Methods for the Analysis of Motion-based Video Games

Salvador Garcia-Martinez, Leif Penzendorfer

As part of the Graphics, Animation, and New Media Network of Centres of Excellence (GRAND NCE), we are working in collaboration with researchers at York University to evaluate a set of methods that can be applied to the study of motion-based video games, including games for Microsoft’s Kinect, Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation Move. One of the methods we are investigating is an adapted form of participant-observation consisting of videotaped play sessions in which participants and researchers play games together in both cooperative and competitive modes. These sessions are bracketed by informal interviews and questionnaires designed to gather additional information about perceived gameplay experiences.