Researchers

Jens Johannsmeier

Lab Intern

Projects

Developing and Analysing Adaptive, Enjoyable, and Engaging Human-Computer Interfaces

Publications

Year 2014

Engaged by Boos and Cheers: The Effect of Co-Located Game Audiences on Social Player Experience

@inproceedings{kappen2014engaged,
Abstract = {Little is currently known about the influence of co-located player audiences on gameplay experience. Social player experiences are important to understand in co-located gaming scenarios, because these experiences relate to player performance. Player-audience relationships have been studied before, but prior research focused on player attributes and typology. In our study, we investigated the effect of different co-located audience types (silent, positive, negative) and no audience on player experience. For the study, we contribute a video game specifically developed for two-player, co-located gameplay and findings from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Our findings show that both -- negative and positive audience activity -- drove players to become more engaged in the video game. In contrast, silent audiences made players feel unnerved and less engaged in gameplay. Our paper is the first to study of the relevance of co-located audience influence on player experience, which is important for understanding the design of co-located games.},
Address = {Toronto, ON, Canada},
Author = {D. L. Kappen, P. Mirza-Babaei, J. Johannsmeier, D. Buckstein, J. Robb, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of chi play 2014},
Doi = {10.1145/2658537.2658687},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Engaged-by-Boos-and-Cheers-The-Effect-of-Co-Located-Game-Audiences-on-Social-Player-Experience.png},
Organization = {ACM},
Pages = {151-160},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {Engaged by Boos and Cheers: The Effect of Co-Located Game Audiences on Social Player Experience},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/engaged-by-boos-and-cheers-the-effect-of-co-located-game-audiences-on-social-player-experience},
Year = {2014},

Little is currently known about the influence of co-located player audiences on gameplay experience. Social player experiences are important to understand in co-located gaming scenarios, because these experiences relate to player performance. Player-audience relationships have been studied before, but prior research focused on player attributes and typology. In our study, we investigated the effect of different co-located audience types (silent, positive, negative) and no audience on player experience. For the study, we contribute a video game specifically developed for two-player, co-located gameplay and findings from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Our findings show that both -- negative and positive audience activity -- drove players to become more engaged in the video game. In contrast, silent audiences made players feel unnerved and less engaged in gameplay. Our paper is the first to study of the relevance of co-located audience influence on player experience, which is important for understanding the design of co-located games.

Year 2013

Deconstructing 'Gamified' Task-Management Applications

@inproceedings{kappen2013deconstructing,
Abstract = {Many tasks---and the societal need to attend events as part of our office culture---have an overwhelming effect on our management capacity. Using gamification to make task and chore management more exciting could allow people to be more productive while they are engaged and focused on their tasks. There is currently a lack of studies on the usefulness of gamified task-management applications. We address this by taking a look at two memory-aid applications with task-based gamification: Task Hammer (TH) and Epic Win (EW). Among our findings is that TH was easier to learn to use while EW was more satisfying and motivating. Participants who felt good about an apps' reward system were also more satisfied with its use. Conventional task managers are, however, preferred for speed and efficiency. Based on our interviews, it seems that gamified task managers are not more useful than classical ones. However, there is a relation between how participants perceive game elements and how useful they find it for task management.},
Address = {Stratford, ON, Canada},
Author = {D. L. Kappen, J. Johannsmeier, and L. E. Nacke},
Booktitle = {Proceedings of gamification 2013},
Img = {http://hcigames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Deconstructing-Gamified-Task-Management-Applications.png},
Organization = {ACM},
Pages = {139-142},
Publisher = {ACM},
Title = {Deconstructing `Gamified' Task-Management Applications},
Url = {https://hcigames.com/download/deconstructing-`gamified'-task-management-applications},
Year = {2013},

Many tasks---and the societal need to attend events as part of our office culture---have an overwhelming effect on our management capacity. Using gamification to make task and chore management more exciting could allow people to be more productive while they are engaged and focused on their tasks. There is currently a lack of studies on the usefulness of gamified task-management applications. We address this by taking a look at two memory-aid applications with task-based gamification: Task Hammer (TH) and Epic Win (EW). Among our findings is that TH was easier to learn to use while EW was more satisfying and motivating. Participants who felt good about an apps' reward system were also more satisfied with its use. Conventional task managers are, however, preferred for speed and efficiency. Based on our interviews, it seems that gamified task managers are not more useful than classical ones. However, there is a relation between how participants perceive game elements and how useful they find it for task management.