Design

Gaming, HCI, Psychology, Usability

The What, Why and How of User Personas


One of the few proven ways to be successful in any business is to understand your customer’s needs and deliver quality products or services that satisfy those needs in the best way possible. Yes, it does sound too bookish but the truth is knowing your end user is the kernel of a customer-oriented business model.

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Gaming, HCI, Psychology, Serious Games, Simulations, Usability

Study Reveals Real Reason Behind Gaming Aggression


A new study has revealed that gamers are more likely to experience feelings of aggression from playing a game when it is too difficult or when the controls are too complicated to master. In comparison, the research found there was “little difference” in levels of aggression when the games themselves depicted violence. Overwhelmingly, the deciding

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Gaming, HCI, Psychology, Serious Games

This Video Game Knows When You’re Scared–And Gets Scarier


The director behind the innovative video game Nevermind tells us why biofeedback is the new frontier in gaming. In the future, horror games will know when you’re scared. And then they’ll get scarier. Proof: the currently-in-development horror-adventure game Nevermind, which just launched a Kickstarter campaign last week. The game pairs classic first-person exploration with biofeedback

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Gaming, Usability

A Football Fan’s Take on the Xbox One


If you love the PS4 and can’t stand Xbox stuff, enjoy your romance. While I will make some references to both machines, it is not meant to be derogatory but informative. BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) – The Xbox One is a great machine with a ton of potential. It will eventually realize said potential

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Gaming, HCI, Psychology, Simulations, Usability

From Myst to GTA V: Rockstar Nails the Branching Narrative


What stands out about the latest release in the Grand Theft Auto series is the overwhelming size of the game’s map and storyline. However, after playing the game for a while, it becomes apparent that Rockstar Games has done an excellent job at balancing the game by utilizing multiple characters to provide just enough open-endedness

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Gaming, HCI, Psychology, Serious Games, Simulations, Usability

Crossing the UI Rift with Oculus


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Virtual reality opens the doors to a new era for user interface design. Oculus VR speaks to Develop about its opportunities Virtual reality doesn’t present user interface design with its first opportunity for transformation. The dawn of 3D long ago afforded games makers the prospect of moving beyond flat heads-up-displays and conventional menus. And when

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Gaming, HCI, Usability

Xbox One and PS4 Are Filled with Missed Opportunities


Before we knew anything about the PS4 and Xbox One, our imaginations ran wild. When they were just ideas, the next-gen consoles held unlimited possibilities for every gamer. Of course, all of those hopes came crashing down when the infinite possibilities collapsed down into two actual real-life products. The PS4 won’t be shipping with a

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Gaming, HCI, Usability

Xbox One: The Wobbly Third Leg of Microsoft’s Non-Desktop Trifecta


With the complete hardware, services, and pricing unveiled for the Xbox One at E3, we now have the totality of Microsoft’s “next-generation” consumer-oriented lineup: Windows 8 on the desktop, laptop, and tablet, Windows Phone 8 on the smartphone, and Xbox One in the living room. On paper, this trifecta, seamlessly connected via Microsoft Account, SkyDrive, and Xbox Live,

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Gaming, HCI, Serious Games, Simulations, Usability

The Future of Gaming – It May All Be in Your Head


Gaming as a hobby evokes images of lethargic teenagers huddled over their controllers, submerged in their couch surrounded by candy bar wrappers. This image should soon hit the reset button since a more exciting version of gaming is coming. It’s called neurogaming, and it’s riding on the heels of some exponential technologies that are converging

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