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Scientific Clues to Better Game Design?

Posted by Hsing Wei on 08-04-08

Aside from play testing, how else can game developers identify areas and methods to improve their game’s design? One nonprofit, HopeLab, is going about it scientifically.

A study published this month in Pediatrics shares the outcome of a 375 patient study on the impact of Hopelab game Re-Mission. The clinical trial showed that Re-Mission players were slightly more likely to take all of their prescribed antibiotics than the control group and also had slightly improved scores in knowledge about cancer. The intervention did not affect self-reported measures of adherence, stress, control, or quality of life. “That suggests that the game didn’t change the way patients see themselves and the world, or make them feel more responsible for their health, said Abraham Bartell, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.” Not 100 percent affirming for the many organizations developing games for change that seek to make a shift in beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors on societal issues, but useful to better understand.

HopeLab is looking at the results of such studies for clues to a “scientific recipe” that game developers can use to change behavior and improve game design. They are even using functional MRIs to analyze which parts of the brain are activated during game play (preliminary results expected later in 2008).

More coverage here.

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