Experimental prototyping and play testing using iterative game design is discussed. Prototypes allow designers to base decisions on successive iterations of a game as it is tested and refined. Different types of prototypes are described from early paper prototypes to later software prototypes. Various types of play tests are also outlined such as focus tests, expert evaluations, and free-form play sessions. Obtaining useful data from play tests to answer specific research questions is the focus. Methods like surveys, interviews, video recordings, and data mining game interactions are presented.
Mobile Application Testing Training PresentationMobiGnosis
Mobile Application Testing Training Presentation in Bangalore by experienced Professionals in Industry. Get a FREE Demo Now. Visit http://www.mobignosis.com/mobile-testing-training/
Mobile Application Testing Training PresentationMobiGnosis
Mobile Application Testing Training Presentation in Bangalore by experienced Professionals in Industry. Get a FREE Demo Now. Visit http://www.mobignosis.com/mobile-testing-training/
Do'd and Don'ts for mobile application testing, basic guide for learning mobile testing, covers different aspects for mobile testing includes android and iphone test methodology.
Also highlights different types of testing, mobile platforms, testing frameworks, emulator and simulator differences.
Chapter 1 - Mobile World - Business and Technology DriversNeeraj Kumar Singh
This is chapter 1 of ISTQB Specialist Mobile Application Tester certification. This presentation helps aspirants understand and prepare the content of the certification.
Testbytes is a community of software testers who are passionate about quality and love to test. We develop an in-depth understanding of the applications under test and include software testing strategies that deliver quantifiable results.
In short, we help in building incredible software.
How To Write A Test Case In Software Testing | EdurekaEdureka!
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/KxelISpFqOY
(** Test Automation Masters Program: https://www.edureka.co/masters-progra... **)
This Edureka PPT on "Test Case in Software Testing" will give you in-depth knowledge on how to write a Test Case in Software Testing. The following are the topics covered in the session:
Software Testing Documentation
Test Case in Software Testing
Test Case Format
Test Case Design Technique
Test Case Guidelines
Demo: How to write a test case?
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Do'd and Don'ts for mobile application testing, basic guide for learning mobile testing, covers different aspects for mobile testing includes android and iphone test methodology.
Also highlights different types of testing, mobile platforms, testing frameworks, emulator and simulator differences.
Chapter 1 - Mobile World - Business and Technology DriversNeeraj Kumar Singh
This is chapter 1 of ISTQB Specialist Mobile Application Tester certification. This presentation helps aspirants understand and prepare the content of the certification.
Testbytes is a community of software testers who are passionate about quality and love to test. We develop an in-depth understanding of the applications under test and include software testing strategies that deliver quantifiable results.
In short, we help in building incredible software.
How To Write A Test Case In Software Testing | EdurekaEdureka!
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/KxelISpFqOY
(** Test Automation Masters Program: https://www.edureka.co/masters-progra... **)
This Edureka PPT on "Test Case in Software Testing" will give you in-depth knowledge on how to write a Test Case in Software Testing. The following are the topics covered in the session:
Software Testing Documentation
Test Case in Software Testing
Test Case Format
Test Case Design Technique
Test Case Guidelines
Demo: How to write a test case?
Selenium playlist: https://goo.gl/NmuzXE
Selenium Blog playlist: http://bit.ly/2B7C3QR
Software Testing Blog playlist: http://bit.ly/2UXwdJm
Follow us to never miss an update in the future.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/edurekaIN
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AI Based Game Design - Teaching how to expand designers' artistic palette wit...Mirjam Eladhari
Talk given at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco on the 3rd of March 2015.
One approach to game design innovation is AI-based game design (AIGD), in which the game mechanics are inspired and enabled by AI systems. This case study describes AIGD as an educational approach along with best practices of using it in teaching, illustrated by example student games demonstrating both design and technical innovation. Teaching AI and design in tandem enables students to take a role where they can use different technological approaches as part of their artistic palette as game developers.
Research Overview Mirjam P Eladhari August 2019Mirjam Eladhari
Slides for a presentation where I gave an overview of my research in August 2019. The talk is about how I have adressed two question that are at the core of my work:
Q1 How can we work to innovate in game design and technology?
Q2 How can we create play experiences that are individually meaningful?
Game Design as an Intro to Computer Science (Meaningful Play 2014)marksuter
Presented by Mark Suter at Michigan State University in November 2014 for the Meaningful Play Conference.
These are methods I use in my classroom to introduce computer science concepts, as well as some common syntax.
From learning design to game design and back; the Cyberdam examplePieter van der Hijden
Presentation by Pieter van der Hijden (pvdh@sofos.nl) of Sofos Consultancy (www.sofos.nl) and Stichting RechtenOnline (www.rechtenonline.nl) at the 39th annual conference of the International Simulation and Gaming Association (ISAGA,, www.isaga.info); Kaunas, Lithuania, 2008.
This presentation was given by Peter Shea and Jim Grenier at the Northeast Regional Computing Program (NERCOMP) conference on March 23, 2016 in Providence, RI.
How is technology changing teaching and learning? What place does gaming have in building skills that are critical for today’s workplaces – and tomorrow’s? In this webinar, Associate Professors Beaumie Kim and Pratim Sengupta from UCalgary’s Werklund School of Education examine these topics and discuss how educators are using technology and gaming to engage students and deepen their learning.
Watch the webinar recording: http://explore.ucalgary.ca/technology-and-gaming-education
Similar to Experimental Game Prototyping and Play Testing using Iterative Design (20)
Talk given at Interactive Narrative Design Think Tank, Nederlands Film Festival September 29, 2019.
Overview:
1. AI for Games/Interactive Narrative
2. Developments, past decade
3. Tech at our finger tips:
Procedural Content Generation
Machine learning
4. Opportunities, Challenges and wish lists
Four ways game research field approach narrativeMirjam Eladhari
Slides for presentation at NECS Conference Gdansk, 14.6.2019
"Four ways game research field approach narrative"
by Mirjam P Eladhari and Hartmut Koenitz
TOG: An Innovation Centric Approach to teaching Computational Expression and ...Mirjam Eladhari
Slides presenting the paper
TOG: An Innovation Centric Approach to teaching Computational Expression and Game Design
by Mirjam P Eladhari
at Teaching Games: Pedagogical Approaches - DiGRA 2019 Pre-Conference Workshop (TGPA:DiGRA2019) August 6 2019, Kyoto, Japan.
Constructive Alignment in Teaching Game Research in Game Development Bac...Mirjam Eladhari
Slides for presentation of paper
"Constructive Alignment in Teaching Game Research in Game Development Bachelors Programme"
by Petri Lankoski and Mirjam P Eladhari
at TEACHING GAMES: PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES - DIGRA 2019 PRE- CONFERENCE WORKSHOP (TGPA:DIGRA2019) AUGUST 6 2019, KYOTO, JAPAN.
Ludocriticism - Steps Towards a Critical Framework for Games Mirjam Eladhari
Presentationslides for paper
Ludocriticism - Steps Towards a Critical Framework for Games
by Hartmut Koenitz and Mirjam P Eladhari
Presented at DiGRA 2019 Conference, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, 9 August 2019
2019 08-09-digra19-ludocriticsm 3
Re-Tellings: The Fourth Layer of Narrative as an Instrument for CritiqueMirjam Eladhari
Slides (without speaker notes) presenting the paper at the 11th International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling, ICIDS 2018, Dublin, Ireland, December 5–8, 2018.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_5
In book: Interactive Storytelling
Re-Tellings: The Fourth Layer of Narrative as an Instrument for Critique (wit...Mirjam Eladhari
Slides (with speaker-notes) presenting the paper at the 11th International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling, ICIDS 2018, Dublin, Ireland, December 5–8, 2018.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_5
In book: Interactive Storytelling
This talk describes game design challenges considered in the ongoing development of a tabletop game where players bring their real life problems into a the framed safe-space of a play session. The game, tentatively called Mind Shadows, is a game for two or three players who trust each other. The main aim of the design is to create play situations where players in cooperation better can understand situations in their everyday lives that are emotionally complex or difficult, and by this understanding find ways to cope with the situations.
Bleed in, Bleed Out – A Design Case in Board Game TherapyMirjam Eladhari
Presentation of a paper at Digra 2018 Conference, Turin, Italy, July 2018.
Abstract: The table-top play situation offers unique opportunities for approaching real-world personal problems in ways where the structures inherent in the problems can be deconstructed, ex- amined, and understood. This paper presents design considerations from the ongoing devel- opment of a therapy board-game; how every-day issues can bleed in and out from framed play sessions, and how game rules in this context can benefit from being malleable. The paper also offers a tentative avenue towards how play sessions, in a combination of stances for the design of game mechanics with approaches to game mastering, can be constructed as safe-spaces, affording players to draw near deeply personal issues and find ways to support each other.
Methods, History, and Impact - Directions in Game Design ResearchMirjam Eladhari
Panel discussion at The International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (FDG), 7 - 10 August, Malmö, Sweden.
Panel guests: Hartmut Koenitz, Elisa Mekler, Christian Roth, Staffan Björk, Petri Lankoski, Annakaisa Kultima, Mirjam Eladhari and Ben Medler.
We all prepared a few slides in advance, here are mine.
Abstract:
Research into the design aspect of games has proliferated since the early 2000s. Currently, early historical overviews appear and categorical divisions within the field become more pronounced. It is therefore timely to reflect on the development until today, take stock of the current landscape, and consider future topics. This panel does so by bringing together seasoned and emerging scholars, as well as practitioners and industry insiders. Together, they will consider which topics are already engaged, and what new ones might be necessary. In addition, the panel will discuss the relationship between game design research and independent/industry practices as well as implications for game design education.
Computational narrative and narrative systemsMirjam Eladhari
Talk given at Computational modelling in games at BIRS, Banff, Canada in May 2016. Michael Mateas and Andy Nealen who organised the event had provided me with an abstract to use as a starting point:
“What are the different representational areas/aspects of narrative systems (e.g. dialog, story progression, etc.) and what kinds of formalisms support modeling these areas? What are the authoring tradeoffs that arise with different commitments to computational representations of narrative? For combinatorial narrative systems, how can player-perceived qualities of the narrative be modeled for guiding the combinatorial space? What might the design space look like for different approaches for player interaction with narrative systems?”
I started out making a talk where each of the questions were adressed in a section. It became a quite long and arid deck of slides. Then it struck me that
1. many of the creators of the systems I would talk about would be in the very same room, and
2. the talk was supposed to be inspirational and seed conversations for the workshop.
So I re-made the talk. I started out listing the challenges for computational narrative that we came up with at a similar seminar, one that was held in Dagstuhl in 2012. Interestingly, a lot has happened in those 4 years, much as an effect that the literacy in building expressive systems has dramatically increased - I can’t see another explanation for that there has been so many really good and ambitious - successfully ambitions - projects released lately. I’m thinking of IceBound, Blood and Laurels, and 80 Days among others. At the same time, there is the notion that the field of computational narrative has harped on unceccessfvlly hopping into rabbit holes, fighting wind-mills and chased impossible grails. In the talk, I made the argument that the field of computational narrative can only seen has having failed (illustrated by a screenshot from wikipedia) if you have a very fixed and narrow image of what the grail that is being chased actually look like. If you instead look at what is actually out there, both in terms of novels coming alive, games with high quality narrative, and story making games - well the reality speaks for itself. Computational narrative is thriving.
The talk was video-taped, and is accessible here: http://www.birs.ca/events/2016/5-day-workshops/16w5160/videos/watch/201605161034-Eladhari.html
Designing for Creativity and Kindness in GamesMirjam Eladhari
Invited talk given at Vaasa Game Days on the 9th of December 2015.
Content:
- Overview, slide 2
- Case Study 1, Pataphysic Institute Prototype. Background for coming research avenues. slide 8
- Games for Co-creation, Games made in C2Learn project, slide 32,
- Case Study 2, 4Scribes. A Story making game making use of computational creativity techniques for aiding narrative coherence. Slide 39
- Case Study 3, Mind Shadows. A game of kindness. Slide 76
- Make Game Design Part of your Life. Tips, tricks & tools for indie devs. Slide 88
May 2012
Mini-talk at Dagstuhl Seminar 12191, "Artificial and Computational Intelligence in Games"l
Mirjam P Eladhari, with help from Richard Evans and Michael Mateas
Welcome to the Workshop on Research Prototyping in Games (WRPG 2012)Mirjam Eladhari
Welcome to the Workshop on Research Prototyping in Games (WRPG 2012).
Presentation of scope and schedule for the WRPG workshop, held the 29th of May Raleigh, North Carolina. The workshop was co-located with the Foundations for Digital Games Conference (FDG), and associated with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
Players Imbuing Meaning: Co-creation of Challenges in a prototype MMOMirjam Eladhari
This talk discusses how components in a game world, from both a systemic design perspective, and from an actual content perspective, can carry meaning relevant to individual players.
The discussion is grounded in work with a massively multi player online (MMO) prototype where players in guided play-tests created their own opponents that they battled in groups of three. The opponents are called Manifestations, and can be compared to the “boss monsters” that in adventureand role-plying games pose the greatest challenges in terms of tactical game play, or battle. When creating Manifestations players define how these shall behave in play, and what they say under different circumstances. The game play mechanics in the world is centered on emotions and social relations. One of the design goals in the creation of the prototype was to cater for a system wheretactical game play can be closely tied to the potential narrative contents.
The Manifestations players created in the play tests were of four main categories; reflections of persons they had complicated relationships to in real life, difficult situations, abstract concepts, or purely fictional entities. In several cases players brought material into the game that had personal meaning to them. These meanings were developed further when players saw how their Manifestation behaved within the rule system of the world. For example, one player created a Manifestation of an anticipated exam, while another made a Manifestation called “Mother”. The Mother cast spells called “Focused Aggression” and “Cold Ripple of Fear”. It was able to perform acts called “Blame”, ”Threaten”, and “Disagree”. The group experimented with tactical choices, while reasoning about the Mother’s potential motivations. They managed to overcome the Mother by alternating between giving each other resistance and casting spells, the winning stroke being a rapid series of spells called “Forgive”.
The talk was given at ITU in Copenhagen April 24, 2012 in the Game Lecture series.
http://game.itu.dk/index.php/Game_Lectures
The role of ai in social games eladhari2011 uppsalauniMirjam Eladhari
Keynote at PhD course at Uppsala University in August 2011.
Outline:
•What does ”AI” and ”social” mean anyway?
•Social actions in terms of operational logics
•AI based game design
•Research prototype(s)
•A recipe
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty,
International FDP on Fundamentals of Research in Social Sciences
at Integral University, Lucknow, 06.06.2024
By Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Francesca Gottschalk - How can education support child empowerment.pptxEduSkills OECD
Francesca Gottschalk from the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation presents at the Ask an Expert Webinar: How can education support child empowerment?
Biological screening of herbal drugs: Introduction and Need for
Phyto-Pharmacological Screening, New Strategies for evaluating
Natural Products, In vitro evaluation techniques for Antioxidants, Antimicrobial and Anticancer drugs. In vivo evaluation techniques
for Anti-inflammatory, Antiulcer, Anticancer, Wound healing, Antidiabetic, Hepatoprotective, Cardio protective, Diuretics and
Antifertility, Toxicity studies as per OECD guidelines
Introduction to AI for Nonprofits with Tapp NetworkTechSoup
Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Experimental Game Prototyping and Play Testing using Iterative Design
1. experimental prototyping and play testing using iterative game design 2010 Lecture in the course International Game Production Studies I Mirjam Palosaari Eladhari Gotland University, Sweden
6. Trade-offs Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
7. Focus of this talk: experimental prototyping and play testing using iterative game design how to plan for obtaining data from play tests that can yield answers to specific research questions. Read more: Design for Results: Considerations for experimental prototyping and play testing using iterative game design by Mirjam P Eladhari and Elina M I Ollila. Article to be published in a special issue of the Journal Simulation and Gaming focusing on game research methods. (Uploaded to course website) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
8. Expressive AI (2003) Material on this page is from “Expressive AI: Games and Artificial Intelligence” by Michael Mateas, LevelUp Conference, Utrecht 2003 Michael Mateas: “AI-based art and entertainment constitutes a new interdisciplinary agenda linking games studies, design practice, and technical research. “[…] expressive AI provides a language for talking about “readable” behavior, that is, behavior that a player can read meaning into.” Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
9. Prototype A prototype is “played, evaluated, adjusted and played again, allowing the designer or design team to base decisions on the successive iterations or versions of the game. Iterative design is a cyclic process that alternates between prototyping, play-testing, evaluation, and refinement.” Salen and Zimmerman (2001) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
10. Early questions • What types of game play dynamics and game play experiences can a certain, mechanic, feature, approach or method result in?1 • What are the qualities of the play experience, and how can these qualities be documented, analysed, interpreted and explained comprehensively? • How can it be decided if a certain game play feature results in something valuable, such as a new type of experience, a meaningful experience, or a ‘better experience’ in some other way, and if so, compared to what? Researchers may find themselves in situations where innovative results do not necessarily lend themselves to comparisons. • What type of data can be useful to obtain in order to explore the research question? Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
11. Beware Researchers need to, in the design process, take into account what questions they aim to explore and stay focussed on these throughout the design and implementation work. It is easy to fall into a frame of mind where one aims to produce a good game, losing focus of obtaining research material. In the process (especially when implementing) take a step back regularly to think about the research question. Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
12. Wicked Problems ‘wicked problem’ is used in social planning to describe problems where every attempt at producing a solution changes the understanding of the problems (Rittel & Webber, 1973) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
13. Wicked problems in game design “For a wicked problem such as game design, exploring design space consists of navigating the complex relationships and constraints among individual design features, while at the same [time] discovering or inventing new features and approaches that expand the design space. All existing games form tiny islands of partially understood regionsof design space; all around these islands lays a vast ocean of unexplored potential design space waiting to be brought into existence through the invention of new features and approaches, and mapped out through the hard empirical work of exploring a variety of designs.” Mateas and Stern (2005) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
14. Build it to understand it “[...] if game studies is limited to analysing existing games and design spaces, it can be problematic to imagine or theorise about potential game features outside of these design spaces. Models about the nature of games and their features run the risk of being incomplete or wrong, simply because certain design spaces have not yet been explored.” (Mateas and Stern 2005) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
19. Prototyping by acting and showing Early body storming - participants imagine the game and act as though it would exist, in either a real or imaginary place where it could be played. (Burns, Dishman, Verplank, & Lassiter, 1994) polished video scenarios, the purpose of which is to show how a concept would work in its natural settings. FIGURE The player is taking a picture of a person smiling, 2. The smile is mapped to a smiley in a grid that the player needs to complete (i.e., take pictures with people having similar expressions on their faces as the smileys do) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
20. Paper (or physical) prototypes A physical prototype can at an early stage give pointers to whether a designed game mechanic results in the intended game dynamics when played. A physical prototype is often made of paper mock-ups of the intended game, but can also include physical ‘bits’ such as figurines and tokens. game-mastering method, where the player was brought to various game situations with the help of a game master, like in pen-and-paper role-playing games. Middle Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
21.
22. Computationally aided physical prototypes Middle In cases where the game mechanics demand higher degrees of computation of significant values it can be useful to add aids for calculation to a paper prototype. A common and very simple method is to use excel sheets Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
23. The developers of Raptor found that using a table-top was superior for collaborative sketching compared to the interface of traditional PCs. Designers were presented with a sand-box environment where they could shape the geography using hand-gestures. They could also ‘stamp’ game bits into the environment such as cars for a racing game, and attach a ‘camera’ to the object representing the player, giving the user, who had access to a PC client inter- face, their point of view in the geography. Raptor, a tool for sketching and prototyping games using a table-top surface. Raptor: Sketching Games with a Tabletop Computer, by JD Smith, FuturePlay 2010 Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
24. Software Prototypes Software prototypes are quite often thought to be something that is created later in the project, when there is already game design documentation available. However, plenty of fast prototyping tools are available, ranging from general pur- pose tools like Flash to more specialised frameworks. Late Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
25. Production cycle, example Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
27. ad-hoc test An ad-hoc test is a quick informal test which requires minimal organisation. It can be as simple as finding a colleague not working on the same project to quickly test some aspect of the prototype on them. (grab someone in the corridoor- test) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
28. focus test In a focus test a group of potential players are probed about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards the prototype. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting. (put a group of people from your target group in the same room and ask them your questions) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
29. expert evaluation An expert evaluation is the appraisal of a prototype by someone who has the professional training or experience to make an informed judgement on the design. (Show what you have to an expert, get their advice) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
30. QA Test The functional test, or quality assurance (QA), can be conducted by the production team or by QA-experts. QA is conducted in order capture errors in the functionality of the prototype as well as for balancing game play according to the intended game play experience (Find the bugs and fix them) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
31. Participatory design Participatory design workshops are conducted by the production team and a small number of invited guests, potentially experts in the field or potential players of the game. The workshops are often intended to aid in balancing the game and to eliminating dysfunctional elements or features. They can also be useful for gathering new ideas for further iterations or for enhancing the quality the prototype according to the goals by specific investigations. (Have people your trust go through the test with you, and get their advice on your design as you go along) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
32. Guided scenarios In guided scenarios a test-leader may use the Wizard of Oz - method to simulate user-interaction. The scenarios designed for the particular prototype are played individually by participants (Wizard of Oz experiment is a research experiment in which subjects interact with a computer system that subjects believe to be autonomous, but which is actually being operated or partially operated by an unseen human being.) (Game master what you haven’t implemented. If it doesn’t work you save lots of time knowing that.) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
33. Example (4 roles) The Player, the Game master, the Engine, and the Manual (taking the pictures) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
34. game-mastered play sessions In game-mastered play sessions several participants may interact with a prototype, or scenarios designed for the particular prototype, guided by a game master. Similar to guided scenarios, but later, when the prototype is functional. Ie, no wizard-of-ozzing for functionality. Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
35. free-form play sessions In free-form play sessions participants are interacting with the prototype unaided by guiding test-leaders or game-masters. (common end-phase play test. Put the user in front of the screen and see what happens. ...Or send it off to a testing consultant along with your testing script.) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
36. Practical Considerations Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
38. Surveys? Surveys can be used to capture players’ attitudes, get ideas for development and can also be used for a ‘memory check’ - in those cases a player remembers or have forgotten something about the design The effort required for this method is less than for many other methods for obtaining data. Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
39. Example – Surveys as stand-alone tool Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
40. Interviews? Interviews can allow for obtaining data that might not arise in surveys. In some cases it may be useful to add a survey in addition to the interview in order to verify the results and to see if some results were received for ‘pleasing’ the interviewer, that is, give answers based on their interpretation of what they think the test leader wants to hear Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
41. Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
42. Teach back tasks ‘teach-back tasks’ – players are asked to describe the system they tested to someone who has no prior knowledge of it. The player ‘does the job’ Can be used both in surveys and interviews. Teach-back tasks are often used in order to assess users’ mental models of systems (Veer, Wijk, & Felt, 1990; Puerta-Melguizo, Chisalita,& Veer, 2002). For example, in a test of a prototype where the players’ avatars had different ‘moods’ given by a psychological model, players were asked to explain to a friend how the mood affected what they could do or not do in the game world prototype (Eladhari, 2009). Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
43. Video tape it? Is it is useful to videotape the interaction? Possible to later on make verbatim transcriptions of what players said in the test. Allows for detailed study of body-language, actions and utterances. Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
44. Bio feedback? Is it useful to obtain physical data from the participants of the test, and if so, what data is most likely to be useful? Potential physical data include: eye-tracking, heart-rate variability, galvanism and temperature in fingers, electroencephalography (EEG) or f MRI, posture (posture sensors may be placed on participants’ chairs, see (Plass, Perlin, Nordlinger, & Isbister, 2010) Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
45. Data mining? If the test involves a software prototype, it can be useful to also develop or use a back end-system for capturing events in the form of player-input to the system. Consider: to what extent it is useful to log the player's interactions with the system, which types of interactions to log. Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
46. Data mining example The team at Microsoft Labs who conducted the testing of Halo 3 maps showing recurring events mapped to the geography of the game. This was useful for the designers of the game when they iteratively redesigned the environment and the placement of items in it relevant to the game play. Map used at Microsoft Game Labs showing a top down view of the fourth mission of Halo 3. The dots show the locations of player deaths. (thanks to John Hopson and MS game labs for permission to use picture) Thompson, C. (2007). Halo 3: How Microsoft Labs invented a new science of play. Wired Magazine (15.09). Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
47. Process the data Is it useful to make a rough coding scheme, for example counting certain types of utterances, behaviours, and/ or expressions or reactions? Is it useful to make verbatim transcriptions of the videotaped play tests? If so, is it useful to not only transcribe the utterances but also (or in- stead) make notes of facial expression, body language, laugher etc. to the transcripts? Is it useful to trace and describe the actions a player performs in relation to the paper prototype? For example it can be useful to observe and describe in what order players do something, and if there are patterns in how they approach different elements of the prototype. Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
48. Obtaining Data Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
49. Designer Role Fallman (2003) discusses the role of the designer in HCI field and argues that there are three points of views to this: conservative, romantic, and pragmatic account. The conservative account believes in methods and sees the designer as a ‘glass-box’ whose actions can be rationalized and modelled with scientific methods. The romantic point of view is that the design originates from the designers unique artistic talents and genius, and sees the designer as a ‘black- box’ and that the design process is something that cannot be explained. The pragmatic account views the design as a dialogue between the designer and the environment and the result of the design as something that is integrated in the world. According to Fallman, all these aspects should be taken into account and be in balance with each other. Furthermore, he argues that the process of design cannot be seen as linear, even with iteration, but more as a continuous dialogue between analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
50. The trade-off of research freedom vs resources Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
51. Navigation 1. Question. 2. What kind of prototype can answer it? 3. What data is needed to proove/refute? What tests to make? How process the data? Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
52. Mirjam P. Eladhari, mirjam.eladhari@hgo.se Gotland University, Department of Game Design, Technology and learning
53. Ending words . The idea is not to try to solve how the game should work and what are the important research questions to answer first and then start building the prototype, but rather having a rough idea of this first and then be flexible to change the approach later if, and often when, needed. In our view, prototypes constitute important thinking tools for researchers and designers alike, aiding us in exploring the wicked problem space of game design.