With the development of information and communication technologies, the younger generations as well as more mature generations accept and enjoy playing digital games. The game industry is rapidly growing, but until recently games were not considered as an academic research topic. This special issue brings together articles reporting research that explores a range of topics across the spectrum of user experience in video/computer/mobile games.
Ding, Hu, Li, Ye, Wang, and Zhang (What Makes a Champion: The Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Expertise in Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) Games) explored the behavioral and neural correlates of expertise for a MOBA game League of Legends. They recruited three groups of players including professional players, background-matched trainees, and students with no systematic LOL trainings. Players’ general cognitive skills and their LOL-specific abilities were evaluated from the recorded neural activities. Results showed that neural features could separate the three groups while behavioral features could not separate trainees and inexperienced students.
Zhang, Lyu, Hu, Hu, Shi, and Yin (Evaluating Photoplethysmogram as a Real-time Cognitive Load Assessment during Game Playing) studied evaluation for user experience during computer playing by photoplethysmogram-based Stress-Induced Vascular Response Index (sVRI) in measuring cognitive loads in comparison with other indexes derived from photoplethysmogram such as heartbeat interval, area under curve, digital pulse amplitude, reflection index, and inflection point area ratio.
Dziedzic and Włodarczyk (Approaches to measuring the difficulty of games in Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment systems) proposed three approaches for measuring difficulty in developing Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA) systems in different game genres. There were three ways to measure the difficulty of the game: using the formal model of gameplay, using the features of the game, and direct examination of the player. They suggested separating task complexity, which is an objective characteristic of the task, and task difficulty, which is related to the interaction between the task and the task performer.
Breyer, Kelner, and Clua (Multi-Device Classification Model for Game Interaction Techniques) proposed a classification model of game interaction techniques with direct control of a single humanoid avatar based on three characteristics: effort, duration, and context. Their model classified the game interaction techniques into nine categories and the results of three experiments supported their hypotheses.
Tondello, Valtchanov, Reetz, Wehbe, Orji, and Nacke (Towards a Trait Model of Video Game Preferences) analyzed a dataset with over 50,000 respondents to devise a player traits model based off the BrainHex scale. The results indicated three player traits: action, aesthetic, and goal orientation. They also found the emergent player traits and participants’ genders and attitudes toward story partially explaining player preferences toward certain games.
Tomczak and Zjawiony (The influence of affect on the decision making process in virtual simulation) explored how to predict simple decisions of binomial character in virtual environment by using laden pictures. They designed a corridor with a possibility of turning left or right. On the walls of the corridor a different sets of affective pictures were presented. Their results show that participants not only associated the pictures with the decision about making a turn, but also that it is possible to predict an actual preference of the side.
Rapp (Social game elements in World of Warcraft: Interpersonal relations, groups and organizations for gamification design) studied World of Warcraft (WoW) to find insights for designing novel online communities based on gamified features. The findings included a series of design suggestions that could be employed to “enhance” the user experience within online communities in domain as diverse as learning, fitness, and crowdsourcing.
Wang (Addiction by Design: Using Netnography for User Experiences in Female Online Gambling Game) studied female online gambling game players. They interviewed over one hundred players and ten friends or relatives of players. They concluded that the longer female players play gambling games the less feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Wu and Chen (Understanding Online Game Cheating: Unpacking the Ethical Dimension) examined the ethical dimensions and factors of game cheating using an online survey. They found gamers tending to dismiss cheating as morally insignificant due to peer influence and the play nature of online gaming. Their results revealed that the personal moral philosophy of idealism influenced game cheating intention and behavior.
We would like to thank the editor-in-chief, Dr. Constantine Stephanidis and Dr. Gavriel Salvendy, for giving us the opportunity to edit this special issue and all of the reviewers for their contributions to make this special issue possible.