Shinobi Valley: Studying Curiosity For Virtual Spatial Exploration Through A Video Game

Abstract

Curiosity is a strong motivator for human action, but the circumstances under which one becomes curious are not clear. This paper builds on the assumption that video games can be used as a stimulus for the experimental study of curiosity, and forms a basis in examining the type of curiosity motivated by spatial exploration. A video game was created that incorporates five proposed 'game design patterns' that may induce curiosity in players. The game, Shinobi Valley, was tested in a pilot study with 24 participants. Participants responded positively to the game and exhibited exploratory behaviour while playing without specifically being prompted to do so. The presented results suggest which of the patterns are most promising in inducing curiosity, and show that the game is of sufficient quality to be used in larger studies. CCS Concepts•Applied computing → Computer games; •Humancentered computing → Empirical studies in interaction design; Empirical studies in HCI;

Level Design Patterns That Invoke Curiosity-Driven Exploration

“…A pilot study was conducted with 24 participants [19]. The goal of the pilot was to test the quality of the game, perform a preliminary measure of design pattern effects, and test the measurements and procedure described above.…”