2016
Korhonen, Hannu
Evaluating playability of mobile games with the expert review method Väitöskirja
Vuorovaikutteinen teknologia, Tampereen yliopisto., 2016, ISBN: 978-952-03-0196-5.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Avainsanat: englanninkieliset väitöskirjat, expert review, heuristic, mobile games, playability, videogames
@phdthesis{Korhonen2016,
title = {Evaluating playability of mobile games with the expert review method},
author = {Hannu Korhonen},
url = {https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-0196-5},
isbn = {978-952-03-0196-5},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-01},
school = {Vuorovaikutteinen teknologia, Tampereen yliopisto.},
abstract = {The success of a video game is measured based on the experiences it elicits for players. Positive player experience is created by interesting game concept and playability of a game. Playability can be understood as means how the players interact with the gameworld and possibly with other players. Making a good game is a long process and game designers should evaluate both player experience and playability aspects regularly. Playtesting is a common method to evaluate playability, but it requires that there is a working prototype available, which can be handed to players. The thesis introduces the expert review method for mobile game evaluations. In this method an evaluation is conducted by experts instead of players. The inspectors identify issues in the game design which might cause problems for players and decrease attractiveness of the game. The advantage of the method is that it can be used to evaluate very early prototypes of the game and fix problems in the design before the game is implemented. The result of the research work is 47 domain-specific heuristics to be used with the expert review method. The heuristics consider the most important aspects of the playability including game usability, gameplay, mobility, multi-player, and context-aware. These aspects define the playability of the game. The heuristics can be used to evaluate mobile games and videogames in general, and they can also be applied in evaluation of other mobile services.},
keywords = {englanninkieliset väitöskirjat, expert review, heuristic, mobile games, playability, videogames},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
The success of a video game is measured based on the experiences it elicits for players. Positive player experience is created by interesting game concept and playability of a game. Playability can be understood as means how the players interact with the gameworld and possibly with other players. Making a good game is a long process and game designers should evaluate both player experience and playability aspects regularly. Playtesting is a common method to evaluate playability, but it requires that there is a working prototype available, which can be handed to players. The thesis introduces the expert review method for mobile game evaluations. In this method an evaluation is conducted by experts instead of players. The inspectors identify issues in the game design which might cause problems for players and decrease attractiveness of the game. The advantage of the method is that it can be used to evaluate very early prototypes of the game and fix problems in the design before the game is implemented. The result of the research work is 47 domain-specific heuristics to be used with the expert review method. The heuristics consider the most important aspects of the playability including game usability, gameplay, mobility, multi-player, and context-aware. These aspects define the playability of the game. The heuristics can be used to evaluate mobile games and videogames in general, and they can also be applied in evaluation of other mobile services.