UCLIC Seminar, 21 June 2023. Jo Iacovides.

Recording of UCLIC Research Seminar of Jo Iacovides, University of York.
Title: Designing Games to Support Reflection on Wellbeing: Student-Life Balance.
Abstract: In this talk, I will introduce some of my previous research on games, wellbeing, and reflection, before focusing on the design and evaluation of the Student-Life Balance game, which was created to prompt student reflection on their work-life. We focused on this area as students in higher education often experience a number of lifestyle changes and challenges that can affect their wellbeing. However, while there has been much interest in how games can be used for applied purposes, from education to behavior change, there is still much to be understood about the mechanisms that support reflective processes and outcomes. The Student-Life balance game revolves around the player being asked to make different decisions about how they manage their lives whilst going through a term at a fictional UK university. We created two versions of the game. In the first version, the player was invited to play as themselves; in the second, they took on the role of a character called Alex. We then evaluated these two versions with thirty-two participants who played the game, then were interviewed about their experience immediately afterwards, and at a follow-up interview one week later. I will discuss the how the design decisions we made supported (and failed to support) player reflection on work-life balance in different ways.
Speaker Bio: Jo Iacovides is a Senior Lecturer in the Computer Science department at the University of York. Her research interests lie in Human Computer Interaction with a particular focus on understanding the role of learning within the player experience, and on investigating complex emotional experiences in the context of digital play. In addition, she is interested in exploring how games and playful technologies can created for a range of purposes, such as education, and wellbeing.