As the interactive entertainment industry matures, we need a better understanding of what makes software entertaining. A natural starting point is the application of traditional Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) tools to interactive entertainment software. Cognitive models are tools that HCI researchers have used to model users’ thought processes and evaluate interface design. With this research we investigate the relationship between the complexity of an interaction and the entertainment experienced by the user. We designed a simple computer game, created a normative model for how a user plays this game, built several variations of this game such that normative models of these variants differed across two factors: pace and complexity. User studies were conducted on these variations, and we compared these factors to user performance and self-reported user enjoyment.

Creator

• Piselli, Paolo M

Contributors

• Claypool, Mark L.
• Doyle, James Kevin

Degree

• MS

Unit

• Computer Science

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Language

• English

Identifier

• etd-032106-133700

Keyword

• human-computer interaction
• enjoyment
• interactive entertainment
• cognitive models
• computer games

Advisor

• Claypool, Mark L.
• Doyle, James Kevin

Defense date

• 2006-01-31

Year

• 2006

Date created

• 2006-03-21

Resource type

• Thesis

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2021-02-01