Harris, John JosephHancock, Mark2021-08-122021-08-122018-10-23https://doi.org/10.1145/3270316.3273039http://hdl.handle.net/10012/17204© {Owner/Author | ACM} 2018. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive Version of Record was published in Proceedings of the 2018 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play Companion Extended Abstracts, http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3270316.3273039.We reflect on the design, implementation, and testing of the experimental testbed game Beam Me 'Round, Scotty! II and the numerous design lessons learned in transitioning theoretical research questions about social presence and connectedness into concrete gameplay mechanics contrasting asymmetric and symmetric cooperative play. We discuss the unanticipated challenges that can emerge from seemingly unrelated design choices and the importance of grounding experimental conclusions and design recommendations in specific gameplay contexts.engames user researchasymmetric gamessymmetric vs asymmetric playsocial presencegame designplayer experiencecomputer gamesExtended Abstract