User Enjoyment and Performance in Collaborative and Cooperative Games in Shared 3D Virtual Environments

Increased interest in shared virtual environments has resulted in a necessity to investigate different factors that influence user interaction, both with the environment and other users. Introducing different types of joint activities into computer games can support a high level of realism and user engagement. This paper investigates two types of shared work: collaboration – where users individually perform actions in the environment towards a common goal, and cooperation – where users simultaneously act on the same objects in a shared environment. A basic computer game which requires joint work between all players was developed and used as a case study. We analyzed user performance and enjoyment in order to see which type of shared work is more preferable. Furthermore, the influence of user expertise on their enjoyment was also checked. From this particular study, we conclude that participants prefer cooperation over collaboration, as it provides more active and realistic performance. User expertise does not significantly influence enjoyment in this type of shared work, indicating that inexperienced players can enjoy the game equally as the experienced.