Abstract
In this chapter we describe our experience with constructing conceptually meaningful gameplay metrics that are helpful in exploring which players are likely to receive the intended benefits from playing serious games. We discuss takeaways and lessons learned from two case studies in which the authors sought to define, construct, and apply conceptually meaningful game metrics.
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Acknowledgments
Jennifer Mangels, Associate Professor of Psychology at Baruch College & Graduate Center, City University of New York, served as a consultant.
Carrie Cole, serious game design, digital media arts and technology, and HCI MA student at Michigan State University, contributed to manuscript revisions.
Hero Interactive LCC, Filament Games, iCivics, and the Michigan State University GEL Lab (games for entertainment and learning) provided the games in this study.
This research is partially supported by grant #0943064 from the National Science Foundation. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent Michigan State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, or the National Science Foundation.
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Carrie Heeter is a Professor in the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media at Michigan State University, Program Director for MSU’s fully online graduate certificate in serious games, Creative Director of Teaching and Learning Design and Technology Services, and a Principal in the GEL (Games for Entertainment and Learning) Lab. She co-founded and teaches in the MSU serious game design M.A. specialization. Heeter co-edited Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat: New perspectives in gender and gaming. She designs and studies meaningful applications of emerging media. Over the last two decades her interactive designs have won more than 50 awards including Discover Magazine’s software innovation of the year. She is currently working on games to create a more informed, engaged citizenry and to facilitate deliberation and discussion about complex socio-scientific issues. Her most recent game, DNA Roulette, an experiential exploration of Direct to Consumer (DTC) genetic testing, was awarded Most Innovative Game at Meaningful Play, 2012.
Yu-Hao Lee is a Ph.D. student in Media & Information Studies at Michigan State University. His research revolves around digital games and motivation, specifically using games to facilitate environmental and civic action. He has published research on the virtual economy in Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs), using digital games to address digital divide, and digital games for learning. He has also worked as a journalist covering environmental and political issues in Taiwan, in which he has won awards for both his academic and news work.
Ben Medler is currently with the Chief Creative Office of Electronic Arts. Prior to that he was a Ph.D. student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research revolves around using information visualization techniques to build game analytic tools for both game designers and players. He has built visual game analytic tools for Electronic Arts and has developed a proprietary analytic system for capturing data from Flash-based games used for research studies. Ben is pursuing research in a number of related areas using his analytic tools including: understanding differences in player behavior, combining recommendation systems with analytics, and researching the ethics behind gathering player gameplay data. Additionally, he has authored and present publications on building adaptive game systems, interpreting conflicts in games and linking improvisation with role-playing.
Dr. Brian Magerko is an Assistant Professor of Digital Media in the School of Literature, Communication, and Culture at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is director of the Adaptive Digital Media (ADAM) Lab, which explores how to use artificial intelligence to create digital media experiences that tailor themselves to the individuals that use them, and a principal member of the Experimental Game Lab. Dr. Magerko has published numerous articles on serious games projects that employ artificial intelligence to adapt narrative and learning content to individual players. He teaches in the Computational Media program, a joint offering between the College of Computing and Digital Media, and in the Digital Media graduate program.
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Heeter, C., Lee, YH., Medler, B., Magerko, B. (2013). Conceptually Meaningful Metrics: Inferring Optimal Challenge and Mindset from Gameplay. In: Seif El-Nasr, M., Drachen, A., Canossa, A. (eds) Game Analytics. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4769-5_32
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4769-5_32
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