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Gameplay experience is shaped by players' expectations towards the game and how game features are presented to them. We created two modified versions of the classic TETRIS game: one that adapts game difficulty based on players' performance and one that additionally adapts to players' eye movements. An initial analysis of exploratory study results indicates that eye-movement-based adaptive difficulty in TETRIS might not affect player performance and that framing the use of adaptive difficulty might only have a limited influence on both players' game experience and perceived competence.

This paper discusses the course 'Gameful Design' held as part of the computer science master curriculum at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien). We argue that the challenge of meaningfully teaching serious game design and gamification design is not solved by solely imparting design guidelines. It is a matter of conveying a method of how to engage with a real-world problem, how to ideate and explore, and how to iterate and reflect on gameful design. We describe the three methodological cornerstones the course is built on - research-based teaching, design thinking and explorative design - and outline the format of the course. From a relective practice perspective, we give structured tangible advice how to run such a course in the form of guidelines and we describe the impact it had on our own research.

Inclusive education deals with the participation of vulnerable and marginalised - especially disabled - people in learning and with reducing exclusive aspects within and from education. Communication skills under an inclusive perspective are to be understood as more than spoken or written word. Levels of languages used and alternative modes of communication are to be explored and harnessed. However, game complexity and technical constraints hamper the seamless integration in real world environments, especially when addressing groups aside from the mainstream. Building on four design challenges, we aim to develop an independently usable, user-friendly and user-oriented, technically low-threshold game called Cologon that fosters communication skills and takes into account the players diverse (dis)abilities, needs, and preferences - in simple terms: an inclusive game. In this paper we present our iterative participatory design process and the conceptual prototype. The results of an evaluation of this prototype in a participatory game design workshop point to unique insights: participants prioritised visual and audible cues above any use of language and one-device-per-player combined with the choice of roles was a challenge for all participants and created a creative communication experience.

While studies point to the positive potential of games for health to increase patient engagement and to a need to consider longer-term perspectives, there is a lack of more tangible knowledge on how to design for long-term engagement in games for health. This paper makes a contribution in this space by drawing a reflective arc across three games for health projects from areas such as rehabilitation, prevention and chronic disease. We discuss the projects using a research through design lens and reflect on user research data and design artifacts from the perspective of the involved game designers. The results are design considerations towards long-term engagement in games for health. These considerations present a body of intermediate-level knowledge [19] oriented towards maximising the potential of the design space in early stages of games for health projects. The considerations are structured into those relevant to gameplay, research design and application context.

This paper presents the evaluation of playful technology-mediated audience participation (TMAP) during three music performances in a recent music event. It captures preliminary impressions from a wide range of perspectives and includes critical reflections of music artists, video analysis and qualitative interviews with audience members to cover hypotheses designed to capture both the artists' and the audience's point of view. Results indicate a willingness from both sides to engage in playful TMAP, and a high potential for exploration and playful collaboration within the audience, but the experience is restricted by the need to retain control on the side of artists and the need for clear instructions, feedback and reliable technical systems on the side of the audience.

Difficulty in TETRIS is adjusted by adapting the speed with which blocks fall. In this contribution, we describe results of an exploratory study in which we investigated relationships between players' performance and their subjective assessment of difficulty and fun. We tested five different algorithms that, instead of adjusting game speed, adjust difficulty by choosing blocks based on the current game state. With our results, we establish pile height and bumpiness as parameters that indicate the performance of a player during a live game, discuss the inherent difficulty of different block choosing algorithms and show how the relationship between fun and perceived difficulty varies for distinct player groups. With regard to adapting difficulty, we argue that one can still teach an old dog such a TETRIS a lot of new tricks.

After stem-cell transplantation, pediatric patients must remain in aftercare due to a high risk of suffering from a plethora of life-threatening organic problems. In this phase, communication with the clinicians is key for an increased survival probability.The multidisciplinary INTERACCT aims at developing a child friendly communication tool based on gamification principles in order to foster this important communication. Additionally, INTERACCT should stimulate exercises and treatment compliance. Finally, through analyzing gaming scores, INTERACCT should also act as a sensor for detecting problematic phases children are going through. Since the design of INTERACCT is key to its success, we present results from our user-centric and participative design approach using methods from design thinking and explorative design with school children aged 8-14. The results are game characters and story lines, which will inspire the game design of the INTERACCT computer games.