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Assessing the Core Elements of the Gaming Experience

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Evaluating User Experience in Games

Part of the book series: Human-Computer Interaction Series ((HCIS))

Abstract

This chapter presents the theory of the Core Elements of the Gaming Experience (CEGE). The CEGE are the necessary but not sufficient conditions to provide a positive experience while playing video-games. This theory, formulated using qualitative methods, is presented with the aim of studying the gaming experience objectively. The theory is abstracted using a model and implemented in questionnaire. This chapter discusses the formulation of the theory, introduces the model, and shows the use of the questionnaire in an experiment to differentiate between two different experiences.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Dr. Sarah Faisal, Dr. Lidia Oshlyansky and Charlenne Jennett for valuable comments on this work. Eduardo H. Calvillo-Gámez is sponsored by SEP-PROMEP.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. División de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Información, Universidad Politécnica de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México

    Eduardo H. Calvillo-Gámez

  2. Department of Computer Science, The University of York, York, UK

    Paul Cairns

  3. UCL Interaction Centre, University College London, London, UK

    Anna L. Cox

Authors
  1. Eduardo H. Calvillo-Gámez
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  2. Paul Cairns
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  3. Anna L. Cox
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eduardo H. Calvillo-Gámez .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Recherches en, Informatique de Toulouse (IRIT), Université Toulouse III, route de Narbonne 118, Toulouse CX 4, 31062, France

    Regina Bernhaupt

Appendix

Appendix

1.1 Core Elements of the Gaming Experience Questionnaire (CEGEQ)

  • Overview: This questionnaire is used to assess the core elements of the gaming experience. Each item is rated with a 7-point Likert scale. The questionnaire is to be administered after the participant has finished playing with the game.

  • Scales: There are eight scales in the questionnaire: CEGE, Video-game, Puppetry, Game-play, Environment, Control, Ownership and Facilitators.

  • Reliability: The Cronbach alpha for the whole questionnaire is 0.794 and for the CEGE scale is 0.803.

  • Instructions: Please read the following statements and answer by marking one of the numbers that best describes your experience.

  1. 1.

    I enjoyed playing the game

  2. 2.

    I was frustrated at the end of the game

  3. 3.

    I was frustrated whilst playing the game

  4. 4.

    I liked the game

  5. 5.

    I would play this game again

  6. 6.

    I was in control of the game

  7. 7.

    The controllers responded as I expected

  8. 8.

    I remember the actions the controllers performed

  9. 9.

    I was able to see on the screen everything I needed during the game

  10. 10.

    *The point of view of the game that I had spoiled my gaming

  11. 11.

    I knew what I was supposed to do to win the game

  12. 12.

    *There was time when I was doing nothing in the game

  13. 13.

    I liked the way the game looked

  14. 14.

    The graphics of the game were plain

  15. 15.

    *I do not like this type of game

  16. 16.

    I like to spend a lot of time playing this game

  17. 17.

    I got bored playing this time

  18. 18.

    *I usually do not choose this type of game

  19. 19.

    *I did not have a strategy to win the game

  20. 20.

    The game kept constantly motivating me to keep playing

  21. 21.

    I felt what was happening in the game was my own doing

  22. 22.

    I challenged myself even if the game did not require it

  23. 23.

    I played with my own rules

  24. 24.

    *I felt guilty for the actions in the game

  25. 25.

    I knew how to manipulate the game to move forward

  26. 26.

    The graphics were appropriate for the type of game

  27. 27.

    The sound effects of the game were appropriate

  28. 28.

    *I did not like the music of the game

  29. 29.

    The graphics of the game were related to the scenario

  30. 30.

    The graphics and sound effects of the game were related

  31. 31.

    The sound of the game affected the way I was playing

  32. 32.

    *The game was unfair

  33. 33.

    I understood the rules of the game

  34. 34.

    The game was challenging

  35. 35.

    The game was difficult

  36. 36.

    The scenario of the game was interesting

  37. 37.

    *I did not like the scenario of the game

  38. 38.

    I knew all the actions that could be performed in the game

*Denotes items that are negatively worded.

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Calvillo-Gámez, E.H., Cairns, P., Cox, A.L. (2010). Assessing the Core Elements of the Gaming Experience. In: Bernhaupt, R. (eds) Evaluating User Experience in Games. Human-Computer Interaction Series. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-963-3_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-963-3_4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-84882-962-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-84882-963-3

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