Call for Chapters
Game User Experience and Player-Centered Design
Editor: Barbaros Bostan, Bahcesehir University, Game Design Department, Turkey.
Planned to be published by Springer
Long Abstract Submission Deadline: May 15, 2019
User Experience (UX) is a branch of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) interested in improving the quality of the interaction between the user and the product. When applied to the rapidly growing billion dollar game industry, it becomes the Game User Experience or Player Experience (PX) that focus on the relationship between the player and the game. Game User Experience, the individual and personal experience of playing games, is a complex construct composed of behavioral, psychological and physiological levels. The complexity of the concept also effects the measurement of it, which has different approaches with differing strengths and weaknesses. The lack of consistent set of methods and tools that enable the measurement of entertainment experiences is one of the main challenges the Games User Research (GUR) community faces.
Therefore, a better understanding of the player experience is crucial for game designers and researchers: (1) to identify the basic components of game user experience for different members of the industry such as graphics experts, game designers and storytellers, (2) to specify the elements that can shape the game development cycle according to players’ preferences using a player-centered design approach, (3) to identify the impact of game user experience not only on the entertainment but also on the educational value of a game (4) to explain the evolution in the nature and measurement of game user experience with the introduction of new technologies such as VR and AR, (5) and to evaluate and to validate the different techniques for measuring the game user experience.
This book will provide an introduction and overview of the rapidly evolving topic of game user experience, presenting the new perspectives employed by researchers and the industry, and highlighting the recent empirical findings that illustrate the nature of it. This book will aim: (1) to provide a snapshot on research approaches/advances in game user experience, (2) to discuss issues, solutions, challenges, and needs for a better understanding of game experience in terms of the academic domains of HCI, psychology, human factors and game studies, and (3) to report recent research findings as well as industry case studies from both social sciences and engineering perspectives.
Special topics of interest for this book are:
- The evolution of game user experience in the new era of VR and AR
- The impact of game user experience on the game development cycles
- The relationship between game user experience and player enjoyment
- The exploration of game user experience in educational games
- Coverage of the user-centered design (UCD) principles in games
Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
VR/AR game experience
Game user research methods
Player-centered design
Gameplay experience modelling
Game experience in educational games and serious games
Ergonomics and player experience
Gameplay heuristics
Game experience scales
Behavioral measurement of player experience
Physiological assessment of player experience
Neuro-psychology of game user experience
Game analytics
Playability and game usability
Psychology of player experience
Player motivations, needs and emotions
Player choices and interactive narrative
Presence, involvement and flow studies that focus on games
SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before May 15, 2019, a 400-600 word long abstract (including institutional affiliations) clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by June 1, 2019 about the status of their proposals. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by August 30, 2019. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.
Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) to:
Dr. Barbaros Bostan
Game Design Department
Bahcesehir University
E-mail: barbaros.bostan@comm.bau.edu.tr