ExperienceLab

ExperienceLab gameplay experts contribute to first book on Game Analytics

We're pleased to have been asked to contribute to a new book Game Analytics - Maximizing the Value of Player Data, due out in 2013. The book is the first on the topic of game analytics; the process of discovering and communicating patterns in gameplay data through game user research. As well as ways to use them to improve gameplay during game development.

This is a rapidly-growing area of game user research and one that ExperienceLabs' gameplay experts have a wealth of experience in, having conducted numerous and varied research studies for leading games developers. We're pleased to say that among the contributions from over 50 international experts, including Ubisoft, EA, THQ, Sony and Square Enix, is our own - a chapter I authored about the use of questionnaires during game testing.

Edited by Magy Seif El-Nasr, Anders Drachen and Alessandro Canossa, the book provides an in-depth discussion of game analytics and its practical applications, using numerous case studies from industry and research throughout.

The book will published by Springer in early 2013 and is available for pre-order now.

I love sketchnoting

I've always loved doodling in the corner of notes and drawing out ideas. Now I have a name for it and a legitimate reason to do it:

UX research goes global: discussing industry trends and challenges in South Africa

Simon Herd, one of our Research Directors, has headed off to Johannesburg, South Africa this week to take part in the UXMasterclass and biannual UXalliance partners meeting. I caught up with him before he left to find out more about what's happening…

Advice on international user experience testing during travel disruption

Northern European airspace has only just opened after nearly a week of closure due to volcanic eruptions in Iceland. It's likely to be May before things return to normal and the possibility of future disruption cannot be entirely ruled out.

While not wishing to court doom, those of us involved in global research need to be ready for this. So what do we do? Here are 10 things to think about.

Operation Flashpoint : a flash in the pan?

Looks like I'm in for a bit of a walk...

Last weekend as I was browsing my local games shop I came across a copy of Operation Flashpoint : Dragon rising. Now I've never played any of the previous titles in the series before, so I bought a copy for my 360.

The case promised that the game would put you as close to war as you would ever want to get, and now that I've played it I can certainly agree with them. However if I was going to get close to war in my decidedly un-military trained self then it would help if I had a bit of assistance, especially as I'm placed in charge of three other men.

The first mission of the game placed me directly onto a very nicely rendered landscape with my 'squad', having been told to take out a target on the map. I spent a few seconds moving myself around, seeing what the world had to offer and then was ready for what they had to throw at me. Now the game is pretty realistic, too realistic some might argue especially as I spent the next 20 minutes walking to a target some distance away only to be killed at my first encounter with the enemy.