Crafting New Worlds: Inspirations from Gaming User Experiences Amit Pande Credits: Sameer Bhiwani, Adesh Singh, Deepak Srinivasan, Shami Raj

About me Intrapreneurial/Entrepreneurial Enterprise, Mobile, ICT4D, Decision Support Manager, Designer, Researcher, Engineer President, UPA Bangalore (http://upabangalore.org) Supporter/Organizer: Doors of Perception, Dcamps, World Usability Days, other P2P http://amitpande.com

Intrapreneurial/Entrepreneurial

Enterprise, Mobile, ICT4D, Decision Support

Manager, Designer, Researcher, Engineer

President, UPA Bangalore (http://upabangalore.org)

Supporter/Organizer: Doors of Perception, Dcamps, World Usability Days, other P2P

http://amitpande.com

Is this your image of Gaming? Chicago Tribune: 76% of casual gamers are women…

Two main objectives today Gaming is a legit, interesting, complex sub-culture – not just teens fragging away to glory Gaming provides strategic approaches, metaphors, inspirations and tactical notes, interactions, and interfaces Implications exist for consumer and enterprise software

Gaming is a legit, interesting, complex sub-culture – not just teens fragging away to glory

Gaming provides strategic approaches, metaphors, inspirations and tactical notes, interactions, and interfaces

Implications exist for consumer and enterprise software

Basketball players in regular game? Ancient gladiators fighting till death for glory?

Students creating art on stones with paint Wizards creating spells to cast new magic

Old fogies playing poker with money in poker club Generals planning attack against robotic alien army

The Importance of Gaming Gaming is problem solving Gaming is socialization Gaming is experimentation Gaming is relationship building Gaming is visceral and emotional Gaming is mind expanding

Gaming is problem solving

Gaming is socialization

Gaming is experimentation

Gaming is relationship building

Gaming is visceral and emotional

Gaming is mind expanding

Moksha Patamu: Ancient India

Go: Ancient China

Monopoly: 1935

Space Invaders: 1978

LAN parties: 1980+ Above: DreamHack 2007, Germany, 10445 gamers

The UX Impact of Gaming 250+ million gamers online worldwide $10 billion+ global business Driver and consumer of innovations New Business models New Technologies New Experience Ecosystems New interactions and User Interfaces

250+ million gamers online worldwide

$10 billion+ global business

Driver and consumer of innovations

New Business models

New Technologies

New Experience Ecosystems

New interactions and User Interfaces

Gaming and business model innovations Traditional Game characters on Ebay (now banned) Share profits with power user-developers who create mods (Counter Strike) New MapleStory by Nexon, South Korea: Nexon prepaid debit card is second largest selling at Target, after iTunes card WildTangent, Redmond: Sells ads that are displayed on its site and sells players ways to avoid having to look at those ads.

Traditional

Game characters on Ebay (now banned)

Share profits with power user-developers who create mods (Counter Strike)

New

MapleStory by Nexon, South Korea: Nexon prepaid debit card is second largest selling at Target, after iTunes card

WildTangent, Redmond: Sells ads that are displayed on its site and sells players ways to avoid having to look at those ads.

Gaming and technology innovations Innovations in storage, graphics cards, network access Reliability and speed Visual and tactile manipulation via many ‘interfaces’ Industrial design for core/casual gaming Future: Supercomputer consoles, Virtual Reality headgear, brain interface games

Innovations in storage, graphics cards, network access

Reliability and speed

Visual and tactile manipulation via many ‘interfaces’

Industrial design for core/casual gaming

Future: Supercomputer consoles, Virtual Reality headgear, brain interface games

Gaming and experience ecosystems Ecosystems create stickiness and engagement Virtual collaboration in sensory immersive environments Creation of community ecosystem via sites, forums, etc Community builds itself Focus on reputations, ranking, rewards points

Ecosystems create stickiness and engagement

Virtual collaboration in sensory immersive environments

Creation of community ecosystem via sites, forums, etc

Community builds itself

Focus on reputations, ranking, rewards points

Gaming and Product User Experience Freeze frame, forward, or rewind game Remapping of controls’ preferences Radial-context menus Contextual palettes Defining of hotkeys using drag-and-drop Scriptable command line interface integrated with Point-Click Streamlining of repetitive tasks Approachability and help for newbies Extensive adaptation to users

Freeze frame, forward, or rewind game

Remapping of controls’ preferences

Radial-context menus

Contextual palettes

Defining of hotkeys using drag-and-drop

Scriptable command line interface integrated with Point-Click

Streamlining of repetitive tasks

Approachability and help for newbies

Extensive adaptation to users

4 Interesting Gaming Experiences Nintendo Wii World of Warcraft BrainAge Spore

Nintendo Wii

World of Warcraft

BrainAge

Spore

Nintendo Wii Experience World’s best-selling console – 30 million sales till June 2008 Most games complement real life, not escapist Touchscreen interface – TV channels metaphor Wii remote is a wireless controller, a handheld pointing device that detects 3D motion (accelerometer/infrared) Blue Ocean Strategy: "price", "movie playing", "graphics", "physics", "fun", "game library", and "magic wand" Embodied physical user interaction: Point, Click, Sway, Swing, Swirl – even coined a term, Wiiitis!! Collaborative by design

World’s best-selling console – 30 million sales till June 2008

Most games complement real life, not escapist

Touchscreen interface – TV channels metaphor

Wii remote is a wireless controller, a handheld pointing device that detects 3D motion (accelerometer/infrared)

Blue Ocean Strategy: "price", "movie playing", "graphics", "physics", "fun", "game library", and "magic wand"

Embodied physical user interaction: Point, Click, Sway, Swing, Swirl – even coined a term, Wiiitis!!

Collaborative by design

World Of Warcraft Experience Owns 62% of online massively multiplayer online game market – 10 million subscribers Players use characters to explore locations, defeat creatures and complete quests, gaining experience points. Experience points help characters gain a level, opening up the option of learning new skills or abilities, exploring new areas and new quests Customizations of User Interface based on character, game level and experience

Owns 62% of online massively multiplayer online game market – 10 million subscribers

Players use characters to explore locations, defeat creatures and complete quests, gaining experience points.

Experience points help characters gain a level, opening up the option of learning new skills or abilities, exploring new areas and new quests

Customizations of User Interface based on character, game level and experience

BrainAge Experience Nintendo Annual report: Worldwide sales of 13 million copies, Mar 2008

Spore Experience “ Massively single-player” online game Real time strategy, simulation game Control the evolution of a species Unicellular organism -> Intelligent and social creature -> Interstellar space exploration Throughout gameplay, the player's perspective and species change dramatically. 18 software editors including Creature, Music, Vehicle editor. Translatable skills. Toy metaphor User generated content - Sporepedia YouTube/Flickr character uploader

“ Massively single-player” online game

Real time strategy, simulation game

Control the evolution of a species

Unicellular organism -> Intelligent and social creature -> Interstellar space exploration

Throughout gameplay, the player's perspective and species change dramatically.

18 software editors including Creature, Music, Vehicle editor. Translatable skills. Toy metaphor

User generated content - Sporepedia

YouTube/Flickr character uploader

Spore Experience 18 editor software tools including Music editor. Translatable skills Creature Creator tool - Create your characters in natural, elegant UI – not a creature modeling tool, but a toy User generated content - Sporepedia Characters evolve in game world

18 editor software tools including Music editor. Translatable skills

Creature Creator tool - Create your characters in natural, elegant UI – not a creature modeling tool, but a toy

User generated content - Sporepedia

Characters evolve in game world

CELL CREATURE TRIBE

CIVILIZATION SPACE

Software UX –Some inspirations from Gaming Consumer software Enterprise software

Consumer software

Enterprise software

Gaming Inspirations for Consumer software Humanize Create Playfulness Use quirky relevant features Allow users to engage in entertaining passive exploration Use rich and interactive tools wisely More iterative and immersive Design Process

Humanize

Create Playfulness

Use quirky relevant features

Allow users to engage in entertaining passive exploration

Use rich and interactive tools wisely

More iterative and immersive Design Process

Source: Jonathan Harris: We Feel Fine (www.wefeelfine.org)

Source: Jonathan Harris: We Feel Fine (www.wefeelfine.org)

Gaming Inspirations for Enterprise software Playfulness should either be helpful or at the very least not get in the way – should be contextual Use challenges, pleasant feedback (e.g. mission complete!), psychological payoffs (progress indicator showing 2 goals left) Performance based recognition (level up) for completing difficult tasks, if better than average time on task list

Playfulness should either be helpful or at the very least not get in the way – should be contextual

Use challenges, pleasant feedback (e.g. mission complete!), psychological payoffs (progress indicator showing 2 goals left)

Performance based recognition (level up) for completing difficult tasks, if better than average time on task list

Game Over (for now..) http://amitpande.com Plan to write essay with additional examples ( www.braid-game.com , www.puzzlepirates.com ) Presentation hosted at: www.slideshare.net/amitpande

http://amitpande.com

Plan to write essay with additional examples ( www.braid-game.com , www.puzzlepirates.com )

Presentation hosted at: www.slideshare.net/amitpande

APPENDIX

Design Patterns for Games

Design Patterns - Usability Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1408/designing_usable_and_accessible_.php?print=1

Design Patterns - Accessibility Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1408/designing_usable_and_accessible_.php?print=1

Commentaries on games Quirky Games: Making Boring Tasks into Great Games http://hdrlying.com/2007/08/21/quirky-games-making-boring-tasks-into-great-games/ Game Design Is ‘Just’ Specialized Interaction Design http://leapfrog.nl/blog/archives/2008/01/04/game-design-is-just-specialised-interaction-design/

Quirky Games: Making Boring Tasks into Great Games

http://hdrlying.com/2007/08/21/quirky-games-making-boring-tasks-into-great-games/

Game Design Is ‘Just’ Specialized Interaction Design

http://leapfrog.nl/blog/archives/2008/01/04/game-design-is-just-specialised-interaction-design/

Game Design References CHI 2008 Workshop “Evaluating User Experiences in Games” http://workshops.icts.sbg.ac.at/chi2008uxgames/ Game Feel: The Secret Ingredient http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2322/game_feel_the_secret_ingredient.php Game Design Fundamentals http://www.metaplace.com/blog/24.html Game Design Links http://www.secretlair.com/index.php?/clickableculture/entry/links_for_2008_02_09/

CHI 2008 Workshop “Evaluating User Experiences in Games”

http://workshops.icts.sbg.ac.at/chi2008uxgames/

Game Feel: The Secret Ingredient

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2322/game_feel_the_secret_ingredient.php

Game Design Fundamentals

http://www.metaplace.com/blog/24.html

Game Design Links

http://www.secretlair.com/index.php?/clickableculture/entry/links_for_2008_02_09/

Game Design References Usability & Games – References http://www.webword.com/2006/02/23/usability-and-games-17-excellent-references/ UI Design for Games http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~soar/Classes/494/talks/User-interfaces.pdf Do Usability Expert Evaluation and Testing Provide Novel and Useful Data For Game Development? http://www.upassoc.org/upa_publications/jus/2006_february/usability_game_development.html What We Learned Evaluating the Usability of a Game http://www.stcsig.org/usability/newsletter/0410-gameevaluation.html Challenge versus Usability in Games http://www.ok-cancel.com/archives/article/2004/07/the-fight-of-challenge-vs-usability-in-games.html

Usability & Games – References

http://www.webword.com/2006/02/23/usability-and-games-17-excellent-references/

UI Design for Games

http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~soar/Classes/494/talks/User-interfaces.pdf

Do Usability Expert Evaluation and Testing Provide Novel and Useful Data For Game Development?

http://www.upassoc.org/upa_publications/jus/2006_february/usability_game_development.html

What We Learned Evaluating the Usability of a Game

http://www.stcsig.org/usability/newsletter/0410-gameevaluation.html

Challenge versus Usability in Games

http://www.ok-cancel.com/archives/article/2004/07/the-fight-of-challenge-vs-usability-in-games.html

Mario motions that cause “feel” Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2322/game_feel_the_secret_ingredient.php?page=4