Asynchronous gameplay in pervasive multiplayer mobile games

Abstract

One of the interesting features in pervasive multiplayer games is that gaming can be blended into other daily activities. However, the players' current context creates challenges for this parallel activity and therefore, the game design should enable the players to participate in the game whenever it is suitable for them. In this paper, we present initial results from a study which explored one game design solution for this challenge, namely asynchronous gameplay. We wanted to find out how asynchronous gameplay was used and what the players' attitudes were towards this new playing style. The results indicate that the players received asynchronous gameplay positively and that asynchronous gameplay does not diminish the player's opportunities for winning the game.