The Gamer's Brain

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Makingasuccessfulvideogameishard.Evengamesthataresuccessfulatlaunchmayfailtoengageandretainplayersinthelongtermduetoissueswiththeuserexperience(UX)thattheyaredelivering.Thegameuserexperienceaccountsforthewholeexperienceplayershavewithavideogame,fromfirsthearingaboutittonavigatingmenusandprogressinginthegame.UXasadisciplineoffersguidelinestoassistdevelopersincreatingtheexperiencetheywanttodeliver,shippinghigherqualitygames(whetheritisanindiegame,AAAgame,or"seriousgame"),andmeetingtheirbusinessgoalswhilestayingtruetotheirdesignandartisticintent.
Inanutshell,UXisaboutunderstandingthegamer'sbrain:understandinghumancapabilitiesandlimitationstoanticipatehowagamewillbeperceived,theemotionsitwillelicit,howplayerswillinteractwithit,andhowengagingtheexperiencewillbe.Thisbookisdesignedtoequipreadersofalllevels,fromstudenttoprofessional,withneuroscienceknowledgeanduserexperienceguidelinesandmethodologies.Theseinsightswillhelpreadersidentifytheingredientsforsuccessfulandengagingvideogames,empoweringthemtodeveloptheirownuniquegamerecipemoreefficiently,whileprovidingabetterexperiencefortheiraudience.
KeyFeatures
Providesanoverviewofhowthebrainlearnsandprocessesinformationbydistillingresearchfindingsfromcognitivescienceandpsychologyresearchinaveryaccessibleway.Topicscoveredinclude:"neuromyths,"perception,memory,attention,motivation,emotion,andlearning. Includesnumerousexamplesfromreleasedgamesofhowscientificknowledgetranslatesintogamedesign,andhowtouseaUXframeworkingamedevelopment. DescribeshowUXcanguidedeveloperstoimprovetheusabilityandthelevelofengagementagameprovidestoitstargetaudiencebyusingcognitivepsychologyknowledge,implementinghuman-computerinteractionprinciples,andapplyingthescientificmethod(userresearch). ProvidesapracticaldefinitionofUXspecificallyappliedtogames,withauniqueframework.Definesthemostrelevantpillarsforgoodusability(easeofuse)andgood"engage-ability"(theabilityofthegametobefunandengaging),translatedintoapracticalchecklist. Coversdesignthinking,gameuserresearch,gameanalytics,andUXstrategyatbothaprojectandstudiolevel. OffersuniqueinsightsfromaUXexpertandPhDinpsychologywhohasbeenworkingintheentertainmentindustryforover10years. ThisbookisapracticaltoolthatanyprofessionalgamedeveloperorstudentcanuserightawayandincludesthemostcompleteoverviewofUXingamesexistingtoday.