Navigation experiences - A case study of riders accessing an orientation game via smartphones

Abstract

Usability and playability of a game are two dimensions merging into each other and affecting the experience. Within this paper we study the navigation experiences of a small rider group playing an orientation game by means of smartphones. The players are inexperienced in using smartphones and try to reach the first game station. Studying their navigation process we learned how the players adopted the game device, solved a navigation problem and entered the game world. The case study illustrates three development stages of navigational behavior of the rider group in the analyzed mobile game. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.