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Games User Research and Physiological Game Evaluation

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Game User Experience Evaluation

Part of the book series: Human–Computer Interaction Series ((HCIS))

Abstract

This chapter introduces physiological measures for game evaluation in the context of games user research (GUR). GUR consists of more than playtesting game; it comprises a collection of methods that allow designers to bring their creations closer to the initial vision of the player experience. With the prices of physiological sensors falling, and the advancement of research in this area, physiological evaluation will soon become a standard tool in GUR and game evaluation. Since mixed-method approaches are of increasingly prominent value, this chapter describes core GUR methods with a special focus on physiological evaluation, keeping in mind both benefits and limitations of the approach in academic and industrial applications.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note that we use the term “experimenter” here to refer to a trained GUR professional or physiological researcher in charge of running the experiment.

  2. 2.

    In the context of brain activity, the hemodynamic response consists of delivering blood to active brain tissues. The blood delivers oxygen and glucose, which are needed for brain tissue to function.

  3. 3.

    The electrical potential of a neuron in the brain is influenced by neurotransmitters that either increase (e.g., excitatory signal) or decrease (e.g., inhibitory signal) the probability of producing an action potential (e.g., a short neural event during which a cell’s electrical potential briefly rises and falls) in a connecting cell.

  4. 4.

    Another way of analysing EEG is through Event-Related Potentials, which I do not cover in this chapter. A more in-depth discussion of this can be found in Wehbe et al. (2013).

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE), Graphics, Animation and New Media (GRAND) and NSERC. Dr. Nacke thanks Samantha Stahlke and Rina Wehbe for proofreading the final manuscript.

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  1. Faculty of Business and Information Technology, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Ontario, Canada

    Lennart E. Nacke Ph.D.

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  1. Lennart E. Nacke Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Lennart E. Nacke Ph.D. .

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  1. Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse (IRIT), ICS Group, Toulouse, France

    Regina Bernhaupt

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Nacke, L. (2015). Games User Research and Physiological Game Evaluation. In: Bernhaupt, R. (eds) Game User Experience Evaluation. Human–Computer Interaction Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15985-0_4

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