In defence of the n00b: Game analysis, ludic literacy and the novice player

Situational analysis as a method for qualitative inquiry of games

This article presents a sketch for a methodology for situational analysis of games. Situational analysis is a research practice originating in the social sciences. It is based on grounded theory and inspired by post-modern theory. This article argues that situational analysis is a fruitful approach to game analysis, as it addresses key challenges in game analysis: how to contain the dynamicity, heterogeneity, and composite quality of games, and how to make sense of the analyst’s position. It bypasses the distinction between analysis of games as objects and analysis of what players do and has a distinct focus on the role of materiality. The article will consist of two parts. Part one offers a discussion of current problems in game analysis and the potential of situational analysis. Part two offers a case study of a situational analysis of three play sessions of a selected game.

Using Characterization Theory to Study the History of Video Game Characters

The Digital Game Analysis Protocol (DiGAP): Facilitating Transparency in Games Research

Roleplaying the Future of Surveillance

Ergodic Characterization: A Methodological Framework For Analyzing Games Set In Classical Antiquity

Analyzing Indie Aesthetics

An Ontological Meta-Model for Game Research

The subfield of game ontology has seen many models and structural hierarchies, but few that actively build on each other, or even attempt comparisons. This paper introduces a meta-model, which in addition to being an ontological model of its own, also offers a method for comparison between competing or isolated models and concepts. It does so by treating games as mechanisms (Craver 2007) with multiple levels of description, and differentiates between four main layers of the game-mechanism. In the first part of the paper we present the model in detail. In the second part of the paper we show applications of the model - we present how some of the existing approaches to game ontology can be compared within it and how it can be used to describe two case examples: the ancient Egyptian funeral game Senet and the difference between game mechanics and game rules.

Observing from the fringes: Data logging platforms in multiplayer videogames as methodology

Spectrum: Exploring the Effects of Player Experience on Game Design

Player Experience (PX) concerns how players think and feel when interacting with a game. Although it is intrinsic to all games, few design tools exist that enable designers to approach PX in a directed, intentional manner. Drawing on existing design tools and experience-related theory focused on emotions, we present our tool Spectrum. Spectrum facilitates a PX-directed approach to game design that foregrounds intended player experience. Spectrum can also be used to critically probe people’s conceptions of game experiences. In evaluations of Spectrum with designers, while all were committed to the notion of PX, not everyone was able to translate from emotions into playable scenarios, particularly when those emotions were either visceral in nature or unusual within existing games. In evaluations with players, participants sometimes struggled to fit emotionally-specific language around their game experiences, but also stated that such reflections added post-hoc value to their experiences.