Abstract
Player engagement with video games is widely discussed. The apparently contrasting phenomenon of frustration is less widely researched. Frustration is reported to impede player engagement but it is unlikely that a game which never frustrated at all would be enjoyable. In that context, further work is needed to identify, understand and model the character, timing and context of frustrations which help rather than hinder a positive gaming experience. This paper investigates the relationship between frustration and engagement over time in a carefully selected video game. We find that engagement often falls as frustration rises (and vice versa) but also report upon situations in which a rise in frustration can give rise to an increase in engagement. We consider the implications of these results for both game developers and the wider community of HCI researchers interested in gamification and user engagement.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Advances in Computer Games - 15th International Conferences, ACG 2017, Revised Selected Papers |
| Publisher | Springer Verlag |
| Pages | 188-200 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783319716480 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
| Event | 15th International Conference on Advances in Computer Games, ACG 2017 - Leiden, Netherlands Duration: 3 Jul 2017 → 5 Jul 2017 |
Publication series
| Name | Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics) |
|---|---|
| Volume | 10664 |
Conference
| Conference | 15th International Conference on Advances in Computer Games, ACG 2017 |
|---|---|
| Country | Netherlands |
| City | Leiden |
| Period | 3/07/17 → 5/07/17 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Theoretical Computer Science
- Computer Science(all)
Cite this
A little bit of frustration can go a long way. / Boulton, Adam; Hourizi, Rachid; Jefferies, David; Guy, Alice.
Advances in Computer Games - 15th International Conferences, ACG 2017, Revised Selected Papers. Springer Verlag, 2017. p. 188-200 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); Vol. 10664 ).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
}
TY - GEN
T1 - A little bit of frustration can go a long way
AU - Boulton, Adam
AU - Hourizi, Rachid
AU - Jefferies, David
AU - Guy, Alice
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - Player engagement with video games is widely discussed. The apparently contrasting phenomenon of frustration is less widely researched. Frustration is reported to impede player engagement but it is unlikely that a game which never frustrated at all would be enjoyable. In that context, further work is needed to identify, understand and model the character, timing and context of frustrations which help rather than hinder a positive gaming experience. This paper investigates the relationship between frustration and engagement over time in a carefully selected video game. We find that engagement often falls as frustration rises (and vice versa) but also report upon situations in which a rise in frustration can give rise to an increase in engagement. We consider the implications of these results for both game developers and the wider community of HCI researchers interested in gamification and user engagement.
AB - Player engagement with video games is widely discussed. The apparently contrasting phenomenon of frustration is less widely researched. Frustration is reported to impede player engagement but it is unlikely that a game which never frustrated at all would be enjoyable. In that context, further work is needed to identify, understand and model the character, timing and context of frustrations which help rather than hinder a positive gaming experience. This paper investigates the relationship between frustration and engagement over time in a carefully selected video game. We find that engagement often falls as frustration rises (and vice versa) but also report upon situations in which a rise in frustration can give rise to an increase in engagement. We consider the implications of these results for both game developers and the wider community of HCI researchers interested in gamification and user engagement.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85039441053&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-71649-7_16
DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-71649-7_16
M3 - Conference contribution
SN - 9783319716480
T3 - Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
SP - 188
EP - 200
BT - Advances in Computer Games - 15th International Conferences, ACG 2017, Revised Selected Papers
PB - Springer Verlag
ER -