Do cognitive assessment games leave infrequent video game players behind? Evaluating frequent and infrequent players’ gaming experience and data quality

Abstract

Cognitive assessment games are designed for the purpose of providing engaging and motivating cognitive assessment experiences in clinical and research settings. However, due to oversampling of frequent video game players, it is unclear how well cognitive assessment games serve individuals who rarely, if ever, play video games. This lack of understanding prevents researchers from identifying infrequent gamers’ needs and thus limits efforts to address those needs. To identify whether and how cognitive assessment games under-serve infrequent video game players, we compared the gaming experience and quality of cognitive data between frequent and infrequent video game players in a large-scale online study ($n=1,176$) with the cognitive assessment game Tunnel Runner.

Using Bayesian inference, we found strong evidence that compared to frequent gamers, infrequent gamers provided equally precise data for behaviorally simple measures of baseline reaction time and interference control; yet provided less precise data for behaviorally complex measures of response inhibition and response-rule switching. Furthermore, our results indicated that infrequent gamers reported worse gaming experiences overall, including lower mastery, meaning, ease of control, clarity of goals and feedback, and usability, alongside higher frustration. Nevertheless, we found evidence that both groups felt equally focused on the game, and experienced similar levels of effort, reward, autonomy, curiosity, and aesthetic appeal. Our findings help identify the challenges that serious and cognitive assessment games may pose for infrequent video game players and highlight the need to include, understand, and address the needs of infrequent gamers during the research and development of cognitive games.