The course is focusing on teaching essential aspects of User Experience (UX) design and its psychological underpinnings in video game development. It emphasizes creating meaningful, intuitive, and engaging gaming experiences that align with player expectations while fostering long-term engagement and satisfaction.
The course delves into the relationship between UX, narrative, and psychology, demonstrating how these elements shape player perceptions and interactions. It covers key concepts such as understanding and exceeding player expectations, crafting game dynamics that enhance user experiences, and leveraging psychological insights to influence player behavior. Core modules explore player decision-making, emotional engagement, and the design of progression systems that encourage sustained play.
Further, the curriculum incorporates the practical application of psychology branches relevant to UX design, such as cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and social psychology. These insights are used to craft games that resonate with diverse audiences, offering immersive narratives, intuitive mechanics, and balanced emotional pacing.
Through hands-on exercises, the course enables participants to critically analyze video games, identify their UX strengths and weaknesses, and apply learned concepts to improve player engagement and satisfaction. By bridging theoretical knowledge with practical skills, the course prepares learners to create impactful games that effectively integrate user-centered design and psychological principles.
Bibliography:
Abbas, A. M. H., Ghauth, K. I., & Ting, C.-Y. (2022). User experience design using machine learning: A systematic review. IEEE Access, 10, 51501–51514. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3173289
Berni, A., & Borgianni, Y. (2021). From the definition of user experience to a framework to classify its applications in design. Proceedings of the Design Society, 1, 1627–1636. https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2021.424
Buildbox. (n.d.). The psychology of game design: How to keep players engaged. Buildbox. Retrieved from https://www.buildbox.com/the-psychology-of-game-design-how-to-keep-players-engaged/
Interaction Design Foundation. (n.d.). What is user experience (UX) design? Interaction Design Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ux-design#what_is_user_experience_( ux)_design?-0
Interaction Design Foundation. (n.d.). What is interaction design? Interaction Design Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/what-is-interaction-design
Luther, L., Tiberius, V., & Brem, A. (2020). User experience (UX) in business, management, and psychology: A bibliometric mapping of the current state of research. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 4(2), 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/mti4020018
RMCAD. (n.d.). The psychology of game art: How colors and design affect player behavior. Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. Retrieved from https://www.rmcad.edu/blog/the-psychology-of-game-art-how-colors-and-design-affect-play er-behavior/
Starloop Studios. (n.d.). The psychological perspective on game design. Starloop Studios. Retrieved from https://starloopstudios.com/psychological-perspective-in-game-design/
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Bartle taxonomy of player types. Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartle_taxonomy_of_player_types
