Not (Only) a Matter of Position: Player Traits Which Influence the Experience with the Leaderboard in a Digital Maths Game

Leaderboards have often been shown to increase engagement and motivation in digital serious games, supporting better learning outcomes and positively affecting players’ game experience. However, few studies show how the player’s position on the leaderboard can be a demotivating factor and how the presence of a leaderboard can increase competition and social pressure on players to the point of hindering their game experience. In examining the relationship between a leaderboard and the player’s game experience, we sought to identify the significant factors influencing whether or not a player liked the presence of a leaderboard in a digital maths game. We conducted an experimental study involving 434 Irish primary school children who participated in a 6-week digital game-based learning (DGBL) programme playing the game Seven Spells, which included a game leaderboard. Results indicated that the players’ enjoyment of the leaderboard depended not only on their in-game performance (i.e. their position on the leaderboard), but also on their level of maths anxiety and how much they enjoyed different play modes such as playing versus a classmate or playing alone. These results suggest that game designers should consider the non-cognitive traits of players when deciding on the inclusion of a leaderboard in a digital maths game, in order to mitigate its potential negative effects on the players’ game experience.