International Journal of Games and Social Impact

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An analog game-based intervention and a playability analysis in the elderly : a pilot study
(Lusofona University, 2023) Pincegher, Dara; Rosa, Marlene; Silva, Emanuel; Frontini, Roberta; ECATI - School of Communication, Architecture, Arts and Information Technologies
Introduction: Gamed-based interventions (GBI) in old people is an interesting topic for aging-well purposes, however, few studies exist focused on the assessment of multimodal interactive experience (emotions, skills, engagement, etc), and most of them used digital games. Therefore, validation of analog GBIs, when implemented in the geriatric field, should be completed with a playability analysis. Aim: To characterise a multicomponent playability analysis, considering (i) emotional state changes, and (ii) the perceived experience during the implementation of an analog gamed-based short-term intervention in the institutionalized elderly person. Method: A pre and post-test study was conducted during four weeks of intervention through an analogue game. Participants were elderly people institutionalised in a Residential Home for the Elderly in the central region of Portugal. Playability is assessed before and after the sessions with analogue games, using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) (0-10) of emotions and a questionnaire about participants’ perceptions of game-based experience. Results: Thirteen elderly people (9 women/4 men) with a mean age of 80±9.32 years participated in the study. A total of 48 states of tiredness/excitement, calmness/anxiety, and sadness/joy were recorded: 44,4% of participants increased their level of excitement; 66,7% decreased their level of excitement. The serious aims of the game were well perceived while maintaining the perception of the playful and fun character. Conclusion: The positive emotional changes in the elderly might be a sign of self-perceived novelty and challenge in the game. A good perception of the serious purpose of the game is associated with a positive emotional state, which encourages the adoption of proficiency feedback mode in the game. This pilot study was a relevant contribution to the continuing progression of playability analysis in elderly therapeutic contexts.
Beyond the screen : exploring the player’s role and its impact on emotional experiences in video games
(Lusofona University, 2024-09-01) Pinto, Filipe; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
This article explores the idea of the player as a co-creator of their own experience in video games, focusing on how we can define their role within the game’s architecture and how they shape their emotional experiences. By agreeing to an implicit ‘contract’ as they play a video game, players not only accept to adhere to the rules of the game world but allow themselves to become engaged in the game’s narratives, landscapes, characters, and other elements, opening themselves to deep emotional involvement and becoming integral parts of the narrative structure. Drawing on examples from games like Mass Effect, God of War, Doki Doki Literature Club!, and The Last of Us, among others, the article examines how players form emotional connections through romantic relationships, familial bonds, and friendships. Using concepts inherent to video games, such as agency and immersion, alongside others like involvement and incorporation, as well as those applicable to all fictional works, like suspension of disbelief and rational distance, the article ties these concepts together to better understand the player’s role and its impact on their experience. It highlights how that role influences these emotional experiences, allowing them to extend beyond the game world and leave lasting personal impacts on players.
Board games on the path to environmental education for sustainability
(Lusofona University, 2025-02-27) Antunes, Maria Raquel; Moreira, Aurora; Reis, Catarina Schreck; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
The response to global Anthropocene challenges requires a reimagined science education, shifting its goal from supplying hu-man capital with skills and capabilities in specific areas toward educating scientifically literate citizens who can make informed sustainable choices (Gough, 2021; Luttenberger & Mandi?, 2022). Aiming to contribute to such change, this article explores the intersection of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education and education for sustainability (EfS), emphasizing the need for innovative frameworks and tools to facilitate a transition toward a more sustainable future. As gamification emerges as a powerful mechanism for engaging learners, fostering scientific literacy, and driving sustainable practices, this article presents an original framework that leverages the synergies between these areas and supports the design of three STEAM educational board games addressing environmental education for sustainability.Keywords: education for sustainability; environmental education; board games; STEAM; living labs
Cognitive teleintervention with board games during the pandemic lockdown in school-age children
(Lusofona University, 2023) Vita-Barrull, Nuria; Estrada-Plana, Verónica; March-Llanes, Jaume; Guzmán, Núria; Mayoral, María; Moya Higueras, Jorge; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
Background. Playing modern board games has been linked to cognitive enhancement in children when playing face-to-face. However, because of the SARS-CoV-2, playing in an analog way was difficult. Objective. To test the efficacy of a cognitive intervention program with board games in school-age children (25 Spaniards; 5-12 years) delivered remotely through web conferencing. Methods. We performed a randomized controlled trial with a wait-list control group (n=10) and pre-post testing (updating, inhibition, flexibility, and verbal fluency). The study was preregistered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04823338). The experimental group (n=15) played commercialized board games adapted to an online format during 12 sessions. Results and Conclusions. We found higher flexibility and verbal fluency improvements in the experimental than in the control group. We also saw improvements in visuospatial updating solely in the passive control group. Board games played remotely could entail some cognitive benefits, though we found paradigmatic results too. Board games may benefit the most when played face to face.
Computer supported accessible dexterity-based board games
(Lusofona University, 2023) Heron, Michael James; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
Board game accessibility analyses conducted by the Meeple Centred Design project have identified a number of problem areas where there exist no accessible intersection of disability and game design paradigm. While there exist fun and innovative board games for most players, making use of most game mechanisms, there exists no identified dexterity game accessible to those with physical impairments. Indeed, it is hard to imagine what form a game of that nature might take. In this paper, we outline a technological solution making use of computer vision, digital representation, and accessible game design. In its proof of concept form, it serves as a way of making the game Crokinole playable by mixed-needs groups. Future work will generalise this solution to work for a wide array of flicking and pushing based dexterity games, along with investigating how existing digital accessibility support tools can be leveraged to expand the demographic that can benefit from this approach.
Current accessibility challenges and perspectives for people with visual impairments in tabletop games
(Lusofona University, 2023) Léste, João; Farbiarz, Jackeline; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
Much has already been discussed about the educational benefits of playing Tabletop games. However, as United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.5 points out, there still exist many disparities in the access to quality education by vulnerable groups. This paper aims to address some of the factors that contribute to this disparity in regard to people with visual impairments in Brazil. Beyond that, there is a much more dire barrier of access to: the majority of information about the games is presented visually. In practice, people with visual impairments have to rely on the “goodwill” of other people to try and adapt the games for them, who are generally their teachers, friends or relatives. Lastly, this paper presents some accessibility criteria to be considered when designing board games for people with visual impairments, as well as present the Design in Partnership approach as a viable method to design more meaningful games for this context.
Current and future opportunities for 3D printing in modern board games
(Lusofona University, 2023) Simões, Ricardo; HEI-LAB (FCT) - Digital Laboratories for Environments and Human Interactions
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is a set of disruptive technologies where parts are no longer produced by removing material until the desired form is achieved, but rather build the intended product layer by layer. With significant benefits in the efficient use of resources, optimizing performance, and allowing individual customization of each print, 3D printing techniques have been more widely adopted worldwide, and modern board games are no exception. However, until now its use is mostly hobbyists creating and sharing 3D models for improving player experience in two aspects: customization (upgrade) of game components, and solutions for organization/setup/logistics. Nevertheless, 3D printing opens opportunities also for game designers/developers and publishers. This paper presents a glimpse of the current use of 3D printing in modern board games and discusses opportunities for the future, highlighting how both players and professionals can take advantage of this technology.
Designing romance and the 'playersexuality' debate : love, romance, identity, and player perceptions of baldur's gate 3 and the dragon age series
(Lusofona University, 2024-11-14) Tomlinson, Christine; HEI-LAB (FCT) - Digital Laboratories for Environments and Human Interactions
Players of role-playing games have become increasingly interested in romantic narratives as part of the play experience. These romantic possibilities with pre-programmed in-game characters can be an exciting part of play, giving games more depth and allowing players to feel more connected to game content. This qualitative project applies content analysis to the Dragon Age video game series and Baldur’s Gate 3 as well as online conversations among players of these games to investigate how players interpret, experience, and evaluate in-game romance. I find that players’ relationship with romance in video games is complex. Romance is often also built around the idea of player agency, aiming to fulfill fantasies and emphasize player choice over repre-senting sexualities as part of characters’ identities. This has resulted in tensions as players seek out in-game romance, selecting in-game partners, exploring facets of identity, and often pursuing realistic stories when it comes to love. While some players appreciate playersexual models of in-game romance that make characters love them at the press of a button, the desire for realism – including the inclusion of characters with their own sexualities – often undercuts desires for control. Keywords: video games, narrative, romance, identity, representation
Editorial - playful by design : transformative approaches to game studies
(Lusofona University, 2024-01-01) de Sousa, João Alves; FCAATI - Faculty of Communication, Architecture, Arts and IT; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
Editorial : Programmed to love: choice, inclusivity, and connection
(Lusofona University, 2024-09-01) Ntelia, Renata; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
Editorial : The challenges of making games for Contemporary Societies
(Lusofona University, 2025-02-27) Sousa, Micael; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
Enhancing brain health and cognitive development through sensorimotor play in virtual reality : uncovering the neural correlates
(Lusofona University, 2024-01-01) Lekova, Anna K.; Tsvetkova, Paulina; Andreeva, Anna; HEI-LAB (FCT) - Digital Laboratories for Environments and Human Interactions
Brain health is a critical part of well-being because it is a foundation for the ability to communicate, make decisions and solve real-life problems. Virtual reality games involve motor and sensory activities that can help to improve brain connectivity by pro-viding an immersive and interactive experience that engages multiple brain regions simultaneously. Reinforcing sensorimotor activities influences cognitive skills and improves brain health. Sensorimotor play in virtual reality is a relatively new concept that is gaining attention as a tool for promoting brain health and cognitive abilities. It is believed that this type of play can have positive impact on brain health and cognitive function, such as improving memory, enhancing focus, and reducing stress and anxiety. The aims of the current paper are (1) - to present evidence, based on neuro correlates, of the importance of the sensorimotor play to the brain health and (2) - to propose a conceptual model for a personalized VR game design using neurocognitive feedback obtained through Brain-Computer Interface that assesses brain areas during sensorimotor stimulation.Keywords: virtual reality, sensorimotor play, neurocognitive evidences, brain development, serious games.
Enhancing the learning of students with specific learning disabilities in resource rooms : an educational game to teach the concepts of expansion and contraction
(Lusofona University, 2025-02-27) Yaman, Havva; Er Nas, Sibel; HEI-LAB (FCT) - Digital Laboratories for Environments and Human Interactions
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how resource rooms for the concepts of "expansion" and "contraction" may be enhanced with educational games. The study focuses on how the game's included features might affect social skills and cognitive development of students and highlights the game arrangements for students with specific learning disabilities. For educational equity and social justice pedagogy for all science learners, it is crucial to support students with specific learning disabilities in their study of science. A new educational material for resource rooms to teaching and learning is designed, based on effective educational game features. Playing the Carpet game can improve knowledge of expansion and contraction concepts and increase awareness of real-world applications of these concepts. Creating specific educational materials helps to clarify how science education teachers can improve a resource rooms for students with specific learning disabilities. It is highly possible that the game can be readily modified with only minor adjustments for any other educational level, nation, or set of conditions. Future studies should create comparable sample games and share them with stakeholders (such as science teachers, physics teachers, special education teachers, and science/physics academicians) because this study proposes to design the game of the "expansion” and “contraction” concepts.
Existential love : romance in single-player RPGs
(Lusofona University, 2025-02-27) Anand, Anubhav; Kumar, Ajay; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
The impact of romantic interactions within the game world varies significantly, especially in RPGs due to their intricately detailed worlds. Unlike linear games where romance unfolds passively through cutscenes, exerting minimal influence within game world, RPGs that offer high player agency create an immersive virtual environment that resonates with existential tenets. The choices made by players in terms of romance can have significant repercussions, haunting the player throughout the game. These games often feature complex and realistic love mechanics, offering a diverse range of experiences akin to real life, including inclusivity and infidelity. Many modern RPGs offer path-specific romance options, acknowledging that not all characters will be equally charismatic to every player as individuals have varied dispositions. Video games with high agency allow players to exercise authenticity and make decisions that align with their individuality. This article explores how these variables manifest in the context of romance in single-player RPGs. Keywords: In-game Romance, Choices and Consequences, Existentialism, Game-mechanics of Love, Authenticity
Gameful pedagogy : towards a students' bill of rights
(Lusofona University, 2024-11-14) Pintar, Judith; Richardson, Courtney; Choi, Alyssa; Cruz-Taylor, Jessica; Hopping, David A.; Mecolli, Megi; Oshe, Rewo; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
Adopting the central premise of gameful pedagogy that the rules and mechanics of classrooms can be productively analyzed as if they were games, this paper summarizes the results of a study that adopts the concerns of player-centered user-experience to evaluate the effects of instructional design on students’ well-being. Taking inspiration from game designer Graham Nelson’s “Players’ Bill of Rights,” we conducted focus group sessions with undergraduates at the University of Illinois, asking them to connect specific elements of instructional design with their emotional experiences in the classroom. In crafting an analogous “Students’ Bill of Rights,” we reframed course development as a student-centered design process. Student well-being is often implicit within learning frameworks which promote inclusive course design, but there is a need to make the connection between instruction and wellness more explicit. This study provides empirical support for best practices in instructional design and recommends that instructional designers become more conscious of the effect of course design elements on the emotional well-being of students. Gameful Pedagogy, User Experience (UX), Game Design, Gamer’s Bill of Rights, Student Well-being
Guidelines for ludonarrative conversion : a case study for a children's book converted to a game
(Lusofona University, 2023) Starks, Katryna; HEI-LAB (FCT) - Digital Laboratories for Environments and Human Interactions
Video games are a way to help children improve their communication and collaboration skills as well as engage them in the world of their favorite book characters. This paper explains the unique features of books and games, and how interactivity can enhance the reader experience in the game world. It then goes on to explain various design considerations for children, including age ratings and designs for screen time recommendations. Further, game mechanics are paired with Erickson’s stages of development to facilitate optimal design in various age group. Finally, a development framework is presented, and a case study features a prototype design which displays these principles in a real-world setting.
Huizinga and "everything is play" : a thinly veiled formalist temptation : a critique
(Lusofona University, 2025-02-27) Antunes, Paulo; HEI-LAB (FCT) - Digital Laboratories for Environments and Human Interactions
This article critically examines the concept of formalism in game studies, with a particular focus on Johan Huizinga's notion of "play" and its relationship with "game." It argues that while Huizinga's concept has been influential in shaping the understanding of "play," it tends to prioritize formalistic and metaphysical interpretations over broader socio-cultural contexts. By conflating "play" and "game," Huizinga's framework overlooks important tensions between notions of freedom, historicity, and formalism within game studies. The article suggests that a more nuanced understanding of "play" is needed, one that integrates considerations of rules, themes, and contexts, moving beyond metaphysical categorizations. Through this critical analysis, the article aims to contribute to ongoing discussions in game studies and encourage further exploration of the multifaceted nature of games in contemporary society. Keywords: "Formalism;" "Freedom;" "Game;" "Historicity;" "Metaphysics."
I'd rather have cake : asexual representation and queer designing of games
(Lusofona University, 2024-09-01) Parker, Todd; Ntelia, Renata; HEI-LAB (FCT) - Digital Laboratories for Environments and Human Interactions
Queer game academics have identified an increase in the number of games that explore queer experiences by experimenting with the limitations of games, particularly from small independent creators, that has been described as a queer games avant garde. Despite this, this paper identifies a notable under representation of identities and experiences along the asexual spectrum. In this vein, it documents a study that looked to explore whether the dominant way in which game design is approached as practice, with frameworks that separate formal gameplay elements from aesthetic elements, hinders the authentic representation of the asexual lived experience. This falls in line with existing pushes in the queer design space to move beyond popular forms of queer representation in games that have often limited it to dramatic elements such as narrative and art. To do this, the study employed popular design frameworks for designing a playable proof of concept with the aim to convey asexual experiences. Using design as a research method, the study showed that while these formal elements can convey themes, even those relating to the asexual lived experience, they fall short as a lone avenue for queer representation. Instead, the paper calls for the exploration of a more comprehensive design framework and proposes affect theory as an appropriate conceptual tool not only for game analysis but also for game design. Asexuality, Queer Game Design, Affect Theory, Games, Representation, Play
Learning engagement in a pre-alpha version of an educational game : evaluation and proposed solutions
(Lusofona University, 2024-01-01) MARCELINO, LÍLIA SOFIA FERREIRA LOPES; Fernandes, Pedro Miguel Alves; Cerqueira, Ricardo João Ramos; FCSEA - Faculty of Social Sciences, Education and Administration; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
Game-based learning focuses on engaging and immersing students in playability, and User Experience is a good opportunity to improve the game experience and to engage students in real learning. A theoretical five-factor model of learning engagement is used to analyse the overall sense of engagement in primary and secondary school students in a playtesting setting in the early stages of developing an inclusive educational mathematics video game mainly designed for deaf and hearing students. A meas-uring engagement usability playtest was conducted to answer the following research questions: a) What do students perceive as a sense of engagement? b) What information about the engagement is worthwhile to improve the game design and game experience? Twenty-three hearing students (15 boys and eight girls) participated in the study. The participants are 2nd to 12th graders, with a mean age of 13.7. After students played the pre-alpha version of a video game, most agreed that the prototype was challenging, reporting motivation to undertake the game's mathematical challenge. They perceived the game activity as clear and achievable. The students also reported having control over different types of actions in the game, and nearly one-quar-ter of the students perceived the game activity as not immersive. Also, the older students expressed that the game's purpose seemed irrelevant to their age group, which ultimately affected the game's general rating on the clarity of the game's purpose. The playtesting sessions reveal that players need help separating the game from its educational goal, and the misalignment between the character's movements affects the game's action control. After collecting engagement problems in playtesting sessions, the study proposes solutions, including changing interface elements. The current work demonstrates the importance of evaluating engagement in playtesting sessions in the early stage of development to improve the game experience long before the final version.Keywords:video game, game-based learning, mathematics, engagement, playtesting
Mastering modern board game design to build new learning experiences : the MBGTOTEACH framework
(Lusofona University, 2023-01-01) Sousa, Micael; HEI-LAB (FCT) - Digital Laboratories for Environments and Human Interactions
Games have proven to be engaging tools for learning. Digital games dominate, but analog games are not obsolete. Modern board games provide new opportunities for teachers. This paper proposes the MBGTOTEACH framework as an introduction and on going process for teachers to use, adapt, and develop modern board games for learning purposes. This framework aims to help teachers profit from these games to build their game-based approaches. The MBGTOTEACH framework was tested during two sessions with teachers and education researchers. It increased the awareness of the potential of game-based learning and the design characteristics of modern board games. Sessions results show that participants might need a more solid game culture and experiences to recognize how to explore games’ potential. Modifying and developing new learning games based on modern board games is not achieved rapidly, although recognizing the games’ potential in introducing sessions is achievable.

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