An Investigation of the Test-Retest Reliability of the miniPXI

Repeated measurements of player experience are crucial in games user research, assessing how different designs evolve over time. However, this necessitates lightweight measurement instruments that are fit for the purpose. In this study, we conduct an examination of the test-retest reliability of the miniPXI-a short variant of the Player Experience Inventory (PXI), an established measure for measuring player experience. We analyzed test-retest reliability by leveraging four games involving 100 participants, comparing it with four established multi-item measures and single-item indicators such as the Net Promoter Score (NPS) and overall enjoyment. The findings show mixed outcomes; the miniPXI demonstrated varying levels of test-retest reliability. Some constructs showed good to moderate reliability, while others were less consistent. On the other hand, multi-item measures exhibited moderate to good test-retest reliability, demonstrating their effectiveness in measuring player experiences over time. Additionally, the employed single-item indicators (NPS and overall enjoyment) demonstrated good reliability. The results of our study highlight the complexity of player experience evaluations over time, utilizing single and multiple items per construct measures. We conclude that single-item measures may not be appropriate for long-term investigations of more complex PX dimensions and provide practical considerations for the applicability of such measures in repeated measurements.