Appendix for Game Design Objects User Interviews, Tests, Workshops
Q. Gao and J. Zhou, Human aspects of IT for the aged population. Part I : technology design and acceptance : 7th International Conference, ITAP 2021, held as part of the 23rd HCI International Conference, HCII 2021, Virtual Event, July 24-29, 2021, proceedings. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2021. https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-78108-8.pdf
[1] Interview Transcript
- Recording_5.m4a
- Duration: 08:30
- Date: 18 August 2022
Speaker 1: Hello, can you help me out please? We are developing a video game, it's a mix of ancient Atlantis (show picture of Atlantis) and futuristic components and we need your opinion on this matter.
Speaker 2: OK,
Speaker 1: … so, we're working in teams, where each team designs different components for the game. Our team will design objects for the game.
Speaker 2: Nice, OK (smile).
Speaker 1: So, when I say ancient Atlantis Forest, what things come to mind?
Speaker 2: I guess it's like underwater seaweed… I guess like you can think of like the coral reef too here... I guess you could make it like way larger. And that would be your forest. Yeah
Speaker 1: Thank you. And when I say futuristic Atlantis, forest, what things come comes to mind?
Speaker 2: I guess. Something like neon lights? Yeah. So maybe like that coral reef is like glowing with different lights and stuff. Different types, so it feels like it has, like matured. Like the amount of illumination underwater is what's going to determine like the futuristic design
Speaker 1: Why do you think so?
Speaker 2: it's associated with cyberpunk genre (determined) And that's like, how many people associate futuristic stuff within game design or movie design overall, I would say so. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Thank you. Now we have covered land. Let's think about water. What items would you expect to see floating in the water surrounding the land?
Speaker 2: Plastic waste… (laughing) you can make it sustainable about sustainability as well. Yeah, it's like plastic waste. You have to reduce plastic waste in the game. And you float around Atlantis. Not interacting with Atlantis, but you're just collecting waste. (Pauses to think) Other than that, I think well, there's definitely what floats will differently types of fish different types of you know, aquatic animals: sharks, turtles, etc.
Speaker 1: Perfect, Thank you! Now, let's talk about artifacts – it’s those special items that can be collected inside the game so that a player can receive additional perks. What are your top five favorite perks in any game?
Speaker 2: Like there's things that have gemstones in it I forget oysters, right? Yeah, you can collect like oysters for gemstones. Okay, so that's one thing you can like float around and you can collect those gemstones you can collect I don't know some kind of like coins like golden coins that are thrown around on the on the floor. And you can also collect like underwater treasure maybe like ship wreckage you can swim to the ship wreckage, and you can collect like ancient artifacts that you can find like treasure chests and treasure maps
Speaker 1: Thank you for your response! Now, let's say it has now evolved and it became futuristic (free exploration question)
Speaker 2: Oh, so for futuristic I think glowing treasures - glowing with neon lights. Maybe like more advanced technology laying underwater, like ancient ships but maybe like futuristic looking ships. Alien spaceships you know like that kind of stuff maybe.
Speaker 1: Thanks! Let’s talk about artificial objects. It's a hybrid environment of the ancient ruins of Atlantis and combination of modern futuristic elements…
Speaker 2: futuristic artificial … like porcelain sculpture with neon light
1. Ancient Atlantis forest terrain and futuristic forest terrain
2. Ancient Atlantis and futuristic artificial objects for land:
3. Ancient Atlantis and futuristic artifacts/power ups to be collected by the user in the game
- Ancient and futuristic objects floating on the water surrounding Atlantis
1. Please state what you think each of these objects are.
Interviewee 1:
Volcano
Architectural pillar
Vines growing on pole
Danger sign
Trophy
Interviewee 2:
Volcano
Roman pillar
Concrete pillar with vines growing over it
Initially thought it was a PC monitor but then upon reflection decided it was an electronic billboard
Church cup/chalice
Interviewee 3:
Tree stump
Pillar
Old column with vines (forest-y/jungle-y vibe to it)
Futuristic danger road sign
Chalice
2. What type of environment, situation or landscape would you expect to see these objects in? If they need further clarification provide an example. e.g. I would expect to see a shopping trolley in a major supermarket in a populated, civilised society.
Interviewee 1:
Volcano - Anywhere from the cold to tropics, particularly near water such as an island location. Anywhere but desert.
Architectural pillar - Ancient ruins (Greece, Rome)
Vines growing on pole - Garden environment, luscious greenery, overgrown area
Danger sign - Hazardous environments, natural disastrous, cracks in the road
Trophy - Representative of winning/achieving something
Interviewee 2:
Volcano - Some sort of island as they're known for volcanoes
Roman pillar - Ancient Greece or Rome
Concrete pillar with vines growing over it - Indiana Jones (Forest area, city that’s been deserted)
Electronic billboard - Billboard by the side of the road (place with civilisation); danger ahead
Church cup/chalice - In a religious setting, ancient treasure
Interviewee 3:
Tree stump - Burned down forest etc
Pillar - Ancient Greece/Rome
Old column with vines - South America, particularly the Amazon; a big temple; any overgrown environment
Futuristic danger road sign - Futurama type setting with flying cars etc
Chalice - Reminds him of Mario Kart; prize winning situations
3. Tell the user what the objects actually are. Based on what the objects actually are, do you have any changes or improvements you would make to them?
Interviewee 1 feedback:
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Geyser: Understands how this object is a geyser and thinks it just needs to be placed in the right environment.
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Chalice: Include gemstones to make it look more grand.
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Vines: Include leaves on vines to make it more immediately recognisable and more realistic.
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Billboard: Include chords or something technology-related to make it clear that it's a futuristic billboard.
Interviewee 2 feedback:
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Geyser: Understands how this object is a geyser and believes that with correct and comparative scaling, this misinterpretation would not be an issue.
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Chalice: Add some sort of decoration to the chalice so it looks more like treasure.
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Billboard: Maybe add an area for someone to walk along the billboard like in real life.
Interviewee 3 feedback:
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Chalice: Could maybe introduce more details, stones and/or ancient art to the chalice to give it a more ancient, treasure-y feel.
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Geyser: He clearly sees how the first image is actually a geyser now and thinks it would be more recognisable when in a game setting, surrounded by rocks with water and steam coming out of it.