Digital Shifts
The Design Process of a Mobile Game and Its Heuristic Evaluation: Newly Designed Game and User Testing
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ezgi İlhan
The popularity of the relationship between human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer/mobile games is increasing with new technologies. The design and testing processes of these games are a matter of curiosity. This research addresses two fundamental processes: describing a new mobile game design process and testing game elements regarding usability and playability using Heuristic Evaluation for Playability (HEP). The first part of this study presents the design elements of a recently designed real-time strategy puzzle game called The Gardiyan. The game's primary objectives, characters, storyboard, graphical user interface, rules, and winning conditions are presented through a game treatment document. Game components such as physics, sound, artificial intelligence, narration, and storytelling are explained, as well as gameplay decisions such as difficulty adjustments, balancing, and level design. Different methods are recommended for debugging game design and running tests. The second part of the study covers HEP evaluations and usability tests against miscellaneous game features of 7 players. In the light of these records, HEP categories such as gameplay, story, mechanics, and usability are analyzed, and the usability-gameplay relationship is interpreted to improve the game design.
The Art Style of Game Character and Environment in Thai Video Games
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nathee Monthonwit
The video game industry is a culture of mainly visual language communication, and digital content holds a growing market share in the entertainment industry. Gamers experience joy through game characters, interacting in the cyberspace environment. However, video game studies within the design research field in the Thai mainstream context are limited. This research explores the art style of game characters and environments in Thai video games across different genres. It is based on the theory of pictorial vocabulary, anthropomorphism, and baby-faced bias concepts. Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze data from a sample of 17 Thai video game titles currently available on the Steam store. The study found that the most popular video game genres, ranked from highest to lowest percentage, were Action/Adventure, Horror, RPG/Strategy, and Visual Novel games. The dominant game character design trend across many genres was the Cartoon/Manga art style, reflecting the concepts of anthropomorphism and baby-faced bias, similar to Japanese cultural influence. Game environments were primarily based on Semi-Realistic and Cartoon/Manga styles to accommodate the varied genres of Thai video games. Additionally, the study observed a correlation between realistic game characters and realistic game environments.
Featured Designing Child-friendly Data Collection Tools
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ganna Borzenkova
This paper reports on the development of a child-friendly data collection tool in the context of the Peer2Peer research project (http://peer-2-peer.co.uk/) which aims to investigate how design-based relational play can be used to encourage children with cerebral palsy, aged 7 to 10 years, to engage pro-actively in peer social interactions to support their social-emotional wellbeing. To collect relevant data about the determinants and difficulties of children’s participation in peer social interactions and making friends, we developed a child-friendly data collection tools: face-to-face questionnaire ‘Dino’ and ‘All about me’ profile pages. Both tools were developed to support and complement observations of the children, and semi-structured interviews with their parents and practitioners. Data collection took place at two special schools in the United Kingdom. ‘Dino’ questionnaire uses a narrative story about gamified virtual character – a little blue dinosaur Bella which guides children in completing the questionnaire. All the questions are connected through the storyline and prompts the children to share their own story, making children feel that they are playing with and helping the virtual character in the story rather than completing classroom tasks. For researchers, using fictional characters and storylines as a medium can help to shift roles and see issues more closely from the perspective of children with cerebral palsy, rather than imposing their own academic views and stereotypes on them. The tools contribute to the area of design for health and wellbeing and can be adopted and used by other researchers working with children with disabilities.
Featured Digital Enchantment: Strategies and Challenges for Brand Activations on Roblox
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rakshitha Raghunandan
This study explores how leading brands manage and execute brand activations on Roblox, focusing on strategies that enhance engagement and challenges unique to the virtual environment of the Metaverse. Using a mixed-methods approach, including case studies and interviews with developers and target audiences, the research examines the essential elements that contribute to successful brand activations. The presentation addresses critical project management challenges, such as balancing brand identity with creative possibilities within Roblox’s technical constraints and fostering community engagement to build brand loyalty. Key insights reveal how brands navigate the limitations of virtual assets, develop meaningful interactions, and adapt their brand narratives to resonate with digital-native audiences. Findings from this research provide valuable guidance for brands aiming to effectively align their strategic objectives with the dynamic and immersive potential of virtual environments like Roblox, offering practical insights into managing digital activations that support both brand goals and user experience.
