Balancing simulation and gameplay -- applying game user research to LeukemiaSIM
This work addresses engagement issues in educational VR for youth, but it is incremental as it applies existing game design methods to a specific domain.
The paper tackled the problem of low player engagement and retention in educational VR simulations for youth by applying game user research techniques, resulting in improved replayability and player engagement through iterative design improvements.
A bioinformatics researcher and a game design researcher walk into a lab... This paper shares two case-studies of a collaboration between a bioinformatics researcher who is developing a set of educational VR simulations for youth and a consultative game design researcher with a background in games User Research (GUR) techniques who assesses and iteratively improves the player experience in the simulations. By introducing games-based player engagement strategies, the two researchers improve the (re)playability of these VR simulations to encourage greater player engagement and retention.