A Method for Evaluating Player Experience with a Game Prototype

Feedback is an important part of game development, but it is not easy to obtain due to the difficulty of measuring user experiences. In this study we report on a study design and methodology that we developed with current user experience surveys that serves to maximize the information we can elicit about user experience. This methodology consists of a pre-game demographics survey, gameplay, a post-game user experience survey, and a post-game interview. The demographics survey elicits the respondent’s experience with and affinity for games. After this they are asked to play Relic, a game we have developed as a user experience test bed. The respondents then fill out a survey called the User Experience Survey. It measures the respondent’s experience with certain aspects of gameplay. Shortly after, respondents are interviewed about their results to obtain specific information about the reasoning behind their answers. Initial pilot testing of the methodology indicates that although the methodology is time intensive to execute it will elicit the requisite data