Abstract
Challenge is a key element of digital games, but a clear conceptualisation and operationalisation of this player experience were long missing. This made it hard for game researchers to measure this experience in different video games across different skill sets and impeded the synthesis of challenge-related games research. To overcome this, we introduce a systematic, extensive, and reliable instrument to evaluate the level of players’ perceived challenge in digital games. We conceptualise challenge based on a survey of related literature in games user research, design and AI, as well as interviews with researchers and players. Exploratory factor analysis (N=394) highlights four components of experienced challenge: performative, emotional, cognitive and decision-making challenge. Refinement of the items allowed us to devise the Challenge Originating from Recent Gameplay Interaction Scale (CORGIS), which has been further validated in a study with nearly 1000 players. The questionnaire exhibits good construct validity for use by both game developers and researchers to quantify players’ challenge experiences.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 102383 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | International Journal of Human Computer Studies |
| Volume | 137 |
| Early online date | 20 Dec 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2020 |
Bibliographical note
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy.Keywords
- Difficulty
- Digital games
- Emotional challenge
- Game experience
- Games user research
- GUR
- Measurement instrument
- Perceived challenge
- Player experience
- PX
- Questionnaire
- Scale development
- Scale validation
