Publishing Watriquet's Dits

Quality in the games industry: an analysis of customer perceptions

“…Even when such data is available, it is difficult to judge its validity given the nature of the subjective qualities, which together contribute to the design of a game (for example, how can aspects such as “good” or “bad” graphics, sound, and gameplay be objectively determined?). As a medium that is frequently compared to film, music, and art (Hodgson, 2004), judgements and evaluations of game quality are more often than not a matter of personal taste (Rouse, 2001; Fabricatore et al , 2002) as compared with other products and/or services where factors of quality and performance can be more easily quantified. For example, car performance figures are commonly used to assess and evaluate the fastest or most efficient car, but objective comparisons such as these are rarely carried out between games (or, for that matter, between films or musical recordings) for factors such as the quality of graphics, sound, and gameplay – these aspects simply cannot be easily quantified.…”

Event Normalization Methodology for Computer Game Environment Simulation

“…Rouse R. argued against flowcharts for computer game design, stating that they provide little benefit to the game design process, other than for communicating how game play should progress, and commented all aspects of game design, from coming up with a solid idea to writing the design document, from implementing the gameplay to playtesting the final product [15].…”

“…The use of storyboards or variations of storyboards is supported with mock-ups of how the game would appear to the player [15,16]. The use of state transition diagrams and decision trees is recommended to assist in computer game program design.…”

Experiencing Architectural Interiors and Exteriors in Computer Games

“…The topography of a well designed game world can draw a player to established settings that create challenges by impeding progress but ultimately the environment can support the player in the successful resolution of the defined goals and conflicts [8].The generation of a compelling place results from the interplay between, the overall aesthetic, the game play function and the emotional impact on the player. Rouse explains the interplay in good level design as the balance between the components of a level's game-play in terms of action, exploration, puzzle solving, storytelling, and aesthetics [4].The details of these components vary depending on the game genre. For the purposes of discussion in this paper the game genres of interest are 3D action, and adventure games.…”

“…In the Rules of Play, the latest large compendium on play within the field of game design, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman [3] state, "[t]he play of a game is the experiential aspect of a game".The way in which a player interacts with a game is closely linked to the visual experience provided by the graphic style as well as to the game-play. Level design is where the different aspects of the game's components come together and it is the responsibility of the level designer to ensure the levels are designed to bring out the best aspects of the game engine, the art, and the game-play [4]. Level design could be likened to mis-en-scene in cinema, which refers to everything that appears before the camera, including the sets, lighting, props, and actors.…”