The Influence of Visual Recognition and Preference in Serious Game Development: A Mixed-Method Study in Nepal
Understanding players’ diverse visual recognition and preferences, especially in cross-cultural contexts, is critical for the creation of effective serious games. This study aimed to examine how varying levels of fidelity affect players' visual recognition, preference, and overall experience in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Serious Games Society
2025-07-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Serious Games |
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| Online Access: | https://journal.seriousgamessociety.org/index.php/IJSG/article/view/923 |
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| author | Hua Bai Dayana Shakya Ulf Wilhelmsson Jon Victor Bankler Ran Zhang Anna-Sofia Alklind Taylor Abhinav Vaidya Natalia Oli Alexandra Krettek Mikael Lebram |
| author_facet | Hua Bai Dayana Shakya Ulf Wilhelmsson Jon Victor Bankler Ran Zhang Anna-Sofia Alklind Taylor Abhinav Vaidya Natalia Oli Alexandra Krettek Mikael Lebram |
| author_sort | Hua Bai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding players’ diverse visual recognition and preferences, especially in cross-cultural contexts, is critical for the creation of effective serious games. This study aimed to examine how varying levels of fidelity affect players' visual recognition, preference, and overall experience in serious gaming, using a mixed-method case study in the Bhaktapur district, Kathmandu, Nepal. Forty-four participants, aged 13 to 16 years, were enrolled in an A/B gameplay test. Fourteen students participated in in-depth interviews, thirty-six completed a questionnaire, and twenty-two provided valid telemetry data. We found that higher fidelity led to more positive affect, higher familiarity, better recognition, stronger preference, and positive emotional response from players. However, challenges were encountered regarding the identification of local food items. This highlights the key role of visual literacy, as adolescents are more influenced by familiar media than by real-life experiences. Effective visual communication in serious games should consider individual differences and the playing environment.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e94f19a54a374e978ea2a80f465eda87 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2384-8766 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Serious Games Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Serious Games |
| spelling | doaj-art-e94f19a54a374e978ea2a80f465eda872025-08-20T03:34:47ZengSerious Games SocietyInternational Journal of Serious Games2384-87662025-07-0112310.17083/229hsa32The Influence of Visual Recognition and Preference in Serious Game Development: A Mixed-Method Study in NepalHua Bai0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0977-1285Dayana Shakya1https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0457-5977Ulf Wilhelmsson2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5617-9984Jon Victor Bankler3https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3037-1953Ran Zhang4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0612-7101Anna-Sofia Alklind Taylor 5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9578-7410Abhinav Vaidya6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5523-3459Natalia Oli7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1176-196XAlexandra Krettek 8https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4583-9315Mikael Lebram9https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6310-346XUniversity of SkövdeUniversity of Gothenburg; Kathmandu Medical CollegeUniversity of SkövdeUniversity of SkövdeUniversity of SkövdeUniversity of SkövdeKathmandu Medical College; University of SkövdeKathmandu Medical College; University of SkövdeUniversity of Gothenburg; University of Skövde; UiT The Arctic University of NorwayUniversity of SkövdeUnderstanding players’ diverse visual recognition and preferences, especially in cross-cultural contexts, is critical for the creation of effective serious games. This study aimed to examine how varying levels of fidelity affect players' visual recognition, preference, and overall experience in serious gaming, using a mixed-method case study in the Bhaktapur district, Kathmandu, Nepal. Forty-four participants, aged 13 to 16 years, were enrolled in an A/B gameplay test. Fourteen students participated in in-depth interviews, thirty-six completed a questionnaire, and twenty-two provided valid telemetry data. We found that higher fidelity led to more positive affect, higher familiarity, better recognition, stronger preference, and positive emotional response from players. However, challenges were encountered regarding the identification of local food items. This highlights the key role of visual literacy, as adolescents are more influenced by familiar media than by real-life experiences. Effective visual communication in serious games should consider individual differences and the playing environment. https://journal.seriousgamessociety.org/index.php/IJSG/article/view/923Visual communicationSerious gamesCross-culturalGame graphicVisual literacyHealth |
| spellingShingle | Hua Bai Dayana Shakya Ulf Wilhelmsson Jon Victor Bankler Ran Zhang Anna-Sofia Alklind Taylor Abhinav Vaidya Natalia Oli Alexandra Krettek Mikael Lebram The Influence of Visual Recognition and Preference in Serious Game Development: A Mixed-Method Study in Nepal International Journal of Serious Games Visual communication Serious games Cross-cultural Game graphic Visual literacy Health |
| title | The Influence of Visual Recognition and Preference in Serious Game Development: A Mixed-Method Study in Nepal |
| title_full | The Influence of Visual Recognition and Preference in Serious Game Development: A Mixed-Method Study in Nepal |
| title_fullStr | The Influence of Visual Recognition and Preference in Serious Game Development: A Mixed-Method Study in Nepal |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Influence of Visual Recognition and Preference in Serious Game Development: A Mixed-Method Study in Nepal |
| title_short | The Influence of Visual Recognition and Preference in Serious Game Development: A Mixed-Method Study in Nepal |
| title_sort | influence of visual recognition and preference in serious game development a mixed method study in nepal |
| topic | Visual communication Serious games Cross-cultural Game graphic Visual literacy Health |
| url | https://journal.seriousgamessociety.org/index.php/IJSG/article/view/923 |
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