Affordance Theory in Game Design: A Guide Toward Understanding Players

113 Pages·2020·60.37 MB·English

by  Hamna Aslam, Joseph Alexander Brown

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Series ISSN: 2573-6485 S
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Synthesis Lectures on A
M
Games and Computational Intelligence • B
R
O
W
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Series Editor: Daniel Ashlock, University of Guelph
Affordance Theory in Game Design Affordance Theory
A Guide Toward Understanding Players
Hamna Aslam, Innopolis University
Joseph Alexander Brown, Innopolis University
in Game Design
Games, whether educational or recreational, are meant to be fun. How do we ensure that the game
delivers its intent?
A
The answer to this question is playtesting. However, a haphazard playtest process cannot discover FF
O A Guide Toward
play experience from various dimensions. Players’ perceptions, affordances, age, gender, culture, and R
D
many more human factors influence play experience. A playtest requires an intensive experimental A
N
process and scientific protocols to ensure that the outcomes seen are reliable for the designer. C
E
Playtesting and players’ affordances are the focus of this book. This book is not just about the T
H Understanding Players
playtest procedures but also demonstrates how they lead to the conclusions obtained when considering EO
R
data sets. The playtest process or playtest stories differ according to the hypothesis under investigation. Y
I
We cover examples of playtesting to identify the impact of human factors, such as age and gender, to N
G
examine a player’s preferences for game objects’ design and colors. The book details topics to reflect on A
M
possible emotional outcomes of the player at the early stages of game design as well as the methodology E
D
for presenting questions to players in such a way as to elicit authentic feedback. E
S
I
This book is intended mainly for game designers, researchers, and developers. However, it provides G
N
a general understanding of affordances and human factors that can be informative for readers working
in any domain.
Hamna Aslam
Joseph Alexander Brown
ABOUT SYNTHESIS
This volume is a printed version of a work that appears in the Synthesis
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provide concise original presentations of important research and
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Affordance Theory in
Game Design
A Guide Toward Understanding Players
Synthesis Lectures on Games
and Computational
Intelligence
Editor
DanielAshlock,UniversityofGuelph
SynthesisLecturesonGames&ComputationalIntelligenceisaninnovativeresourceconsistingof
75-150pagebooksontopicspertainingtodigitalgames,includinggameplayingandgamesolving
algorithms;gamedesigntechniques;artificialandcomputationalintelligencetechniquesforgame
design,play,andanalysis;classicalgametheoryinadigitalenvironment,andautomaticcontent
generationforgames.ThescopeincludesthetopicsrelevanttoconferenceslikeIEEE-CIG,
AAAI-AIIDE,DIGRA,andFDGconferencesaswellasthegamesspecialsessionsoftheWCCI
andGECCOconferences.
AffordanceTheoryinGameDesign:AGuideTowardUnderstandingPlayers
HamnaAslamandJosephAlexanderBrown
2020
GeneralVideoGameArtificialIntelligence
DiegoPérezLiébana,SimonM.Lucas,RalucaD.Gaina,JulianTogelius,AhmedKhalifa,and
JianlinLiu
2019
OntheStudyofHumanCooperationviaComputerSimulation:WhyExistingComputer
ModelsFailtoTellUsMuchofAnything
GarrisonW.Greenwood
2019
ExploringRepresentationinEvolutionaryLevelDesign
DanielAshlock
2018
OntheDesignofGame-PlayingAgents
Eun-YounKimandDanielAshlock
2017
iii
GameTheory:AClassicalIntroduction,MathematicalGames,andtheTournament
AndrewMcEachern
2017
Copyright©2020byMorgan&Claypool
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedin
anyformorbyanymeans—electronic,mechanical,photocopy,recording,oranyotherexceptforbriefquotations
inprintedreviews,withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublisher.
AffordanceTheoryinGameDesign:AGuideTowardUnderstandingPlayers
HamnaAslamandJosephAlexanderBrown
www.morganclaypool.com
ISBN:9781681737522 paperback
ISBN:9781681737539 ebook
ISBN:9781681737546 hardcover
DOI10.2200/S00977ED1V01Y201912GCI006
APublicationintheMorgan&ClaypoolPublishersseries
SYNTHESISLECTURESONGAMESANDCOMPUTATIONALINTELLIGENCE
Lecture#6
SeriesEditor:DanielAshlock,UniversityofGuelph
SeriesISSN
Print2573-6485 Electronic2573-6493
Affordance Theory in
Game Design
A Guide Toward Understanding Players
Hamna Aslam and Joseph Alexander Brown
InnopolisUniversity
SYNTHESISLECTURESONGAMESANDCOMPUTATIONAL
INTELLIGENCE#6
M
&C Morgan &cLaypool publishers
ABSTRACT
Games, whether educational or recreational, are meant to be fun. How do we ensure that the
gamedeliversitsintent?
Theanswertothisquestionisplaytesting.However,ahaphazardplaytestprocesscannot
discoverplayexperiencefromvariousdimensions.Players’perceptions,affordances,age,gender,
culture,andmanymorehumanfactorsinfluenceplayexperience.Aplaytestrequiresanintensive
experimental process and scientific protocols to ensure that the outcomes seen are reliable for
thedesigner.
Playtestingandplayers’affordancesarethefocusofthisbook.Thisbookisnotjustabout
theplaytestproceduresbutalsodemonstrateshowtheyleadtotheconclusionsobtainedwhen
consideringdatasets.Theplaytestprocessorplayteststoriesdifferaccordingtothehypothesis
underinvestigation.Wecoverexamplesofplaytestingtoidentifytheimpactofhumanfactors,
such as age and gender, to examine a player’s preferences for game objects’ design and colors.
Thebookdetailstopicstoreflectonpossibleemotionaloutcomesoftheplayerattheearlystages
ofgamedesignaswellasthemethodologyforpresentingquestionstoplayersinsuchawayas
toelicitauthenticfeedback.
This book is intended mainly for game designers, researchers, and developers. However,
it provides a general understanding of affordances and human factors that can be informative
forreadersworkinginanydomain.
KEYWORDS
game design, human-computing interfaces, affordances, playtesting, user experi-
ence
vii
Contents
Preface ........................................................... xi
Acknowledgments ................................................ xiii
1 Introduction .......................................................1
1.1 HowtoReadtheBook ............................................ 2
2 AffordanceTheoryandGameDesign...................................5
2.1 JamesJeromeGibsonandDonaldNorman’sAffordanceTheories .......... 5
2.2 HowCanAffordancesbeInvestigated? ............................... 9
2.2.1 Playtest ................................................. 10
2.3 PlaytestLeadingtoGibsonandNorman’sAffordancesAnalysis........... 12
3 AFocusedConversationalModelforGameDesignandPlaytest ...........15
3.1 TheCARDModel ............................................... 16
3.1.1 Context ................................................. 17
3.1.2 Activity ................................................. 17
3.1.3 Reflection ............................................... 17
3.1.4 Documentation ........................................... 17
3.1.5 Playtests................................................. 17
3.2 TheFocusedConversationModel–ORID ........................... 18
3.2.1 Objective ................................................ 18
3.2.2 Relational ............................................... 18
3.2.3 Interpretive .............................................. 18
3.2.4 Decisional ............................................... 18
3.3 CaseStudy ..................................................... 19
3.3.1 Context ................................................. 19
3.3.2 Activity ................................................. 19
3.3.3 Reflection ............................................... 20
3.3.4 Documentation ........................................... 22
3.4 Findings ....................................................... 22
3.4.1 LaterRoundsCouldGoLonger ............................. 22
viii
3.4.2 DevelopmentofAnti-Rules ................................. 22
3.4.3 FacilitatorasanAppeal..................................... 23
3.5 Conclusions .................................................... 23
4 ADesigner’sReflectiononGameDesignConsideringPlayers’Emotions ...25
4.1 Question-BasedIterativeProcess ................................... 26
4.2 ReflectiononSevenQuestionsProcess............................... 28
4.2.1 RevisitingtheFirstQuestion ................................ 28
4.2.2 RevisitingtheSecondQuestion .............................. 28
4.2.3 RevisitingtheThirdQuestion ............................... 29
4.2.4 RevisitingFourthQuestion ................................. 29
4.2.5 RevisitingFifthQuestion ................................... 30
4.2.6 RevisitingSixthQuestion................................... 30
4.2.7 RevisitingSeventhQuestion ................................ 30
4.2.8 FurtherIterations ......................................... 30
4.3 IncorporationtoOtherGameDesignApproaches ..................... 31
4.4 Discussion...................................................... 31
5 AgeandPlay ......................................................33
5.1 AgeandPlay.................................................... 33
5.2 Playtest ........................................................ 34
5.2.1 RationaleforSelectingHivePocketandHanabi ................ 35
5.3 AnalysisofParticipants’Responses .................................. 36
5.3.1 HivePocket.............................................. 36
5.3.2 Hanabi.................................................. 40
5.4 Discussion...................................................... 42
6 GenderandPlay ...................................................45
6.1 Methodology ................................................... 47
6.1.1 Human-CenteredDesignAndAffordances .................... 47
6.2 TestedGame ................................................... 48
6.3 ExperimentalDesign ............................................. 50
6.4 ResultsandAnalysis.............................................. 51
6.4.1 QuantitativeAnalysis ...................................... 51
6.4.2 ObservationalAnalysis ..................................... 52
6.5 Conclusions .................................................... 56