Disengagement From Games: Characterizing the Experience and Process of Exiting Play Sessions

TL;DR

This paper investigates the process and experience of player disengagement from games, emphasizing the importance of designing for self-determined exits to improve player well-being and game design.

Contribution

It introduces a systematic analysis of player exit experiences, expanding understanding of disengagement as a process and offering insights for constructive game design.

Findings

Disengagement involves a variety of exit experiences.

Players value self-determined and smooth exit processes.

Designing for constructive disengagement can enhance player experience.

Abstract

The games research community has developed substantial knowledge on designing engaging experiences that draw players in. Surprisingly, less is known about player \textit{dis}engagement, with existing work predominantly addressing disengagement from the perspective of problematic play, and research exploring player disengagement from a constructive designer perspective is lacking. In this paper, we address this gap and argue that disengagement from games should be constructively designed, allowing players to exit play sessions in a self-determined way. Following a two-phase research approach that combines an interview study (n=16) with a follow-up online survey (n=111), we systematically analyze player perspectives on exiting play sessions. Our work expands the existing notion of disengagement through a characterization of exit experiences, a lens on disengagement as a process, and points for reflection for the design of games that seek to address player disengagement in a constructive way.