SAVEstate method captures player reflection in digital games
New research reveals how to document meaningful player experiences in games
A team of researchers from the University of Washington (Nisha Devasia, Michele Newman, Safinah Ali, Julie A. Kientz, Jin Ha Lee) has developed SAVEstate, a novel method for documenting how players reflect on and find meaning in digital games. Published at CHI PLAY 2026, SAVEstate addresses a gap in games user research: most existing methods are designed for hedonic player experiences—flow, immersion, playability—but fail to capture eudaimonic experiences involving reflection, meaning-making, and personal growth.
The method consists of two phases: reflection-in-action, which probes players’ in-situ thoughts during gameplay (e.g., via prompts or logs), and reflection-on-action, which explores how players reengage with and reinterpret their experiences over time. Using SAVEstate, researchers can connect moment-to-moment meaning-making to post-game reflection and observe synchronous sensemaking across multiple players. The team also released an open-source desktop application to help other researchers deploy the method in their own studies.
This work is significant for the games research community and game designers who want to understand deeper player engagement beyond surface-level enjoyment. By providing a structured yet adaptable tool, SAVEstate enables richer studies of narrative impact, therapeutic games, and transformative play experiences. The paper is available on arXiv (2607.17128) and will be presented at CHI PLAY 2026.
- Two-phase method: reflection-in-action (in-situ prompts) and reflection-on-action (longitudinal reengagement)
- Comes with an open-source desktop app for researchers to adapt and deploy
- Accepted at CHI PLAY 2026, designed to study eudaimonic player experiences (meaning-making, personal growth)
Why It Matters
Enables deeper analysis of meaningful player experiences beyond traditional flow and immersion metrics.