The paper “Modular Multiplayer: Segmenting Gameplay into Autonomous Modules to Enable Catered Multiplayer Experiences”, co-authored by LASIGE researchers David Gonçalves, Pedro Trindade, João Guerreiro, Tiago Guerreiro, André Rodrigues and alumni João Godinho has been accepted for publication at the Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, a top-ranked journal. The work will also be presented by David at the ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW 2026), which will take place in Salt Lake City, USA, from October 10 to 14.

The work explores a modular game design approach that enables players to engage in fundamentally distinct, yet interconnected, gameplay loops, each tailored to unique play styles. The paper presents a proof-of-concept prototype and a mixed-methods study with 32 gamers and two game developers to examine the benefits, limitations, and concerns around this type of design. The findings outline key considerations, including strategies for preserving social connection and cohesive integration between modules.

A preprint version of the paper is available.