Evaluating User Experience and Other Lies in Evaluating Games

Abstract

Game Approachability Principles (GAP) is proposed as a set of useful guidelines for game designers to create better tutorials, or first learning levels—especially for the casual gamer. By producing more effective learning levels/tutorials, the aim of GAP is to make games more approachable to entice gamers to want to play, and play more frequently. Developing better first learning levels can be a key step to ease the casual gamer into play and to do so proactively—before it is too costly or cumbersome to restructure the tutorials to be more effective. Thus, Game Approachability in the context of game development is defined as making games initially more friendly and accessible for players who have the desire to play, yet do not always follow-through to actually play. GAP has evolved through a series of stages assessing applicability as a stand alone, heuristic based approach versus one-on-one usability testing. Outcomes suggest potential for GAP as (1) effective Heuristic Evaluation, (2) adjunct to Usability Testing, and (3) as proactive filters in beginning conceptual and first learning level tutorial design to increase Game Approachability—for all levels of gamers.