Eight types of video game experience

The study of game experience is a well-established area within game research, supported by numerous models. These models, while valuable, often focus on analyzing game experiences within specific contexts rather than facilitating comparative analyses. Addressing this research gap, our study empirically identifies prevalent game experience types that are common across various games. By analyzing 5,372 game experience descriptions provided by 1,193 survey respondents, this research employs a survey design inspired by the flow of qualitative interviews, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the diverse factors shaping these experiences. Through latent class analysis, we delineate eight distinct game experience types: Compelling Challenge, Immersive Exploring, Creative Caring, Energetic Rushing, Competitive Shooting, Cheerful Bouncing, Strategic Management, and Daily Dwelling. Each type is analyzed in terms of both the variables from the latent class analysis and additional survey variables, enhancing our understanding of their unique and comparative characteristics. This approach sheds light on the multifaceted nature of game experiences and broadens our insights into player engagement across different game genres, offering practical implications for game design, marketing, and future research. • Develops an empirical approach for identifying game experience types. • Explores the use of an experience focused self-report survey for describing specific game experiences. • Identifies eight distinct game experience types through a latent class analysis. • Finds that players tend to favor more than one type of game experiences. • Proposes eight main drivers corresponding with each game experience type.