There are many heuristics in the literature, based on elements such as the game interface, mechanics, gameplay, and narrative. These and others have been integrated into a validated model that can be used to design, evaluate, and understand enjoyment in games, as well as test the playability and instructional design of the game.

We call it “Gamability Testing”.

Using our model, we can predict the market success of any video game or even software product. We analyze the player behavior through various methodologies and techniques. This can be done at any stage throughout the development process, from initial storyboard designs through to beta or even finished products. We can also advise on changes to a game for the second release within a series.

The success of any product is based on how well it sells. Unfortunately, research shows that most video game development costs are never recouped during the sales cycle of the product. This is not always because the idea was a bad one, but often the implementation of the idea missed the mark. Developers and publishers will always test their beta product using game testers and sometimes employ quality assurance evaluators to ensure high standards are maintained. However, this is usually done at the final stages of development and only major bugs can be attended to, if the publishing schedule is to be met.

At Pivec Labs, we analyze what factors will detract from the essence of the game and provide recommendations where these can be changed. This can be and should be done as early as possible within the development cycle, and can be iterative throughout the development. We offer eye-tracking testing and analysis of products from initial prototypes through to completed games. The resulting report will suggest enhancements in screen design, feedback placement, and game mechanics. We can analyze a game idea or prototype for immersive qualities and player enjoyment, and recommend changes to the design, the structure, or the mechanics of the product. At Pivec Labs, we have multiple techniques of evaluating player emotions and the overall experience of a player. We can provide feedback and recommendations that will ensure the repeated engagement of targeted and other audiences, and increase the sales of your product.

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The teacher or instructor defines the overall game theme. Playing time can fluctuate from several days to many weeks and depends from the difficulty of the theme and basic skills of the students. Game flow and various stages of the game are presented to the players in the form of an introduction. In the game, basic stages can be distinguished as follows: role assignment, teamwork and team preparation and research time, general discussion, player feedback, and discussion of the game in the debriefing room. All rooms are presented in the form of a multi-user Flash based system allow for access from any computer with a internet connection and browser software.

In order to play a game, learners are assigned into or form several teams. Each learner can also select a particular role within a team which the can build upon and teams are able to communicate by entering the team rooms for discussions, text chat or audio/video. Each team has to create a strategy for the discussion. Each member of the team takes a subject that he/she is responsible for. Because each team has to discuss all proposed subjects, within the team each player is responsible for at least one subject. This player will discuss the defined subject in the Virtual Conference Room. Every player of the team has to participate actively in a discussion at least once i.e. at least for one subject. The trainer defines the duration of teamwork i.e. time necessary for preparation for the Virtual Conference, as well as the time allowed for each discussion.

During the teamwork phase, players develop a game strategy, collect and select valuable information and prepare for argumentation. Teams communicate and exchange information in the Team Space (Team Forum, Virtual Conference, Content Library, Player Profile). The speaker, i.e. team member responsible for the particular subject, posts a position statement on the subject and all relevant collected information into the Content Library of the Team Room. The Content Library caters for audio and video postings and well as URL bookmarking. When the search for information is completed, the team must to organize a Team common session. This session enables students to discuss all the problems of each subject and have all information for argumentation (for the case that any of the students will be unable to attend the General discussion). At the end of the team preparation time, teams have to present a final position statement within the game platform where they will outline their general standpoint.

The next phase of the game starts with allocation of the points. Each team has to decide which subjects are more important for them and where they want to allocate points and how many. Each team will allocate points to the three or more subjects depending on the scenario. This must be done within a specified time. All game time limits are displayed within the game status panel of the screen. During the game, the points allocated to the subjects can be seen by the players, but the players do not see the points allocation of other teams. The moderator has all the information about allocated points of all teams.

During the general discussion, all teams meet in a Virtual Conference Room to discuss subjects within a given time. Discussions can be moderated or freeform. The platform automatically includes a bad words filter and a player kick/ban facility for the moderator if needed. The aim of discussion is to reach a consensus on each subject or goal within the scenario. In a moderated scenario, the role of a moderator is to formalize the reached consensus and to support the constructive discussion. In a free form scenario, the moderator takes a passive role. The team that wins most points, ie: consensus is reached in the topics where their points were allocated, is a game winner. However, more than one team can win the game depending on how the scenario is structured. A win-win situation is permitted.

A general discussion is followed by detailed feedback from each player and debriefing is carried out within the team, and by the moderator in the Virtual Debriefing Room. Other team members provide feedback of each player’s performance. The debriefing should also provide some general feedback on issues like information gathering, discussion, argumentation, consensus and some theme related issues related to consensus that has been achieved. The moderator also receives logs of player participation, along with archived forums and content libraries if requested.

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The Single Player Training room can be used by anyone with Internet access. Scenarios can be created for ages 7 and above, and any sector of the market, both Academic and Industry, however the primary audience is the training market, specifically non-gamers. This product was created in response to findings from researching adult students and instructors. A survey of over 1000 participants concluded that the lack of rich 3D Graphics, was NOT the reason why Serious games do not appeal. Learners wanted better gameplay and feedback on learning acheivements, while instructors tabled a lack of time and insufficient resource, and a requirement for gameplay in smaller timeslots. They suggested that their own lack of skills was the main reason why game-based learning was not widespread withing teaching institutions. This product addresses all of these issues, creating a web-based environment where instructors and trainers can easily create scenarios on any topic, and monitor their student’s progress. Small periods of time can be allocated for gameplay, and the player is provided visual feedback, as well as replayablity of the game.

A well structured scenario can provide several hours of gameplay, allocated into manageable timeslots for each level. The learner can experiment with different paths through the dialogs based on their decision to each conversation, providing for unparalleled experiential learning. The learning outcomes can vary depending on the scenario created.

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There are various platforms available that offer an environment where teachers and trainers can define there own on-line role playing scenarios or simulations, and provide the opportunity for learners to apply factual knowledge and to gain experience through the digital world. Teachers can define new games or adopt and modify sample games without any programming skills. Products such as “The Training Room” provide a variety of communication means within the scenarios; players can communicate with the use of discussion forums, text and voice chat modules as well as through multi-user video conferencing. An important feature of these products is the collaborative learning design, which allows participants to exchange information as well as to produce ideas, simplify problems, and resolve the tasks. The Game Design Campus incorporates all the features of “The Training Room” as well as access to the product itself. The proven template has also been used to create single player role-play scenarios, also available in the Campus from the “The Games Room”. Administration tools allow Premium and Corporate account holders to create scenarios based on their own training needs and share them with the wider community if they wish to do so. Administrators can select specific participants to be included in the role-play or allow the game to be open to all. A server based scheduler provides for timing and length of the game, and configurable feedback screens allow for results and opinions to be analyzed.

Most academics and their students create either paper based surveys or web surveys usually based on a php template. These can often appear boring and time consuming to the participant resulting in smaller sample sizes and inaccurate answers. The Game Design Campus contains configurable survey tools based on a Flash interface. Multiple choice, sliding scale, and text based answers can all be selected. The campus can also be used to conduct text chat or video interviews as a follow up, and interviews can be recorded and stored. Online analysis tools allow for results to be collated and distributed.

In-depth discussions over the Internet can often be difficult and lead to misunderstandings. Even in virtual worlds such as Second Life, research has shown that avatars should not be used when getting the correct meaning across is imperative – for example in a learning situation. Hence the Game Design Campus provides all forms of communication including audio/video conferencing, supplemented with multiuser whiteboards and multiuser mind-mapping tools. As found in beta testing of “The Training Room”, students could not reach consensus without thorough in-depth discussions. As we all have different learning styles, we also have different communication needs and the Campus provides these alternatives.

Full online documentation and downloadable PDF files provide for user “how to” and troubleshooting needs of the Campus, including tips on how to create single user and multiuser role-play scenarios from leading European GBL experts. The Game Design Campus is hosted on two dedicated Linux Network servers, both behind secure hardware firewalls and both connected on Backbone One to the Internet – providing up to 10 Megabytes per second data transfer. The Campus is available 24 hours per day and can be accessed globally.

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