Pippin Barr

Video game values: Human-computer interaction and games
Pippin Barr, James Noble and Robert Biddle, Video game values: Human-computer interaction and games, Interacting with ComputersVolume 19, Issue 2, , HCI Issues in Computer Games, March 2007, Pages 180-195.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V0D-4M1CYXM-1/2/43d5bafa6433a2e706f850ba26eff783)
Abstract:
Current human-computer interaction (HCI) research into video games rarely considers how they are different from other forms of software. This leads to research that, while useful concerning standard issues of interface design, does not address the nature of video games as games specifically. Unlike most software, video games are not made to support external, user-defined tasks, but instead define their own activities for players to engage in. We argue that video games contain systems of values which players perceive and adopt, and which shape the play of the game. A focus on video game values promotes a holistic view of video games as software, media, and as games specifically, which leads to a genuine video game HCI.
Keywords: Video games; Value; Play; Activity theory; Semiotics; Computer games


Pippin Barr
Rilla Khaled
James Noble
Robert Biddle
"Playing the interface: a case study of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas"
ACM International Conference Proceeding Series; Vol. 206 archive
SESSION: Short papers: play
@inproceedings{1228233,
author = {Pippin Barr and Rilla Khaled and James Noble and Robert Biddle},
title = {Playing the interface: a case study of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas},
booktitle = {OZCHI '06: Proceedings of the 20th conference of the computer-human interaction special interest group (CHISIG) of Australia on Computer-human interaction: design: activities, artefacts and environments},
year = {2006},
isbn = {1-59593-545-2},
pages = {317--320},
location = {Sydney, Australia},
doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1228175.1228233},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {New York, NY, USA},
}

http://homepages.mcs.vuw.ac.nz/~chikken/cgi-bin/research.pl?PhD
http://www.mcs.vuw.ac.nz/~chikken/research/phd/Pippin_Dissertation_Final.pdf
abstract = "Video games are a form of software, making them a natural object of study in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Interaction with video games differs from the usual understanding of HCI, however, because people play video games rather than use them. In this dissertation we ask: “How can we study video games in HCI when the interaction in question is play?”

We propose video game values as an approach to video game HCI. A video game value is defined as “a sustained belief that one mode of conduct is preferable to other potential modes of conduct during play.” Using activity theory, we show that the mediation of these values is a defining feature of play as a form of interaction. This allows us to address play’s multiple levels of context, the relationships between interface design and play, and the role of conflict.

We employ a qualitative case study methodology to gather data about five popular, contemporary video games: Civilization III, Fable, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Half-Life 2, and The Sims 2. Our core data comes from observation and interview sessions with twenty-five experienced players of these games. We further collected data based on the games’ interfaces, participant observation, and documentation such as manuals and walkthroughs.

We make three major contributions: 1) video game values as a means to analyse video games both as games and as software; 2) a video game activity framework for describing and analysing video game play; and 3) extending the framework to include breakdowns and contradictions to account for the role of conflict in play.

Our work integrates HCI approaches with the game-specific insights of game studies and facilitates the description and analysis of play as a form of human-computer interaction."