IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine - May 2018 - 59

of game enjoyment is vague in the literature because it is not
well differentiated from other related psychological concepts.
Fang et al. [28] studied enjoyment and referred to it as a positive reaction of the player during a particular game session.
They developed a questionnaire based on three dimensions of
enjoyment: affective (linked to the player's affective state and
emotions), behavioral (linked to the player's behavior during
the game session), and cognitive (linked to the player's judgments about the game elements). The enjoyment factor for websites has been well operationalized and conceptualized, but this
concept cannot be applied to digital games because the central
goal of a game is enjoyment, whereas websites mostly have
utilitarian goals.
Takatalo et al. [29] provided an overview of the enjoyment
factor as a subjective experience. Most researchers have
equated enjoyment with the flow experience [27], because
flow is linked to the subjective experience of challenging
activities based on a euphoric state of involvement and concentration. Some researchers have argued that enjoyment can
also occur without a flow experience [18], [29]. Fang et al.
[30] developed a questionnaire based on different components of flow to measure it in video games. Brockmyer et al.
[31] proposed a game engagement questionnaire to measure
engagement in playing video games and considered enjoyment as a multidimensional construct that combines positive
affect, competence, challenge, and the absence of frustration,
whereas flow is about an involvement construct, including
boredom and immersion.
Mekler et al. [32] performed a systematic review to analyze measures and the operationalization of enjoyment in
digital entertainment games. They proposed that flow is different from enjoyment and may occur independently of cognitive involvement and challenge. They also considered
enjoyment as a value of the player experience.

GAME CHARACTERISTICS
An understanding of game characteristics, particularly of game
content, from both developer and consumer perspectives is
very important in digital games. Characteristics of games
include a user interface (output/input techniques), rules such as
game challenges or levels of difficulty, interactive features,
skill requirements, reward/effort ratio, and game narrative. All
of these characteristics of games have been studied by
researchers, and most game characteristics have been studied
independently. The output techniques for digital games commonly involve auditory and visual information. Typically, the
output interface consists of certain objects within action scenes,
such as avatars, targets, or enemies, and a moving, complex
background. Usually, the main action scene contains a "headsup" display to provide contextual information. Auditory information is also included within the digital game to facilitate the
consumer experience. Wolfson and Case [33], Caroux et al.
[34], and Sabri et al. [35] performed experiments to show that
the background and arrangement of contextual elements, such
as heads-up displays, have an impact on the performance of the
digital game consumer.

Ease of use for digital games means
that the consumer can easily
manipulate the controls within the
game to take actions that help in
achieving the goals of the game.
Several studies have investigated the impact of output techniques, such as the influence of auditory information, the representation of the virtual world, and the quality of displayed
information, sound, and music, on the player experience in
digital games [36]. The input techniques can involve devices
like a controller, joystick, computer keyboard, mouse, or combinations of these, plus other input methods based on touch,
motion, gaze, tangibles, or brain control. Researchers have
also widely studied the impact of input techniques on consumer experience [37], [38].
Game challenge or the level of difficulty is another important characteristic. Few studies in the digital game literature
have discussed the impact of challenge characteristics. Qin et
al. [39] studied how varying the level of difficulty impacts
consumer immersion. Liu et al. [40] provided a comparison
between two systems of dynamic difficulty, where challenges
were based on either the consumer's level of anxiety or his/
her performance, concluding that the former has a greater
positive impact on the consumer's experience. The results of
the study showed that the consumer's experience was better
when it was based on level of anxiety. Shaker et al. [41] also
investigated dynamic challenges in games based on the consumer experience.
The challenge of a digital game should be varied and
gradually increased to maintain the level of interest within
the game. When a consumer develops mastery, the game
should provide more challenges. The match between the
challenge and the consumer's perceived skills for an activity
is an important precursor of flow. If the difficulty level of the
challenge is higher than the perceived skill of the consumer,
then playing it results in anxiety; if it is lower, then playing it
results in apathy.
Another important characteristic of game play is the game
narrative. Digital games generally include a story line, and Choi
et al. [42] showed that fantasy in a storyline enhances motivation and immersion in video games. We proposed four scale
factors to evaluate the fantasy state in games: identification,
analogy, imagination, and satisfaction. Park et al. [43] also evaluated the role of narrative in video games and showed that it
increases player presence. They compared the game with a situation in which the player saw a presentation of the technical
aspect totally disconnected from the game narrative.

EASE OF USE
Ease of use reflects "the degree to which a person believes that
using a particular system would be free of effort" [44].
may 2018

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine - May 2018