1. Interface Composition
Game Design

2. Objectives
After this lesson, students will be able to:
Explain what is involved in player-centric video game design.
Outline the four key topics related to player-centric immersion that have universal application, with a focus on the human- computer interface.
Analyze and understand the ways to apply the human-computer interface to game design.

3. Words To Know Demographics Action-fulfill Vicarious Immersion
Output-Interaction Model
Dexterity
Clock Speed
Muscle Memory
Mental acuity
Human-Computer Interface (HCI)
Inputs
Outputs
Input-interaction model
Action-fail

4. Words to Review
Player-Centric Design Understanding the player and centering the game design on what the player wants and needs. Immersion Level to which the player feels he or she is actually experiencing the events of the game, or how well the player connects to the game world.

5. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Audience
Vicarious Immersion
Typical Player Interest
Typical Player Dexterity
Typical Player Mental Acuity
Audience Sampling and Surveys

6. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Audience
The first step is to define your audience.
Demographics are measurable characteristics of a person or group that defines your target audience.
Age, gender, income, language, country/geographic area

7. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Audience
Example Player-Centric Design for a six-year old female:
Simple Story Reward system that praises
Friendly Cartoon with correct input
Simple Controls

8. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Audience
Example Player-Centric Design for an 18 year old male:
Complex story Realistic graphics
Lots of action
Multiple button control

9. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Vicarious Immersion
The designer needs to imagine himself/herself as the player to experience the gameplay.
The designer needs to get into the same mindset of the typical player.

10. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Vicarious Immersion
Research members of the audience.
Find out their likes and dislikes.
Interview the parents of the audience to see what is appropriate for their kids.
Study other successful product design for the same audience.
Watch the audience play games and record positive and negative responses.

11. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Typical Player Interest
Story, characters, gameplay
This is the time to revise the story and characters if needed.
Know the likes and dislikes from the audience.
List the items that the typical player expects in a game.
Through productions designer should test play the game with players from the audience.

12. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Typical Player Interest
Story, characters, gameplay
Measure the amount of audience appeal.
Audience appeal – measure of how attracted the audience is to something. How likely is the audience is to want to play the game or to even pick the box up to look at it.

13. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Typical Player Dexterity
Readiness and skill in a physical activity, especially one involving use of the hands.
Will the game use standard controllers for game console or computer?
Will game-specific controls be created?
Will the player have large or small hands?

14. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Typical Player Dexterity
The game should consider skill progression. This allows for proper dexterity training.
First levels need challenges that build muscle memory skills.
Muscle memory – a task has
been repeated enough so that
it can be completed without
effort.

15. Elements of Player-Centric Design
Typical Player Mental Acuity
Measure of focus, memory and concentration. Not a measure of intelligence.
As game progresses the player should demonstrate a higher level of mental acuity.
Each level should require more focus to complete.
Recalling facts from a mission briefing
Seeing the slight differences between harmless and harmful items.

16. Elements of Player-Centric Immersion
Human-Computer Interface
Elements of Engagement
Elements of Interest
Balance Elements

17. Elements of Player-Centric Immersion
Human Computer Interface (HCI)
The connection and communication between the player and the game system
Inputs – Instructions from the player sent to the computer
Outputs – information the computer sends to the player.

18. Elements of Player-Centric Immersion
Human Computer Interface (HCI)
Input-Interaction Model – Include players control and the programming needed to interpret the button presses and other commands.

19. Elements of Player-Centric Immersion
Human Computer Interface (HCI)
Input-Interaction Model – Collision Detection
IF car collides with wall,
THEN car stops moving.
Core mechanics checks the position of the car and disallows the action of moving the character or action-fail.

20. Elements of Player-Centric Immersion
Human Computer Interface (HCI)
Input-Interaction Model – Character action
IF character is touching the ground and spacebar is pressed
THEN character jumps
Action-fulfill is allowing the required action. If the character is not touching the ground an action-fail would end the request.

21. Elements of Player-Centric Immersion
Human Computer Interface (HCI)
Output-Interaction Model – The portion of the user interface that performs the action fulfill commands and provides feedback to the player.
Visual
Sound
Rumble Motors

22. Player Console Input Action Request Input-Interaction Model Output
Action Fulfill
Output-Interaction Model

23. Elements of Player-Centric Immersion
Human Computer Interface (HCI)
Clock-Speed – The speed at which the computer central processing unit (CPU) processes instructions. The higher the clock speed the faster the computer.

24. Elements of Player-Centric Immersion
Human Computer Interface (HCI)
Clock-Speed
What does that mean? There are 31,536,000 seconds in one year (round off to 32 million seconds). A clock on the wall or a wrist watch will take 10 years to tick as many times as the computer processor ticks in only one second.

25. Review
What are the 6 elements of player-centric design?
List the four key topics related to player immersion.
What is the difference between an input and an output.
How does muscle memory relate to player skill?