From board games to video games: Implications for the adaptation from physical to digital
Author
Svendsen, Emma
Term
4. term
Publication year
2024
Submitted on
2024-05-31
Pages
80
Abstract
Board games have been enjoyed for thousands of years and now also exist in digital form. This thesis compares the physical and digital versions of Codenames and Mysterium, two modern games that combine hidden information and cooperation to create an engaging experience. We ran eight play sessions with two different groups of four people. Each session was video recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were examined using thematic analysis, a method for identifying recurring patterns in qualitative data. The analysis is organized around three perspectives: the relationship between player and game (player-to-game), between player and surroundings (player-to-environment), and between players (player-to-player). The goal is to understand user experience in both media by examining how communication and interaction change from table to screen. Findings show that specific aspects of game encounters are crucial to the overall experience, and that user experience differs across media. The study considers both verbal and nonverbal communication and how the digital environment can incorporate and alter these forms of communication. It also examines how adapted digital versions use video game elements such as automation, animation, and changes to overview and flow, which shape how the game is experienced. In doing so, the thesis offers a clearer view of how sociability emerges in each medium, and how players, the environment, and the game itself together create the social side of board gaming. The work differs by grounding its conclusions in empirical data and showing how the identified themes occur in practice, rather than assuming qualities of either medium. Through concrete examples, it highlights practical implications for players’ user experience.
Brætspil har været populære i tusinder af år og findes i dag også som digitale udgaver. Dette speciale sammenligner den fysiske og den digitale udgave af Codenames og Mysterium, to moderne brætspil, der kombinerer skjult information og samarbejde for at skabe en engagerende oplevelse. Vi gennemførte otte spilsessioner med to forskellige grupper á fire personer. Alle sessioner blev videooptaget og transskriberet. Transskriptionerne blev analyseret med tematisk analyse, en metode til at finde tilbagevendende mønstre i kvalitative data. Analysen er struktureret omkring tre perspektiver: relationen mellem spiller og spil (spiller-til-spil), mellem spiller og omgivelser (spiller-til-omgivelser) og mellem spillere indbyrdes (spiller-til-spiller). Fokus er at forstå brugeroplevelsen i begge medier ved at undersøge, hvordan kommunikation og samspil ændrer sig fra bord til skærm. Resultaterne viser, at bestemte elementer i mødet med spillet er afgørende for den samlede oplevelse, og at brugeroplevelsen varierer fra medium til medium. Studiet undersøger både verbal og nonverbal kommunikation og hvordan det digitale miljø kan indarbejde og ændre disse kommunikationsformer. Det omfatter også, hvordan digitale tilpasninger bruger videospilselementer som automatisering, animation og ændringer i overblik og flow, hvilket påvirker, hvordan spillet opleves. Dermed giver specialet et bedre indblik i, hvordan det sociale samvær omkring brætspil opstår i hvert medium, og hvordan spillere, omgivelser og selve spillet sammen skaber den sociale dimension. Specialet adskiller sig ved at bygge sine konklusioner tæt på det empiriske materiale og vise, hvordan de identificerede temaer udfolder sig i praksis, frem for at antage noget om det ene eller det andet medium. Gennem konkrete eksempler peger studiet på praktiske implikationer for spilleres brugeroplevelse.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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