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Varying Avatar Weight to Increase Player Motivation: Challenges of a Gaming Setup

Published: 20 April 2018 Publication History

Abstract

One fundamental way how players relate to games is through the avatar they are represented by. In this work, we explore the impact of realtime adjustment of avatar appearance (visual body weight) on player motivation in exergames. Our results draw a mixed picture: while qualitative findings show that players were aware of adaptations, quantitative results do not demonstrate significant differences in player motivation. Instead, observations suggest that players leveraged the mechanic to develop their own meta-game, an effect that needs to be considered when designing mechanics that aim to improve player motivation in exergaming settings.

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Cited By

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  • (2021)The Effects of a Self-Similar Avatar Voice in Educational GamesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/34746655:CHI PLAY(1-28)Online publication date: 6-Oct-2021
  • (2021)Exploring a Dynamic Change of Muscle Perception in VR, Based on Muscle Electrical Activity and/or Joint AngleProceedings of the Augmented Humans International Conference 202110.1145/3458709.3459007(298-300)Online publication date: 22-Feb-2021
  • (2021)The Proteus effect on security and safety exergamersInteractive Learning Environments10.1080/10494820.2021.189898831:5(2707-2721)Online publication date: 21-Mar-2021

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  1. Varying Avatar Weight to Increase Player Motivation: Challenges of a Gaming Setup

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      cover image ACM Conferences
      CHI EA '18: Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
      April 2018
      3155 pages
      ISBN:9781450356213
      DOI:10.1145/3170427
      Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author.

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      Publication History

      Published: 20 April 2018

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      Author Tags

      1. avatar appearance
      2. body weight
      3. exergames
      4. game design
      5. physical exercises
      6. player motivation

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      • German BMBF

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      CHI EA '18 Paper Acceptance Rate 1,208 of 3,955 submissions, 31%;
      Overall Acceptance Rate 6,164 of 23,696 submissions, 26%

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      Cited By

      View all
      • (2021)The Effects of a Self-Similar Avatar Voice in Educational GamesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/34746655:CHI PLAY(1-28)Online publication date: 6-Oct-2021
      • (2021)Exploring a Dynamic Change of Muscle Perception in VR, Based on Muscle Electrical Activity and/or Joint AngleProceedings of the Augmented Humans International Conference 202110.1145/3458709.3459007(298-300)Online publication date: 22-Feb-2021
      • (2021)The Proteus effect on security and safety exergamersInteractive Learning Environments10.1080/10494820.2021.189898831:5(2707-2721)Online publication date: 21-Mar-2021

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