Games are designed with different objectives in mind. Some primarily for entertainment, others also to educate, motivate or persuade its players. Games with the latter objective, that of persuasion, are designed not only to be entertaining, but also with the intent to shape how players think and feel about issues in reality. However, despite the growing interest in persuasive games, we still lack the design insights and strategies that support their production, particularly for those using immersive technologies. To address this gap, we organize a hands-on workshop and bring together academic and industry experts to explore persuasive game design. Through making we generate knowledge in the form of insights and examplar work, and subsequently formulate best-practises and design strategies for future design and research.
The combination of self-tracking and persuasive eCoaching in healthy lifestyle interventions is a promising approach. The objective of this study is to map the key components of existing healthy lifestyle interventions combining self-tracking and persuasive eCoaching using the scoping review methodology in accordance with the York methodological framework by Arksey and O’Malley. Seven studies were included in this preliminary scoping review. Components related to persuasive eCoaching applied only in effective interventions were reduction of complex behavior into small steps, providing positive motivational feedback by praise and providing reliable information to show expertise. Concerning self-tracking, it did not seem to matter if more action was required by the participant to obtain personal data. The first results of this study indicate the necessity to identify the needs and problems of the specific target group of the interventions, due to differences found between various groups of users. In addition to objective data on lifestyle and health behavior, other factors need to be taken into account, such as the context of use, daily experiences, and feelings of the users.
Games zijn bedoeld voor vermaak, maar we kunnen ze ook opvatten als een vorm van cultuur. Ze vertellen iets over de samenleving waarin ze zijn gemaakt: al dan niet met opzet komen er via de verbeelding van de makers opvattingen over de samenleving in games terecht. Games zetten op hun beurt aan tot verbeelding, waardoor gamers zich mogelijk gestimuleerd voelen na te denken over die samenleving. Toch is het aannemelijk dat gamers daar weinig voor voelen, omdat dit een plezierige ervaring in de weg kan staan. Maar gamers blijken wel degelijk geneigd tot reflectie op de wereld om ons heen, over het leven, over goed en kwaad. Ruim driekwart van de gamers uit dit onderzoek zegt dat wel eens te doen. Tegen de verwachting is daarbij geen verschil te zien tussen reguliere gamers en professionals, zoals reviewers en game designers. Verondersteld werd dat die laatstgenoemden zich beroepsmatig vaker aangezet voelen tot reflectie op de wereld om ons heen. Vaker dan verwacht blijken gamers een kunstervaring te ondergaan bij het spelen van games. In de context van deze studie wil dat zeggen dat die spelers ‘tussen de regels door’ commentaar op de spel- en verhaalgebeurtenissen hebben opgemerkt, dat hen aan het denken zette over de wereld. Daarbij was geen verschil te zien tussen mainstream games en indiegames. De verwachting dat de meeste gamers vooral de bijzondere vormgeving van games noemen als reden om ze als kunst te bestempelen is ten slotte wel bevestigd. Dit laat meteen ook het verschil zien tussen de gangbare esthetische kunstopvatting en wat ik in deze studie onder kunst versta: het ervaren van een betekenisproces dat stimuleert tot reflectie op het leven.
Measuring and designing user experience in retail and gaming virtual reality using a CAVE set-up In this project we designed and measured user experiences in a CAVE virtual reality set-up. Virtually all studies have taken the form of experiment studies and have been conducted among consumers (in total more than 1500 consumers) who had to visit the virtual world with assignments based on which behaviour has been observed and after which a survey was conducted afterwards. The studies were carried out within the three lines of inquiry: a. Branded games / in-game advertising, revealing (positive) effects of in-game advertising on attention and attitude based on logos and faces incorporated into the games. Various applications (prototypes) have been developed that stimulate the shopping experience and the interaction between shop and consumer. (b) FMCG: studies answered the question which factors influence search and choice behaviour in the supermarket. On the basis of the studies, the clients have designed new packaging and adapted existing designs, deployed new shelf layouts, developed and implemented new Retail strategies, optimized instore communication and (e) the knowledge about consumer behaviour in the supermarket within the organization has been increased. (c) Location Based Advertising: recommendations have been made for the partners concerned and the field of work on (a) development of non-intrusive pervasive/ubiquitous advertising concepts (2nd screen, LBA, gaze-based advertising etc.), (b) development of virtual test environments and associated interaction methods and (c) exploration and review of theoretical models for persuasive communication and behavioural influence. Partners: Heinz, Nokia, DVJ-Insights, Radboud University, Brand Loyalty, IRI, Talpa, TU/e, Philips
