Juiciness – A Study of Visual Effects in Games

Korinek, Jiri ; Fagerli, Sandra Louise

4. term

Medialogy, Master

2017

2017-06-02

73

Hvorfor bliver spillere ved? Denne afhandling undersøger 'continuation desire' – den indre motivation til at fortsætte med at spille. Tidligere forskning, bl.a. af Schønau-Fog, peger på 'sensorisk engagement' – tiltrækning skabt af lyd, visuelle udtryk, æstetik og stemning – som en vigtig faktor. Der er overlap til spilbegrebet 'juiciness', forstået som livlige visuelle effekter som animationer, partikeleffekter og lys. Selvom sensorisk engagement anses for vigtigt, er de enkelte elementer sjældent undersøgt hver for sig. I dette projekt defineres 'juiciness'-effekter, og tre af dem – animationer, partikler og lys – sammenlignes for at se, om én påvirker fortsættelseslyst stærkere end de andre. Effekterne blev testet i et puslespil udviklet over tre iterationer gennem tre studier med i alt 182 spillere: en brugervenlighedstest og to forskningstests. Resultaterne er ikke statistisk signifikante, men peger i retning af, at partikeleffekter blandt de testede har den stærkeste positive indflydelse på spillernes lyst til at fortsætte.

Why do players keep going? This thesis examines 'continuation desire'—the motivation to keep playing a game. Prior work by researchers including Schønau-Fog highlights 'sensory engagement'—the pull created by audio, visuals, aesthetics, and atmosphere—as a key factor. There is overlap with the game design term 'juiciness,' understood here as lively visual effects such as animations, particle effects, and lighting. Although sensory engagement is considered important, the impact of individual elements has been studied less. This project defines 'juiciness effects' and directly compares three of them—animations, particles, and lights—to see whether one has a stronger influence on continuation desire. The effects were tested in a puzzle game built over three iterations, across three studies with 182 players: one usability test and two research tests. While the differences were not statistically significant, the results point toward particle effects having the strongest positive impact on players’ desire to continue among the effects tested.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

Juiciness ; Visual elements

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Fagerli, Sandra Louise:

• Dadiu - Level Design by Sandra Louise Fagerli (2016)