Chris Baber The University of Birmingham & Oliver Westmancott - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Social Networks and Mobile Games: the use of Bluetooth for a multiplayer card game

Chris Baber

The University of Birmingham &

Oliver Westmancott

Westmancott Consulting

Aims

• Compare the effects of mobile devices

and mobility on multiplayer game-play

• Mobility = ability to move
• Mobility = ‘mobile device’
• Consider the use of Social Network

Analysis for exploring mobile games

Communicative Action Theory [Habermas, 1984]

• Instrumental: directed towards goal, with knowledge of rules
• Strategic: modify instrumental action to take account of other

player’s action

• Normatively regulated: behaviour that is condoned by group
• Dramaturgical: presentation of Self
• Communicative: coordination through speech acts
• Discursive: debate and discussion of norms

BELKA

• Mobile devices
• HP-Ipaq with Bluetooth
• Laptop as ‘dealer’
• Based on card game
• Simple graphics
• Straightforward game-play
• Easily interpretable rules, symbols,

conventions

BELKA screens

Playing the game

Making a challenge

Dealer

The Experiment

• Study
• N = 38 in groups of six
• No fixed sequence for turn-taking

D C PDA B A Cards Moving Sitting

Dependent Variables

• Turns
• Trades

– With other player – With dealer

• Plays
• Rejected plays
• Pairs
• Player ID
• Dealer
• Time

Analysis

• Frequency of turns

– By type – Between players – By style: defensive vs. aggressive

• Social Network Analysis

– Sociometric Status – Centrality – Geodesic distance

Frequency of turns

56% 36% 44.8% 28% Plays 2.7% 2.3% 1.2% 2.2% Pairs 1.4% 5.3% 2.3% 16% Rejected Plays 2.7% 0.8% 4.6% 4.8% Trades: Other 36.9% 55.6% 47% 48.7% Trades: Dealer 100% 100% 100% 100% Turns D B C A Activity 18.25 21.75 PDA 33.25 56.5 Cards Moving Sitting

Social Network Analysis

• SNA represents social interaction in the form
• f networks and applies graph theory to

derive quantitative metrics

– Sociometric status

– Contribution a given agent makes to overall communication activity

– Geodesic distance

– Shortest path between two nodes in a network

– Centrality

– The most central agent has shortest geodesic distance from other agents

SNA Sociometric Status

0.42 4.38 3.67 1.08 0.96 3.08 6.17 C Yellow Blue Purple White Green Red Dealer Agent 3.67 4.83 4.42 2.42 4.42 3.33 9.08 A 2.33 1.17 1.92 0.92 1.67 1.75 3.42 B 0.83 1.33 1.42 1.42 2.08 2 2.25 D

• High
• Medium
• Low

Position of Seated Players

R W G P Y D B R W G P Y B

Cards PDA

D

SNA Centrality

2.75 3.24 4.59 3.06 3.24 3.93 4.58 C 3.29 2.88 3.83 3.29 3.83 3.83 3.83 B 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 A 3.14 yellow 3.67 Blue 3.67 Purple 3.67 White 3.14 Green 3.67 Red 3.67 Dealer D Agent 20/21 19/21 PDA 15/21 21/21 Cards Moving Sitting

Geodesic distances = 1

CAT & BELKA

Availability & movement P To Line of sight & availability Rejected plays To Discursive Move to play Connection Move to play Speech Line of sight Connection Line of Sight Crowd dealer Communication Availability Style Dominant dealer Style Dominant dealer Availability Style Dominant dealer Status Style Dramaturgical Message from Td Turn of cards Message from Td Turn of cards Normative regulation P >Td Td > P To Td = P Td > P To Strategic {P, T, O} PDA {P, T, O} Playing cards {P, T, O} PDA {P, T, O} Playing cards Instrumental D B C A

Conclusions

• Game-Play varies across mobility and medium:

– Mobility leads to fewer moves overall – Mobility leads to relative decrease in Trades (other) – Mobility leads to relative increase in plays – Rejected plays only apparent in Card + sitting – Ipaq has fewer moves than cards

• Plays constrained by availability

– Sitting = line of sight – Mobile = connectivity

• Social Network Analysis provides objective

measures of structure