Mobile Game Evaluation Method Based on Data Mining of Affective Time Series

Abstract

Our work is positioned at the intersection of game data science, affective gaming, and the implementation of multimodal body sensors analysis. We propose an original method of evaluating the quality of a class of video games based on the emotional reactions of players. Game developers ask why some games are more profitable (MP games) than others (LP games). An intuitively convincing hypothesis is often put forward: MP games evoke more positive emotions and hence are sustainably engaging. Our main hypothesis is that test players who can clearly distinguish between MP game and LP game in relatively short test sessions are more reliable in scoring games and valuable to keep track of their emotions. From a random group of test players, we selected players with such abilities. We analyzed their affective spectra and obtained a fairly clear confirmation that the selected players showed more positive and less negative emotions in MP games than in LP ones. We can reasonably expect these players to be focused on playing in the test session, and their emotions may really indicate the strengths of MP games over LP games. We present the results of the experimental evaluation of our method conducted with with a leading game company in Poland.