Hazel Bradshaw COMPUTER GAME ‘PLAYABILITY’ ‘Learning’ Through Gameplay Design Hazel Bradshaw Senior Lecturer in creative technologies Leeds Metropolitan University Leeds, England

Hazel Bradshaw COMPUTER GAME ‘PLAYABILITY’ ‘Learning’ Through Gameplay Design Well-designed gameplay shares characteristics with effective learning experiences… …designing computer game ‘playability’ by applying psychological principles can enhance the enjoyment and effectiveness of the player experience, while aiding the game developer in the design process.

Hazel Bradshaw BACKGROUND - PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING Human Performance & Learning Theory humans evolved systems for adapting to new and challenging environments skills are learnt which help us adapt undertake tasks to develop those skills all skills and tasks are goal related Gameplay as a learning experience

Hazel Bradshaw APPLICATION OF PSYCHOLOGY The ‘Structural Playability’ theory What is structural playability? utilizing a story & narrative based approach the process by which the player is progressed through the gameplay

Hazel Bradshaw Structural Playability The Rules and Phases of Skill Learning 4 Playability Principles 3 Phases of Skill Learning Fitts & Posner (1967) Schmidt & Lee (2005) APPLICATION OF THE THEORY

Hazel Bradshaw PLAYABILITY PRINCIPLES & PHASES OF SKILL LEARNING

Hazel Bradshaw Rasputin Designed & constructed using the Structural Playability method STRUCTURAL PLAYABILITY CONCEPT 2D platform game, built in a 256 palette programmed in C++ Practical testing of the theory

Hazel Bradshaw STRUCTURAL PLAYABILITY CONCEPT Gameplay as a learning experience Phases of Skill Learning map of playability/game structure

Hazel Bradshaw PRACTICAL APPLICATION Skills Stages and Tasks – embedded Playability Principles

Hazel Bradshaw COMPUTER GAME ‘PLAYABILITY’ Learning’ Through Gameplay Design A Paper Based Model Outlining the ‘Structure Playability’ design process for designing effective ‘learning gameplay’

Hazel Bradshaw Creation of the elements that constitute the Structural Principle – A logical gameplay structure forms the best experience for a skilled performance STRUCTURAL PLAYABILITY The Model – Mapping Gameplay ‘ A - Context’ (What); what is the role and goals of the player within the proposed narrative ‘B - Content’ (Why); the key content of the game. (Why is the player doing what they are doing?) ‘C - Delivery’ (How); how will the contents will be delivered on screen.

Hazel Bradshaw The Model – Mapping Gameplay STRUCTURAL PLAYABILITY Narrative Progression Narrative Progression tool ‘Narrative Events’ broken down into Why & How ‘Why’ events = ‘Progression events’ ‘How’ events = ‘Component Event’ Progression and Component events should be paired together forming a logical ladder of skills & tasks progressing the player towards the end-goal. When these pairings are not sequential or are not paired logically that the playability design begins to breakdown.

Hazel Bradshaw STRUCTURAL PLAYABILITY Skill Phases Section Gameplay Progression Diagram Mapped Component events The Model – Mapping Gameplay

Hazel Bradshaw Planning Level Structures Developing the gameplay Clarity principle 3 governs the designing of tasks Comparison principle 4 governs the designing of feedback & progression STRUCTURAL PLAYABILITY The Model – Mapping Gameplay

Hazel Bradshaw STRUCTURAL PLAYABILITY The Model – Mapping Gameplay “Game Design is a second-order design problem. A game designer only indirectly designs the player’s experience, by directly designing the rules. Creating meaningful experiences means understanding the ways a game’s formal system transforms into an experiential one.” Salen & Zimmerman (2004)

Hazel Bradshaw COMPUTER GAME ‘PLAYABILITY’ Learning’ Through Gameplay Design ANY QUESTIONS?