Evaluating the evaluation tools

Evaluation tools specifically aimed at computer game design have been developed and adopted by the industry. Meanwhile, a recent game study by the authors of this article indicates that design choices with negative impact on player experience prevail in a number of games of both high and low rating. These results gave reason to question whether existing evaluation methods fully address all aspects of the gaming experience. The objective of the authors is to improve existing game evaluation tools, with a focus on game experience. The new evaluations tools – i.e. heuristics – will deal with problems such as Lack of Meaningful Play (LoMP), and False Affordance (FA). LoMP and FA are known issues in game research and Human Computer Interaction circles. These concepts need to be introduced into the area of game evaluations, since studies by the authors show that these problems are prevalent in games with low ratings.