Ourhotel: A Two-Player Cooperative Game Designed for Young Couples in Long-Distance Relationships

Emotional maintenance poses a significant challenge in long-distance relationships (LDRs). Previous works exhibit high repetitiveness in user experiences and lack consideration for real-life, long-term use. Recognizing the enduring nature of multiplayer games, couples in LDRs have adopted some of the prominent large multiplayer games to fulfill their needs for sustaining emotional connections. However, existing game designs fall short of aligning perfectly with the requirements of long-term relationships. This paper introduces Ourhotel, a game designed for young couples in LDRs. We scrutinized existing games embraced by long-term distance relationship couples, and identified six factors that significantly impact their experience. Building upon these insights, we designed a two-player cooperative simulation management game, incorporating material collection, manufacturing building and arrangement, manufacturing growth, multi-finality narration and two-player interaction. We conducted two rounds of usability tests utilizing paper prototypes and an interactive demo to evaluate the user experience. The results demonstrate that during the game, the frequency and the length of communication were boosted. Players provided positive feedback on the topics introduced by the game, expressing enjoyment of the manufacturing growth mechanism.