Gameplay (Video Game Design)

Critical Gameplay Gone Critically Wrong

by Lindsay Grace

This paper serves as a postmortem for the game Third World Shooter. The game was completed as part of the Critical... more This paper serves as a postmortem for the game Third World Shooter. The game was completed as part of the Critical Gameplay project. The project endeavors to analyze common game mechanics and create games that demonstrate alternate ways to play. Third World Shooter was as a docugame employing critical gameplay. This paper illustrates how the design of Third World Shooter dovetails into the more successful designs of other critical gameplay games.

Jugar a Científics: Videojocs I Divulgació Científica

by Merce Oliva

PÉREZ, O.; OLIVA, M.; GUERRERO, F.; CIAURRIZ, F. (2008). “Jugar a científics: Videojocs i divulgació científica”. Quaderns del CAC, núm. 30. pp. 27-36.

Allò que diferencia el videojoc d’altres mitjans audiovisuals per a la divulgació científica rau en la seva capacitat... more Allò que diferencia el videojoc d’altres mitjans audiovisuals per a la divulgació científica rau en la seva capacitat de transmetre coneixement sobre sistemes complexos a través de l’experimentació i de l’experiència. A més, com a forma de cultura popular, el videojoc constitueix un vehicle especialment interessant per a la divulgació científica. L’objectiu d’aquest article és analitzar el potencial i les limitacions de divulgació científica dels videojocs. Per fer-ho, s’analitzen les regles de joc i l’experiència interactiva del jugador (gameplay) en quatre
videojocs comercials relacionats amb un referent científic.
La mostra seleccionada inclou: Crayon Physics, un laboratori de mecànica clàssica; Trauma Center, on el jugador adopta el rol de cirurgià; SimCity 4, sobre la planificació urbana, i Civilization IV, un recorregut per la història universal.

Gameplay Design Patterns for Social Networks and Conflicts

by Petri Lankoski

Co-authored with Staffan Björk, in GDTW 2007 Conference, Liverpool, UK

This paper explores how games can be designed to make the
social networks of characters as part of the gameplay.... more This paper explores how games can be designed to make the
social networks of characters as part of the gameplay. We start
with a premise that game characters and social relations between
them are import in games. We examine several games and derive
gameplay design patterns from those games. Models from social
network analysis, actor-network theory and Egri's model for
dramatic conflict is used to focus the analysis. In addition to
isolating design patterns from existing features of the games, we
look situations where game structures do not support social
networks or conflicts as proposed in above-mentioned theories.
Patterns identified include Competing for Attention, Gain Allies,
Social Dilemma, Internal Conflict, and Social Maintenance.

Gameplay experience testing with playability and usability surveys – An experimental pilot study

by Lennart Nacke

Nacke, L.E., Schild, J., Niesenhaus, J. (2010). Gameplay experience testing with playability and usability surveys – An experimental pilot study. In Playability and player experience: Proceedings of the Fun and Games 2010 Workshop, pp.31-45, NHTV Expertise Series 10.

This pilot study investigates an experimental methodology for gathering data to create correlations between... more This pilot study investigates an experimental methodology for gathering data to create correlations between experiential factors measured by a gameplay experience questionnaire and player quality measures, such as playing frequency, choice of game, and playing time. The characteristics of two distinct games were examined concerning the aspects of game experience, subjective game quality, and game usability. Interactions within the three aspects were identified. The results suggest that gameplay experience dimensions flow and immersion are similarly motivating in different game genres, which however might not be equally enjoyable. On the one hand, usability ratings may be positively influenced when a game provides immersion and flow or on the other hand, flow and immersion may be negatively influenced by poor usability ratings. These results emphasize the need for an approach to classify games based on correlation patterns involving game experience, quality, and usability.

Affective Ludology, Flow and Immersion In a First-Person Shooter: Measurement of Player Experience

by Lennart Nacke

Nacke, L., & Lindley, C. (2009). Affective Ludology, Flow and Immersion in a First- Person Shooter: Measurement of Player Experience. Loading… 3(5), journals.sfu.ca/loading/index.php/loading/article/view/72. (Extended republication of Future Play 08 paper)

Gameplay research about experiential phenomena is a challenging undertaking, given the variety of experiences that... more Gameplay research about experiential phenomena is a challenging undertaking, given the variety of experiences that gamers encounter when playing and which currently do not have a formal taxonomy, such as flow, immersion, boredom, and fun. These informal terms require a scientific explanation. Ludologists also acknowledge the need to understand cognition, emotion, and goal- oriented behavior of players from a psychological perspective by establishing rigorous methodologies. This paper builds upon and extends prior work in an area for which we would like to coin the term “affective ludology.” The area is concerned with the affective measurement of player-game interaction. The experimental study reported here investigated different traits of gameplay experience using subjective (i.e., questionnaires) and objective (i.e., psychophysiological) measures. Participants played three Half-Life 2 game level design modifications while measures such as electromyography (EMG), electrodermal activity (EDA) were taken and questionnaire responses were collected. A level designed for combat-oriented flow experience demonstrated significant high-arousal positive affect emotions. This method shows that emotional patterns emerge from different level designs, which has great potential for providing real-time emotional profiles of gameplay that may be generated together with self- reported subjective player experience descriptions.

Gameplay Experience In a Gaze Interaction Game

by Lennart Nacke

Nacke, L., Stellmach, S., Sasse, D. and Lindley, C. A. (2009) Gameplay Experience in a Gaze Interaction Game. In The 5th Conference on Communication by Gaze Interaction – COGAIN 2009: Gaze Interaction For Those Who Want It Most (Copenhagen, Denmark, May 2009).

Assessing gameplay experience for gaze interaction games is a challenging task. For this study, a gaze interaction... more Assessing gameplay experience for gaze interaction games is a challenging task. For this study, a gaze interaction Half-Life 2 game modification was created that allowed eye tracking control. The mod was deployed during an experiment at Dreamhack 2007, where participants had to play with gaze navigation and afterwards rate their gameplay experience. The results show low tension and negative affects scores on the gameplay experience questionnaire as well as high positive challenge, immersion and flow ratings. The correlation between spatial presence and immersion for gaze interaction was high and yields further investigation. It is concluded that gameplay experience can be correctly assessed with the methodology presented in this paper.

What Does It Mean to Understand Gameplay

by Lennart Nacke

Lindley C. A., Nacke, L., and Sennersten C. (2007). What does it mean to understand gameplay? First Symposium on Ludic Engagement Designs for All. Aalborg University Esbjerg, Denmark.

From Playability to a Hierarchical Game Usability Model

by Lennart Nacke

Nacke, L. (2009) From playability to a hierarchical game usability model. In Proceedings of the 2009 Conference on Future Play on @ GDC Canada (Future Play '09). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 11-12. DOI=10.1145/1639601.1639609 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1639601.1639609. Short Paper.

This paper presents a brief review of current playability and game usability models. This leads to the conception of a... more This paper presents a brief review of current playability and game usability models. This leads to the conception of a high-level game usability framework model that integrates current usability approaches in game industry and game research.

Flow and Immersion In First-Person Shooters: Measuring the Player's Gameplay Experience

by Lennart Nacke

Nacke, L., Lindley, C. A. (2008) Flow and immersion in first-person shooters: measuring the player’s gameplay experience. In Proceedings of the 2008 Conference on Future Play: Research, Play, Share (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, November 03 – 05, 2008). Future Play ’08. ACM, New York, NY, 81-88, DOI: 10.1145/1496984.1496998. Later republished as extended improved version in Loading Journal as "Affective Ludology, Flow and Immersion In a First-Person Shooter: Measurement of Player Experience"

Researching experiential phenomena is a challenging undertaking, given the sheer variety of experiences that are... more Researching experiential phenomena is a challenging undertaking, given the sheer variety of experiences that are described by gamers and missing a formal taxonomy: flow, immersion, boredom, excitement, challenge, and fun. These informal terms require scientific explanation, which amounts to providing measurable criteria for different experiential states. This paper reports the results of an experimental psychophysiological study investigating different traits of gameplay experience using subjective and objective measures. Participants played three Half-Life 2 game modifications while being measured with electroencephalography, electrocardiography, electromyography, galvanic skin response and eye tracking equipment. In addition, questionnaire responses were collected after each play session. A level designed for combat-oriented flow experience demonstrated measurable high-arousal positive affect emotions. The positive correlation between subjective and objective indicators of gameplay experience shows the great potential of the method presented here for providing real-time emotional profiles of gameplay that may be correlated with self-reported subjective descriptions.