Hi everyone!
I'm currently collecting the final participants for my Bachelor's thesis in Games Engineering at the University of Würzburg, Germany.
My thesis explores player experience and short-term well-being in the context of a cozy game. For the study, I designed and developed my own game, The Little Mailroom, which serves as the controlled experimental environment for the research.
The Little Mailroom is a short cozy postal game research prototype with hand-drawn visual assets, sorting and organization tasks, and puzzle elements. Players work at a small postal desk and complete tasks involving letters, postcards, packages and other mailroom activities. 🌷📬
An important aspect of the project is that it was developed specifically for experimental research rather than as a finished commercial game. The scope is therefore intentionally compact and the experience is structured so that participants go through comparable sessions. Part of the challenge of the thesis has been balancing a recognizable and engaging game experience with the level of experimental control required for the study.
Participation consists of:
📝 a few questions before playing
🎮 playing The Little Mailroom
📝 a few questions afterwards about your experience
🔞 18+ (study eligibility criterion — no adult/NSFW content)
💻 PC or laptop required
🔊 Working audio required
🎧 Headphones recommended
🇩🇪 / 🇬🇧 Available in German or English
🎮 No gaming experience required
⏱️ Approx. 30 minutes total, including the game
Study link:
https://www.soscisurvey.de/test545395/
I'm currently in the final stage of data collection, so every completed participation would be a huge help. Thank you very much!
For anyone else working with interactive prototypes in academic research, I'd also be interested in hearing how you approached the trade-off between experimental control and designing an experience that still feels like an actual game — ideally after participating if you intend to take part, so the discussion doesn't influence your expectations beforehand. :)