2022
Ruotsalainen, Maria; Törhönen, Maria; Karhulahti, Veli-Matti (Ed.)
Modes of Esports Engagement in Overwatch Book
Palgrave Macmillan, 2022, ISBN: 978-3030827663.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Digital culture, Digital media, Electronic sports, Game culture, Game development, Game studies, Overwatch
@book{Ruotsalainen2022,
title = {Modes of Esports Engagement in Overwatch},
editor = {Maria Ruotsalainen and Maria Törhönen and Veli-Matti Karhulahti
},
url = {https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-82767-0},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82767-0},
isbn = {978-3030827663},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-03-10},
urldate = {2022-03-10},
publisher = {Palgrave Macmillan},
abstract = {This Open Access book provides a comprehensive review of the rapidly developing esport phenomenon by examining one of its contemporary flagship titles, Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment 2016), through three central themes and from a rich variety of research methods and perspectives. As a game with more than 40 million individual players, an annual international World Cup, and a franchised professional league with teams from Canada, China, Europe, South Korea, and the US, Overwatch provides a multifaceted perspective to the cultural, social, and economic topics associated with the development of esports, which has begun to attract attention from both commercial and academic audiences.
A decade ago, it was still somewhat conventional to start a study by writing how “esports is a novel phenomenon.” As today more than a thousand studies have been published on esports, including several books and special issues, the need for more specific case studies keeps increasing. This multidisciplinary and multi-methodological book on Overwatch responds to that need. With 15 authors from various backgrounds, the book provides a far-reaching analysis of Overwatch and its modes of engagement. Ten chapters provide a foundation for understanding how a title like Overwatch operates both as an esport and a more general entertainment product at the same time.},
keywords = {Digital culture, Digital media, Electronic sports, Game culture, Game development, Game studies, Overwatch},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {book}
}
This Open Access book provides a comprehensive review of the rapidly developing esport phenomenon by examining one of its contemporary flagship titles, Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment 2016), through three central themes and from a rich variety of research methods and perspectives. As a game with more than 40 million individual players, an annual international World Cup, and a franchised professional league with teams from Canada, China, Europe, South Korea, and the US, Overwatch provides a multifaceted perspective to the cultural, social, and economic topics associated with the development of esports, which has begun to attract attention from both commercial and academic audiences.
A decade ago, it was still somewhat conventional to start a study by writing how “esports is a novel phenomenon.” As today more than a thousand studies have been published on esports, including several books and special issues, the need for more specific case studies keeps increasing. This multidisciplinary and multi-methodological book on Overwatch responds to that need. With 15 authors from various backgrounds, the book provides a far-reaching analysis of Overwatch and its modes of engagement. Ten chapters provide a foundation for understanding how a title like Overwatch operates both as an esport and a more general entertainment product at the same time.
A decade ago, it was still somewhat conventional to start a study by writing how “esports is a novel phenomenon.” As today more than a thousand studies have been published on esports, including several books and special issues, the need for more specific case studies keeps increasing. This multidisciplinary and multi-methodological book on Overwatch responds to that need. With 15 authors from various backgrounds, the book provides a far-reaching analysis of Overwatch and its modes of engagement. Ten chapters provide a foundation for understanding how a title like Overwatch operates both as an esport and a more general entertainment product at the same time.
Ruotsalainen, Maria; Törhönen, Maria; Karhulahti, Veli-Matti
Introduction Book Section
In: Modes of Esports Engagement in Overwatch, pp. 1-7, Palgrave Macmillan, 2022, ISBN: 978-3-030-82766-3.
Links | Tags: Digital culture, Digital media, Electronic sports, Game culture, Game development, Game studies, Overwatch
@incollection{Ruotsalainen2022b,
title = {Introduction},
author = {Maria Ruotsalainen and Maria Törhönen and Veli-Matti Karhulahti
},
url = {https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-82767-0},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82767-0_1},
isbn = {978-3-030-82766-3},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-03-10},
urldate = {2022-03-10},
booktitle = {Modes of Esports Engagement in Overwatch},
pages = {1-7},
publisher = {Palgrave Macmillan},
keywords = {Digital culture, Digital media, Electronic sports, Game culture, Game development, Game studies, Overwatch},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
2021
Sotamaa, Olli
Studying Game Development Cultures Journal Article
In: Games and Culture, vol. 16, iss. 7, pp. 835-854, 2021, ISSN: 1555-4120.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Contextual analysis, Game culture, Game development, Game development culture, Game industry
@article{Sotamaa2021b,
title = {Studying Game Development Cultures},
author = {Olli Sotamaa},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202104223313
},
doi = {10.1177/15554120211005242},
issn = {1555-4120},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-11-01},
journal = {Games and Culture},
volume = {16},
issue = {7},
pages = {835-854},
abstract = {By analyzing and contextualizing different aspects of the Finnish game development scene, this article provides concrete examples of why we need cultural studies of game development and how game development cultures can be studied. The article follows a three-layer approach, first exploring some of the historical and political developments that have shaped forms of local game production. Second, a focus is placed on working cultures within the industry and attitudes toward crunch time, work–life balance, and workplace regulation. Third, everyday strategies of organizing creative work are analyzed to better understand game studio cultures. The lessons from this empirical study directly contribute to the larger scholarly discussions around game production and creative labor.
},
keywords = {Contextual analysis, Game culture, Game development, Game development culture, Game industry},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
By analyzing and contextualizing different aspects of the Finnish game development scene, this article provides concrete examples of why we need cultural studies of game development and how game development cultures can be studied. The article follows a three-layer approach, first exploring some of the historical and political developments that have shaped forms of local game production. Second, a focus is placed on working cultures within the industry and attitudes toward crunch time, work–life balance, and workplace regulation. Third, everyday strategies of organizing creative work are analyzed to better understand game studio cultures. The lessons from this empirical study directly contribute to the larger scholarly discussions around game production and creative labor.
Koskinen, Elina
Pizza and Coffee Make a Game Jam – Learnings from Organizing an Online Game Development Event Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Game Jams, Hackathons and Game Creation Events, ICGJ 2021, pp. 74-77, ACM, 2021, ISBN: 978-1-4503-8417-9.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Game development, Game jam, Games, Global Game Jam, Online events
@inproceedings{Koskinen2021b,
title = {Pizza and Coffee Make a Game Jam – Learnings from Organizing an Online Game Development Event},
author = {Elina Koskinen},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202108236697},
doi = {doi:10.1145/3472688.3472699},
isbn = {978-1-4503-8417-9},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-08-02},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Game Jams, Hackathons and Game Creation Events, ICGJ 2021},
pages = {74-77},
publisher = {ACM},
abstract = {Global Game Jam was organized fully online for the first time in 2021. This event report presents a walkthrough of the Global Game Jam weekend for the FGJ Tampere Online site, and proposes guidelines for online game jams based on what was learned from organizing the event.},
keywords = {Game development, Game jam, Games, Global Game Jam, Online events},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Global Game Jam was organized fully online for the first time in 2021. This event report presents a walkthrough of the Global Game Jam weekend for the FGJ Tampere Online site, and proposes guidelines for online game jams based on what was learned from organizing the event.
2020
Chia, Aleena; Keogh, Brendan; Leorke, Dale; Nicoll, Benjamin
Platformisation in Game Development Journal Article
In: Internet Policy Review, vol. 9, iss. 4, pp. 1-28, 2020, ISSN: 2197-6775.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Cultural production, Democratisation, Game development, Game engines, Platform, Platformisation
@article{Chia2020,
title = {Platformisation in Game Development},
author = {Aleena Chia and Brendan Keogh and Dale Leorke and Benjamin Nicoll},
url = {https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/platformisation-game-development},
doi = {10.14763/2020.4.1515},
issn = {2197-6775},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-10-21},
journal = {Internet Policy Review},
volume = {9},
issue = {4},
pages = {1-28},
abstract = {This article examines how the process of platformisation is manifesting in videogame development. Rather than reinforcing a top-down perspective of platformisation centred on distribution platforms like app stores, we focus on often overlooked game-making tools and the independent, entrepreneurial, and fringe communities that govern and use them. We draw on case studies of Unity and Twine, two such tools that have transformed videogame creation and distribution. By considering how they complicate existing understandings and definitions of both ‘platform’ and ‘platformisation’, we move beyond reductive narratives that frame platformisation as a fixed, hegemonic process. Instead, we reveal a much more ambiguous and complex relationship between game makers and the platforms they use.},
keywords = {Cultural production, Democratisation, Game development, Game engines, Platform, Platformisation},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This article examines how the process of platformisation is manifesting in videogame development. Rather than reinforcing a top-down perspective of platformisation centred on distribution platforms like app stores, we focus on often overlooked game-making tools and the independent, entrepreneurial, and fringe communities that govern and use them. We draw on case studies of Unity and Twine, two such tools that have transformed videogame creation and distribution. By considering how they complicate existing understandings and definitions of both ‘platform’ and ‘platformisation’, we move beyond reductive narratives that frame platformisation as a fixed, hegemonic process. Instead, we reveal a much more ambiguous and complex relationship between game makers and the platforms they use.
Sotamaa, Olli
Modes of Independence in the Finnish Game Development Scene Book Section
In: Ruffino, Paolo (Ed.): Independent Videogames: Cultures, Networks, Techniques and Politics, pp. 223-237, Routledge, 2020, ISBN: 9780367336202.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Game culture, Game development, Game industry, Independent games
@incollection{Sotamaa2020b,
title = {Modes of Independence in the Finnish Game Development Scene},
author = {Olli Sotamaa},
editor = {Paolo Ruffino},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202012188980},
doi = {10.4324/9780367336219},
isbn = {9780367336202},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-10-08},
booktitle = {Independent Videogames: Cultures, Networks, Techniques and Politics},
pages = {223-237},
publisher = {Routledge},
abstract = {by putting the focus on two games: Nex Machina (2017) and Baba is You (2017/2019). A contextualizing reading of selected games connects them to their relevant cultural and economic framings. Special focus is placed on funding schemes, production networks, and distribution channels that make these games possible in the first place and shape the forms they take. Through the two case studies, this chapter examines how independence and ‘indie’ get particular meanings in a North-European game development scene defined by small domestic market. In the past decades, features like digital distribution, accessible development tools, small teams, and game jams at some point considered central markers of independent game production and have become crucial aspects of almost all game development. The study shows how very different game projects can include different aspects of independence, highlighting the blurred boundaries between top-down corporate game production and bottom-up participatory indie culture. In most cases, the ability to quickly adjust to an ever-changing industry environment is crucial. Long-term sustainability is very difficult to guarantee, and most studios – large and small – are still pretty much one failed project away from insolvency.},
keywords = {Game culture, Game development, Game industry, Independent games},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
by putting the focus on two games: Nex Machina (2017) and Baba is You (2017/2019). A contextualizing reading of selected games connects them to their relevant cultural and economic framings. Special focus is placed on funding schemes, production networks, and distribution channels that make these games possible in the first place and shape the forms they take. Through the two case studies, this chapter examines how independence and ‘indie’ get particular meanings in a North-European game development scene defined by small domestic market. In the past decades, features like digital distribution, accessible development tools, small teams, and game jams at some point considered central markers of independent game production and have become crucial aspects of almost all game development. The study shows how very different game projects can include different aspects of independence, highlighting the blurred boundaries between top-down corporate game production and bottom-up participatory indie culture. In most cases, the ability to quickly adjust to an ever-changing industry environment is crucial. Long-term sustainability is very difficult to guarantee, and most studios – large and small – are still pretty much one failed project away from insolvency.
Meriläinen, Mikko; Aurava, Riikka; Kultima, Annakaisa; Stenros, Jaakko
Game Jams for Learning and Teaching: A Review Journal Article
In: International Journal of Game-Based Learning, vol. 10, iss. 2, pp. 54-71, 2020, ISSN: 2155-6849.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Co-creation, Collaborative learning, Design research, Game creation, Game development, Game pedagogy, Game studies, Multidisciplinary, STEAM skills
@article{Meriläinen2020b,
title = {Game Jams for Learning and Teaching: A Review},
author = {Mikko Meriläinen and Riikka Aurava and Annakaisa Kultima and Jaakko Stenros},
url = {https://research.aalto.fi/en/publications/game-jams-for-learning-and-teaching-a-review},
doi = {10.4018/IJGBL.2020040104},
issn = {2155-6849},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-04-01},
journal = {International Journal of Game-Based Learning},
volume = {10},
issue = {2},
pages = {54-71},
abstract = {Game jams are intensive events focusing on creation. Their popularity and visibility have soared in recent years. The phenomenon has attracted the attention of scholars interested in education and learning, and the potential of game jams has been studied in various ways. Increasingly, game jams have come to be viewed as a site for learning. They are seen as activities for developing technical skills needed for digital game development, developing so-called soft skills such as collaboration and communication skills and as a way to teach and learn science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics (STEAM) skills. In this article, the educational aspects of game jams are explored from multidisciplinary points of view. Combining education science, design research, and game studies, the authors position game jamming at the intersection of these disciplines to explore its various learning dimensions. This positioning provides a starting point for future studies of game jamming in the context of learning and teaching and invites discussion from diverse fields of study.},
keywords = {Co-creation, Collaborative learning, Design research, Game creation, Game development, Game pedagogy, Game studies, Multidisciplinary, STEAM skills},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Game jams are intensive events focusing on creation. Their popularity and visibility have soared in recent years. The phenomenon has attracted the attention of scholars interested in education and learning, and the potential of game jams has been studied in various ways. Increasingly, game jams have come to be viewed as a site for learning. They are seen as activities for developing technical skills needed for digital game development, developing so-called soft skills such as collaboration and communication skills and as a way to teach and learn science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics (STEAM) skills. In this article, the educational aspects of game jams are explored from multidisciplinary points of view. Combining education science, design research, and game studies, the authors position game jamming at the intersection of these disciplines to explore its various learning dimensions. This positioning provides a starting point for future studies of game jamming in the context of learning and teaching and invites discussion from diverse fields of study.
Komulainen, Lauri; Sotamaa, Olli
IGDA Finland Hubs and Their Role in Local Game Development Proceedings Article
In: Turunen, Markku (Ed.): AcademicMindtrek '20: Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Academic Mindtrek January 2020, pp. 92-99, ACM, 2020, ISBN: 978-1-4503-7774-4.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Community of practice, Finland, Game development, Game industry, IGDA
@inproceedings{Komulainen2020,
title = {IGDA Finland Hubs and Their Role in Local Game Development},
author = {Lauri Komulainen and Olli Sotamaa},
editor = {Markku Turunen},
url = {http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202005285778
},
doi = {10.1145/3377290.3377294},
isbn = {978-1-4503-7774-4},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-01},
booktitle = {AcademicMindtrek '20: Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Academic Mindtrek January 2020},
pages = {92-99},
publisher = {ACM},
abstract = {Game development is often considered to be a community-based industry, where social networks and flow of information are vital to both individual and company development. The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) works to promote and support individual game developers by hosting local monthly gatherings worldwide. This study investigates the effects of the IGDA Finland hubs in Tampere and Kajaani. By interviewing the attendees to the IGDA events in the respective areas we aim to understand how an IGDA hub affects the local game development scene, and how the attendees perceive the uses of the events.
The results show that IGDA Finland events can attract a diverse group of people with variety of motivations. Aggregating different insights and accelerating the flow of information seems important for people in very different positions. At the same time, the felt benefits for individuals seem to vary significantly based on the career phase and the expert role. Overall, IGDA gatherings are importantly connected to modes of learning in communities of practice, as they can initiate different communal processes that then continue outside the immediate meetings.},
keywords = {Community of practice, Finland, Game development, Game industry, IGDA},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Game development is often considered to be a community-based industry, where social networks and flow of information are vital to both individual and company development. The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) works to promote and support individual game developers by hosting local monthly gatherings worldwide. This study investigates the effects of the IGDA Finland hubs in Tampere and Kajaani. By interviewing the attendees to the IGDA events in the respective areas we aim to understand how an IGDA hub affects the local game development scene, and how the attendees perceive the uses of the events.
The results show that IGDA Finland events can attract a diverse group of people with variety of motivations. Aggregating different insights and accelerating the flow of information seems important for people in very different positions. At the same time, the felt benefits for individuals seem to vary significantly based on the career phase and the expert role. Overall, IGDA gatherings are importantly connected to modes of learning in communities of practice, as they can initiate different communal processes that then continue outside the immediate meetings.
The results show that IGDA Finland events can attract a diverse group of people with variety of motivations. Aggregating different insights and accelerating the flow of information seems important for people in very different positions. At the same time, the felt benefits for individuals seem to vary significantly based on the career phase and the expert role. Overall, IGDA gatherings are importantly connected to modes of learning in communities of practice, as they can initiate different communal processes that then continue outside the immediate meetings.
2019
Lehtonen, Miikka; Lu, Chien; Nummenmaa, Timo; Peltonen, Jaakko
Adoption of Requirements Engineering Methods in Game Development: A Literature and Postmortem Analysis Proceedings Article
In: Brooks, Anthony L.; Brooks, Eva; Sylla, Cristina (Ed.): Interactivity, Game Creation, Design, Learning, and Innovation : 8th EAI International Conference, ArtsIT 2019, and 4th EAI International Conference, DLI 2019, pp. 436-457, Springer, 2019, ISBN: 1867-8211.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Game development, Literature analysis, Postmortem analysis, Requirements engineering, Text mining
@inproceedings{Lehtonen2019,
title = {Adoption of Requirements Engineering Methods in Game Development: A Literature and Postmortem Analysis},
author = {Miikka Lehtonen and Chien Lu and Timo Nummenmaa and Jaakko Peltonen},
editor = {Anthony L. Brooks and Eva Brooks and Cristina Sylla},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202008246597},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-53294-9_32},
isbn = {1867-8211},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-11-06},
booktitle = {Interactivity, Game Creation, Design, Learning, and Innovation : 8th EAI International Conference, ArtsIT 2019, and 4th EAI International Conference, DLI 2019},
pages = {436-457},
publisher = {Springer},
abstract = {As the game industry continues to grow in size and revenue, the cost of creating games increases as well, and the successful outcome of game development projects becomes ever more important. In traditional software engineering, it is generally agreed that a successful requirements engineering process has a significant impact on the project. In game development, requirements engineering methods do not seem to be commonly used. As the development of digital games includes specialized aspects of software development, it seems likely that game developers could benefit from adopting these techniques and processes. In this paper, a thorough reading of central and current academic research on the topic is performed to form a holistic picture of the central issues and problems preventing the adoption and widespread use of requirements engineering processes and methods in game development. Additionally, algorithmic analysis of 340 post-mortems written by game developers and published on industry websites is conducted. These post-mortems discuss the factors which contributed to or hindered the successful outcome of these game development projects, and the analysis further supports the identified central issues.},
keywords = {Game development, Literature analysis, Postmortem analysis, Requirements engineering, Text mining},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
As the game industry continues to grow in size and revenue, the cost of creating games increases as well, and the successful outcome of game development projects becomes ever more important. In traditional software engineering, it is generally agreed that a successful requirements engineering process has a significant impact on the project. In game development, requirements engineering methods do not seem to be commonly used. As the development of digital games includes specialized aspects of software development, it seems likely that game developers could benefit from adopting these techniques and processes. In this paper, a thorough reading of central and current academic research on the topic is performed to form a holistic picture of the central issues and problems preventing the adoption and widespread use of requirements engineering processes and methods in game development. Additionally, algorithmic analysis of 340 post-mortems written by game developers and published on industry websites is conducted. These post-mortems discuss the factors which contributed to or hindered the successful outcome of these game development projects, and the analysis further supports the identified central issues.
Lu, Chien; Peltonen, Jaakko; Nummenmaa, Timo
Game Postmortems Vs. Developer Reddit AMAs: Computational Analysis of Developer Communication Proceedings Article
In: FDG '19: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, pp. 1-7, ACM, 2019, ISBN: 2153-1633.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Game development, Literature analysis, Postmortem analysis, Reddit, Text mining
@inproceedings{Lu2019b,
title = {Game Postmortems Vs. Developer Reddit AMAs: Computational Analysis of Developer Communication},
author = {Chien Lu and Jaakko Peltonen and Timo Nummenmaa},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202101291788},
doi = {10.1145/3337722.3337727},
isbn = {2153-1633},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-08-26},
booktitle = {FDG '19: Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games},
pages = {1-7},
publisher = {ACM},
abstract = {Postmortems and Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) threads represent communications of game developers through two different channels about their game development experiences, culture, processes, and practices. We carry out a quantitative text mining based comprehensive analysis of online available postmortems and AMA threads from game developers over multiple years. We find and analyze underlying topics from the postmortems and AMAs as well as their variation among the data sources and over time. The analysis is done based on structural topic modeling, a probabilistic modeling technique for text mining. The extracted topics reveal differing and common interests as well as their evolution of prevalence over time in the two text sources. We have found that postmortems put more emphasis on detail-oriented development aspects as well as technically-oriented game design problems whereas AMAs feature a wider variety of discussion topics that are related to a more general game development process, game-play and game-play experience related game design. The prevalences of the topics also evolve differently over time in postmortems versus AMAs.},
keywords = {Game development, Literature analysis, Postmortem analysis, Reddit, Text mining},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Postmortems and Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) threads represent communications of game developers through two different channels about their game development experiences, culture, processes, and practices. We carry out a quantitative text mining based comprehensive analysis of online available postmortems and AMA threads from game developers over multiple years. We find and analyze underlying topics from the postmortems and AMAs as well as their variation among the data sources and over time. The analysis is done based on structural topic modeling, a probabilistic modeling technique for text mining. The extracted topics reveal differing and common interests as well as their evolution of prevalence over time in the two text sources. We have found that postmortems put more emphasis on detail-oriented development aspects as well as technically-oriented game design problems whereas AMAs feature a wider variety of discussion topics that are related to a more general game development process, game-play and game-play experience related game design. The prevalences of the topics also evolve differently over time in postmortems versus AMAs.
2018
Paavilainen, Janne; Korhonen, Hannu; Koskinen, Elina; Alha, Kati
Heuristic Evaluation of Playability: Examples from Social Games Research and Free-to-play Heuristics Book Section
In: Drachen, Anders; Mirza-Babaei, Pejman; Nacke, Lennart (Ed.): Games User Research, pp. 257–279, 2018, ISBN: 9780198794844.
Abstract | Links | Tags: Free-to-play, Game development, Games user research, Heuristics, Play experience, Playtesting, Social games, User experience, User testing
@incollection{Paavilainen2018,
title = {Heuristic Evaluation of Playability: Examples from Social Games Research and Free-to-play Heuristics},
author = {Janne Paavilainen and Hannu Korhonen and Elina Koskinen and Kati Alha},
editor = {Anders Drachen and Pejman Mirza-Babaei and Lennart Nacke },
url = {https://researchportal.tuni.fi/en/publications/heuristic-evaluation-of-playability-examples-from-social-games-re},
doi = {10.1093/oso/9780198794844.003.0015},
isbn = {9780198794844},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
urldate = {2018-01-01},
booktitle = {Games User Research},
pages = {257–279},
abstract = {The fierce competition in the video games market and new revenue models such as freeto- play emphasize the importance of good playability for first-time user experience and retention. Cost-effective and flexible evaluation methods such as heuristic evaluation are suitable for identifying playability problems in different phases of the game development life cycle. In this chapter, we introduce the heuristic evaluation method with updated playability heuristics, present example studies on identifying playability problems in social network games, and propose new heuristics for evaluating free-to-play games.},
keywords = {Free-to-play, Game development, Games user research, Heuristics, Play experience, Playtesting, Social games, User experience, User testing},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
The fierce competition in the video games market and new revenue models such as freeto- play emphasize the importance of good playability for first-time user experience and retention. Cost-effective and flexible evaluation methods such as heuristic evaluation are suitable for identifying playability problems in different phases of the game development life cycle. In this chapter, we introduce the heuristic evaluation method with updated playability heuristics, present example studies on identifying playability problems in social network games, and propose new heuristics for evaluating free-to-play games.