Article

Game Usability Heuristics (PLAY) for Evaluating and Designing Better Games: The Next Iteration

Authors:

OCSC '09: Proceedings of the 3d International Conference on Online Communities and Social Computing: Held as Part of HCI International 2009

Pages 557 - 566

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02774-1_60

Published: 15 July 2009 Publication History

Abstract

Game developers have begun applying formal human-computer interaction (HCI) principles in design. Desurvire et al [2] adapted a set of Heuristics for productivity software to games. The resulting set, presented at CHI 2004, was <em>Heuristics to Evaluate Playability</em> (HEP). Generalization of these heuristics is required to make them applicable to a multiple of game genres and game deliveries. This follow-up study focused on the refined list, Heuristics of Playability (PLAY), that can be applied earlier in game development as well as aiding developers between formal usability/playability research during the development cycle. Heuristics were formed based on their efficacious scores on the popular game review website, metacritic.com. Fifty-four gamers rated High and Low ranked games on 116 potential heuristics. Implications for how these Heuristics will help developers improve game quality are discussed. PLAY has been found useful in design evaluation and elf-report survey format.

References

[1]

Desurvire, H., Kondziela, J., Atwood, M.: What is Gained and Lost When Using Evaluation Methods Other Than Empirical Testing (short paper version). In: ACM conference, CHI 1992, collection of abstracts, pp. 125-126 (1992a).

Crossref

Google Scholar

[2]

Desurvire, H., Caplan, M., Toth, J.: Using Heuristics to Evaluate the Playability of Games. In: ACM conference, CHI 2004, collection of abstracts (2004).

Crossref

Google Scholar

[3]

Desurvire, H., Jegers, K., Wiberg, C.: Evaluating Fun and Entertainment: Developing A Conceptual Framework Design of Evaluation Methods. In: Facing Emotions: Responsible experiential design INTERACT 2007 conference, Rio, Brasil (2007).

Google Scholar

[4]

Desurvire, H., Wiberg, C.: Master of the Game: Assessing Approachability in Future Game Design. In: ACM CHI 2008 conference, CHI 2008 International Conference on Computer Human interaction, Florence, Italy (2008).

Crossref

Google Scholar

[5]

Falstein, N., Barwood, H.: The 400 Project, http://theinspiracy.com/400_project.htm

Google Scholar

[6]

Federoff, M.: User Testing for Games: Getting Better Data Earlier. Game Developer Magazine, 35-40 (June 2003).

Google Scholar

[7]

Federoff, M.: Heuristics and Usability Guidelines for the Creation and Evaluation of FUN in Video Games. Thesis, University Graduate School of Indiana University (December 2002).

Google Scholar

[8]

Fulton, B., Medlock, M.: Beyond Focus Groups: Getting More Useful Feedback from Consumers. In: Proceedings of the Game Developer's Conference (2003).

Google Scholar

[9]

Malone, T.W.: Heuristics for designing enjoyable user interfaces: Lessons from computer games. In: Thomas, J.C., Schneider, M.L. (eds.) Human Factors in Computing Systems. Ablex Publishing Corporation, Norwood (1982).

Crossref

Google Scholar

[10]

Nielsen, J.: Heuristic evaluation. In: Nielsen, J., Molich, R.L. (eds.) Usability Inspection Methods. John Wiley & Sons, New York (1994).

Crossref

Google Scholar

[11]

Silverman, B.G., Johns, M., Weaver, R., Mosley, J.: Authoring Edutainment Stories for Online Players (AESOP): Introducing Game play into Interactive Dramas. In: International Conference on Virtual Storytelling. Springer, Toulouse (2003).

Google Scholar

Cited By

View all

Morard SPaukovics ESanchez E(2024)Understanding Player Experience in Museum-Based Learning Games: A Mixed-Methods AnalysisSerious Games10.1007/978-3-031-74138-8_14(177-195)Online publication date: 7-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-031-74138-8_14
Rocha Américo de Souza RCaminha CFerreira M(2024)A Multidisciplinary Heuristic Evaluation of AI-Enhanced Web Tools: Insights and Implications for Legal Contract Management SystemsArtificial Intelligence in HCI10.1007/978-3-031-60606-9_7(94-109)Online publication date: 29-Jun-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-031-60606-9_7
Li TVorvoreanu MDebellis DAmershi S(2023)Assessing Human-AI Interaction Early through Factorial Surveys: A Study on the Guidelines for Human-AI InteractionACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/351160530:5(1-45)Online publication date: 23-Sep-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3511605
Show More Cited By

Game Usability Heuristics (PLAY) for Evaluating and Designing Better Games: The Next Iteration

Recommendations

Usability heuristics for networked multiplayer games
GROUP '09: Proceedings of the 2009 ACM International Conference on Supporting Group Work

Networked multiplayer games must support a much wider variety of interactions than single-player games because networked games involve communication and coordination between players. This means that designers must consider additional usability issues ...
Using heuristics to evaluate the playability of games
CHI EA '04: CHI '04 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Heuristics have become an accepted and widely used adjunct method of usability evaluation in Internet and software development. This report introduces Heuristic Evaluation for Playability (HEP), a comprehensive set of heuristics for playability, based ...
Playability heuristics for mobile games
MobileHCI '06: Proceedings of the 8th conference on Human-computer interaction with mobile devices and services

Expert evaluation is a widely used method for evaluating the usability of software products. When evaluating games, traditional usability heuristics lack comprehension and cannot be directly applied. In this paper, we introduce playability heuristics ...

Comments

Please enable JavaScript to view thecomments powered by Disqus.

Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

OCSC '09: Proceedings of the 3d International Conference on Online Communities and Social Computing: Held as Part of HCI International 2009

July 2009

713 pages

ISBN:9783642027734

Editors:
A. Ant Ozok
Department of Information Systems, UMBC, Baltimore, USA MD 21250
,
Panayiotis Zaphiris
Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts, Cyprus University of Technology, Lemesos, Cyprus 3036

Publisher

Springer-Verlag

Berlin, Heidelberg

Publication History

Published: 15 July 2009

Author Tags

Qualifiers

Article

Contributors

Other Metrics

View Article Metrics

Bibliometrics & Citations

Bibliometrics

Article Metrics

46
Total Citations
View Citations
0
Total Downloads

Downloads (Last 12 months)0
Downloads (Last 6 weeks)0

Reflects downloads up to 12 Dec 2024

Other Metrics

View Author Metrics

Citations

Cited By

View all

Morard SPaukovics ESanchez E(2024)Understanding Player Experience in Museum-Based Learning Games: A Mixed-Methods AnalysisSerious Games10.1007/978-3-031-74138-8_14(177-195)Online publication date: 7-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-031-74138-8_14
Rocha Américo de Souza RCaminha CFerreira M(2024)A Multidisciplinary Heuristic Evaluation of AI-Enhanced Web Tools: Insights and Implications for Legal Contract Management SystemsArtificial Intelligence in HCI10.1007/978-3-031-60606-9_7(94-109)Online publication date: 29-Jun-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-031-60606-9_7
Li TVorvoreanu MDebellis DAmershi S(2023)Assessing Human-AI Interaction Early through Factorial Surveys: A Study on the Guidelines for Human-AI InteractionACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/351160530:5(1-45)Online publication date: 23-Sep-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3511605
Miller JCooper S(2022)Barriers to Expertise in Citizen Science GamesProceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3491102.3517541(1-25)Online publication date: 29-Apr-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3491102.3517541
de Souza Filho JSampaio AMonteiro IJucá P(2022)G4NHE Second Edition: Refining a Generic Gamification Technique to Engage HCI Evaluators in Consolidation TasksDesign, User Experience, and Usability: UX Research, Design, and Assessment10.1007/978-3-031-05897-4_26(369-388)Online publication date: 26-Jun-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-031-05897-4_26
Canossa ALozano Angulo ALaris Pardo L(2022)Validating Learning Games, a Case StudyHCI in Games10.1007/978-3-031-05637-6_25(399-413)Online publication date: 26-Jun-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-031-05637-6_25
Rogerson MSparrow LGibbs M(2021)More Than a Gimmick - Digital Tools for Boardgame PlayProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/34746885:CHI PLAY(1-23)Online publication date: 6-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3474688
Partlan NKleinman EHowe JAhmad SMarsella SSeif El-Nasr M(2021)Design-Driven Requirements for Computationally Co-Creative Game AI Design ToolsProceedings of the 16th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games10.1145/3472538.3472573(1-12)Online publication date: 3-Aug-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3472538.3472573
Green DHargood CCharles F(2021)Use of ToolsJournal on Computing and Cultural Heritage 10.1145/345876914:3(1-25)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3458769
Nova ASansalone SMirza-Babaei P(2021)PathOS+: A New Realm in Expert EvaluationExtended Abstracts of the 2021 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play10.1145/3450337.3483495(122-127)Online publication date: 15-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3450337.3483495
Show More Cited By

View Options

View options

Login options

Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Abstract

References

Cited By

Recommendations

Usability heuristics for networked multiplayer games

Using heuristics to evaluate the playability of games

Playability heuristics for mobile games

Comments

Information

Published In

Publisher

Publication History

Author Tags

Qualifiers

Contributors

Other Metrics

Bibliometrics

Article Metrics

Other Metrics

Citations

Cited By

View options

Login options

Full Access

Figures

Other

Share

Share this Publication link

Share on social media

Affiliations