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KAG User Experience Survey (call for participants)

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by KingKongGoblin, Jun 8, 2013.

  1. KingKongGoblin

    KingKongGoblin Shipwright

    Messages:
    8
    Hi

    I am conducting some research into social engagement in various online team-based games and I am looking for volunteers to participate in a user experience study.

    This study just involves filling out a short questionnaire after you have been playing KAG.

    The questionnaire is designed to measure the social engagement with allies and enemies during the game, and is around 40 multiple choice (likert scale style rating 1-5) questions. It should only take around 3 to 5 minutes to complete.

    Instructions:

    1. Play KAG for a while

    2. When you finish playing or take a break follow this link to fill out the questionnaire
    https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PciQqwiAfvP3sDVGMi5vS2poz2bZT2yDmfDapin1N8M/viewform

    Please answer honestly

    All data collected will be anonymised.

    The questionnaire will be open over the week

    Blurb about my work:
    I am currently working as an EngD research student at the University of York in England, and I am conducting a research project involving immersion and presence in online team based computer games and other multi-user virtual environments.

    I wanted to get some feedback from this community because, as an old KAG player, I know that the game offers team-play with a very different flavour from other online games.

    This survey is part of a larger project on measuring social presence in team-based online games. I am conducting a number of user experience studies focusing on social engagement and team play in a number of games, for example I am also looking for volunteers from the Mount and Blade community.

    I find most academic work on the social side of gaming focuses on things like MMOs or console games, where as I find the team-based online games far more interesting.

    Any questions PM me or just ask here

    thank you, data is highly appreciated
     
  2. Toy

    Toy Bison Rider

    Messages:
    91
    I want another survey \o/
     
  3. Conquerer

    Conquerer Shark Slayer

    Messages:
    360
    Good luck with your work Professor! :)

    How long do you recommend playing KAG for until completing the survey?
     
  4. SlyStalker

    SlyStalker Shopkeep Stealer

    Messages:
    423
    Will we get to see your work when it is completed?
     
  5. killatron46

    killatron46 Cata Whore Donator
    1. MOLEing Over Large Estates - [MOLE]

    Messages:
    808
    Heh, I had fun filling out the questionnaire, made me think about the game I was just playing a lot more than I usually think about it. :p
     
  6. KingKongGoblin

    KingKongGoblin Shipwright

    Messages:
    8
    I suppose a normal play session is different for everyone, but defiantly over 10 minutes of play time would be recommended. A round/match or two on how fast they are completed?
    But please complete it before you get bored/tired/rage quit :)



    Yep, I can post a summary of the results once the data is in and analysed
    </br>--- merged: Jun 20, 2013 10:57 AM ---</br>
    Hi

    I thought I'd post a little summary of the results from the questionnaire. Please forgive any typos I cut my finger off (almost) yesterday so its hard to type XD

    The questionnaire aimed to measure the concept of Social Presence, the social connection/engagement felt with other entities within a virtual environment.

    The questionnaire is broadly split into two sections, one measuring ‘competitive social engagement’, and the other ‘cooperative social engagement’. Within these sections there are a number of modules which aim to give more fine grain detail about the team-play experiences of the user. I won't go into too much boring detail.

    Of course there is a self-selection bias with the participants, however I prefer getting data from real gamers who want to contribute rather than coercing participation or using non-gamers. As long as we are all aware of the biases its ok.

    Participants:
    In this study the sample size was small, but then so is the KAG community (relatively speaking), 19 people took part on the study (about 1 in 10 people who viewed the thread, which I have found to be typical of online surveys). So while I can make general observations about the data the results wouldn't be formally statistically significant.

    The average age of participants was 16.8, and there are still no girls on the internet. While almost all respondents suggested there were strangers on their servers, around 30% of players stated that there were clanmates on their server, and 50% were playing with friends. 4 respondents stated they were playing in a clan/organized match, the rest were playing pub.

    Data:
    The results of the KAG data showed that on average the users felt a moderately high sense of social presence, with the average score across the entire study being 3.66 (slightly above what could be considered ‘moderate’, anything below 3 I would call low social enagement).

    Interestingly the data shows that the users felt higher social engagement with their team than with their enemies. The cooperative social presence scores were higher than the competitive. This result is similar to organised clan gaming that I have been looking into, and is in contrast to other game communities I have surveyed, such as Mount and Blade for example, which have higher competitive social engagement. Could this have to do with the building aspect of the game?

    The results suggest that in terms of competitive play there was a strong sense of behavioural and cognitive involvement. In other words players considered the actions and thoughts of the enemy while playing, they played a reactive type of gameplay, not just playing their own game. They also saw this type of game play in their opponents. The results also suggest that the while respondents considered the game a battle of wits and skill, and felt a sense or urgency inspired by their opponent, the respondents did not feel tense or particularly challenged by their opponents. Could this be due to the ‘perfect information’ aspect of KAG? That players can see where their opponents are in relation to them (unlike an FPS where they have things to hide behind), or are these results simply ego?

    In terms of cooperative social presence, the scores were generally high throughout the section, suggesting players generally felt their team was working well together. The results suggest that respondents felt a strong sense of ‘team identification’, in fact feeling part of a team was one of the strongest elements felt by respondents. The results also suggest that this team identification was a strong motivator in the gameplay, that players actively wanted to help their team and not simply get the most kills, etc. The only notably low average score in the cooperative section was ‘I felt my team-mates were looking out for me’, but then we all feel we could do with a little more help :)
     
    illu, SlyStalker, ParaLogia and 4 others like this.
  7. Hello!

    My average playtime is around 30 minutes, I usually play archer. I mean, I pretty much always play archer. During that time, I pretty much see no teamwork inbetween my team knights and me. I'm like out in the field taking care of myself, because I see that whether there's like incoming arrow or enemy knight, then my teammates usually don't bother to interrupt the enemy. I mostly encounter the "be-my-friend-knight-and-shield-me" with other friends. People that I know for long sometimes try to defend me.

    Even though when I speak with my teammates, they're not bothered to care, I think it's because of these reasons:
    1. Language barrier
    2. Not paying attention
    3. Busy fighting
     
    Happiness and KingKongGoblin like this.