Heuristics

Bayliss. P. (2005). Object and Process: A Heuristic Framework for Game Analysis

@article {Johnson:October, 2003:0014-0139:1332,
author = "Johnson, Daniel",
author = "Wiles, Janet",
title = "Effective affective user interface design in games",
journal = "Ergonomics",
volume = "46",
year = "October, 2003",
abstract = "It is proposed that games, which are designed to generate positive affect, are most successful when they facilitate flow (Csikszentmihalyi 1992). Flow is a state of concentration, deep enjoyment, and total absorption in an activity. The study of games, and a resulting understanding of flow in games can inform the design of non-leisure software for positive affect. The paper considers the ways in which computer games contravene Nielsen's guidelines for heuristic evaluation (Nielsen and Molich 1990) and how these contraventions impact on flow. The paper also explores the implications for research that stem from the differences between games played on a personal computer and games played on a dedicated console. This research takes important initial steps towards defining how flow in computer games can inform affective design.",
pages = "1332-1345(14)",
url = "http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tandf/terg/2003/00000046/F0020013/art00006"
doi = "doi:10.1080/00140130310001610865"
}

http://gameplayerinteraction.blogspot.com/2007/09/heuristic-evaluation-for-playability.html

http://gameplayerinteraction.blogspot.com/2008/07/catch-22-bootstrapping-games-usability.html

@article {Johnson:October, 2003:0014-0139:1332,
author = "Johnson, Daniel",
author = "Wiles, Janet",
title = "Effective affective user interface design in games",
journal = "Ergonomics",
volume = "46",
year = "October, 2003",
abstract = "It is proposed that games, which are designed to generate positive affect, are most successful when they facilitate flow (Csikszentmihalyi 1992). Flow is a state of concentration, deep enjoyment, and total absorption in an activity. The study of games, and a resulting understanding of flow in games can inform the design of non-leisure software for positive affect. The paper considers the ways in which computer games contravene Nielsen's guidelines for heuristic evaluation (Nielsen and Molich 1990) and how these contraventions impact on flow. The paper also explores the implications for research that stem from the differences between games played on a personal computer and games played on a dedicated console. This research takes important initial steps towards defining how flow in computer games can inform affective design.",
pages = "1332-1345(14)",
url = "http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tandf/terg/2003/00000046/F0020013/art00006"
doi = "doi:10.1080/00140130310001610865"
}

Playability heuristics for mobile games

@inproceedings{1152218,
author = {Hannu Korhonen and Elina M. I. Koivisto},
title = {Playability heuristics for mobile games},
booktitle = {MobileHCI '06: Proceedings of the 8th conference on Human-computer interaction with mobile devices and services},
year = {2006},
isbn = {1-59593-390-5},
pages = {9--16},
location = {Helsinki, Finland},
doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1152215.1152218},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {New York, NY, USA},
}



Playability heuristics for mobile multi-player games

@inproceedings{1306828,
author = {Hannu Korhonen and Elina M. I. Koivisto},
title = {Playability heuristics for mobile multi-player games},
booktitle = {DIMEA '07: Proceedings of the 2nd international conference on Digital interactive media in entertainment and arts},
year = {2007},
isbn = {978-1-59593-708-7},
pages = {28--35},
location = {Perth, Australia},
doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1306813.1306828},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {New York, NY, USA},
}

Using heuristics to evaluate the playability of games
@inproceedings{986102,
author = {Heather Desurvire and Martin Caplan and Jozsef A. Toth},
title = {Using heuristics to evaluate the playability of games},
booktitle = {CHI '04: CHI '04 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems},
year = {2004},
isbn = {1-58113-703-6},
pages = {1509--1512},
location = {Vienna, Austria},
doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/985921.986102},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {New York, NY, USA},
}


Using heuristics to evaluate the playability of games
@inproceedings{986102,
author = {Heather Desurvire and Martin Caplan and Jozsef A. Toth},
title = {Using heuristics to evaluate the playability of games},
booktitle = {CHI '04: CHI '04 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems},
year = {2004},
isbn = {1-58113-703-6},
pages = {1509--1512},
location = {Vienna, Austria},
doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/985921.986102},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {New York, NY, USA},
}

@inproceedings{1357282,
author = {David Pinelle and Nelson Wong},
title = {Heuristic evaluation for games: usability principles for video game design},
booktitle = {CHI '08: Proceeding of the twenty-sixth annual SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems},
year = {2008},
isbn = {978-1-60558-011-1},
pages = {1453--1462},
location = {Florence, Italy},
doi = {http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1357054.1357282},
publisher = {ACM},
address = {New York, NY, USA},
abstract = {Most video games require constant interaction, so game designers must pay careful attention to usability issues. However, there are few formal methods for evaluating the usability of game interfaces. In this paper, we introduce a new set of heuristics that can be used to carry out usability inspections of video games. The heuristics were developed to help identify usability problems in both early and functional game prototypes. We developed the heuristics by analyzing PC game reviews from a popular gaming website, and the review set covered 108 different games and included 18 from each of 6 major game genres. We analyzed the reviews and identified twelve common classes of usability problems seen in games. We developed ten usability heuristics based on the problem categories, and they describe how common game usability problems can be avoided. A preliminary evaluation of the heuristics suggests that they help identify game-specific usability problems that can easily be overlooked otherwise.},
}

http://friendlymedia.sbrl.rpi.edu/heuristics.pdf
Of particular interest is Noah Schaffer's Heuristics for Usability in Games white paper in which he presents a set of heuristics for game design.

Game Heuristics project at The Interaction Lab, University of Saskatchewan.
http://hci.usask.ca/research/gameHeuristics.shtml
"Our
goal is to develop usability heuristics for game design, so that the
heuristics can be used in both mockups and functional game prototypes,
resulting in more usable video games. "



Exploring the Usability of Video Game Heuristics for Pervasive Game Development in Smart Home Environments
http://www.ipsi.fraunhofer.de/ambiente/pergames2006/final/PG_Roecker_Usability.pdf
abstract
= {Over the last years, a variety of pervasive games was developed.
Al-though some of these applications were quite successful in bringing
digital games back to the real world, very little is known about their
successful integration into smart environments. When developing video
games, developers can make use of a broad variety of heuristics. Using
these heuristics to guide the development process of applications for
intelligent environments could significantly increase their func-tional
quality. This paper addresses the question, whether existing heuristics
can be used by pervasive game developers, or if specific design
guidelines for smart home environments are required. In order to give
an answer, the transferability of video game heuristics was evaluated
in a two-step process. In a first step, a set of validated heuristics
was analyzed to identify platform-dependent elements. In a second step,
the transferability of those elements was assessed in a focus group

A Measure of Fun Extending the scope of web usability
Charlotte Wiberg
http://www.informatik.umu.se/~colsson/Avh-pdfer/1-overhead-text.pdf

abstract = {Currently usability research and practice are facing a challenge. The focus of design concerns is expanding from predominantly functional aspects of IT systems to overall user experience, which has direct implications for the area of usability evaluation. When the focus is on experiences rather than on more functional aspects of systems, a revision of usability methods is required. The aim of the study reported in this thesis is to explore the potential of traditional usability evaluation approaches to deal with issues related to user experience, such as fun and entertainment. The empirical study reported in the thesis deals with fun and entertainment, employs concepts and methods of web usability, and specifically focuses on the so-called entertainment web sites (EWSs). Existing studies in the area of usability evaluation are examined to determine to which extent these studies can shed light on evaluation offun and usability. It is concluded that evaluation of fun and usability remains an open issue. Then apparently the most relevant theories of fun and usability are analyzed to establish if these theories can help operationalize fun and entertainment as aspects ofweb usability. Since the input from theories is judged as not specific enough to guide a revision of usability evaluation methodology, the study defines fun and entertainment relevant for usability evaluation as properties intentionally implemented by designers. In the study, traditional usability evaluation methods are applied on EWSs and based on these results the methods are revised. Finally, these revised methods are used in evaluations of EWSs once more. The results of the study indicate that traditional usability evaluation methods can be applied to evaluation of entertainment and fun in the context of web usability. More specifically, existing empirical evaluation and heuristic evaluation methods are found to produce relevant and potentially useful evidence when applied to evaluation of entertainment web sites. Therefore, the main conclusion of the thesis can be formulated as follows; while the underlying concepts and principles of web usability can be employed in evaluation of entertainment and fun, specific evaluation methods need to be revised. The results reported from this study must be seen as a step towards development of appropriate methodology for assessing user experience.}
Keywords = {Usability, web usability, usability evaluation methods, inspection methods, empirical usability evaluation methods, funology, entertainment web sites, HCI}

study.}