Pairs study
How Game Balancing Affects Play: Player Adaptation in an Exergame for Children with Cerebral Palsy
Hwang S, Schneider ALJ, Clarke D, MacIntosh A, Switzer L, Fehlings D & Graham TCN
Conference proceedings: ACM DIS 2017, June 10 – 14, 2017, Edinburgh UK
Link to abstract: dx.doi.org/10.1145/3064663.3064664"
Player balancing changes game mechanics to accommodate differences in players’ manual and cognitive abilities. Addressing the imbalances also involves players’ awareness of a new fairness that may motivate both the advantaged and disadvantaged players.
Objective : When children with CP play knowingly balanced exergames, do the effects (including motivation) persist?
Process : Eight participants 8 – 14 years old with GMFCS scores of II or III experienced 6 hour-long sessions of either balanced or unbalanced game play.
Findings : "Our results showed that motivation was higher in balanced versus non-balanced conditions [and] perceived fun and fairness were higher for both winners and losers in balanced versus non-balanced conditions."