Variables Adjusted by a DDA system & Their Relationship with Player Engagement [Dissertation]

Despite extensive literature on Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA), a little amount of research examines which specific variables adjusted by a DDA system produces measurable differences in engagement.

A zombie wave based shooter was used, it can properly engage the player in meaningful flow with it's clear goal and feedback. Group A were tested against adjustable zombie count, the other had the zombie's health increase.

Furthermore, a between subject design was used between 8 participants, both reported similar levels of difficulty but vastly different experiences. Questionaire data being analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's correlation.

Project Reflection

In short this research enhanced my perception on difficulty, it's not only the perceived "level" of difficulty but more so the emotional / type of difficulty.

Furthermore, if this piece was to be researched again more subjects could prove for more conclusive results