PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
As part of our research into the relationship between game mechanics and play experience, we have released the game Non-League Football Supporter (NLFS). NLFS is a mobile game, for the Android platform, where you take on the role of a supporter during a season of football matches. NLFS has a "minimal" design in that there is very little interaction required from the player.
The purpose of this study is to gather gameplay data to observe and analyse how players interact with NLFS. In particular, we are interested in studying how the minimal aspects of the player decisions in each match in NLFS affect player decisions in future matches. This study will help us get a better understanding of how game players make decisions and develop theories, which will be of benefit to game designers in the future.
WHAT WILL THE STUDY INVOLVE?
The data necessary for the study is gathered automatically by the game during play. If you choose to participate in the study, this will happen seamlessly, all you need to do is play the game for as long or as little as you like. The game will record:
The data will be sent in an anonymous form via the internet to our remote servers. The size of the data is around 3kb per game, so fairly small. If you have limited bandwidth you can prevent NLFS from using your mobile data in the settings screen inside the game (cog icon), in which case data will only be shared when WiFi is available.
WHY HAVE YOU BEEN ASKED TO TAKE PART?
You have discovered this game through invitation, or by seeing a shared message on social media. Everyone is welcome to participate in this study, and we invite you to share a link to the game (http://non-league.football) among your friends and whoever else may be interested in the game. The more players who participate, the more reliable the results of the study.
DO YOU HAVE TO TAKE PART?
Participation in the study is entirely voluntary. You can disable sharing research data at any time by deselecting the "Share Research Data" option in the game settings menu (cog icon).
If you wish to withdraw from the study at any time, you can do so for any reason. There are no repercussions for withdrawal or refusal to participate, and you are free to enjoy the game regardless of participation.
If you wish existing data to be securely deleted, please contact the researchers (ben.kirman@york.ac.uk) providing your unique player ID (in the settings screen, cog icon)
WILL YOUR PARTICIPATION BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL?
Yes. All gameplay data is stored in an anonymous format and not linked to your real identity.
You will shortly be asked to complete a form that confirms your informed consent in participating in this study. This form is kept securely at the University of York as part of our ethical obligations.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE DATA?
The anonymised data will be collected from all participants until August 2018, at which point it will be analysed using a variety of approaches to help us understand general behaviours by game players.
The results of this analysis may be shared with other academics, and the public, through publication in research papers and/or conference presentations. Information on outputs from this research will be shared via the official website (http://non-league.football).
WHAT IF THERE IS A PROBLEM? OR I HAVE A QUESTION?
If you need any further information, or have an issue related to his study that needs resolving, please contact the primary investigator directly:
Dr Ben Kirman