Exploring the Effects of Time Pressure on Screen-Cheating Behaviour: Insights and Design Potentials

The phenomenon of screen-cheating primarily takes place in co-located split-screen games. It gives players a easy way of gaining advantage over others. To explore how screen-cheating can be prevented through game design (i.e., adjusting time pressure) we created a game prototype that covers two different genres (i.e., real-time strategy and Jump'n'Run) in separate game modes. In order to find out how time pressure influences the screen-cheating behavior of players in the real-time strategy part, we conducted a pilot study with 20 participants. We chose this part, as the players can gain an information advantage through screen-cheating for the second part of the game. Through questionnaires and observations we found out that the amount players engage in screen-cheating significantly decreases when players are under more time pressure. We report on our study findings and reflect on various side effects of screen-cheating that could be used for game design.