In this paper we compare the effects of using three game user research methodologies to assist in shaping levels for a 2-D platformer game, and illustrate how the use of such methodologies can help level designers to make more informed decisions in an otherwise qualitative oriented design process. Game user interviews, game metrics and psychophysiology (biometrics) were combined in pairs to gauge usefulness in small-scale commercial game development scenarios such as the casual game industry. Based on the recommendations made by the methods, three sample levels of a Super Mario clone were improved and the opinions of a second sample of users indicated the success of these changes. We conclude that user interviews provide the clearest indications for improvement among the considered methodologies while metrics and biometrics add different types of information that cannot be obtained otherwise. © Springer International Publishing 2013.
CITATION STYLE
Maureira, M. A. G., Janssen, D. P., Gualeni, S., Westerlaken, M., & Calvi, L. (2013). Comparing game user research methodologies for the improvement of level design in a 2-D platformer. In Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics) (Vol. 8253 LNCS, pp. 77–92). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03161-3_6
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