The tension and drama of player challenges are what drives gameplay across all game genres and modalities. While players often think about performative or cognitive challenges when they think about experiencing difficulty in games, my work argues that challenge is actually multi-faceted, including aspects such as the emotional and the social. My research aims to address knowledge gaps in both the common (performative) and understudied (emotional and social) areas of challenge in games.

Regarding the former, I explored the micro (granular) and macro (broader) views of challenge and failure in games, as well as how they related to the player experience. Regarding the latter, I explored how emotional design patterns relate to eudaimonic outcomes such as player reflection and what socioemotional interaction dynamics arise in multiplayer gaming situations.

Through my exploration, this dissertation provides a refinement of the definition of player challenge itself. Secondly, I contribute some recommendations towards how to design for challenging player experiences that are memorable and emotionally-impactful.

Event Host: Marjorie Cuerdo, Ph.D. Candidate, Computational Media

Advisor: Edward Melcer