Investigating Trading Mechanisms as a Driver for User Experience in Racing Games

TL;DR

The paper investigates whether in-game trading mechanisms influence user experience in racing games by implementing a Unity-based racing title with a simulated market and conducting an A/B study comparing trading-enabled versus race-unlock progression. Using pre/post questionnaires (SUS and GEQ) and in-game data, the study finds generally positive usability and engagement but no significant differences between the two approaches, though market interactions and car collection behaviors differ notably. The work contributes a first empirical step toward understanding trading’s UX impact in digital games and highlights limitations such as a small sample and a simulated market, suggesting future work to explore more varied trading designs and social trading dynamics with richer car diversity. Overall, the findings imply that a simple trading system may not substantially shift user experience, underscoring the need for more sophisticated or varied trading mechanisms to influence engagement meaningfully.

Abstract

The exchange of digital goods has become a significant aspect of the global economy, with digital products offering inexpensive reproduction and distribution. In-game objects, a type of digital currency, have emerged as tradable commodities within gaming ecosystems. Despite extensive research on various aspects of digital goods, little attention has been given to the impact of in-game trading mechanisms on user experience. This paper presents a study aimed at evaluating the influence of trading systems on user experience in a racing game context. We developed a simple racing game featuring an in-game market for buying and selling car variants and conducted an A/B study comparing user experiences between groups utilizing the trading system and those unlocking cars through race completion. Our findings suggest that while the trading system did not significantly alter the overall user experience, further exploration of diverse trading approaches may offer insights into their impact on user engagement.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: Screenshot depicting the in-game market. Players can sell their vehicles in the bottom half and buy new ones in the top half.
• Figure 2: Screenshot taken from a race on the highway with a HUD on the bottom and the traveled distance on top of the screen.