Playing with the weather

Abstract

In this paper the contribution of real time weather data to player enjoyment was tested and evaluated. To gauge the contribution of weather to player engagement an adaptronic, multiplayer, location based game, where real time weather data is key to the gameplay, was created. In this game the player assumes the role of a wizard and confronts other players in duels where the current weather plays a decisive role. A survey was conducted and results indicated that the weather contributed positively to the enjoyment of players and to their feeling of a connection between the real world and the game. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.