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Making a successful video game is hard. Even games that are well-received at launch may fail to engage players in the long term due to issues with the user experience (UX) that they are delivering. That's why makers of successful video games like
Fortnite and
Assassin's Creed invest both time and money perfecting their UX strategy. These top video game creators know that a bad user experience can ruin the prospects for any game, regardless of its budget, scope, or ambition.
The game UX accounts for the whole experience players have with a video game, from first hearing about it to navigating menus and progressing in the game. UX as a discipline offers guidelines to assist developers in creating the optimal experience they want to deliver, including shipping higher quality games (whether indie, triple-A, or "serious") and meeting business goals -- all while staying true to design vision and artistic intent. Yet, UX is more than a discipline, it's a mindset that places players at the center of the game development process, no matter the type of game (from gamification to hardcore games to the metaverse), the platform (PC, consoles, mobile, or VR), or the technology (including AI and blockchain).
At its core, UX is about understanding the gamer's brain: understanding human capabilities and limitations to anticipate how a game will be perceived, the emotions it will elicit, how players will interact with it, and how engaging the experience will be. This book is designed to equip readers of all levels, from student to professional, with cognitive science knowledge and user experience guidelines and methodologies. These insights will help readers identify the ingredients for successful and engaging video games, empowering them to develop their own unique game recipe more efficiently, while providing a better experience for their audience all the while minding for inclusion, accessibility, and ethics.
List of contents
1. Why you should care about the gamer's brain,
PART 1: UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN, 2. Overview about the brain, 3. Perception, 4. Memory, 5. Attention, 6. Motivation, 7. Emotion, 8. Learning principles, 9. Understanding the brain: Takeaway,
PART 2: A UX MINDSET FOR VIDEO GAMES, 10. Game User Experience: Overview, 11. Usability, 12. Engageability, 13. Design thinking, 14. Game User Research, 15. Game Analytics, 16. UX strategy, 17. Ethics, 18. UX Across Various Products: From VR to AI to "Gamification", 19. To conclude
About the author
Celia Hodent, PhD in psychology, is recognized as a leader in the application of user experience and cognitive science in the game industry. With over 17 years of experience in game studios (Ubisoft, LucasArts, & director of UX at Epic Games), she has contributed in advancing the topics of UX strategy, inclusion, and ethics in games. Author of several critically acclaimed books on games and psychology, Celia is the founder of the
Game UX Summit & the
Ethical Games initiative. She works today as an independent consultant and is an international public speaker.
