::Design Studio 1::

Friday, May 19, 2006

Assignment 3: Research Findings Analysis

Findings analysis

From the research, a number of critical problems have been highlighted and these issues are listed as followed:

User

Evidence shows that the top 2 reasons for playing games is to kill time and for personal enjoyment. But the questions to ask are; are games designed to satisfy a particular need? How can enjoyment be measured? What exactly does the word "fun" mean? It is important to understand this as "game design is particularly skewed toward the creation of delightful experience rather than the fulfilment of utilitarian needs" (Zimmerman, 2003). Zimmerman (2003) goes on to say that games can be created for a specific function but ultimately, the main reason that people play games is due to the intrinsic pleasures they get from it.

Usability and user experience

The Attraction
The respondents mentioned that they liked the overall look of the game. But they knew that they were testing a low-fi prototype and mentioned that they would expect more if it was a hi-fi prototype. Numerous suggestions ranged from changes in colour, giving texture or accents to the background, and various themes or metaphors to replace the simple "guide ball through maze" idea.

An experience could be thought of as requiring an attraction (the beginning), an engagement (the middle) and a conclusion (the ending) (Shedroff, 2001, p.1; Laurel, p. xi). The look of the game is "the attraction" part of the experience and it is necessary to initiate the experience. But "the attraction can be intentional on the part of the experience, not just the experience creator" (Shedroff, 2001, p.1).

But as mentioned by Koster (2004) and Laurel (1991), metaphors are fun to play with but players can basically ignore them. Games are about teaching underlying patterns; training their players to ignore the fiction that wraps the patterns and that is why gamers are very good at seeing past fiction (Koster, 2004). Changing the ball to a goat would not change the underlying idea of the game which is to guide the cursor through the maze. If computers can be seen as theatre (Laurel, 1991), Labyrinth is the play and the look of the game could be seen as the props or costumes used in the play. Laurel (1991) argues that props and costumes are part of the play but it does not make the play. She (1991) goes on further by saying that the focus should be placed on designing the action while design of objects, environments and characters is all subsidiary to this central goal.

But nice packaging and "playing dress up" could also be a good thing. Although it is largely irrelevant to what the game is about at its core, how the game looks does have an impact on the player's overall experience. In his book, Shedroff talked about seduction in design. "Seduction is not an adjective most people would associate with a computer interface or media... but most people have been either seduced or the target of seduction by almost all forms of media" (Shedroff, 2001, p.8). Seduction has always been a part of design so the role of the aesthetics of Labyrinth should not be ignored. The "sexual aspect is the essence of its meaning as much as enticement and appeal" (Shedroff, 2001, p. 8). That means a boring looking game would not be as appealing as compared to a nicely designed game and the aesthetics help to hold the player's interest for longer.

The engagement
The engagement or "the middle" is the experience itself. Shedroff (2001, p.1) explained that the engagement needs to be "sufficiently different than the surrounding environment of the experience to hold the attention of the experience, as well as cognitively important enough for someone to continue the experience".

Respondents commented that the game was too difficult because the maze used was too complicated and the space between the walls of the maze was too narrow. But they also said that this same maze could still be used if the game is to be a multi level game and it would be suitable for the higher and more difficult stages in the game. Even though the game was too difficult, majority of the testers still enjoyed playing it as it was a great challenge and the sense of achievement was so much greater for those who managed to complete the game. However, it did take a toll on the testers. 3 minutes in the game, they were close to giving up as their motivation had diminished; having failed so many times in a row. This could be solved by the addition of numerous stages or levels where the level of difficulty increases with each stage. The first few stages should be easy; with the use of less complex mazes with wider spaces. This helps to build the player's confidence, which would affect their drive to attempt the more difficult stages. It makes the game far more interesting and engaging; enhancing the player's overall experience.

The conclusion
The conclusion can be seen as the ending of the whole experience and it come in many ways, "but it must provide some sort of resolution whether through meaning" which in this case of Labyrinth, "an activity to make an otherwise enjoyable experience satisfactory" (Shedroff, 2001, p.4). The absence of a resolution would "leave users feeling dissatisfied or even confused about the experience, the ideas or the emotions they just felt" (Shedroff, 2001, p.4).

Labyrinth lacked an ending and failed to provide proper closure to the game, which left players feeling disappointed or unsatisfied. Developers of Labyrinth must always bear in mind that "an experience creator who does not spend enough attention on the conclusion has just wasted his or her effort and the audience's time" (Shedroff, 2001, p. 4). To solve this, points should be awarded to players for completing the stage. And when the game is over, there should be a tally board that shows how much points the player has earned. A simple scene that displays the score tally and the words "Game Over" is enough to give the game a proper closure. The final score would give them a higher sense of achievement and satisfaction.

Observations

Nonverbal communication is learned and practiced often on an unconscious level and if carefully observed and interpreted, body language can tell a lot about what others are feeling (Messina, J. & Messina, C., 2006). But it is important to keep in mind that body language, just like verbal communication, is open to misinterpretation as each person has a limited repertoire of gestures and uses the same gestures to signify certain feelings (Messina, J. & Messina, C., 2006).

The following list contains the various nonverbal gestures that were displayed and how they were interpreted.

Gestures such as leaving their legs uncrossed, blinking or squinting and straightening up instead of slouching indicate cooperation and readiness from the participants. It also indicates willingness to participate in the activity and that they were genuinely interested in playing the game.

Leaning forward, touching the face and the hand to cheek gesture indicate concentration and evaluation. Just like the previous gestures mentioned, these are a sign of interest. This shows that they were engaged in the activity and did not find the game boring.

Gestures such as sighing, laughing (after hitting the walls of the maze), making fists and banging on the table are signs of anger and frustration. From this, developers have to decide if anger and frustration in players are a positive or negative factor. It could be an indication that the earlier the players feel anger and frustration, the higher the chance of players giving up faster. A little frustration could be a good thing but too much of it could mean the death of the game.

# posted by juzagirl @ 9:15 PM

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Friday, May 19, 2006

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		Friday, May 19, 2006 Assignment 3: Research Findings Analysis Findings analysis From the research, a number of critical problems have been highlighted and these issues are listed as followed: User Evidence shows that the top 2 reasons for playing games is to kill time and for personal enjoyment. But the questions to ask are; are games designed to satisfy a particular need? How can enjoyment be measured? What exactly does the word "fun" mean? It is important to understand this as "game design is particularly skewed toward the creation of delightful experience rather than the fulfilment of utilitarian needs" (Zimmerman, 2003). Zimmerman (2003) goes on to say that games can be created for a specific function but ultimately, the main reason that people play games is due to the intrinsic pleasures they get from it. Usability and user experience The Attraction The respondents mentioned that they liked the overall look of the game. But they knew that they were testing a low-fi prototype and mentioned that they would expect more if it was a hi-fi prototype. Numerous suggestions ranged from changes in colour, giving texture or accents to the background, and various themes or metaphors to replace the simple "guide ball through maze" idea. An experience could be thought of as requiring an attraction (the beginning), an engagement (the middle) and a conclusion (the ending) (Shedroff, 2001, p.1; Laurel, p. xi). The look of the game is "the attraction" part of the experience and it is necessary to initiate the experience. But "the attraction can be intentional on the part of the experience, not just the experience creator" (Shedroff, 2001, p.1). But as mentioned by Koster (2004) and Laurel (1991), metaphors are fun to play with but players can basically ignore them. Games are about teaching underlying patterns; training their players to ignore the fiction that wraps the patterns and that is why gamers are very good at seeing past fiction (Koster, 2004). Changing the ball to a goat would not change the underlying idea of the game which is to guide the cursor through the maze. If computers can be seen as theatre (Laurel, 1991), Labyrinth is the play and the look of the game could be seen as the props or costumes used in the play. Laurel (1991) argues that props and costumes are part of the play but it does not make the play. She (1991) goes on further by saying that the focus should be placed on designing the action while design of objects, environments and characters is all subsidiary to this central goal. But nice packaging and "playing dress up" could also be a good thing. Although it is largely irrelevant to what the game is about at its core, how the game looks does have an impact on the player's overall experience. In his book, Shedroff talked about seduction in design. "Seduction is not an adjective most people would associate with a computer interface or media... but most people have been either seduced or the target of seduction by almost all forms of media" (Shedroff, 2001, p.8). Seduction has always been a part of design so the role of the aesthetics of Labyrinth should not be ignored. The "sexual aspect is the essence of its meaning as much as enticement and appeal" (Shedroff, 2001, p. 8). That means a boring looking game would not be as appealing as compared to a nicely designed game and the aesthetics help to hold the player's interest for longer. The engagement The engagement or "the middle" is the experience itself. Shedroff (2001, p.1) explained that the engagement needs to be "sufficiently different than the surrounding environment of the experience to hold the attention of the experience, as well as cognitively important enough for someone to continue the experience". Respondents commented that the game was too difficult because the maze used was too complicated and the space between the walls of the maze was too narrow. But they also said that this same maze could still be used if the game is to be a multi level game and it would be suitable for the higher and more difficult stages in the game. Even though the game was too difficult, majority of the testers still enjoyed playing it as it was a great challenge and the sense of achievement was so much greater for those who managed to complete the game. However, it did take a toll on the testers. 3 minutes in the game, they were close to giving up as their motivation had diminished; having failed so many times in a row. This could be solved by the addition of numerous stages or levels where the level of difficulty increases with each stage. The first few stages should be easy; with the use of less complex mazes with wider spaces. This helps to build the player's confidence, which would affect their drive to attempt the more difficult stages. It makes the game far more interesting and engaging; enhancing the player's overall experience. The conclusion The conclusion can be seen as the ending of the whole experience and it come in many ways, "but it must provide some sort of resolution whether through meaning" which in this case of Labyrinth, "an activity to make an otherwise enjoyable experience satisfactory" (Shedroff, 2001, p.4). The absence of a resolution would "leave users feeling dissatisfied or even confused about the experience, the ideas or the emotions they just felt" (Shedroff, 2001, p.4). Labyrinth lacked an ending and failed to provide proper closure to the game, which left players feeling disappointed or unsatisfied. Developers of Labyrinth must always bear in mind that "an experience creator who does not spend enough attention on the conclusion has just wasted his or her effort and the audience's time" (Shedroff, 2001, p. 4). To solve this, points should be awarded to players for completing the stage. And when the game is over, there should be a tally board that shows how much points the player has earned. A simple scene that displays the score tally and the words "Game Over" is enough to give the game a proper closure. The final score would give them a higher sense of achievement and satisfaction. Observations Nonverbal communication is learned and practiced often on an unconscious level and if carefully observed and interpreted, body language can tell a lot about what others are feeling (Messina, J. & Messina, C., 2006). But it is important to keep in mind that body language, just like verbal communication, is open to misinterpretation as each person has a limited repertoire of gestures and uses the same gestures to signify certain feelings (Messina, J. & Messina, C., 2006). The following list contains the various nonverbal gestures that were displayed and how they were interpreted. Gestures such as leaving their legs uncrossed, blinking or squinting and straightening up instead of slouching indicate cooperation and readiness from the participants. It also indicates willingness to participate in the activity and that they were genuinely interested in playing the game. Leaning forward, touching the face and the hand to cheek gesture indicate concentration and evaluation. Just like the previous gestures mentioned, these are a sign of interest. This shows that they were engaged in the activity and did not find the game boring. Gestures such as sighing, laughing (after hitting the walls of the maze), making fists and banging on the table are signs of anger and frustration. From this, developers have to decide if anger and frustration in players are a positive or negative factor. It could be an indication that the earlier the players feel anger and frustration, the higher the chance of players giving up faster. A little frustration could be a good thing but too much of it could mean the death of the game. # posted by juzagirl @ 9:15 PM Comments: Post a Comment << Home
unit links KIB210 OLT Jane Turner - Interaction Jane Turner - Lecture 8 Jane Turner - Lecture 9 Jane Turner - Class notes useful transits Jens Jensen - Interactivity Fundamentals of Interactivity Writing a critique Jonas Lowgren - Sketching Interaction Design How to create a clear project plan Prototyping Usability methods A Theory of Fun for Game Design" - What Games Aren't Flash kit Ljudo.com - Sound effects database Sounddogs - Sound effects database Critical Incident Technique Analysis Gamasutra archives March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006