Games have been widely used for purposes other than entertainment due to their engaging nature. However, the concept of game engagement is still not well-defined, which limits its use in analysis and game design. The primary objective of this dissertation is to conceptualize game engagement to guide the analysis and design of applied games. The dissertation first explores the requirements for conceptualizing applied game engagement, identified through an analysis of three applied gaming projects and an empirical study. It then uses these requirements to develop the Applied Games Engagement Model (AGEM). The AGEM posits that engagement is the process of focusing attention on a task and that attention can be purposefully directed through design. The practical use of the AGEM is then explored by analyzing applied games. The theory is extended with relevant game design knowledge and applied to game design practice. This results in the Lens of Engagement for Applied Games, a unique way to view the design of an applied game. Overall, this dissertation provides a comprehensive perspective on applied game engagement, emphasizing the role of attention and its relation to game design. It offers a practical and workable method of considering and discussing game engagement, which can be used by anyone creating or studying applied games.@en

Although games are frequently described as ‘engaging’, what this means exactly continues to be subject of debate in game literature. Engagement is often defined through related concepts like immersion and positive emotions. However, this neglects the fact that applied games aim to provide more than an entertaining experience, and that engagement with the applied purpose can exist separately from engagement with the game's systems. To make this differentiation more apparent, this article introduces the Applied Games Engagement Model (AGEM), a theoretical model that distinguishes between an applied game's systems and its non-entertainment purpose. It poses that game systems and purpose can overlap in varying amounts, both from game to game, and from moment to moment within a single game. The value of the model is in the explicit acknowledgement that the attention necessary for engaging with content is a limited resource, and that measures for engagement in applied games need to consider that not all engagement is purposeful. The article lays the conceptual foundation for the study of engagement in applied games, and provides a framework for how to design for an applied purpose. It illustrates its use in analysing applied games and their designs through three case studies.@en

Over the last 15 years, we have witnessed a digitalization of the sports experience, i.e., many sports have been enhanced by digital and wearable devices. The centrality of the human body and the different contexts where sports can be practiced have led HCI research to explore how mobile and wearable devices could support the physical, social, and environmental aspects of sports disciplines. Yet, the field of HCI & sports continues to evolve under the push of new technological developments and events affecting people worldwide, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. Technological advancements like the metaverse, inbodied technologies, and AI have paved the way for augmented humans, esports, new forms of sociality, and new ways to engage the audience. Likewise, contextual factors push sports trends in two opposite directions simultaneously: on the one hand, they foster the indoorisation and individualization of sports; on the other hand, they encourage practicing sports outdoors and taking advantage of the "restorative environment"of nature. With this workshop, we would like to invite the MobileHCI community to discuss the current trends in portable technologies for sports and trace future directions for HCI research in this field.

@en

Location-based games invite players to have new forms of meaningful social interactions with others and provide opportunities for players to engage with their own neighbourhood’s public space. Earlier research on user requirements for such games have identified seven different activity types that have proven to initiate social interaction and capture real life exchanges for meaningful play-based social experiences. Yet, current understanding on what makes these games successful in such endeavours is still insufficient. This study furthers current understanding on the effects of location-based games for social interaction in local communities: it studies the forms of social interaction that the previously identified seven types of game activities elicit by analysing the nature and types of the exchanges they trigger. Based on this analysis, a design framework is proposed to 1) analyse existing location-based games and describe the forms of social interaction they trigger, and 2) help practitioners design new game activities that target specific forms of social interaction. This contributes to the enhancement of current understanding on the impact that these games can have in local communities, and on the way they can be better designed and used to promote social exchanges that are desired by players.@en

COVID-19 has urged researchers to explore new options for distributed participatory design, as physical meetings and workshops became unfeasible. This situation posed new challenges but also opportunities, in particular with respect to engagement and inclusion. This paper focuses on distributed PD with Irish teenagers to support place-making during this period: to build relationships with each other and the community. In a two-week online summer school, teenagers explored a concern or highlighted a unique aspect of their local community and designed digital artworks in response. Activities and materials were designed to support reflection, empowerment, inclusiveness, emergence, and playfulness for participatory place-making. Analysis of the summer school provides insights and guidance on the design of online PD for engaging experiences, especially in the context of place-making.@en

The contemporary digitalization of the sports experience brought new challenges for the HCI community. HCI researchers started exploring how mobile and wearable devices could support the physical, social, and environmental aspects of sports, while technological transformations like the metaverse, inbodied technologies, and AI have recently paved the way for augmented humans, esports, new forms of sociality, and new ways to engage the sports audience. In this preface, we present the papers accepted to the workshop Net Trends in HCI and Sports, held in conjunction with MobileHCI ‘22, which precisely attempted to deal with the recent advancements in technology used in the sports domain.

@en

Whereas entertainment games are capable of creating deeply rewarding and emotional experiences, applied game projects often result in products that, while potentially effective, are lacking in many other aspects of the user experience. This may be due to the fact that the focus of most design approaches for applied games lies primarily on the use of game mechanics, neglecting other aspects of design that aim to shape and influence the player’s emotional journey. This article provides an exploratory effort in a different approach to creating applied games, namely through the design of user attention and by integrating the theory of attention into applied game design practice. This approach is tested in two ongoing applied game projects, from which preliminary guidelines for applied game researchers and practitioners are proposed.@en

This paper focuses on the particular power of storytelling to foster reflection and connections between people in urban life. In fact, the core principles and mechanisms for public storytelling to achieve this have yet to be made explicit. This gap is addressed by introducing a novel reflective storytelling framework that unveils the underlying principles of fostering reflection and connection through public storytelling. The framework is proposed on the basis of the literature and its appropriateness is explored in a case study in the Hague (the Netherlands) with particular focus on the influence of content and form on successfully orchestrating reflective storytelling. The impact of citizen stories on the creation of new and stronger social ties, as well as challenges, tensions, and opportunities are discussed. These results inform researchers, urban planners, and other city practitioners on how to design effective storytelling initiatives to strengthen ties in urban communities.@en

Validation of serious games tends to focus on evaluating their design as a whole. While this helps to assess whether a particular combination of game mechanics is successful, it provides little insight into how individual mechanics contribute or detract from a serious game's purpose or a player's game experience. This study analyses the effect of game mechanics commonly used in casual games for engagement, measured as a combination of player behaviour and reported game experience. Secondly, it examines the role of a serious game's purpose on those same measures. An experimental study was conducted with 204 participants playing several versions of a serious game to explore these points. The results show that adding additional game mechanics to a core gameplay loop did not lead to participants playing more or longer, nor did it improve their game experience. Players who were aware of the game's purpose, however, perceived the game as more beneficial, scored their game experience higher, and progressed further. The results show that game mechanics on their own do not necessarily improve engagement, while the effect of perceived value deserves further study. @en

Physical activity plays a fundamental role in contrasting physiological deconditioning during ageing. Considering the complexity of the modifications that can occur in the physical activity domain, international guidelines recommend that older adults engage in a combination of aerobic, strength, flexibility, and balance training to promote active ageing and maintain adequate health status. For this reason, virtual coaches must be designed to prescribe appropriate physical activity plans in each of the specific target sub-domain. Technological solutions based on wearable devices and digital games are promising can be the key to a successful system. This chapter describes the physiological bases and the technological approaches implemented by the NESTORE system to evaluate users’ functional abilities and to propose a comprehensive and individualised coaching plan in the physical activity domain according to the internationally recognised guidelines. The main technological NESTORE components, co-designed together with users to monitor their status and behaviour and coach them to perform effective physical activity, are (i) the NESTORE wristband that will assess the users’ performances and monitor the main physiological parameters during aerobic activity and (ii) the NESTORE Pocket Odyssey mobile game that will engage the users during physical activities in the strength, flexibility and balance domains.

@en

Outdoor play activities are one of the ways via which children can acquire a sense of place towards their neighbourhood. Engaging children in the design of these activities through Participatory Design (PD) holds promise. However, knowledge lacks on the characteristics of place-making processes for children, the changing dynamics in these processes, and how PD can contribute to this. This paper proposes a PD method, grounded in literature, to support children in co-creating outdoor play activities for place-making. The method is applied with 42 children in Rotterdam. Involvement
of local partners, preparation meetings, and PD materials tailored to children’s interests and skills are vital to enable children to design outdoor play activities that are meaningful to them.@en