Studying Games: Formal Analysis and Stimulated Recall Interiviews
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The document discusses formal analysis and stimulated recall interviews as methods for studying games, focusing on analyzing game design and the player's experience. It emphasizes the importance of understanding player actions, components, and dynamics while using qualitative research methods to gather insights. The thematic analysis is presented as a tool for extracting themes from player interactions and experiences during gameplay.
Studying Games: Formal Analysis and Stimulated Recall Interiviews
- 1. Click to edit Master title style 1 Studying Games F o r m a l A n a l y s i s a n d S t i m u l a t e d R e c a l l I n t e r v i e w s Petri Lankoski, professor of media technology Södertörn University
- 2. Click to edit Master title style 2 Agenda 2 • Formal analysis • Understanding the game system • Stimulated recall interview • Understanding the player in relation to game • (stimulated recall interviews are not developed for studying games) • With focus on how you can combine these approaches
- 3. Click to edit Master title style 3 Formal analysis 3 • Focus on analyzing the game design • Is descriptive • This approach is relative of formalism in aesthetics and art formalism • Formalism and structuralism in literature theory is another beast • Only small games can be fully described with this framework • For some applications, full framework might not be needed Player actions Representation of the game state Other inputs Videogame often is a black box Board game exposes all
- 4. Click to edit Master title style 4 Formal analysis framework 4 Primitives Dynamics • Components • Actions • Player actions • player action is always coupled with a component action • Often simplified by coupling these actions • Component actions • System actions • Goals • Are created by interactions between actions, components and goals • Balance, strategy, spacing, complexity But not always: e.g., Dragon Age Veilguard • If X is jumping or interacting action depends components near
- 5. Click to edit Master title style 5 Example: character-building in Hulk 5 Action Component action: Bruce Banner Component action: Hulk X Punch Punch X (hold) - Stronger attack B Grapple Grapple small enemies, pick up (a heavy object or pole), throw it if picked, or throw a small enemy of grappling one A Crouch Jump A + movement Dive roll - Y Manipulate interactive objects like use a computer Swing attack with a picked heavy object or pole Button combos 3 different punches Over 30 different attacks Receiving damage Turn to Hulk if too much damage is received (game over) Getting angry and getting access to more powerful (limited amount) rage attacks
- 6. Click to edit Master title style 6 Character-building 6 • Changes what component/player (Hulk or Banner) actions are available playing them feel different • How component actions are presented makes the component feel different • Note. While you can get the idea of how actions work in the game from the manual, to understand how they work you need to play the game (scene) multiple times • It might not be even possible find all actions without manual or tutorial • Cf. Mortal Combat
- 7. Click to edit Master title style 7 Character-building in Silent Hill 3 7 Notes from game session An interpretation of this • Component actions are used in character building • Inner monologue triggered to narrate what character thinks • We can use thematic analysis to build themes • Goals • Predefined functions (animations, voice over how the player component reacts/executes to the players controls) • Possile and imposible actions (what is possible to do and what is impossible, what is hard and easy) • Body
- 8. Click to edit Master title style 8 What we have so far 8 • We get a detailed description of the game • Possible to combine with a phenomenological interpretation • Can work as 1. A results 2. An input for more data gathering 3. Forming understanding how two or more games are similar and different • Relevant to extending claims from one game to set of other games
- 9. Click to edit Master title style 9 Stimulated recall interviews in games 9 • A stimulated recall interview is a qualitative research method where participants are prompted to reflect on their thoughts, decisions, or actions during a previously recorded activity • Recorded stimulus is to help remembering the moment interviewer is about to ask • Recorded stimulus is a great way to bring focus to specific aspects of design • Not as distributive as speak aloud protocol
- 10. Click to edit Master title style 10 Game session videos 10 • Questions have a context in stimulus • What where you thinking here? • What was you trying to do? • Why were you interested on this? • As the context works as a focus • It is easier to be bit vague what the researchers is exactly interesting in
- 11. Click to edit Master title style 11 11 • Formal analysis forms an understanding of studies games • Bases for selecting clips to show • Example: character-building • Clips would be chosen based on they show something relevant to • Communicating goals • Predefined functions • Possible and impossible actions • The body • Questions can be vague about thinking here, interpreting this, feeling here
- 12. Click to edit Master title style 12 Stimulated recall data gathering procedure 12 1. A participant play a game and the researcher records the session • Game screen • The player’s face should be recorded also if possible • Possibly hands if relevanant for the research question 2. The researcher goes through the recoding and marks clips for interview and prepare questions 3. The researcher conducts the interview
- 13. Click to edit Master title style 13 Data analysis procedure 13 • Thematic analysis work • Theoretical when there is theory that is in focus / needs clarifactions • Inductive for more explorative approaches • Context matter! • Keep in mind what game component/actions/visual presentations/dynamics/etc. the answer is about • Use context in the analysis • add context information to transcriptions
- 14. Click to edit Master title style 14 Some hints for thematic analysis 14 • Themes should answer to the research question • Themes should not (typically) contain the concepts from RQ • Use some software for analysis • Taguette is simple and free • coding transcribed data • Export to Excel/Google Sheets for forming themes from codes • Spreadsheet allows sorting based on categories and added themes • Easy to iterate themes
- 15. Click to edit Master title style 15 References 15 • Lankoski, P. & S. BjörkFormal analysis of gameplay • https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.5555/2812774.2812779 • Pitkänen, J. Studying Thoughts: Stimulated recall interviews • https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.5555/2812774.2812785 • Braun, V., & V. Clarke. Using thematic analysis in psychology • https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa