Dark Patterns!

A dark pattern is “a type of user interface that has been carefully crafted to trick users into doing things against their best interest” (Brignull, 2010). It is set in place to use human psychology into tricking people to using real money to purchase something or to create a recurring bill for the user. If a game has a dark pattern it does not mean it’s a bad game, it means that the creator designed a game that influences players to use real money to either create an advantage for themself or continuing the story. Bad games are things with reoccurring errors, lazy programming and all-around bad gameplay, graphics and any other aspect of the game.

Figure 1 - Creating Dark Patterns

So why do designers create these dark patterns, why would they join the “dark side” and intentionally create scenarios where players need to pay money to play a game? The answer is based on a receipt of a few things. The creator needs to be in an aggressive environment, they need to be in competition and they would need to create higher profit from the game. There would have to be a huge emphasis on metrics and it would also need social proof, people would need to accept that what they are doing is adequate for them. Another factor a designer needs to take a look at is creating an easy in and difficult out situation. This is where it is easy to get into the paying option but very difficult to get out of the payment option. An example of this is allowing people to pay for a service for life and say that you have 24 hour customer service but when the customer wants to opt out they must instead call an insurance company. So instead of 24 hour service the customer would get Monday – Friday from 8am to 4pm. This is a great way to make people stay on the program because if a person calls on a Friday night they must wait at least 2 full days before they can call again, this might encourage them to give up or forget about discontinuing the services. 

Figure 2 - 24 Hour Service does not always mean around the clock help!

If a designer wanted to create a dark pattern he/she would have to consider player expectations. Players will not pay for something they do not care about. The designer must first create an appeal that attracts a large target audience. Then they must create a hook, something that continuously draws players back to continue to play. Once these factors are acknowledged by the player the dark pattern can be instituted and players are forced into paying for something because they are already committed to the game. 

Figure 3 - Expectations

Game designers must also take into consideration what types of experiences the player will receive from the game. Dark patterns are usually seen in social games, this is because player experience is linked with other people, such as friends and family. If their friends are purchasing stuff to make their social game better than yours, then you would have to purchase things in order to keep up. The game becomes more of a competition and players do not even realize that they are caught in a dark pattern.

Figure 4 - Social Games

Questions to Consider

Should video game designers have a set of code of ethics?

What would make you play a game that makes pay to play?

References

http://darkpatterns.org/

Figure 1 - http://d.alistapart.com/_made/d/ALA338_darkpatterns_300_960_407_60.jpg

Figure 2 -  http://www.norwoodcanada.com/images/pages/about_24_hour/24_hour_logo_big.png

Figure 3 - https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQdV-Yz68qQ9YpnyJp40BM81nyG86rbnp4_SbHj0tEDbdIQVcBPnw

Figure 4 - http://www.insidesocialgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Social-City.jpg

Interaction Devices

In the past we had basic experiences, back in the day games were limited to either side-scrolling or top-down interactions.

Perceived affordances – perceived properties of the object that suggests how one could use it. On a controller the gamepad is elevated so that players know they are press able and triggers on the back so players perceive it to flick it with their finger. The joystick is used to rotate, it controls direction. There are a lot of moving and timing in games. Back in the day when Nintendo was out, their control was very boring. It had four direction buttons and two action buttons. It was an inexpensive way to produce a controller, now controllers cost $60. Nintendo later came out with a gun type controller. It created the trigger button. It changed the display and it increased the frames, it was faster than the eye could detect. Now buttons aren’t buttons anymore they are a rich set of interactions. There are many buttons with triggers (face and directional), there is also dual analog sticks that are used for three dimensional play (it dictates the camera modes).        

Figure 1 - PS3 Controller with Keypad

Interactions with controllers allows for players to feel more immersed inside the game. Analog gives reasonable mapping to 3D environments. There are many buttons and this allows for different timing tasks. There are also special or mode switch actions on the face buttons. When a player plays video games with a controller it is found that when the game gets harder the player exerts more pressure on the buttons. When I play Mario Kart Wii with friends I find that I tend to press the buttons very hard when it is the last lap and I need to catch up. Game designers can use this information to create a new controller that is sensitive to button pressure. If a player wants to run faster he/she would have to press the button harder. This gives players more of an in-depth feel to the game. If a player wants something he/she will have to work harder for it. 

Figure 2 - People aggressively playing the Wii

 

Each controller has different affordances. A keyboard is for typing, a mouse is used for targeting, and the gamepad is used for combos. Buttons are also used for rhythmic games, but when playing a game like Guitar Hero a game designer needs to take into factor affordance vs. suspension of disbelief. Sometimes a player rather feels more in the game than achieving the best score. A player could use a controller to beat the game efficiently but sometimes they rather use a controller that feels more realistic so that they are immersed into the game (Guitar Hero, Mario Kart Wii Wheel, and Gran Turismo Wheel).

Figure 3 - Gran Turismo 5 Wheel

The Xbox 360 Kinect is a gaming controller. It allows for the actual gamer to become the controller. There would be a lost affordance as the player would have to figure what each thing does. However there would be affordances as well because it’ll feel like doing something in reality. An example of this is if you are playing a fighting game a player would know how to punch and kick but they are used to creating combos from the gamepad. The PS3 also uses the player’s motion; it deals with accelerometer, gyros and compass. It has a balance though because it has motion but it also has standard buttons that players are used to. 

Figure 4 - PS3 Move Controller

Questions to Consider

What types of input devices will come from the new generation of consoles?

Will the Wii controller be an inspiration to new devices or will it be a fresh look and feel?

Is it possible to have gesture recognition in gaming consoles/controllers?

References

Figure 1 -  http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/ps3-keypad-1.jpg

Figure 2 - http://paranerds.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/nintendo-wii.jpg

Figure 3 - http://ps3.mmgn.com/Lib/Images/Articles/Normal/Gran-Turismo-5-Racing-wheels-comparison-1061484.jpg

Figure 4 - http://www.nintendoeverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/playstation_move.jpg

Direct Manipulation

Direct manipulation “describes interactive systems where the user physically interacts with their operating system” (Golbeck, 2002). Direct manipulation deals with continuous object representation, actions and feedback such as rapid, reversible and incremental and actions based on real-world interactions. A person wants to have a positive experience with the system and once the person understands it they want to show it off to novices and teach them about it. 

Direct Manipulation seen in Minority Report

If we look at the history of direct manipulation we can see that word processors were at the beginning. They were command line-based, a person would have to teach people how to start a document and use it. Commands such as how to open a document and close a document were things you would have to teach a person. Even today a person needs to put markup commands to explain how to use these types of programs, such as HTML 5. Now word processors are display-based. 

A WYSIWYG word processor is what you see is what you get type of word processor. “A WYSIWYG application is one that enables you to see on the display screen exactly what will appear when the document is printed. This differs, for example, from word processors that are incapable of displaying different fonts and graphics on the display screen even though the formatting codes have been inserted into the file” (Webopedia, 2013). The advances of WYSIWYG word processors are displaying a full page of text, show cursor action, control cursor motion through physically obvious and intuitively natural means, use of labeled icons for actions (to help users find things quicker), display of the results of an action immediately, provide rapid respond then display and offer easily reversible actions. These advances allow users to use word processors much easier and the learning curve is shorter because of them. Images that users recognize are used so that they do not need to recall things from their memory, they can use recognition so that it is easier and faster to use the processor.

Figure 2 - Direct Manipulation Comic Strip

Spatial data-managements systems allows for a better model of reality. Successful systems are dependent on choosing appropriate icons (use icons that players are familiar with, don’t use a red cross for the damage icon – use it for health because everyone already connects red crosses with health), graphical representations (don’t use a chest as a death item, use it to represent treasure) and natural and comprehensible data layouts (make everything on the screen make sense). 

There are three principles of direct manipulation. 

1.       Continuous representations of the objects and actions of interest with meaningful visual metaphors

2.       Physical actions or presses of labeled buttons, instead of complex syntax

3.       Rapid, incremental, reversible actions whose effects on the objects of interest are visible immediately

There are problems with direction manipulation. Spatial or visual representations can be too spread out (a user cannot focus on everything because they are all over the screen), high-level flowcharts and database-schema can become confusing (too much detailed information is present and can make the user become disarrayed), design may force valuable information off the screen, users must learn the graphical representations, visual representation may be misleading and typing commands with the keyboard may be faster. 

Direct manipulation is also evident in video games. When a person is ready to play a game he/she must pick up a controller and learn how to use the interface in a short period of time. “With only a small amount of training, users pick up controllers with buttons and knobs that generally map very well to the way the character is moving in physical space” (Golbeck, 2002). Video game systems such as Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox use direct manipulation. The field of action that is evident in games are captivating and visual; this allows the player to understand the distance around them in the gaming environment and compels them to learn how to interact with the system. The commands that players use are physical actions whose results are immediately shown on the screen. Most games continuously display a score showing how the user is doing in the game. It forces the player to understand how to do better in the game, if your score is low you need to learn the controls better and if your score is high you understand the system and your performance is good. Spore is a good example because it shows everything on the screen. There is enough space to understand everything, players need to adapt quickly to the changing environment and the updates are displayed for the user to understand the game. Users can also create their creature with a click of a button, players can stretch and form their creature into whatever they desire by dragging their mouse and move it using physical actions. The menu systems are also very easy to use and a player can learn it very effectively and efficiently. 

Figure 3 - Spore Creature Creation

 

Questions to Consider

When the new generation of gaming consoles come out how will it affect direct manipulation?

If I was to design a completed game using only augmented reality would a player learn how to use it faster than if it was a regular game on the PlayStation 3 using a basic controller?

If there were visual representation in a game that were misleading would players stop playing the game or would they take the extra time to learn these representations. And if they do learn them how will it affect their recognition memory? (will it replace or take over the images they use to associate them with?)

References

Golbeck, Jennifer . " Direct Manipulation." Department of Computer Science. N.p., 26 Oct. 2002. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. <http://www.cs.umd.edu/class/fall2002/cmsc838s/tichi/dirman.html>.

"What is WYSIWYG? - A Word Definition From the Webopedia Computer Dictionary." Webopedia: Online Computer Dictionary for Computer and Internet Terms and Definitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. <http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/WYSIWYG.html>. 

Images

Figure 1 - http://www.blastam.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/minority-report.jpg

Figure 2 - http://blog.lib.umn.edu/torre107/si/pics/superficialintelligence12.jpg

Figure 3 -  http://gamingprecision.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/spore-creature-creator.jpg

Game User Research Presentation

Last week I had the privilege of listening to Daniel Natapov, the User Research PM from Ubisoft Toronto. Mr. Natapov specifically deals with how players relate to the game and different evaluations of game user research. He discussed different types of methods he uses in his daily work environment, his previous work experience, what types of user research methods he uses and which ones he never dealt with. He also discussed problems that occur during the research stage, what game he is currently working on, some facts that people do not expect in his line of work and tips for going into the working environment. Overall, he was very helpful guest speaker and I learned a lot from his words.

There are eight game user research methods that a person can look at when trying to determine how game players interact with the game. Behavioural observation allows a person to watch somebody play the game while you take notes; it determines what happened but not how or why. When conducting a behavioural observation a person must design a scenario to be play tested, write a script for the user researcher, think about what behaviours to expect, test the script in pilot run-through, define the target demographic, run the play testing session, end the session and finally schedule breaks so that the test subjects do not become tired or become fatigued. Think-aloud protocol is when players describe their actions as they play, the observer does not prompt or correct them while they play the game. Whatever the player says is recorded and then replayed at a later time to be analyzed. Interviews are usually structured and they validate the playtest goals, usually the game tester will play the game and the interviewer would ask questions that revolve around what they need to determine. Heuristic evaluation is using a game user research expert to play a game and evaluate it. This allows for an expert critique and it is similar to a game review. Focus groups are groups of players that are gathered into a large group and they discuss their opinions, beliefs and attitudes amongst themselves with a moderator to instigate discussion. This is an easy and fast way to receive feedback. Questionnaires are a set amount of questions the player must answer either before and/or after they have played the game. It determines the average of the entire group; however, it is less personal and can lead to misleading statistics. Gameplay metrics uses data about the behaviour of players in game environments. It takes game data such as player movement, firing weapons and interface interaction and determines whether or not a player is comfortable with their in game surroundings. 

Figure 1 - Focus Group being conducted

 

Daniel Natapov has used many of these research methods however he finds that focus groups are a good method because it is an inexpensive and fast way to collect data. Daniel depicted that when creating a focus group area it must be very open so that when the game testers arrive they do not feel uncomfortable. Also the moderator must be very relaxed and tell them not to be agitated, the moderator must make them feel like it is a safe place where they can share their opinions without feeling embarrassed. He also had some experience with think-aloud protocol, he stated that it is useful when a player is playing a game without distraction; it allows them to feel more intertwined with the game environment. Something I found really interesting was that he never really looked at heuristics while evaluating his games; he said that because there are no standard heuristics a person could say it is not reputable and thus, not worth analyzing. 

Figure 2 - Splinter Cell Blacklist

Daniel Natapov has been recently been working on Splinter Cell Blacklist. He could not speak too much about it but he said that he has done much research on the game attributes such as in game bugs and colour schemes in the game. One thing that really stood out was that art and other assets are constantly changing during focus group research, it’s not always the actual code errors. I always thought that when game testers were playing the game their only focal point was bugs in the game not how aesthetically pleasing it looked. 

Figure 3 - First Impressions Matter

Some interesting facts that he discussed during his presentation was that some problems that occur during the research time is unrelated to the people that are playing the game. One major factor was that the game was unable to run due to programming issues, this meant that he could not even run the game for people to discuss it. He also stated that game user research analysts have to be able to identify information quickly and process it into workable data. You must be able to interoperate what the focus group says and use it to benefit the game. Mr. Natapov worked for Microsoft before coming to Ubisoft and one thing he found very different is that working at Microsoft meant having a larger group of people to analyze things together. At Ubisoft it is a smaller group so there are less people to critique the data. In larger groups there are more experts, this allows more ideas to be formulated and it creates less of a bias opinion. 

Tips to Consider

Before leaving Daniel Natapov gave some tips for transitioning from school to the working world. He said to always wear a suit to your interview because first impressions do count and you must have very good social skills. During the interview or while talking to a game developer outside of work, you must always be seen as a sociable person that can get the job done.

Questions to Consider?

A question I would like to ask Daniel is how he became a GUR expert? And was it something he wanted to do right from the start?

What GUR method is best when looking at a fighter game versus a JRPG, what makes them different?

How could I make my focus group moderators less bias, could I use heuristics as a base to create some type of standard?

References

Figure 1 - http://newyorknatives.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/focus-group-on-students-mobility221.jpg

Figure 2 - http://media-a.shopto.net/ShopToMedia/images/screenshots/XB2TO42/A.jpg

Figure 3 - http://educationismylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Good_first_impression-412x360.jpg