Top 10 Video Game Research Findings Wednesday, May 24, 2006

On the last day of the 2006 Game Developers Conference (GDC), there was a presentation of the top 10 video game research findings that will affect the future development of games. In short, these findings were:

• Players are more effective when they have control over the music in the game
• Voice chat in games must be implemented as an element of the game itself, otherwise it is just a distraction.
• Gestural controllers (e.g., the one for the Wii) are well-suited for translating the player's movement into his avatar's movement, but buttons are superior for representing complex actions
• Multi-user environments that encourage collaboration drive emotional stickiness. Players treat adversaries much like they do AI-driven opponents, even if they're controlled by a person.
• Accusations of cheating are driven more by perception of who people think might cheat rather than who actually does cheat.
• A shift in visual perspective should have an in-game meaning to maintain immersion
• Players want to communicate with one another in ways that are not currently supported in multi-user games
• Eye-tracking input devices enhance player enjoyment as long as they fulfill useful, game-related functions
• Facial animations that express emotion, not just speech, are more engaging
• Players are more engaged when they are actively failing than when they are succeeding

That last one makes sense when you think about it. I spend the most time playing games that I fail repeatedly at but still find fun to play. Don't you?

You can download the PDF from AvantGames or read an article from Gamasutra summarizing the findings.