Reference number : GC-2017-Q4-01273, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Mirza-Babaei, Pejman (University of Ontario Institute of Technology), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Ontario, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : In collaboration with Norsfell, we aim to explore the design of in- and post-game mechanics intended to_x000D_
enhance long-term player retention, and understand what makes these interactions effective in sustaining player_x000D_
interest. Our core goal is to gain a more complete understanding of how players remain engaged with digital_x000D_
games over the long term, and how developers might improve their designs as a result. This research project_x000D_
will focus on the evaluation of player engagement outside of the play experience, an area which has been_x000D_
relatively understudied in the field. Given the challenges that designers must overcome in attracting and_x000D_
retaining a sizeable player base, the investigation of this topic is especially relevant in the contemporary games_x000D_
market._x000D_
This is the current research challenge for Norsfell Studio, as their current project is a multiplayer title with_x000D_
persistent in-game progression, meaning that in-game events can occur while players are away. The developers_x000D_
are concerned with designing systems for encouraging retention, by balancing in-game mechanics to facilitate_x000D_
higher player engagement, and creating post-gameplay systems for keeping players informed of in-game events_x000D_
while they are not playing, for example._x000D_
With this project, we hope to create a set of formalized guidelines for the design of player retention mechanics,_x000D_
providing a valuable contribution to the collective knowledge of game developers and researchers alike. The_x000D_
video game industry contributes over $3.7 billion to Canada's GDP and employs the equivalent of over 21,700_x000D_
full time employees. The outcomes of this research will be directly applicable to the game industry., program purpose french : In collaboration with Norsfell, we aim to explore the design of in- and post-game mechanics intended to_x000D_
enhance long-term player retention, and understand what makes these interactions effective in sustaining player_x000D_
interest. Our core goal is to gain a more complete understanding of how players remain engaged with digital_x000D_
games over the long term, and how developers might improve their designs as a result. This research project_x000D_
will focus on the evaluation of player engagement outside of the play experience, an area which has been_x000D_
relatively understudied in the field. Given the challenges that designers must overcome in attracting and_x000D_
retaining a sizeable player base, the investigation of this topic is especially relevant in the contemporary games_x000D_
market._x000D_
This is the current research challenge for Norsfell Studio, as their current project is a multiplayer title with_x000D_
persistent in-game progression, meaning that in-game events can occur while players are away. The developers_x000D_
are concerned with designing systems for encouraging retention, by balancing in-game mechanics to facilitate_x000D_
higher player engagement, and creating post-gameplay systems for keeping players informed of in-game events_x000D_
while they are not playing, for example._x000D_
With this project, we hope to create a set of formalized guidelines for the design of player retention mechanics,_x000D_
providing a valuable contribution to the collective knowledge of game developers and researchers alike. The_x000D_
video game industry contributes over $3.7 billion to Canada's GDP and employs the equivalent of over 21,700_x000D_
full time employees. The outcomes of this research will be directly applicable to the game industry., agreement title english : Developing Guidelines for Improving Player Retention in Multiplayer Games by Designing Experiences Beyond Gameplay, agreement title french : Developing Guidelines for Improving Player Retention in Multiplayer Games by Designing Experiences Beyond Gameplay, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2018-03-07, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada