Mindful Gaming: User Experiences with Headspace and Walden, a Game

• Published in: HCI in Games: Serious and Immersive Games Vol. 12790; pp. 3 - 19
• Main Authors: Hamilton, Matthew, DiSalvo, Betsy, Fullerton, Tracy
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Springer International Publishing AG 2021; Springer International Publishing
• Series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science
• Subjects: Games; Learning; Mindfulness
• ISBN: 3030774139; 9783030774134
• ISSN: 0302-9743; 1611-3349
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-77414-1_1

Headspace is a gamified app designed to teach mindfulness, and Walden is an experimental game that moves beyond traditional game mechanics in order to encourage mindful play. Through semi-structured interviews and contextual inquiry think-aloud sessions, this phenomenological case study compares user experiences with these two pieces of software. Findings include descriptions of how participants experienced mindfulness as contemplative self-reflection, as a long-term process, as a byproduct of play, and as a tension between exploration and completing objectives. These findings are analyzed in relation to extant theories of game design and mindfulness, especially Brian Upton’s theory of ludic semiotics [1]. The resulting insights have informed the first and third authors’ development of two new pieces of software: a mindfulness practice module that is a component of a new version of Walden designed for use in schools, and a study aid called Lofi Hip Hop Worlds to Study In. This outcome highlights the relevance of qualitative user experience research for the iterative, playcentric design [2] of educational technologies.