research-article

To Asymmetry and Beyond!: Improving Social Connectedness by Increasing Designed Interdependence in Cooperative Play

Authors:

Mark HancockAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '19: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Paper No.: 9, Pages 1 - 12

https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300239

Published: 02 May 2019 Publication History

Abstract

Social play can have numerous health benefits but research has shown that not all multiplayer games are effective at promoting social engagement. Asymmetric cooperative games have shown promise in this regard but the design and dynamics of this unique style of play is not yet well understood. To address this, we present the results of two player experience studies using our custom prototype game Beam Me 'Round, Scotty! 2: the first comparing symmetric cooperative play (e.g., where players have the same interface, goals, mechanics, etc.) to asymmetric cooperative play (e.g., where players have differing roles, abilities, interfaces, etc.) and the second comparing the effect of increasing degrees of interdependence between play partners. Our results not only indicate that asymmetric cooperative games may enhance players' perceptions of connectedness, social engagement, immersion, and comfort with a game's controls, but also demonstrate how to further improve these outcomes via deliberate mechanical design changes, such as changes in cooperative action timing and direction of dependence.

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Cited By

Dawes MRackliffe KHughes AHansen D(2024)Asymmetric VR Game Subgenres: Implications for Analysis and DesignMultimodal Technologies and Interaction10.3390/mti80200128:2(12)Online publication date: 11-Feb-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/mti8020012
Tyack AMekler E(2024)Self-Determination Theory and HCI Games Research: Unfulfilled Promises and Unquestioned ParadigmsACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/367323031:3(1-74)Online publication date: 15-Jun-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3673230
Luo SLiu JHu B(2024)Hearing the Bullseye: An Auditory-Cued Archery Exergame for the Visually Impaired and Their Sighted Family and FriendsCompanion Proceedings of the 2024 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play10.1145/3665463.3678829(384-391)Online publication date: 14-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3665463.3678829
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Index Terms

To Asymmetry and Beyond!: Improving Social Connectedness by Increasing Designed Interdependence in Cooperative Play
1. Applied computing
  1. Computers in other domains
    1. Personal computers and PC applications
      1. Computer games
2. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Empirical studies in HCI

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '19: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

May 2019

9077 pages

ISBN:9781450359702

DOI:10.1145/3290605

General Chairs:
Stephen Brewster
University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
,
Geraldine Fitzpatrick
TU Wien, Austria
,
Program Chairs:
Anna Cox
University College London, UK
,
Vassilis Kostakos
University of Melbourne, Australia

Copyright © 2019 ACM.

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Published: 02 May 2019

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Cited By

Dawes MRackliffe KHughes AHansen D(2024)Asymmetric VR Game Subgenres: Implications for Analysis and DesignMultimodal Technologies and Interaction10.3390/mti80200128:2(12)Online publication date: 11-Feb-2024
https://doi.org/10.3390/mti8020012
Tyack AMekler E(2024)Self-Determination Theory and HCI Games Research: Unfulfilled Promises and Unquestioned ParadigmsACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/367323031:3(1-74)Online publication date: 15-Jun-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3673230
Luo SLiu JHu B(2024)Hearing the Bullseye: An Auditory-Cued Archery Exergame for the Visually Impaired and Their Sighted Family and FriendsCompanion Proceedings of the 2024 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play10.1145/3665463.3678829(384-391)Online publication date: 14-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3665463.3678829
Hammad NElavsky FMoharana SChen JLee SCarrington PMoritz DHammer JHarpstead E(2024)Exploring The Affordances of Game-Aware Streaming to Support Blind and Low Vision Viewers: A Design Probe StudyProceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility10.1145/3663548.3675665(1-13)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3663548.3675665
Koutiva GKatifori ARoussou M(2024)Partners in (Solving) Crime: Promoting Sociality through Play in Hybrid Museum VisitsProceedings of the 19th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games10.1145/3649921.3656976(1-4)Online publication date: 21-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3649921.3656976
Pais PGonçalves DGerling KRomão TGuerreiro TRodrigues A(2024)Promoting Family Play through Asymmetric Game DesignProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373928:CSCW1(1-24)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637392
Becker KItenge HAuala SIsaacs JWinschiers-Theophilus H(2024)Co-design of an Extended Reality Escape Room with Primary School StudentsProceedings of the 23rd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference10.1145/3628516.3659387(744-748)Online publication date: 17-Jun-2024
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Kitson AAhn SGonzalez EPanda PIsbister KGonzalez-Franco M(2024)Virtual Games, Real Interactions: A Look at Cross-reality Asymmetrical Co-located Social GamesExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3650824(1-9)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3650824
Pais PGonçalves DReis DGodinho JMorais JPiçarra MTrindade PAlexandrovsky DGerling KGuerreiro JRodrigues A(2024)A Living Framework for Understanding Cooperative GamesProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3641953(1-17)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3641953
Xiao LBandukda MAngerbauer KLin WBhatnagar TSedlmair MHolloway C(2024)A Systematic Review of Ability-diverse Collaboration through Ability-based Lens in HCIProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3641930(1-21)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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