December 2008

I’m in Dallas watching a game usability test. I figured it’d be fun to liveblog it.

4:18PM
The first set of participants – there are two for each session – have been brought in. The facilitator (my friend, de-identified) is pre-briefing them. It’s a type of head-to-head game where players can also play the AI.

4:22
Of course the participants are guys…

4:27
They’re working through the game tutorials now, trading off the controller and learning the basic attacks, counterattacks, and combination moves.

4:28
The graphics are amazing. We just own a Wii and as the world knows it’s not about realism or pixel count. But this game looks amazing. Not a jaggy or a jerky movement in sight.

4:35
P’s are still just practicing.

4:41
One of the participants says that he’s having trouble remembering some of the moves, especially of course the complex ones.

4:42
I’m looking at the two participants – they’re sitting on a sofa like they’re at home – and the one with the controller is just rapt looking at the screen.

4:43
The game’s lead designer and my friend the facilitator are discussing how much tutorial text is on screen.

4:47
Now my friend and the designer have decided to just let them play the game now, they see some problems with the tutorial phase of the game. Mostly around the amount of tutorial text and the desire to give the players more context as they go through the tutorial.

4:48
Watching the cinematic effects, actually just noticing them. They really help the game’s level of realism.

4:52
One of these participants is clearly more proficient on console games. The less proficient participant basically can’t do any of the complex moves. When they play head to head it’s going to be a rout.

4:54
OK, their going to have a head-to-head battle…

4:58
P2 is playing. He got some good shots in, but the AI (the computer-generated character) took him down.

5:02
P2: “There’s no way I can tell if having experience…” never mind, I missed this.

5:13
It’s really hot in the control room…and I’m wearing a wool sweater. With only an undershirt, so I can’t take it off…

5:17
P2 is studying the action list. He’s trying to figure out how to do a certain move.

5:19
P2 has been really into it, talking to the screen, exclaiming, etc. P1 is much more circumspect.

5:21
P1 just lost quickly. He’s frustrated.

The affective reactions of the participants are really positive and the level of engagement is high, as you would hope for a game.

5:26
The participants are looking at the character choices, and they commented that they’d really like to see the characters’ attributes on the screen as they browse them.

5:38
They’re going to play head-to-head now. Both sitting on the edge of the couch. P2, the better and more verbal participant, wants a particular character. P1 doesn’t care.

5:41
Fingers twitching on the controllers. They’re just wailing on each other. P2 just beat P1.

5:44
Rematch. P2 won again.

5:46
Facilitator: “What did you think of the game?” P’s like it, but feel that the moves are complex and it’s hard to remember them. ?”What did you think about how the game felt? The responsiveness of the controls?” P2: Pretty smooth, pretty responsive, no delay.

P1 is hardly talking. Sitting back, hands folded. Not looking at the camera (we’re in a separate room, no glass).

“Favorite part of game?” P1: I like the look, the variety of different moves that you can do… P2: The thing I like the most is some of the major attacks, the effects, the fact that they have different style of playing, it’s more of a technique match.

“Least favorite part?” P2: I did not like [an aspect of the controls]…it just don’t feel comfortable using it.

5:52
Just finishing up the debrief with the first two participants.

Took a little break for pizza. Back now with the game utest liveblogging.

7:01PM
Participants 3 and 4 are trading off the controller and practicing moves. They’re having some of the same issues that P1 and 2 had, learning the complex moves. No surprise.

7:11
P4 is engaged in the game. He’s talking to himself, saying “Strategy. Strategy! Gotta remember, strategy.”

7:15
A pattern is emerging: once the AI does a particular move, the players don’t know how to recover.

7:17
P4 just did a great move, but it’s clear that he didn’t know how he did it, he stumbled on the controller combination. It’s frustrating to the designer.

7:18
My friend asked P4 how he was trying to counter the AI’s move. P4 has a goal, but can’t figure out how to execute it. (He can’t bridge the gulf of execution.)

7:25
P3 just played against the AI and won. He’s figured out how to respond to the AI’s “unstoppable” moves.

7:36
I shouldn’t have eaten that pizza. Must.find.Zantac.

7:37
The participants are going head-to-head now.

8:45PM
Last session for the night. As usual, I’m a bit fried at this point. And I’m just an observer, not even working.

I wish I hadn’t worn a wool sweater and an undershirt, because I can’t take off the sweater and sit here in just an undershirt.

8:47
Participants 5 and 6 are going through the tutorials, playing against the AI. Same problems are coming up: what do they do when the gameplay goes into the different modes? It’s a long flat learning curve.

Yes, I’m using that metaphor correctly. “Steep learning curve” means the subject learned a lot of information very quickly. Long and flat means it took a long time to learn. So all y’all who say “It’s a steep learning curve” are actually saying “It’s easy to learn quickly.” So nyah nyah nyah.

8:52
Did I mention it’s hot in here?

8:53
A lot of button-mashing has happened here tonight. But good, fun, interesting mashing.

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