More than data gatherers: exploring player experience in a citizen science game

We present the results of an exploratory player experience study on the game Quantum Moves, a citizen science game where players move quantum particles to help create a quantum computer. Eight-hundred-and-seventeen players responded to a 13-question exploratory survey constructed to understand how players relate to the game, what are their motivations, and how could the game be improved. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Specifically, the thematic analysis helped identifying two cross-cutting themes amongst the players: (a) learning and (b) the opportunity to contribute to science. Results indicate that the opportunity to help science, along with game design, game elements, involvement of players with the scientific community, and players’ strategies influence experience. Implications of the particular findings for the research on player experience on citizen science games and development of evaluation methods are discussed.