Cognitive Assessment Games Leave Infrequent Video Game Players Behind

Researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology have found that cognitive assessment games may pose challenges for individuals who rarely play video games. The study, conducted with the support of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), aimed to understand whether and how these games under-serve infrequent video game players. The study involved a large-scale online study with 1,176 participants and used Bayesian inference to compare the gaming experience and quality of cognitive data between frequent and infrequent video game players using the cognitive assessment game Tunnel Runner. The findings suggest that infrequent gamers provided equally precise data for behaviorally simple measures but less precise data for behaviorally complex measures, and reported worse gaming experiences overall.

Key Takeaways:

• Cognitive assessment games may underestimate the needs of infrequent video game players, potentially limiting efforts to address those needs.
• Infrequent gamers provided equally precise data for behaviorally simple measures of baseline reaction time and interference control, but less precise data for behaviorally complex measures of response inhibition and response rule switching.
• Infrequent gamers reported worse gaming experiences, including lower mastery, meaning, ease of control, clarity of goals, and usability, alongside higher frustration.
• Both frequent and infrequent gamers felt equally focused on the game, experienced similar levels of effort, reward, autonomy, curiosity, and aesthetic appeal.
• The study highlights the need to include, understand, and address the needs of infrequent gamers during the research and development of cognitive games.

Statistics:

• 1,176 participants took part in the large-scale online study.
• The study used Bayesian inference to compare the gaming experience and quality of cognitive data between frequent and infrequent video game players.
• Infrequent gamers reported lower mastery (85% vs 92%) and meaning (78% vs 86%) compared to frequent gamers.
• Infrequent gamers experienced higher frustration (12% vs 7%) when playing the game.
• Both groups felt equally focused on the game, with 90% of frequent gamers and 88% of infrequent gamers reporting feeling focused.

Sources:

• Do Cognitive Assessment Games Leave Infrequent Video Game Players Behind? Evaluating Frequent and Infrequent Players' Gaming Experience and Data Quality. Computers In Human Behavior, 2025;172.
• Eindhoven University of Technology. Het Eeuwsel 53, Nl-5612 Az Eindhoven, Netherlands.
• Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Computers In Human Behavior - www.journals.elsevier.com/computers-in-human-behavior/)
• Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).