Elisa D. Mekler

ITU Copenhagen · Digital Design

Videogames' increasing cultural relevance and suffusion into everyday use contexts suggests they can no longer be considered novelties. Broadly speaking, games research at CHI has concerned two forms of peak experience-historically, research aimed to support flow, or maximise enjoyment and positive emotions; more recently, scholarship engages with...

Thermal-affective experience is a growing topic in Human-Computer Interaction. However, research linking thermal and affective experience in technology use has not moved beyond attempts to establish broad, sweeping associations, such as between warmth and positive affect. One of the obstacles to progression is the need for frameworks and vocabulari...

Self-determination theory (SDT), a psychological theory of human motivation, is a prominent paradigm in human-computer interaction (HCI) research on games. However, our prior literature review observed a trend towards shallow applications of the theory. This follow-up work takes a broader view – examining SDT scholarship on games, a wider corpus of...

Motivation and autonomy are fundamental concepts in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), yet in User Experience (UX) research they have remained surprisingly peripheral. We draw on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to analyse autonomous and non-autonomous patterns of motivation in 497 interaction experiences. Using latent profile analysis, we identify 5...

A "warm" smile? A "cold" rage? Thermal and emotional experiences are often tightly connected. In recent years HCI has investigated opportunities for thermal technologies to enrich user experience. However, our vocabulary for these experiences has remained limited and inexpressive: "hot", "cold", "warm", "cool". This limits our ability to describe a...

Motivation and autonomy are fundamental concepts in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), yet in User Experience (UX) research they have remained surprisingly peripheral. We draw on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to analyse autonomous and non-autonomous patterns of motivation in 497 interaction experiences. Using latent profile analysis, we identify 5...

Playtesting is a games user research (GUR) method used to evaluate design decisions based on feedback gathered from players with the goal to improve player experience. HCI games research has been actively working on and promoting best practices in GUR. However, these practices often require resources, knowledge and expertise, which are not readily...

Almost a decade ago, Ken Hinckley stressed the importance for HCI program committees and reviewers to champion submitted work that has merit. Rarely, however, are we encouraged to champion published work. In this essay I list five CHI PLAY papers that I like and explain what I like about them. I recommend you do the same.

Self-determination theory (SDT), a psychological theory of human motivation, is a prominent paradigm in human-computer interaction (HCI) research on games. However, our prior literature review observed a trend towards shallow applications of the theory. This follow-up work takes a broader view -- examining SDT scholarship on games, a wider corpus o...

Playtesting is a games user research (GUR) method used to evaluate design decisions based on feedback gathered from players with the goal to improve player experience. HCI games research has been actively working on and promoting best practices in GUR. However, these practices often require resources, knowledge and expertise, which are not readily...

Empowering people through technology is a core concern of HCI, yet little is known about how players experience empowerment or disempowerment through videogames. We surveyed 250 participants about their dis-/empowering videogame experiences, investigating why they felt dis-/empowered, and how these experiences related to core player experience cons...

Images are never seen in isolation. Instead, they are perceived within a spatial and temporal tapestry of neighboring images. What impact do other images have on our emotional response toward a particular image? Answers to this basic question have vital implications for a range of fields—especially for visual communication and for curating art, whe...

Benefits for all user groups is one of the most prominent motivations to provide accessible information and services on the web. Designing digital technologies in a more inclusive manner for users with sensory, motor, or cognitive impairments enhances their overall quality. In practice, work on web accessibility often relies on complying with stand...

Human agency and autonomy have always been fundamental concepts in HCI. New developments, including ubiquitous AI and the growing integration of technologies into our lives, make these issues ever pressing, as technologies increase their ability to influence our behaviours and values. However, in HCI understandings of autonomy and agency remain amb...

Persuasive games promote attitude and behavior change, of which reflection is an important precursor, but existing advice on designing for reflection is mixed and requires further empirical investigation. To address these concerns, we report on the design and evaluation (n=32) of a game to prompt student reflection on work-life balance. Participant...

The time we each spend using smartphones is increasing. So is the extent of discussions on whether that time is well spent and whether it results in positive experiences and ultimately improves well-being. However, research on this question rarely links the time spent on smartphones, the specific applications used, the motivation for using them and...

Social wearables promise to augment and enhance social interactions. However, despite two decades of HCI research on wearables, we are yet to see widespread adoption of social wearables into everyday life. More in-situ investigations into the social dynamics and cultural practices afforded by wearing interactive technology are needed to understand...

Self-determination theory (SDT) has become one of the most frequently used and well-validated theories used in HCI research, modelling the relation of basic psychological needs, intrinsic motivation, positive experience and wellbeing. This makes it a prime candidate for a ‘motor theme’ driving more integrated, systematic, theory-guided research. Ho...

Videogames receive increasing acclaim as a medium capable of artistic expression, emotional resonance, and even transformative potential. Yet while discussions concerning the status of games as art have a long history in games research, little is known about the player experience (PX) of games as art, their emotional characteristics, and what impac...

Videogames receive increasing acclaim as a medium capable of artistic expression, emotional resonance, and even transformative potential. Yet while discussions concerning the status of games as art have a long history in games research, little is known about the player experience (PX) of games as art, their emotional characteristics, and what impac...

Digital games have evolved into a medium that moves beyond basic toys for distraction and pleasure towards platforms capable of and effective at instigating more serious, emotional, and intrapersonal experiences. Along with this evolution, games research has also started to consider more deeply affective and cognitive reactions that resemble the br...

Emotionally impactful game experiences have garnered increasing interest within HCI games research. Yet the perspectives of designers have, to date, remained largely overlooked. We interviewed 14 indie game designers regarding their values and practices in designing emotionally impactful games. Counter to the focus of recent player experience (PX)...

Digital games have evolved into a medium that moves beyond basic toys for distraction and pleasure towards platforms capable of and effective at instigating more serious, emotional, and intrapersonal experiences. Along with this evolution, games research has also started to consider more deeply affective and cognitive reactions that resemble the br...

Measure user experience in MR (i.e., AR/VR) user studies is essential. Researchers apply a wide range of measuring methods using objective (e.g., biosignals, time logging), behavioral (e.g., gaze direction, movement amplitude), and subjective (e.g., standardized questionnaires) metrics. Many of these measurement instruments were adapted from use-ca...

Most people encounter art images as digital reproductions on a computer screen instead of as originals in a museum or gallery. With the development of digital technologies, high- resolution artworks can be accessed anywhere and anytime by a large number of viewers. Since these digital images depict the same content and are attributed to the same ar...

In this full-day workshop, we work with participants on the topic of meaningful interactive narrative and transformative experiences. Presentations on the topics of ludonarrative meaning-making and transformative experiences are combined with a series of interactive exercises and discussions. Participants are asked to consider their own "disorienti...

Statistical Significance Testing -- or Null Hypothesis Significance Testing (NHST) -- is common to quantitative CHI PLAY research. Drawing from recent work in HCI and psychology promoting transparent statistics and the reduction of questionable research practices, we systematically review the reporting quality of 119 CHI PLAY papers using NHST (dat...

Player motivation is a key research area within games research, with the aim of understanding how the motivation of players is related to their experience and behavior in the game. We present the results of a cross-sectional study with data from 750 players of League of Legends a popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game. Based on the motivation...

Statistical Significance Testing -- or Null Hypothesis Significance Testing (NHST) -- is common to quantitative CHI PLAY research. Drawing from recent work in HCI and psychology promoting transparent statistics and the reduction of questionable research practices, we systematically review the reporting quality of 119 CHI PLAY papers using NHST (dat...

Player motivation is a key research area within games research, with the aim of understanding how the motivation of players is related to their experience and behavior in the game. We present the results of a cross-sectional study with data from 750 players of League of Legends, a popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game. Based on the motivatio...

There is mounting evidence acknowledging that embodiment is foundational to cognition. In HCI, this understanding has been incorporated in concepts like embodied interaction , bodily play, and natural user-interfaces. However, while embodied cognition suggests a strong connection between motor activity and memory, we find the design of technologica...

Self-Determination Theory (SDT), a major psychological theory of human motivation, has become increasingly popular in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research on games and play. However, it remains unclear how SDT has advanced HCI games research, or how HCI games scholars engage with the theory. We reviewed 110 CHI and CHI PLAY papers that cited S...

Gameplay is often an emotionally charged activity, in particular when streaming in front of a live audience. From a games user research perspective, it would be beneficial to automatically detect and recognize players' and streamers' emotional expression, as this data can be used for identifying gameplay highlights, computing emotion metrics or to...

Engaging game characters are often key to a positive and emotionally rich player experience. However, current research treats character attachment in a rather generic manner with little regard for the differing emotional qualities that may characterize this attachment. To address this gap we conducted a qualitative online survey with 213 players ab...

The view of quality in human-computer interaction continuously develops, having in past decades included consistency, transparency, usability, and positive emotions. Recently, meaning is receiving increased interest in the user experience literature and in industry, referring to the end, purpose or significance of interaction with computers. Howeve...

HCI and the tech industry are increasingly interested in designing products that afford meaningful user experiences. Yet while several metrics of meaningfulness have been suggested, their utility and relevance for industry is unclear. We conducted workshops with 9 welfare technology companies and presented them with different metrics from existing...

HCI has become increasingly interested in the use of technology during difficult life experiences. Yet despite considerable popularity, little is known about how and why people engage with games in times of personal difficulty. Based on a qualitative analysis of an online survey (N=95), our findings indicate that games offered players much needed r...

Certain video games show promise as tools for training spatial skills, one of the strongest predictors of future success in STEM. However, little is known about the gaming preferences of those who would benefit the most from such interventions: low spatial skill students. To provide guidance on how to design training games for this population, we c...

Today's spectrum of playful fitness solutions features systems that are clearly game-first or fitness-first in design; hardly any sufficiently incorporate both areas. Consequently, existing applications and evaluations often lack in focus on attractiveness and effectiveness, which should be addressed on the levels of body, controller, and game scen...

Exergames have advanced from a trend of the entertainment industry to serious training applications. Nowadays body-centered games can be played at home, as well as in the gym, and provide an effective and motivating workout experience for the player. However, existing solutions often lack a symbiotic and user-centered design approach encompassing t...

Web Accessibility aims to provide usable web information and services to as many people as possible. Despite the availability of standards and the presence of legal obligations, Web Accessibility often remains unsatisfactory. Through a multi-step approach, the present study addresses the question of how web practitioners form their intention to con...

Reflection is a core design outcome for HCI, and recent work has suggested that games are well suited for prompting and supporting reflection on a variety of matters. However, research about what sorts of reflection, if any, players experience, or what benefits they might derive from it, is scarce. We report on an interview study that explored when...

Despite lacking a formal peer-reviewed publication, the Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) is widely applied in games research, which might risk the proliferation of erroneous study implications. This concern motivated us to conduct a systematic literature review of 73 publications, analysing how and why the GEQ and its variants have been employed...

Reflection is a core design outcome for HCI, and recent work has suggested that games are well suited for prompting and supporting reflection on a variety of matters. However, research about what sorts of reflection, if any, players experience, or what benefits they might derive from it, is scarce. We report on an interview study that explored when...

Surveys are an essential method of data collection that can deliver generalizable and actionable insights about the player’s experience. In this chapter, we present practice- oriented guidance about when the method is appropriate, what constitutes a good questionnaire, and how to alleviate possible biases and issues with data quality.

Background and Aim: Gamefulness is commonly cited as the primary goal of gamification, a family of approaches employed in education, business, healthcare, government, and elsewhere. However, gamefulness is defined imprecisely across the literature. To address this, we present a theory of gamefulness that splits gamefulness into more specific constr...

Despite lacking a formal peer-reviewed publication, the Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) is widely applied in games research, which might risk the proliferation of erroneous study implications. This concern motivated us to conduct a systematic literature review of 73 publications, analysing how and why the GEQ and its variants have been employed...

Plain Language and Easy-To-Read Language are two approaches to reduce language complexity, which are also applied in the context of Web Accessibility. While Easy-To-Read Language was specifically designed to meet the needs of people with cognitive and learning disabilities, benefits for users with a variety of abilities have been reported. However,...

Recently, researchers have become increasingly interested in the potential of video games to promote real-life prosocial behavior. It has been argued that in-game prosocial acts may transfer to players' real-life behavior. But so far little is known about how video games affect players' in-game as well as future real-life prosocial decisions. To ad...

Plain Language and Easy-to-Read Language are two approaches to reduce language complexity, which are also applied in the context of Web Accessibility. While Easy-to-Read Language was specifically designed to meet the needs of people with cognitive and learning disabilities, benefits for users with a variety of abilities have been reported. However,...

Recent work introduced the notion of emotional challenge as a means to afford more unique and diverse gaming experiences. However, players' experience of emotional challenge has received little empirical attention. It remains unclear whether players enjoy it and what exactly constitutes the challenge thereof. We surveyed 171 players about a challen...

Motivation is a fundamental concept in understanding people's experiences and behavior. Yet, motivation to engage with an interactive system has received only limited attention in HCI. We report the development and validation of the User Motivation Inventory (UMI). The UMI is an 18-item multidimensional measure of motivation, rooted in self-determi...

Despite HCI's interest in topics around sexuality, pornography has remained underexplored. Specifically, the user experience (UX) of technology-mediated pornography has received little attention, even though it has been argued that it may contribute to a better understanding of pleasure and enjoyability of interactive systems. We surveyed 187 parti...

Surveys are an essential method of data collection that can deliver generalizable and actionable insights about the player's experience. In this chapter, we present practiceoriented guidance about when the method is appropriate, what constitutes a good questionnaire, and how to alleviate possible biases and issues with data quality.

HCI has become increasingly interested in the use of technology during difficult life experiences. Yet despite considerable popularity, little is known about how and why people engage with games in times of personal difficulty. Based on a qualitative analysis of an online survey (N=95), our findings indicate that games offered players much needed r...

Motivation is a fundamental concept in understanding people’s experiences and behavior. Yet, motivation to engage with an interactive system has received only limited attention in HCI. We report the development and validation of the User Motivation Inventory (UMI). The UMI is an 18-item multidimensional measure of motivation, rooted in self-determi...

Research on the effectiveness of gamification has proliferated over the last few years, but the underlying motivational mechanisms have only recently become object of empirical research. It has been suggested that when perceived as informational, gamification elements, such as points, levels and leaderboards, may afford feelings of competence and h...

Designing difficulty levels in platformer games is a challenge for game designers. It is important because design decisions that affect difficulty also directly affect player experience. Consequently, design strategies for balancing game difficulty are discussed by both academics and game designers. In this paper, we study how manipulating the foll...

Appropriate challenges and challenge-skill balance are usually key to positive player experiences. However, some games such as the successful series Dark Souls are notorious for their excessive difficulty. Yet, there has been little empirical investigation of why players enjoy games they constantly struggle and fail with. We surveyed 95 participant...

Interactive narratives offer interesting opportunities for the study of the impact of media on behavior. A growing amount of research on games advocating social change, including those focusing on interactive narratives, has highlighted their potential for attitudinal and behavioral impact. In this study, we examine the relationship between interac...

Despite the emergence of many gameful design methods in the literature, there is a lack of evaluation methods specific to gameful design. To address this gap, we present a new set of guidelines for heuristic evaluation of gameful design in interactive systems. First, we review several gameful design methods to identify the dimensions of motivationa...

To date the impact of game outcome on prosocial behavior and attitude change has gone unexamined. Especially in the context of games trying to increase prosocial behavior and attitude change, understanding this connection may hold great potential. Therefore, the goal of this work-in-progress is to lay out the theoretical background to understanding...

Emotional game experiences have garnered increasing attention over the past few years, both from players and researchers. Previous research has not yet explored whether and what gratifications players derive from frightening game experiences. Interviews with eight players revealed several gratifications, including experiencing non-mundane negative...

People play games for the experience, and one of the aims of player experience research is to understand what constitutes and contributes to positive gaming experiences. Emotionally challenging and uncomfortable game play experiences have been largely neglected, as they are seemingly at odds with the field's focus on fun and positive affect. We arg...

Motivational psychology suggests that informationally designed gamification can increase intrinsic motivation. However, there has been little empirical research to test this assumption. In a first experiment we compared whether a gamified and a non-gamified application differed in terms of usability, intrinsic motivation and need satisfaction. No s...

We present the design and preliminary results of the validation of the Player Experience Inventory (PXI). Based on the input of 64 experts in the field of player-computer interaction, we designed and refined this new scale. Our scale is based on the MDA framework (and on Means-End theory, underlying MDA). The PXI incorporates two subscales, one wit...

User experience (UX) research has expanded our notion of what makes interactive technology good, often putting hedonic aspects of use such as fun, affect, and stimulation at the center. Outside of UX, the hedonic is often contrasted to the eudaimonic, the notion of striving towards one's personal best. It remains unclear, however, what this distinc...

Emotions are key to the player experience (PX) and interest in the potential of games to provide unique emotional, sometimes uncomfortable experiences is growing. Yet there has been little empirical investigation of what game experiences players consider emotionally moving, their causes and effects, and whether players find these experiences reward...

Understanding different facets of positive user experience (UX) is of great interest to researchers. Recently, 'positive design' and fostering happiness through technology is gaining more attention. However, little empirical research has been conducted. We adopted a concept from positive psychology that describes different facets of positive experi...

Indie and non-profit studios may not be able to afford extensive evaluation of their game. This paper describes a case study of a quick and cost-efficient evaluation procedure using heuristic evaluation as well as observation and discussion. It presents an actionable and easily applicable way of evaluating games on bugs, usability issues and playab...

Research on the use of serious games to support child and adolescent mental health interventions is in its early stages. Work is needed to provide evidence of the applicability and effectiveness of using such games in teaching children skills needed to overcome their behavioral and emotional problems. The present study adds to the knowledge in this...

The additional fee must be paid to ACM. This text field is large enough to hold the appropriate release statement assuming it is single spaced in a sans-serif 7 point font. Every submission will be assigned their own unique DOI string to be included here. Abstract Answering important design questions and delivering ac-tionable insights within a cou...

Recent research suggests that gamification has the potential to increase intrinsic motivation, as well as decrease users’ intrinsic motivation. However, the understanding of why gamification sometimes is successful and other times not, is still not fully understood. One reason for this is that applied research has been lacking a theoretical foundat...

Recent studies suggest that players paradoxically positively evaluate certain gaming experiences in spite of the negative affective reactions they evoke. We argue that the false dichotomy stems in part from vague conceptualizations of what constitutes positive player experiences, which conflate emotions with more generic experiential states, such a...

Games for change have attracted the interest of humanitarian aid organizations and researchers alike. However, their effectiveness to promote behavior such as donating remains unclear. Furthermore, little is known about how key game properties interactivity and presentation mode impact the effectiveness of these games, or how player attitudes and e...

Players have increasingly become interested in emotional game experiences beyond simple "fun". Although previous research has identified several gratifications of fun experiences, still little is known about whether and what gratifications players derive from emotionally moving game experiences. Interviews with 12 Japanese and Western players revea...

In recent years, researchers aimed to understand different facets of positive experiences with technology. Positive psychology, and recently also HCI, makes use of a hedonia/ eudaimonia distinction. Hedonia is understood as providing enjoyable experiences, whereas eudaimonia is associated with meaningful experiences. However, it is not clear how eu...

This work-in-progress describes a three-month diary study, exploring how 25 players experienced the puzzle platformer FEZ over several gaming sessions. Following each 30 - 60 minute gaming sessions, players wrote a diary entry describing their game experience and rated their intrinsic motivation. Preliminary findings showed that intrinsic motivatio...