I'm in the middle of designing a game and I' ve currently reached my design research section of the whole process. I used my design research to create the overall balance and game play mechanics in my games. So I find it important to study what people do in various game situations. What I have begun to do latley is plop various people in front of games and record them playing them to analyze and compare their reactions to each situation. I then review and question them asking them: Was the game hard to start? What did you like most about the game? What didn't you like about the game? Then I get their opintion on what could be improved or how things could be made easier or more challenging for them. My subjects thus far have been : Non-Gamers (Mother and Father) Semi-Exp gamers (Friends 15-17) and Expereinced gamers (Friends 19-28) My testing ground for non-Experienced to Semi-Exp gamers is Square Soft's "Secret of Mana", "Final Fantasy 6"(SNES), Capcoms "Street Fighter Alpha 3"(PS) and "Sonic the Hedgehog 3"(SEGA). For Experienced gamers I chose non-console based games such as Empire Earth and Various arcade games that are out now, since most of them are well toned to home console, they will have a new expereince and obvious rections to the change of environment. Anyhow, this was only half of my study, it's still continuing. What I wanted to post is a game survey that will ask generic questions about video gaming in general. I'm looking for: 1.) answers and replys from members here and 2.) more questions that I might be able to pose. The questions on this survey will be aimed at persons with semi to professional exp in games so I'm trying to make it well rounded and not to simple but not too complicated. Here are the survey questions. 1. How long have you been playing video games? 2. What’s your age now? 3. Why do you enjoy playing video games? 4. What makes a good game in your opinion? 5. What are some bad aspects or things that need to be improved in video gaming today? 6. How knowledgeable are you about the game development process? Thanx -Sage13

www.planetmorningstar.com

 

~In "Sonic Adventure" (Dreamcast), select Knuckles. Jump on a wall and let him hang on it.
Watch in bewilderment as he proceeds to hump the wall. -WGM Find something you want to do in life, find out how to do it, and then do it. ~Sage13 [edited by - Sage13 on April 8, 2002 7:03:15 AM]

Good post, good questions

1 ~ 14 years

2 ~ 19

3 ~ Video games offer an escape from typicalities of life, and they allow me to live fantasies that I find to be enhancing to my sense of experience.

4 ~ A game must entertain, be challenging, consistent, and it must teach me something.

5 ~ Video Games suffer from the mass-media disease. For the most part, the industry is governed by consumption hype. This is detrimental to all those involved: It shackles developers, reduces the variety of professionally developed games for consumers, makes it very hard for producers to fund exciting projects, and it proliferates mediocrity in design.

6 ~ I have been creating games of sorts on my computer for five years, I am a profficient programmer, and I am learning DirectX, SDL, and OpenGL. My upcoming project: "Quetris" might be finished Q4 of this year, and should make it into the GameDev Showcase.

George D. Filiotis
Are you in support of the ban of Dihydrogen Monoxide? You should be!

1. How long have you been playing video games?
~20

2. What’s your age now?
28

3. Why do you enjoy playing video games?
I like the immersive experience, the focus needed by the gameplay, to compete with myself and others, and to better my psycho-motricity (!)

4. What makes a good game in your opinion?
It has to be fun, enjoyable, well designed and above all easy to understand and USABLE. If it has eduactional and/or historical background, I say YES.

5. What are some bad aspects or things that need to be improved in video gaming today?
Business runs the market now, killing creativity at the same time. I agree with Sage13 when he says: "Video Games suffer from the mass-media disease". It sounds like the hollywood disease! There''s still a lot to be done to see CONTENT&GAMEPLAY running the market.

6. How knowledgeable are you about the game development process?
I study the process of game design from an Ergonomics approach (theme of my Master thesis). I never created any games, but I try to theorize the whole process by interviewing Games Designers and Developers. I''m still collecting datas, but the paper should be ready to be printed till the end of the year.
I like your approach because academics need researches on gamers'' opinion and habits. That''s why I''m interested with the results of your survey. Could you share your findings?
Here is my email: grassio4@yahoo.com

Good luck,
Yves from Calvingrad (Geneva)

Yes, I''ll e-mail you my compiled condenced information once I''m finished, thanx for the feedback.

-Sage13

1. As long as I can remember. Memories start forming around 3 right? I guess 15 years then..

2. 18

3. They''re fun and offer some sense of accomplishment. Some games I play for the social aspect whether it''s roleplaying in an mmorpg or chatting with some buddies during an RTS match.

4. Replayability or longetivity. Easy to learn, with no annoying little "features" like not being able to save or whatever.

5. Publishers need to start risking money on original games that don''t fit the current mold.

6. Fairly.

1. How long have you been playing video games?
- off and on for the last 27 years

2. What’s your age now?
- 32

3. Why do you enjoy playing video games?
- escape, stress relief, to connect with the ''inner-child'', curiosity, to go on a adventure, lots of reasons really

4. What makes a good game in your opinion?
- good gameplay, when every element (gameplay, graphics, sounds, visual style) fits perfectly together, I also find games that at least try to break the mold more interesting

5. What are some bad aspects or things that need to be improved in video gaming today?
- seemingly pervasive relience on established genres and styles...this is visable in both the games being worked on by the major developers and the majority of the independant community...game developers should try to be more creative...set a RPG in a modern high school, rather then the same old D&D type setting.
Also there is WAY to much emphesis on makeing (and milking) money...this is to be expected by game publishers...but it''s dissapointing to see the same general train of thought comeing from the indy scene as well.
Not to be detremental to this survay. But I think such "market research" approces have hindered the industry more then they have helped. None of the great trend setting games of the last 20 years were developed by following the advice of "market research".

6. How knowledgeable are you about the game development process?
- fairly. I have some limited professional game development experience...mostly revolveing around produceing concept art

1. How long have you been playing video games?
sunce I was 5 - some 14/15 yrs...

2. What’s your age now?
20

3. Why do you enjoy playing video games?
mental stimulation to a degree, escapism.

4. What makes a good game in your opinion?
Polish and care to the whole product - not just a great idea.

5. What are some bad aspects or things that need to be improved in video gaming today?
Less interference from publishers and moneyholders - for the game developers.

6. How knowledgeable are you about the game development process?
Decently - have tried to learn what I could on and off about the industry and the process for the last 4 or so years, surfing the net. I''m attempting to steer my course into a game designing job (getting the necessary degrees and experience for example). I''m also halfway aware of the market/political (within gamecompanies) forces that drives and shapes game development.

Zaptruder

I''m updating this post ot get more feedback.

thanx

-Sage13