The Effects of a Soundtrack on Board Game Player Experience

Title of the Paper

The Effects of a Soundtrack on Board Game Player Experience

Paper Information

• Field of Study: The relationship between HCI research and enhanced experiences in board games
• Keywords: Player experience, soundtrack, sound effects, board games, enjoyment, tension, thematicity, atmosphere

Research Background and Issues

• Issues and Challenges:
  • Board games have increasingly integrated digital elements in recent years, but existing research rarely explores the actual impact of these technological enhancements on player experience.
  • In video games, background music has been shown to enhance the gaming experience, but its role in board games has not been systematically studied.
• Significance:
  • Board games are a highly popular form of entertainment, with their design continually evolving. Understanding the impact of technological enhancements on player experience can guide the creation of more engaging games.
  • Music and sound effects, as part of technological enhancements, have the potential to improve the atmosphere of board games, build immersive experiences, and increase player engagement.
• Research Motivation and Related Work:
  • Previous studies have shown that music influences player immersion in video games, but the role of these concepts in non-digital games remains unclear.
  • Research has explored areas such as thematicity, mechanical design, and player immersion in board games, but studies specifically focusing on sound and music are lacking.

Solution

• Research Methods:
  • A mixed-methods approach, including quantitative analysis (questionnaires) and qualitative analysis (semi-structured interviews).
  • The time-sensitive board game Fuse was selected as the study subject, tested under three conditions: no sound effects, voice prompts only without music, and a full soundtrack including music and sound effects.
• Innovations:
  • Investigating the impact of board game soundtracks on key dimensions of player experience (enjoyment, tension, thematicity), while distinguishing between "atmosphere" and "thematicity" for the first time.
  • Proposing metrics for measuring "thematicity" and using interviews to deeply explore the relationship between player subjective experiences and soundtracks.
• Implementation Steps:
  1. Fourteen players participated in the experiment (including nine board game enthusiasts and five casual players).
  2. Each group played three rounds (corresponding to the three conditions) and completed standardized questionnaires.
  3. Post-game interviews were conducted to capture subjective perceptions.
  4. Data were processed using statistical analysis and thematic analysis.

Research Findings

• Key Findings:
  • Soundtracks significantly enhanced players' enjoyment and sense of tension.
  • Soundtracks improved certain thematic experience metrics (e.g., players feeling like they were aboard a spaceship and responsible for the team's survival) but did not significantly enhance immersion in specific character roles.
  • Soundtracks could create an "atmosphere," but atmosphere and thematicity are not equivalent. Players have additional requirements for thematicity, such as more detailed narratives and visual elements.
• Strengths:
  • Quantitative analysis showed that music and sound effects substantially improved the overall quality of player experience compared to voice prompts only or no sound.
  • Qualitative analysis extracted players' differentiated perceptions of atmosphere and thematicity through interviews, providing practical insights for future game design.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Limitations:
    • The study used only one game, Fuse, and the small sample size may limit the generalizability of the results.
    • The study did not analyze the impact of player-selected or standalone soundtracks on the experience.
  • Suggestions:
    • Further research on the relationship and definitions of "atmosphere" and "thematicity," exploring other types or mechanics of board games.
    • Focus on differences in experiences between casual players and enthusiasts.
    • Test the effects of interactive sound effects and randomized music on the experience of different types of board games.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that music and sound effects can significantly enhance enjoyment, tension, and atmosphere in board games, providing new tools and design ideas for board game designers. Players can clearly distinguish between atmosphere and thematicity, and their nuanced subjective experiences merit further investigation. Future research could expand to a broader range of game types and mechanics, exploring the potential of emerging technologies such as interactive sound effects to enhance board game experiences.