Abstract
A case study was done to study whether usability expert evaluation and testing are suitable for game development. In the study, a computer game under development was first evaluated and then tested. Game developers were then asked to rate the findings and give other feedback about the methods used and the results gained. It was found that the usability expert evaluation and testing provided both novel and useful data for game development. Based on these and the other results it is argued that the usability expert evaluation and testing have considerable face validity in game development. In addition to the usefulness and face validity of the methods it was studied whether the usability experts participating in the game usability expert evaluation should be double experts. It was found that there was no significant difference in the number or the rated relevancy of the problem the gamer and non-gamer usability specialists found.
Practitioner’s Take Away
- Traditional usability expert evaluation and testing provide novel and useful data for game development.
- All the usability specialists who participate in the usability expert evaluation of a game do not necessarily have to be double experts.
- When designing a game usability test it is important to notice that thinking aloud and interrupting the player are not always possible. Design the test so that there is a mixture of think aloud and uninterrupted play.
- The game developers are interested to learn about the user experience. Use post-test questionnaires and other survey methods to study the user experience.
