In our study (N=2189), we divided participants into 6 badge conditions: 1) Role model badges (e.g., Einstein), 2) Personal interest badges (e.g., Movies), 3) Achievement badges (e.g., "Code King"), 4) Choice, 5) Choice with badges always visible, and 6) No badges. Our study demonstrates the importance of considering avatar type in designing virtual systems. Finally, using linear hierarchical regression, we find that avatar identification significantly promotes player experience (29.8% variance) and time played (3.5% variance). We find that both Robot and Human conditions lead to higher avatar identification. We find that players randomly assigned to the Robot condition have significantly higher player experience. Specifically, we compare three avatar types in a jumping game: 1) Human (high anthropomorphism), 2) Block-like (low anthropomorphism), and 3) Robot (high anthropomorphism). Here, we contribute one of the few highly controlled studies of this nature (N=1074). Yet we still understand very little about how different avatar types affect users. This is largely because avatar identification can promote a wide variety of outcomes: game enjoyment, intrinsic motivation, quality of made artifacts, and more. Video Help is a close second across these same measures.Īvatar identification is a topic of increasingly intense interest. Results indicate that Interactive Help has a greater positive impact on time spent, controls learnability, learning motivation, total editor activity, and game level quality.
Each participant created their own first-person shooter game level using our game-making software with a randomly assigned help facility condition. We then ran a study of 1646 participants that compared six help facility conditions: 1) Text Help, 2) Interactive Help, 3) Intelligent Agent Help, 4) Video Help, 5) All Help, and 6) No Help. To better understand help facilities, we created game-making software that allowed us to systematically vary the type of help available.
For instance, certain types of help facilities may help users more than others. But despite widespread prevalence of game engines and game editors that ship with many of today's most popular games, there is a lack of empirical evidence on how help facilities impact game-making. Help facilities have been crucial in helping users learn about software for decades.