Player Enjoyment in Video Games: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effects of Game Design Choices

Enjoyment is a widely assessed dimension of the video game player's experience. A systematic literature review and a meta-analysis were conducted to provide a more comprehensive view of the elements of game design that affect the feeling of enjoyment, as well as its assessment techniques. The review showed that the studies covered major aspects of game design, such as in-game contents, input/output information, and, to a lesser extent, multiplayer aspects. The meta-analysis showed that only the presence of music in the game had a significant effect on enjoyment. Other factors, including more studied factors such as game difficulty and control mode, did not show significant effects. Implications for future research are discussed, such as further investigation of the effects of both player and game characteristics diversity on enjoyment in isolation and in interaction with game design factors, systematic use of standardized scales to measure enjoyment, and use of multidimensional scales or physiological measures.