Current human-computer interaction (HCI) research into video games rarely considers how they are different from other forms of software. This leads to research that, while useful concerning standard issues of interface design, does not address the nature of video games as games specifically. Unlike most software, video games are not made to support external, user-defined tasks, but instead define their own activities for players to engage in. We argue that video games contain systems of values which players perceive and adopt, and which shape the play of the game. A focus on video game values promotes a holistic view of video games as software, media, and as games specifically, which leads to a genuine video game HCI.

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A fundamental feature of serious games is persuasion, an attempt to influence behaviors, feelings, or thoughts. Much of the existing research on serious games and, more generally, on persuasive technology (PT), does not address the important links between persuasion and culture. It has tended to originate from Western, individualist cultures, and has focused on how to design for these audiences. In this paper, we describe the design of one of two versions of a serious game we developed about quitting smoking titled Smoke? which is targeted at collectivist players. We show how the design was informed by persuasive strategies we identified from the crosscultural psychology literature, intended for use in games for players of collectivist cultures: HARMONY, GROUP OPINION, MONITOR-ING, DISESTABLISHING, and TEAM PERFORMANCE. We then discuss the results of a quantitative investigation of the effects of both game versions on both individualist and collectivist players.

Procedural content generation (PCG), the algorithmic creation of game content with limited or indirect user input, has much to offer to game design. In recent years, it has become a mainstay of game AI, with significant research being put towards the investigation of new PCG systems, algorithms, and techniques. But for PCG to be absorbed into the practice of game design, it must be contextualised within design-centric as opposed to AI or engineering perspectives. We therefore provide a set of design metaphors for understanding potential relationships between a designer and PCG. These metaphors are: TOOL, MATERIAL, DESIGNER, and DOMAIN EXPERT. By examining PCG through these metaphors, we gain the ability to articulate qualities, consequences, affordances, and limitations of existing PCG approaches in relation to design. These metaphors are intended both to aid designers in understanding and appropriating PCG for their own contexts, and to advance PCG research by highlighting the assumptions implicit in existing systems and discourse.

Preliminary studies indicate that games can be effective vehicles for persuasion. In order to have a better chance at persuading target audiences, however, we claim that it is best to design with the background culture of the intended audience in mind. In this paper, we share our insights into the differences of perception between New Zealand (NZ) Europeans and Maori (the indigenous people of NZ), regarding smoking, smoking cessation, and social marketing. Based on our findings, we discuss how we have designed two different versions of culturallyrelevant persuasive game about smoking cessation, one aimed at a NZ European audience, the other aimed at a Maori audience.