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Decoding Player Behavior: Analyzing Reasons for Player Quitting Using Log Data from Puzzle Game Baba Is You

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Advances in Quantitative Ethnography (ICQE 2023)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1895))

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Abstract

In this paper, we study the reasons for unsuccessful level completion in Baba is You, a puzzle-based video game, using Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA). The study focuses on student cognition, which can be inferred through an in-depth examination of in-game actions and decisions recorded in log data from complex, contextualized game levels. To build epistemic networks around video game log data, chronological log records of player levels were set as codes. Epistemic networks of player actions paired with interpretive examinations of the context of each level offer insights into why students may quit levels in Baba is You. Findings suggest that (1) inadequate acquisition of knowledge from the previous level, (2) premature focus on winning at the earlier stage without engaging in distributed exploration and experimentation, and (3) over-reliance on undoing actions may all play a role in unsuccessful level completion. The goal of this work is to support the design of future game-based interventions that can address context-specific quitting and foster student engagement within the game.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Xiner Liu, Amanda Barany, Ryan S. Baker & Bodong Chen

  2. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, 55455, USA

    Basel Hussein

Authors
  1. Xiner Liu
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  2. Basel Hussein
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  3. Amanda Barany
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  4. Ryan S. Baker
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  5. Bodong Chen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiner Liu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens

  2. University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia

    Simon Knight

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Liu, X., Hussein, B., Barany, A., Baker, R.S., Chen, B. (2023). Decoding Player Behavior: Analyzing Reasons for Player Quitting Using Log Data from Puzzle Game Baba Is You. In: Arastoopour Irgens, G., Knight, S. (eds) Advances in Quantitative Ethnography. ICQE 2023. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1895. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47014-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47014-1_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-47013-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-47014-1

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