Using physiological measures in conjunction with other UX approaches for better understanding of the player's gameplay experiences

TL;DR

This study explores using physiological measures alongside traditional UX methods to identify key moments in gameplay that affect player experience, aiming to improve game design and user satisfaction.

Contribution

It introduces a method combining physiological data with post-gameplay interviews to pinpoint both positive and negative impactful events during gaming sessions.

Findings

Physiological 'blips' correlate with significant gameplay events

Method identifies moments affecting player experience

Supports better game design through physiological insights

Abstract

The goal of video games is to challenge and entertain the players. Successful video games deliver experience that impact players on a level of arousal. Therefore undertaking a user experience (UX) study is crucial to ensure that a game achieves both critical and financial success. However, traditional usability methods (observation, subjective reporting, questionnaire, and interview) have a number of limitations on game user research. In this study we capture player's physiological measures during a gameplay session, to indicate micro-events that have caused changes in their body signals. At the post-gameplay interviews we ask participants to comment and describe their feelings on the selected events. The aim of this study is not to over-interpret physiological measures, but on using blips in measures to help identify key points in a game, which we then use to investigate further with the participant. This approach provides a method that can identify not only the negative user experience and usability issues but also the events which have a positive impact on player's experience.