extra layer of engagement to their productions. When player’s emotions are an explicit factor in mechanics design, endless possibilities for imaginative gameplay emerge. Whilst gaining popularity, existing affective game research mostly runs controlled experiments in restrictive settings and rely on one or more specialist devices for measuring player’s emotional state. These conditions albeit effective, are not necessarily realistic. Moreover, the simplified narrative and intrusive wearables may not be suitable for players. This exploratory study investigates delivering an immersive affective experience in the wild with minimal requirements, in an attempt for the average developer to reach the average player. A puzzle game is created with rich narrative and creative mechanics. It employs both explicit and implicit adaptation and only requires a web camera. Participants played the game on their own machines in various settings. Whilst it was rated feasible, very engaging and enjoyable, it remains questionable whether a fully immersive experience was delivered due to the limited sample size.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)14-20
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Journal of Computer and Information Engineering
Volume16
Issue number2
Early online date17 Feb 2022
Publication statusPublished - 17 Feb 2022
Event15. International Conference on Computer Science and Game Design - virtual event, Paris, France
Duration: 28 Oct 202129 Oct 2021
Conference number: 15th
https://waset.org/computer-science-and-game-design-conference-in-october-2021-in-paris

Keywords

  • Affective games
  • Dynamic adaptation
  • Emotion recognition
  • Game design

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