{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,19]],"date-time":"2025-12-19T09:50:15Z","timestamp":1766137815615,"version":"3.41.0"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)","issue":"CHI PLAY","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,5]],"date-time":"2021-10-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1633392000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.acm.org\/publications\/policies\/copyright_policy#Background"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100015539","name":"Australian Government","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100015539","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["dl.acm.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Video games are often designed around puzzles and problem-solving, leading to challenging yet engaging experiences for players. However, it is hard to measure or compare the challenge level of puzzles in video games. This can make designing appropriately challenging puzzles problematic. This study collates previous work to present refined definitions for challenge and difficulty within the context of video games. We present the Puzzle Challenge Analysis tool which can be used to determine the best metrics for analysing the challenge level of puzzles within video games. Previous research has focused on measuring the difficulty of simple action video games, such as Pac-Man, which can be easily modified for research purposes. Existing methods to measure challenge or difficulty include measuring player brain activity, examining game features and player scores. However, some of these approaches cannot be applied to puzzles or puzzle games. For example, approaches relying on game scores will not work for puzzle games with no scoring system, where puzzles are either solved or not. This paper describes the design and development of the Puzzle Challenge Analysis tool using two case studies of commercial video games The Witness and Untitled Goose Game. The tool is also tested for generalisability on a third commercial puzzle video game, Baba Is You. This proposed tool can help game designers and researchers to objectively analyse and compare puzzle challenge and produce more in-depth insights into the player experience. This has implications for designing challenging and engaging games for a range of player abilities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1145\/3474703","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,6]],"date-time":"2021-10-06T22:59:48Z","timestamp":1633561188000},"page":"1-27","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["The Puzzle Challenge Analysis Tool. A Tool for Analysing the Cognitive Challenge Level of Puzzles in Video Games"],"prefix":"10.1145","volume":"5","author":[{"given":"Megan","family":"Pusey","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Murdoch University, Perth, Australia"}]},{"given":"Kok Wai","family":"Wong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Murdoch University, Perth, Australia"}]},{"given":"Natasha Anne","family":"Rappa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Murdoch University, Perth, Australia"}]}],"member":"320","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,6]]},"reference":[{"volume-title":"Fundamentals of game design (2nd. ed.). New Riders","author":"Adams Ernest","key":"e_1_2_1_1_1","unstructured":"Ernest Adams, and Andrew Rollings. 2010. Fundamentals of game design (2nd. ed.). New Riders, Berkeley, CA."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Brendan Z. Allison and John Polich. 2008. Workload assessment of computer gaming using a single-stimulus event-related potential paradigm. Biological psychology 77 3 277--283. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biopsycho.2007.10.014","DOI":"10.1016\/j.biopsycho.2007.10.014"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3337722.3337741"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-642-04052-8_3"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/2071423.2071484"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.entcom.2011.04.001"},{"volume-title":"Game [Web browser]","author":"Carnegie Mellon University","key":"e_1_2_1_7_1","unstructured":"Carnegie Mellon University. 2012. Beanstalk. Game [Web browser]. Carnegie Mellon University -- Entertainment Technology Center, Pittsburgh, USA."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_8_1","volume-title":"Csikszentmihalyi","author":"Csikszentmihalyi Mihaly","year":"1992","unstructured":"Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and Isabella S. Csikszentmihalyi. 1992. Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness. Cambridge University Press."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijhcs.2019.102383"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_10_1","volume-title":"Game [PC]. (February","author":"Design DMA","year":"1991","unstructured":"DMA Design. 1991. Lemmings. Game [PC]. (February 1991). Psygnosis, Liverpool, UK."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.entcom.2014.08.004"},{"volume-title":"Michele Knobel, Chris Bigum and Michael Peters.","author":"Gee James Paul","key":"e_1_2_1_12_1","unstructured":"James Paul Gee. 2007. Good Video Games + Good Learning: Collected Essays on Video Games, Learning, and Literacy. Edited by Colin Lankshear, Michele Knobel, Chris Bigum and Michael Peters. Vol. 27. New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies. Peter Lang. New York, USA."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978--3--642-03655--2_50"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chb.2015.07.045"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/2793107.2793128"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_16_1","volume-title":"Untitled Goose Game. Game [PC]. (September","author":"House House","year":"2019","unstructured":"House House. 2019. Untitled Goose Game. Game [PC]. (September 2019). Panic Inc, Portland, USA."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_17_1","volume-title":"Proceedings of Level Up: Digital Games Research Conference","author":"Juul Jesper","year":"2003","unstructured":"Jesper Juul. 2003. The game, the player, the world: Looking for a heart of gameness. In Proceedings of Level Up: Digital Games Research Conference. Utrecht, Netherlands."},{"volume-title":"The Art of Failure: An Essay on the Pain of Playing Video Games","author":"Juul Jesper","key":"e_1_2_1_18_1","unstructured":"Jesper Juul. 2013. The Art of Failure: An Essay on the Pain of Playing Video Games. The MIT Press."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/2658537.2658695"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3025453.3025638"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_21_1","volume-title":"Game [PC]. (January","author":"Games Matt Makes","year":"2018","unstructured":"Matt Makes Games. 2018. Celeste. Game [PC]. (January 2018). Matt Makes Games, Canada."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_22_1","volume-title":"Game [Xbox 360]. (July","author":"Spelunky LLC.","year":"2012","unstructured":"Mossmouth, LLC. 2008. Spelunky. Game [Xbox 360]. (July 2012). Mossmouth, LLC, San Francisco, USA."},{"volume-title":"Game [arcade]. (July","year":"1980","key":"e_1_2_1_23_1","unstructured":"Namco. 1980. Pac-Man. Game [arcade]. (July 1980). Namco, Tokyo, Japan."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-57753-1_11"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_25_1","unstructured":"Nintendo EAD. 1985. Super Mario Bros. Game [Nintendo Entertainment System]. Nintendo Kyoto Japan."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_26_1","volume-title":"Game [PC]. (April","author":"None Number","year":"2009","unstructured":"Number None. 2009. Braid. Game [PC]. (April 2009). Number None, USA."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_27_1","volume-title":"Game [PC]. (January","author":"Pajitnov Alexey","year":"1988","unstructured":"Alexey Pajitnov, and Vladimir Pokhilko. 1988. Tetris. Game [PC]. (January 1988). Nintendo, Kyoto, Japan."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_28_1","volume-title":"Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear Black Thorn. Game [PC]. (December","author":"Entertainment Red Storm","year":"2011","unstructured":"Red Storm Entertainment. 2011. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear Black Thorn. Game [PC]. (December 2011). Ubisoft, Montreuil, France."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_29_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3410404.3414235"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_30_1","volume-title":"Angry Birds Dream Blast. Game [iOS and Android]. (January","author":"Entertainment Rovio","year":"2019","unstructured":"Rovio Entertainment. 2019. Angry Birds Dream Blast. Game [iOS and Android]. (January 2019). Rovio Entertainment, Espoo, Finland."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_31_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3290605.3300781"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_32_1","volume-title":"Baba Is You. Game [PC]. (March","author":"Teikari Arvi","year":"2019","unstructured":"Arvi Teikari. 2019. Baba Is You. Game [PC]. (March 2019). Hempuli Oy, Finland."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_33_1","volume-title":"The Witness. Game [PC]. (January","author":"Thekla Inc. 2016.","year":"2016","unstructured":"Thekla Inc. 2016. The Witness. Game [PC]. (January 2016). Thekla Inc, USA."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_34_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Dominicus Tornqvist and Jennifer Tichon. 2019. Motivated to lose? Evaluating challenge and player motivations in games. Behaviour & Information Technology 1--22. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/0144929X.2019.1672789","DOI":"10.1080\/0144929X.2019.1672789"},{"volume-title":"Game [PC]. (October","year":"2007","key":"e_1_2_1_35_1","unstructured":"Valve. 2007. Portal. Game [PC]. (October 2007). Valve, Kirkland, USA."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_36_1","volume-title":"Game [PC]. (April","author":"Portal","year":"2011","unstructured":"Valve. 2011. Portal 2. Game [PC]. (April, 2011). Valve, Kirkland, USA."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_37_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/CEEC47804.2019.8974318"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_38_1","volume-title":"Case study research : design and methods","author":"Yin Robert K.","unstructured":"Robert K. Yin. 2014. Case study research : design and methods. 5th ed. SAGE. California, USA.","edition":"5"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_39_1","volume-title":"Game [PC]. (November","author":"Shenzen","year":"2016","unstructured":"Zachtronics. 2016. Shenzen I\/O. Game [PC]. (November 2016). Zachtronics, Redmond, USA."}],"container-title":["Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/10.1145\/3474703","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1145\/3474703","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,17]],"date-time":"2025-06-17T20:18:43Z","timestamp":1750191523000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/10.1145\/3474703"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,5]]},"references-count":39,"journal-issue":{"issue":"CHI PLAY","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,5]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1145\/3474703"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1145\/3474703","relation":{},"ISSN":["2573-0142"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2573-0142"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,5]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2021-10-06","order":2,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}