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Publication: Empirical Taxonomies of Gameplay Enjoyment
The first academic journal article from my research on the Gameplay Enjoyment Model (GEM; see related posts) has been published in the International Journal of Game-Based Learning.
Citation
Quick, J.M., Atkinson, R.K., & Lin, L. (2012). Empirical taxonomies of gameplay enjoyment: Personality and video game preference. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 2(3), p. 11-31.
Description
This paper includes an overview of past video game design and player taxonomies, afterwhich I argue for more empirical work on the topic, as well as a focus on the interactions between games and players (rather than one or the other in isolation). This leads into the empirical development of two new taxonomies. One taxonomy describes gameplay enjoyment through specific game design features (this is the first iteration of GEM). The other taxonomy describes players according to their preferences for game features and their personality traits. Hence, this work considers how the gameplay enjoyment experience is shaped through both personal characteristics and design aspects.
Abstract
A survey study was conducted to better understand how gameplay enjoyment relates to players’ personality traits and video game preferences. This study demonstrated that the core design elements of games that lead to enjoyment can be empirically identified. Similarly, it showed that considering personality, an individual characteristic, can produce informative insights about how players perceive gaming experiences. Whereas video game research has historically emphasized either games or players in isolation (Juul, 2010), this study is an initial effort towards a holistic approach that considers how design features and player characteristics combine to generate enjoyable video game experiences. Two empirical taxonomies for creating more enjoyable game experiences are presented.
Contact
You can retrieve Empirical Taxonomies of Gameplay Enjoyment: Personality and Video Game Preference from publisher IGI Global. For more information on this paper or my related work, please send me a message via my contact form.
John M. Quick
