How practitioners approach gameplay requirements? An exploration into the context of massive multiplayer online role-playing games

Gameplay requirements are central to game development. In the business context of massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMOGs) where game companies' revenues rely on players' monthly subscriptions, gameplay is also recognized as the key to player retention. However, information on what gameplay requirements are and how practitioners `engineer' them in real life is scarce. This exploratory study investigates how practitioners developing MMOGs reason about gameplay requirements and handle them in their projects. 12 practitioners from three leading MMOGs-producing companies were interviewed and their gameplay requirements documents were reviewed. The study's most important findings are that in MMOG projects: (1) gameplay requirements are co-created with players, (2) are perceived and treated by practitioners as sets of choices and consequences, (3) gameplay is endless within a MMOG, and while gameplay requirements do not support any game-end goal, they do support a level-end goal, (4) `paper-prototyping' and play-testing are pivotal to gameplay validation, (5) balancing the elements of the gameplay is an on-going task, perceived as the most difficult and labor-consuming, (6) gameplay happens both in-game and out-of-the game. We conclude with discussion on validity threats to our results and on implications for research and practice

How practitioners approach gameplay requirements? An exploration into the context of massive multiplayer online role-playing games

Gameplay requirements are central to game development. In the business context of massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMOGs) where game companies' revenues rely on players' monthly subscriptions, gameplay is also recognized as the key to player retention. However, information on what gameplay requirements are and how practitioners `engineer' them in real life is scarce. This exploratory study investigates how practitioners developing MMOGs reason about gameplay requirements and handle them in their projects. 12 practitioners from three leading MMOGs-producing companies were interviewed and their gameplay requirements documents were reviewed. The study's most important findings are that in MMOG projects: (1) gameplay requirements are co-created with players, (2) are perceived and treated by practitioners as sets of choices and consequences, (3) gameplay is endless within a MMOG, and while gameplay requirements do not support any game-end goal, they do support a level-end goal, (4) `paper-prototyping' and play-testing are pivotal to gameplay validation, (5) balancing the elements of the gameplay is an on-going task, perceived as the most difficult and labor-consuming, (6) gameplay happens both in-game and out-of-the game. We conclude with discussion on validity threats to our results and on implications for research and practice

Design Framework for Social Interaction with Location-based Games

Location-based games invite players to have new forms of meaningful social interactions with others and provide opportunities for players to engage with their own neighbourhood’s public space. Earlier research on user requirements for such games have identified seven different activity types that have proven to initiate social interaction and capture real life exchanges for meaningful play-based social experiences. Yet, current understanding on what makes these games successful in such endeavours is still insufficient. This study furthers current understanding on the effects of location-based games for social interaction in local communities: it studies the forms of social interaction that the previously identified seven types of game activities elicit by analysing the nature and types of the exchanges they trigger. Based on this analysis, a design framework is proposed to 1) analyse existing location-based games and describe the forms of social interaction they trigger, and 2) help practitioners design new game activities that target specific forms of social interaction. This contributes to the enhancement of current understanding on the impact that these games can have in local communities, and on the way they can be better designed and used to promote social exchanges that are desired by players

Una visión empresarial del desarrollo de serious games : propuesta de un marco de trabajo

Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias de la Información, leída el 26-01-2023El carácter multidisciplinar establece el desarrollo de la investigación que a continuación presentamos y que está enmarcada en una beca de doctorado industrial desarrollada en la empresa de base tecnológica Pada One Games. Esta investigación pretende definir un marco de trabajo para el diseño de serious games en museos que incluya la evaluación de la diversión y el aprendizaje como variables separadas pero (inter) relacionables. Fruto del objetivo expuesto, surge la hipótesis principal de la investigación: la evaluación mixta, cuantitativa y cualitativa por separado, de la diversión y el aprendizaje en el diseño de los juegos para museos permite crear juegos más efectivos, es decir, más divertidos y útiles al mismo tiempo para los fines pedagógicos de estas instituciones. A través de varios experimentos realizados sobre juegos concretos, se han evaluado una serie de hipótesis específicas que nos han ayudado a determinar la validez de la principal. Para la consecución de este objetivo seguiremos la metodología conocida como Investigación-Acción participativa. Se aplica en el desarrollo del marco de trabajo para el diseño de serious games, y se complementa con las evaluaciones intermedias sobre aspectos concretos de los juegos. En ellos utilizaremos técnicas cuantitativas que permitan juzgar la diversión y el aprendizaje en los videojuegos que se desarrollarán como parte de la investigación...The multidisciplinary character marks the development of the research presented below, which is framed in an Industrial Doctorate grant developed in the technology-based company Pada One Games. This research pursues the definition of a framework for the design of Serious Games in museums that includes the evaluation of fun and learning, asseparate but (inter) relatable variables. As a result of the above objective, the main hypothesis of the research arises: Separate quantitative/qualitative evaluation of fun and learning in the design of games for museums allows designing more effective games, i.e., that are both more fun and useful for the pedagogical purposes of these institutions.Through several experiments conducted on specific games, a series of more specific hypotheses have been evaluated that have helped us to determine the validity of the main hypothesis.In order to achieve this objective, we will follow a methodology known as Participatory Action Research. This methodology is applied in the development of the framework for the design of Serious Games and is complemented by intermediate evaluations on specific aspects of the games, where we will use quantitative techniques that allow us to evaluate the fun and learning in the video games that will be developed as part of the research...Fac. de Ciencias de la InformaciónTRUEunpu