Livre sur la UX des jeux vidéos
The Psychology of Video Games
Highlights
Introduction
When you experience a game (or anything else), it all happens in your mind
Introduction
Understanding the rules, learning how to master the game, cooperating or competing with other players, overcoming challenges, feeling the thrill of winning, or dealing with the frustration of losing – it all happens in the brain
Introduction
This is why understanding mental processes overall is a great starting point to grasp what makes a good game.
Introduction
Chapter 1 gives a quick overview of how the brain processes information – including when we play a video game – and its main limitations. We tackle perception, memory, attention, motivation, and emotion. This should provide the base knowledge needed before we can talk about “game user experience”
Introduction
the UX mindset is about not only ensuring players won’t have any difficulty interacting with the game and understanding how it works but also that the game will be fun and engaging. When all the stars align, a usable and engaging game is released, and its audience can then enjoy it.
1 Our brains on video games
Whatever you do in life, whether it is playing a video game, watching a movie, listening to a conversation, working, or reading this book, the experience happens in your mind. The term “mind” refers to our mental processes, such as attention and memory, which are a product of the brain (and the body). Therefore, we first need to consider how the brain works to understand the psychology of what makes games fun. There are some subtle differences between the mind and the brain, but since that is not the topic of this book, I will simplify and use the terms “brain” and “mind” interchangeably here
1 Our brains on video games
Yes, it means that playing video games is “rewiring”
your brain but so is anything you do in life, even reading these lines.
And that’s because the brain is not hardwired in the first place; it’s malleable and will adjust depending on our perception and interaction with our ever-changing environment. This “brain plasticity” is what allows us to adapt and survive.
1 Our brains on video games
First and foremost, our level of attention has a considerable impact on the quality of information processing and therefore the quality of learning.
1 Our brains on video games
For instance, if it’s difficult for you to pay attention to what a speaker is saying at a conference because a coworker is pinging you about some urgent matter, you won’t learn about the content covered by the speaker as efficiently as you would if you were giving the speaker your full and undivided attention.
1 Our brains on video games
Attention is, in turn, affected by our motivation and our emotion. Other factors are impacting information processing, but we will focus on the ones aforementioned.
1 Our brains on video games
the brain is not a computer. We use a lot of terms originating from computers simply because they are familiar and help us comprehend how the brain works. In reality, the brain is a living organ that is too complex for us to understand precisely.