Finding the fun by Emma Procter & Jonathan Shirley - NZTestingConf 2024

Recorded with NZ Sign Language (NZSL) interpretation at NZTestingConf 2024, on 27th June 2024.

Transcript on NZTestingConf website: https://nztestingconf.nz/2024/speaker...

Researching and playtesting games at PikPok.

Making games is hard - with all moving parts and challenges required to even finish a game, it's a miracle sometimes it can get done. But one of the more difficult challenges might also seem like the most obvious to get right first - is this game we are making fun?

What is fun?!

In this talk, the PikPok Research Team will be sharing how we approach the topic of fun in games, and ultimately look to test and measure fun in our own games. We hope to give light to some of the testing methods we use for games and how you may find it applicable in your product.

00:08 Aaron introduces Emma and Jonathan
01:28 Emma introduces PikPok, herself and Jonathan
03:36 About the gaming market
06:03 Csikszentmihalyi & Raph Koster theory around Fun
7:13 What is Fun?
12:54 Using motivations to find Fun
14:54 Game development at PikPok
17:26 Pre-production testing phase
20:26 Playtesting
24:38 Tie it back to fun


References:

PikPok https://pikpok.com/
Game IQ by data.ai    • Introducing data.ai’s Game IQ  
Sensor Tower’s acquisition of data.ai https://sensortower.com/blog/data-ai-...
Danny DeVito https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_D...
Csikszentmihalyi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_...
Flow Theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(p...)
Raph Koster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raph_Ko...
Hello Kitty https://www.sanrio.com/collections/he...
Gamer Motivation Model by Quantic Foundry https://quanticfoundry.com/gamer-moti...
Nick Yee http://www.nickyee.com/
Exploratory factor analysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explora...
Call of Duty https://www.callofduty.com/
World of Warcraft https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/...
Dark Souls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Souls
Ideation in Creative Process https://www.interaction-design.org/li...
Steve Bromley https://gamesuserresearch.com/about/
Core Loop or Game Loop https://www.gamedesigning.org/learn/g...
Rival Stars (Horse Racing VR) https://pikpok.com/games/rival-stars-...
Agent Intercept https://pikpok.com/games/agent-interc...
John Hopson https://www.gamedeveloper.com/author/...


About Emma Procter:

Emma is the Research Manager at gaming studio at PikPok. She experienced as a Market Researcher, Customer Insights consultant, and Strategist. Emma is all about using robust data paired with empathy to steer the development of commercially successful games that players love.

LinkedIn   / emma-procter-8766255  


About Jonathan Shirley:

Jonathan Shirley is a Senior Games User Researcher at PikPok, based in Wellington, Aotearoa. He is responsible for analysing player behaviour and sentiment in order to make the best possible experience for our players.

LinkedIn   / jonathan-shirley-jrs13  


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