Game Design and Evaluation
Randy J. Pagulayan, Thomas Fuller, Kevin Keeker, Paolo Malabuyo, Michael C. Medlock, Ramon L. Romero, and Dennis Wixon

1. Overview
   • Purpose of chapter
     • The intent of this chapter is to review principles and techniques for game design and evaluation and to show how these techniques can be extended to usability practice in general.
   • Why games are important
     • Multi-billion dollar industry -
       • In year 2000, revenue from computer and console games reached 6.02 billion dollars in revnue up from 3.2 billion in 1994 (IDSA, 2000)
       • In year 2000, over 219 million games were sold (IDSA, 2000)
       • 145 million Americans played computer games last year - 5x as many as went to America's top 5 amusement parks combined, or 2x as many as attended Major League Baseball games
       • Average age of a computer game and video game player is 28 years old.
       • 43% of computer game players are women
     • Multi-national industry: US, Asia, Europe
     • Games has been identified as the most fun entertainment activity (IDSA, 2000)
2. Domain Specification: Games versus Productivity Software
   • Games software
     • General description - goals and rules are created in game, the possibility failure is an intended part of deisgn
       • Varying definitions of computer games in the literature
         • Two types; console and PC (Cassell & Jenkins, 2000)
         • Five types; arcade "coin-op", consoles, PC, mainframe computers, handhelds (Crawford, 1982)
         • "Interactive Entertainment" - computer games and video games (IDSA)
     • NPD genre classification and examples
       • The NPD (consumer research group) Group Classification; SuperGenre (Genre)
         • Action (Platform/Scrolling Character, Action, Arcade, Other Action)
         • Fighting (Wrestling, Fight/Head to Head)
         • Racing (Sports Oriented Racing, Action Oriented Racing, Combat Racing)
         • Shooters (1st Person Shooters, 3rd Person Shooters, Other Shooters)
         • Simulations (Flight Oriented Sim., Life Sim., Other Vehicle Sim.)
         • Strategy/RPG (Adventure, Hard-Core RPG's, Real Time Strategy, Other Strategy)
         • Family Entertainment (Card/Casino Games, Quiz/Board Games, Puzzle Games, Music/Dance Games)
         • Children's Entertainment (Children's Games, Children's Creative Fun)
         • Edutainment
         • Sports (Football, Baseball, Basketball, Golf, Hockey, Soccer, Boxing, Fishing, Billiards, Hunting, Bowling, Extreme Sports, Mult./Other)
         • All Other Games
       • Examples (top sellers for 2000)
         • Fighting (Fight/Head to Head) - Tekken Tag Tournament (Playstation 2)
         • Racing (Action Oriented Racing) - Gran Turismo 2 (Playstation)
         • Family Entertainment (Music/Dance Games) - Space Channel 5 (Dreamcast)
         • Simulations (Life Simulation) - The Sims (PC)
         • Sports (Football) - Madden NFL 2001
       • New types of games multiplayer and massively multiplier played only on the Web.
   • Productivity Software
     • General description - goals and work practices exist before software written, failure is designed out
       • Productivity Goals (Preece et al., 1994)
         • Increased output
         • Increased quality
         • Decreased cost
         • Decreased errors
         • Decreased labor requirements
         • Decreased production time
         • Increase creative and innovative ideas leading to new products
     • Genre and examples
       • Genres and examples
         • Home reference - Encarta, Street Atlas
         • Home imaging - Photosuite
         • Home finance - Quicken
         • Office suites - MS Office
         • Databases - Filemaker Pro
         • Internet Publishing - GoLive, Dreamweaver
         • OS - Windows, Macintosh
     • Other types of entertainments software
       • WebTV/Tivo - computer interfaces to access entertainment
       • Home publishing - design and produce projects for fun and entertainment
       • Information providing or sharing software - website, web communities, personal sites
   • Summary
3. Principles and Challenges of Game Design
   • Challenges of game design
     • Like any entertainment product games are completely optional, user has a choice whether to play any game or do something else, thus games need to appeal directly to user/consumer
     • Games is a highly competitive space dozens of games exist in each genre; any successful game encourages many imitators
     • Games must exploit new technology on the PC and on consoles
       • Rollings & Morris (2000)
     • Engaging, involving user, immersion
       • Must be immediately engaging
       • Must keep user attention over extended periods of time
     • Many games require motor skills (or their development); the hardware is not standardized and the relation between controls and functions is not determined by broad industry standards and conventions.
       • Limitations and constraints of input devices depending on platform/genre (examples of each)
         • keyboard/mouse
         • gamepads, joysticks
         • steering wheels
         • other (maracas, etc)
     • Staging user's difficulty (problem solving, motor skills)
       • Matching different skill levels for initial experience
       • Appropriately matching the progression of users' skill over time
       • Schedules of reinforcement/reward
     • Providing for failure without abandonment
     • Setup
       • Must be usable, but also attractive
       • Traditional usability principles and techniques apply
   • Principles and tools of game design
     • Increased importance on aesthetics (i.e. graphics and sound)
     • Story line - Fantasy component/Story line - acknowledge Schell
     • Mission design - creating a series of objectives in a defined environment - sometimes used like a tutorial (e.g. Starcraft)
     • Use of creativity and novelty in games as opposed to striving for consistency (productivity)
     • Full disclosure of information (productivity) versus paced disclosure (games)
     • Tutorials - teaching mechanics (games) versus knowledge (productivity)
     • Level design - creating progressive difficulty and challenge
     • Set up - apply all typical principles and methods
4. User research in games
   • Implications of principles and challenges of game design
     • What are the important variables to measure?
       • Fun
       • Satisfaction
       • Willingness to continue with product
       • Expectancies
       • Pace
       • User commitment
         • "Eye-catching"
         • 10 seconds
         • 10 minutes
         • 10 hours
         • 100 hours
       • General Appeal (graphics, controls, sound)
       • Usability/Efficiency (menus, game shell, settings)
       • Performance interaction (i.e. can users use input devices, controller mappings)
   • Introduction to Methods at MS - Principles in Practice
     • Survey techniques
       • Addresses
         • Fun
         • Satisfaction
         • Willingness to continue
         • Pace
         • User commitment (short term)
         • General Appeal
       • Sampling - need to quantify subjective experience, increasing N
       • Example -unstructured play sessions with target consumers, open-playing environment, questionnaires following
     • Traditional usability techniques
       • Addresses
         • Expectancies
         • Usability/Efficiency
         • Performance interaction (input device)
         • Uncovers interaction details that effect the variables like fun, willingness to continue, etc.
       • Examples
         • Usability test (open-ended)
         • Usability test (structured) /benchmark
         • Expert Reviews
         • Paper prototypes
         • RITE method - used in tutorial design
     • Focus groups
       • Addresses
         • General Appeal
         • User-Commitment ("eye-catching")
       • Example - naming research, general features, box art, game expectations
     • Deep gameplay
       • Addresses
         • Willingness to Continue
         • User commitment (long-term)
         • Level design
         • Mission design
         • Novelty
       • Example
         • Beta
         • Recon
         • Field Research
         • Experts
     • Empirical guideline documents
       • Addresses which principle(s)?
         • Expectancies
         • Usability/Efficiency
         • Performance Interaction
       • Examples - Documents based on empirical findings from past usability tests, and other research (Tutorial Design Guidelines doc, Game Shell Design Principles, etc)
5. Conclusions
   • Traditional usability heuristics apply well to game shell design and the design some elements within a game
   • Games drive new technology and thus present new interface paradigms
   • Games re-present a rich space for researching, communication, distraction, attention
   • Games will develop an intellectual and critical discipline like films
   • Games will continue to be controversial in society
   • Theory and methodology for game design will continue to develop an have an increasing influence on interface design and evaluation