Implications of Jerk’s On the Measure of Game’s Entertainment: Discovering Potentially Addictive Games

Abstract

A physical phenomenon represented through a sudden change of acceleration, termed ‘jerk’ (or jolt), is a compelling phenomenon that humans feel and has been seen in practical application in comfort and wear-and-tear effects in mechanical and engineering domains (for instance, in a daily situation, jerk can be experienced when we take an elevator). The logistical model of the game progress model and development of game refinement had led to the same measures of ‘jerk’ from the game-playing field. However, the influence of ‘jerk’ in such a domain has been limited. Mirroring real-world problems, incomplete information games, such as card games, were utilized to investigate the influence of ‘jerk,’ denoted as $AD$ values ( $AD$ is the abbreviation of addictive, which means players are getting addicted to the game, and players have the tendency to repeat to play the game, implying that it is difficult to stop when the action associated with it have started), from the game-playing domain. Based on different rules designs and game complexities of several popular card games (Wakeng, Doudizhu, Winner, Big Two, Tien Len), the implications of $AD$ value relative to its predecessors, the $GR$ measure, and its extension (called motion in mind model) were investigated. It was discussed from the perspective of game design and game-playing experiences, where artificial intelligence (AI) agents conducted self-playing simulations and verified the findings with empirical data. The condition of play that affects players’ behavior was determined, outlined as the principle of play, and relationships between attractive and addictive games were established.

Keywords

• Incomplete information game
• card game
• jerk
• game refinement
• addictive game