Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

A major challenge when evaluating game usability is to differentiate usability problems from the difficulty inherent in the challenge that the player must face in order to master the game. Overall, our experience has shown that usability issues (such as lack of consistency or use of mental models that disregard the player’s cultural baggage) often interfere with the player’s learning curve, making the playing experience difficult. To deal with issues like this, the professional who plans and runs the tests needs to work close to the game designer. In our game evaluations, we usually involve game designers in all phases of research, from the definition of research questions and hypotheses, to the conduct of the tests. Our experience has shown that this approach has served to improve the engagement of the team as a whole around issues related to player experience (UX).