Partnership through Play: Investigating How Long-Distance Couples Use Digital Games to Facilitate Intimacy

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Devasia, Nisha, Rodriguez, Adrian, Tuttle, Logan, Kientz, Julie
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866912376175984640
author Devasia, Nisha
Rodriguez, Adrian
Tuttle, Logan
Kientz, Julie
author_facet Devasia, Nisha
Rodriguez, Adrian
Tuttle, Logan
Kientz, Julie
contents Long-distance relationships (LDRs) have become more common in the last few decades, primarily among young adults pursuing educational or employment opportunities. A common way for couples in LDRs to spend time together is by playing multiplayer video games, which are often a shared hobby and therefore a preferred joint activity. However, games are relatively understudied in the context of relational maintenance for LDRs. In this work, we used a mixed-methods approach to collect data on the experiences of 13 couples in LDRs who frequently play games together. We investigated different values around various game mechanics and modalities and found significant differences in couple play styles, and also detail how couples appropriate game mechanics to express affection to each other virtually. We also created prototypes and design implications based on couples' needs surrounding the lack of physical sensation and memorabilia storage in most popular games.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_09509
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Partnership through Play: Investigating How Long-Distance Couples Use Digital Games to Facilitate Intimacy
Devasia, Nisha
Rodriguez, Adrian
Tuttle, Logan
Kientz, Julie
Human-Computer Interaction
Long-distance relationships (LDRs) have become more common in the last few decades, primarily among young adults pursuing educational or employment opportunities. A common way for couples in LDRs to spend time together is by playing multiplayer video games, which are often a shared hobby and therefore a preferred joint activity. However, games are relatively understudied in the context of relational maintenance for LDRs. In this work, we used a mixed-methods approach to collect data on the experiences of 13 couples in LDRs who frequently play games together. We investigated different values around various game mechanics and modalities and found significant differences in couple play styles, and also detail how couples appropriate game mechanics to express affection to each other virtually. We also created prototypes and design implications based on couples' needs surrounding the lack of physical sensation and memorabilia storage in most popular games.
title Partnership through Play: Investigating How Long-Distance Couples Use Digital Games to Facilitate Intimacy
topic Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.09509