Systematic reviews (SRs) are vital to gathering and structuring knowledge, yet descriptions of their procedures are often inadequate. In human–computer interaction (HCI), SRs are still uncommon but gaining momentum, which prompted us to explore how SRs ...

The tabletop games industry has experienced remarkable growth in recent years. A deeper exploration of the factors motivating players to invest time and money in these games would help game companies better cater to their target audience and increase ...

While juiciness in games has previously been explored in the context of visual embellishments, less is known about whether and how the concept is leveraged in the context of audio and sound design. In our work, we address this issue through in-depth ...

Toxic behavior is known to cause harm in online games. Players regularly experience negative, hateful, or inappropriate behavior. Interventions, such as banning players or chat message filtering, can help combat toxicity but are not widely available or ...

In gamification users show increased motivation and engagement towards tasks. So far, this effect has mostly been empirically tested based on the visual depiction of game elements, while research on the use and addition of auditory aspects is sparse. In ...

Sedentary occupations and recreational activities carried out primarily while seated promote extended time periods spent in unhealthy sitting postures, contributing to physical and mental health issues. While apps and reminders can be effective, they ...

Kawaii is the Japanese concept of cute++, a global export with local characteristics. Recent work has explored kawaii as a feature of user experience (UX) with social robots, virtual characters, and voice assistants, i.e., kawaii vocalics. Games have a ...

Toxicity is a common problem in online games. Players regularly experience negative, hateful, or inappropriate behavior during gameplay. Intervention systems can help combat toxicity but are not widely available and or even comprehensively studied ...

The field of human-computer interaction (HCI) is maturing. Systematic reviews, a staple of many disciplines, play an important and often essential role in how each field contributes to human knowledge. On this prospect, we argue that our meta-level ...

Visual indicators provide important in-game information, but displaying them on screen consumes space and increases clutter. In addition, the option to increase indicator brightness above levels possible in standard monitors can substantially improve ...

Team cohesion is a widely known predictor of performance and collaborative satisfaction. However, how it develops and can be assessed, especially in fast-paced ad hoc dynamic teams, remains unclear. An unobtrusive and objective behavioural measure of ...

Sound effects (SFX) complement the visual feedback provided by gamification elements in gamified systems. However, the impact of SFX has not been systematically studied. To bridge this gap, we investigate the effects of SFX—supplementing points (as a ...

In interactive story games, players make decisions that advance and modify the unfolding story. In many cases, these decisions have a moral component. Examining decision-making in these games illuminates whether players mobilize their real-life morality ...

Researchers reference realism in digital games without sufficient specificity. Without clarity about the dimensions of realism, we cannot assess how and when to aim for a higher degree of realism, when lower realism suffices, or when purposeful unrealism ...

Rapidly gaining in mainstream appeal, esports constitute a phenomenon at the intersection of different Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) perspectives—relating to games user research, multifaceted aspects of game design for performance and entertainment, ...

The design space of social exergames remains narrow despite the many benefits of playing and exercising together. Towards opening this design space, we followed a Research through Design (RtD) approach focused on exergames that can be fun and immersive ...

Virtual reality (VR) multiplayer games increasingly use asymmetry (e.g., differences in a person’s capability or the user interface) and resulting interdependence between players to create engagement even when one player has no access to a head-mounted ...

How much music contributes to player experience (PX) in virtual reality (VR) games remains unclear in the games user research literature. A core factor of PX in VR games that has not been studied before (in relation to audio or otherwise) is time ...

Game atmosphere and game audio are critical factors linked to the commercial success of video games. However, game atmosphere has been neither operationalized nor clearly defined in games user research literature, making it difficult to study. We define ...

One of the great benefits of virtual reality (VR) is the implementation of features that go beyond realism. Common "unrealistic" locomotion techniques (like teleportation) can avoid spatial limitation of tracking, but minimize potential benefits of more ...