The impact of a players' creativity on performance when playing a board game

Abstract

This research investigated the role of creativity in board games and its influence on players' gameplay and board game score ranking. It addressed the following three research questions: How does creativity influence the individual's board game gameplay? What are the constraints players encounter during gameplay and how do these constraints influence the creative process in the gameplay experience? And the last question, how and why is participants’ self-concept of creativity changing after the gameplay? By evaluating the action-taking performance, this research examined the relationship between creative behaviour and gameplay of the board game Pictures. For the purposes of this research, participants were divided into two groups: a high-creative group and a low-creative group. By using the Short Scale of Creative Self (Karwowski, 2011b), players' creativity levels were assessed. Game scores, gameplay observation and focus groups were used to gather data. The observation demonstrated how, among other things, motivation, openness to new experiences, and creative problem-solving have a significant impact on the person’s gameplay. The focus groups revealed how creative people's characteristics and constraints that were displayed during gameplay influenced players' gameplay. This research has demonstrated how creative thinking has an effect on enjoyment and motivation during gameplay, especially in regard to players’ engagement, competence, autonomy, and intuitive control.