Young Yim Doh

Video games offer immense potential for identity formation and social participation for players with disabilities; nevertheless, fragmented accessibility settings and assistive tools often impose cycles of uncompensated accessibility labor. We explore the Game AI Assistant (GAIA) concept, designed as a framework for personalized support that should adapt to both game context and inferred needs, while preserving autonomy and fair play. We conducted ethics-approved, semi-structured interviews with seven hardcore players with disabilities. Participants were shown a prototype in the context of a high-concentration fighting game to elicit their perceptions and needs. Thematic analysis revealed a core conflict around the psychological state of flow: the prototype was valued for reducing accessibility labor during low-focus preparatory phases but was rejected as a disruptive intrusion during high-concentration moments. While participants appreciated guidance on accessibility resources, they criticized the prototype’s limited customization and verbose responses. Based on these findings, we propose two design principles. The first, Dual Context Adaptation, mandates that an assistant must dynamically adapt its behavior to protect the player’s state of flow. The second, an Ethical Framework for Agency and Accomplishment, is grounded in Self-Determination Theory, so the assistant protects the player’s fundamental needs for autonomy and competence.

Understanding the experiences of players with disabilities is a key research issue in game accessibility. However, less is known about the values that young players experience from games, particularly in relation to their situational context as adolescents and young adults with disabilities. We explore how the values of accessible gaming are created in players’ lives by analyzing interviews with five players with cerebral palsy (CP) (age range 13–25 years) and their parents through the lens of developmental tasks theory. Using thematic analysis, we discovered three themes that illustrated how video games’ roles changed according to their life stages: “Establishing Healthy Self in Family”, “Navigating Peer Culture”, and “Preparing Adult Life”. Our results indicated that young players with CP made active decisions in their life and developed supportive relationships from playing accessible games. The changes in their desired developmental task and social contexts influenced the values they found in games. We discuss video games as a sociocultural resource that assists young players with CP to attain the developmental tasks they desire and achieve social inclusion. We conclude with design insights for creating more inclusive gameplay experiences for young players with CP.

Introduction: Recalling personal memories on the loss and deriving new meanings from them is deemed necessary for adapting to bereavement. Recent studies suggest that games can afford players meaningful experiences that can support players through stressful life events, but its potential on the meaning-making of loss has not been much explored. To address this gap, we investigated the bereaved players' experiences of playing commercial video games that elicited their personal memories of loss and what meanings they derived from those experiences.Method: Twelve adult players with bereavement experiences (six male, six female, age range: 20-31) played two video games (Bear's Restaurant and Spiritfarer). Their experiences during and after gameplay were tracked via play diaries and in-depth interviews. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis method.Results: We discovered seven themes on the meanings that players made from their gameplay experience: “Recalling memories”, “Avoiding engagement with the pain”, “Recognizing positive emotions”, “Acknowledging the deceased's perspective”, “Reviewing the meaning of loss”, “Planning a better future”, and “Fulfilling a wish”. Our findings indicate that bereaved players recalled and related their autobiographical memories to their in-game experiences. Furthermore, they derived new meanings on both the loss and their post-loss life after playing video games.Discussion: We discuss how video games can provide a unique meaning-making experience to bereaved players by affording them an agency to actively reconstruct their narrative of loss and facilitating the sharing of grief.

There is criticism that discussions surrounding games for older populations are mainly focused on practical approaches to cognitive and physical training. In addition, negative attitudes toward digital games and limited experience contribute to older populations’ isolation from mainstream game culture. This study aims to examine perception changes toward digital games in adults in their 50s and older as they gain actual game experience and an appropriate game literacy program for older populations. We organized eight sessions of gameplay workshops for participants aged 50 years and over (N = 40, age range = 50–85 years) at two senior learning centers located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do in South Korea. The workshops consisted of lectures for game literacy, co-playing of mobile games, and discussions about game experience. A thematic analysis of participants’ statements and game diaries revealed their perception changes toward games. Participants engaged in a variety of mobile games and felt conflicted between their positive and negative experiences. They reported that their game experience had contributed to identifying the positive values of games, understanding diversity, and improving their understanding of the younger generation. In addition, they indicated that future directions for fostering a game culture in older age groups should include playing for connectivity, health, relaxation, and game literacy education. This study highlights games as a cultural medium that entertains and connects people. By linking theories with practice, we propose a framework for a game literacy program to support older populations’ active participation in game culture.

A growing number of VR games are published in the market as head-mounted devices (HMD) become more widespread. However, most VR games are targeted for a single-player audience, and cross-platform VR experiences where multiple players are engaged have yet to be fully explored. In this paper, we propose a VR-mobile cross-platform game based on traditional Korean mythology, Seung-ee & Kkaebi. Our goal was to create an immersive and enjoyable experience for players for both mobile and VR players where they are physically co-located, increasing both co-presence and social interaction. Our game design focused on asymmetric competition and maximized the interactions between both platforms. The VR player plays the role of Jangseung (Seek), a Korean traditional totem pole, whereas the mobile user plays the role of Dokkaebi (Hide), a Korean mythological creature. Each platform has its unique skill set to interrupt each other to win the game, thus creating a highly immersive and co-present experience for both players.

While player characters (PCs) are the key element in engaging players in narrative games, the experience and relationship of the player with the PC have received scarce attention from the perspective of the subjective player experience. The diversity of players and the importance of the PC in the game suggests meaningful connections between how players relate to their PC and the resulting satisfaction with the game. We, therefore, investigated in this study how the player-character relationship influences satisfaction of the player with the game. We performed semi-structured in-depth interviews with 12 players ofThe Last of Us Part II, a game that has elicited highly polarized reactions in relation to how players responded to a switch of the PC in the game. Through thematic analysis, three themes were found, illustrating the connection between aspects of the player-character relationship and the overall game satisfaction. The themes are “Tolerance of forced character switch”, “Malleability of character image” and “Flexibility of character attachment”. We discuss how those findings should be taken into consideration when designing diverse and meaningful gaming experiences.

Background: The number of older adult gamers who play mobile games is growing worldwide. Earlier studies have reported that digital games provide cognitive, physical, and socioemotional benefits for older adults. However, current mobile games that understand older adults’ gameplay experience and reflect their needs are very scarce. Furthermore, studies that have analyzed older adults’ game experience in a holistic manner are rare. Objective: The purpose of this study was to suggest mobile game design guidelines for adults older than 50 years from a holistic gaming experience perspective. Adopting a human-centric approach, this study analyzes middle-aged and older adults’ gameplay experience and suggests practical design guides to increase accessibility and satisfaction. Methods: We organized a living laboratory project called the “Intergenerational Play Workshop.” In this workshop, 40 middle-aged and older adults (mean age 66.75 years, age range 50-85 years) played commercial mobile games of various genres with young adult partners for 1 month (8 sessions). Using a convergent parallel mixed-method design, we conducted a qualitative analysis of dialogue, game diaries, and behavioral observations during the workshop and a quantitative analysis of the satisfaction level of the game elements for the mobile games that they played. Results: This project was active from April 2019 to December 2021, and the data were collected at the workshops from July 1 to August 28, 2019. Based on the identified themes of positive and negative experiences from the qualitative data, we proposed 45 design guides under 3 categories: (1) cognitive and physical elements, (2) psychological and socioemotional elements, and (3) consumption contextual elements. Our empirical research could reaffirm the proposals from previous studies and provide new guidelines for improving the game design. In addition, we demonstrate how existing commercial games can be evaluated quantitatively by using the satisfaction level of each game’s elements and overall satisfaction level. Conclusions: The final guidelines were presented to game designers to easily find related information and enhance the overall understanding of the game experience of middle-aged and older adults.

BACKGROUND The number of older adult gamers who play mobile games is growing worldwide. Earlier studies have reported that digital games provide cognitive, physical, and socioemotional benefits for older adults. However, current mobile games that understand older adults’ gameplay experience and reflect their needs are very scarce. Furthermore, studies that have analyzed older adults’ game experience in a holistic manner are rare. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to suggest mobile game design guidelines for adults older than 50 years from a holistic gaming experience perspective. Adopting a human-centric approach, this study analyzes middle-aged and older adults’ gameplay experience and suggests practical design guides to increase accessibility and satisfaction. METHODS We organized a living laboratory project called the “Intergenerational Play Workshop.” In this workshop, 40 middle-aged and older adults (mean age 66.75 years, age range 50-85 years) played commercial mobile games of various genres with young adult partners for 1 month (8 sessions). Using a convergent parallel mixed-method design, we conducted a qualitative analysis of dialogue, game diaries, and behavioral observations during the workshop and a quantitative analysis of the satisfaction level of the game elements for the mobile games that they played. RESULTS This project was active from April 2019 to December 2021, and the data were collected at the workshops from July 1 to August 28, 2019. Based on the identified themes of positive and negative experiences from the qualitative data, we proposed 45 design guides under 3 categories: (1) cognitive and physical elements, (2) psychological and socioemotional elements, and (3) consumption contextual elements. Our empirical research could reaffirm the proposals from previous studies and provide new guidelines for improving the game design. In addition, we demonstrate how existing commercial games can be evaluated quantitatively by using the satisfaction level of each game’s elements and overall satisfaction level. CONCLUSIONS The final guidelines were presented to game designers to easily find related information and enhance the overall understanding of the game experience of middle-aged and older adults.