A Game Development Process: From Design Stages to Playability and Usability Analysis

Abstract

With the advancement of emerging technologies, digital gaming has garnered increasing scholarly and practical interest. The processes of designing and evaluating the games remain a significant area of inquiry. This study focuses on two main aspects: formulating a novel game design and assessing its functionality in terms of playability and usability features. In the initial phase, the study introduces the design process of a newly developed real-time strategy puzzle game, giving the game’s core components such as purposes, characters, interface, rules, and winning criteria structured within a design document. Additional elements, such as physics, audio, AI behaviour, narrative flow, level structuring, difficulty tuning, and balance mechanisms, are also addressed. Techniques for troubleshooting and conducting prototype tests are proposed. In the second phase, the assessments of seven participants are conducted using the Heuristic Evaluation for Playability (HEP) method. Various game dimensions are examined, including gameplay, story, mechanics and usability. The outcomes are analyzed, offering insights into how design decisions influence playability, user experience and engagement. Based on these findings, recommendations are made to guide future development efforts in similar digital playing experiences.

Keywords

• Game design
• Game development process
• User testing
• Usability
• Heuristic Evaluation for Playability (HEP)

Tasarım Aşamalarından Oynanabilirlik ve Kullanılabilirlik Analizine Uzanan Bir Oyun Geliştirme Süreci

Abstract

Gelişen teknolojiyle birlikte, dijital oyunlar akademik ve pratik alanda giderek artan bir ilgi görmektedir. Oyunları tasarlama ve değerlendirme süreçleri önemli bir araştırma alanı olmaya devam etmektedir. Bu çalışma iki ana konuya odaklanmaktadır: yeni bir oyun tasarımı formüle etmek ve oynanabilirlik ve kullanılabilirlik özellikleri açısından işlevselliğini değerlendirmek. İlk aşamada, çalışma yeni geliştirilen gerçek zamanlı bir strateji bulmaca oyunu örneği üzerinden tasarım sürecini tanıtmakta ve oyunun amaçları, karakterleri, arayüzü, kuralları ve kazanma kriterleri gibi temel bileşenlerini bir tasarım belgesi içinde yapılandırmaktadır. Aynı zamanda, fizik, ses, yapay zeka davranışı, hikaye anlatımı, seviye yapılandırması, zorluk ayarı ve denge mekanizmaları gibi ek unsurlar da ele alınmaktadır. Oyun sırasında kullanıcıların karşılaşabileceği sorunları gidermek için prototip testleri yürütme teknikleri önerilmektedir. İkinci aşamada, yedi katılımcının değerlendirmeleri Oynanabilirlik için Sezgisel Değerlendirme (Heuristic Evaluation for Playability-HEP) yöntemi kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmektedir. Oynanış, hikaye, mekanik ve kullanılabilirlik öğeleri dahil olmak üzere çeşitli oyun boyutları incelenmektedir. Sonuçlar, tasarım kararlarının oynanabilirliği, kullanıcı deneyimini ve katılımı nasıl etkilediğine dair içgörüler sunmaktadır. Bu bulgulara dayanarak, benzer dijital oyun deneyimlerinde gelecekte yapılacak geliştirme çalışmalarına rehberlik edecek önerilerde bulunulmaktadır.

Keywords

• Oyun tasarımı
• Oyun geliştirme süreci
• Kullanıcı testi
• Kullanılabilirlik
• Oynanabilirlik için Sezgisel Değerlendirme

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