This study was conducted by Lou BUTTARD and myself from September 2023 to September 2024. We successfully defended it on September 17th 2024 and passed with a 18.9/20 (GPA 4.0/4.0). This study aims at understanding how UX design can use principles of psychology to better understand the gamer's brain and enhance its gaming experience.
Enhancing User Experience in Video Games: Integrating Psychological Principles for Optimal Engagement.
How can the video games industry use the principles of psychology to improve the UX of its products to reach optimal engagement?
Offer practical advice for game designers, developers, and managers in the gaming industry.
Provide actionable insights to improve player engagement, retention and loyalty.
Give gaming companies a competitive advantage in a fast-evolving market.
My master thesis in a nutshell
For the research section, we used a mixed-method approach. First, we designed a questionnaire to gather players' insights, using a quantitative methodology. We based it on our learnings from the existent literature. Then, we decided to approach professionals through qualitative guided interviews. Our goal was to collect their thoughts on the insights revealed by the quantitative research.
After the analysis of all the results, we came up with the following insights:
Personas are the main UX tool in game design: they help reduce biases and enhance inclusivity in game design.
The immersion in a game results from balanced sound, design and narrative, despite some personal preferences.
In game design, frustration is a trigger, not a disruptor. A game design must be frustrating.
The player should be in control of their choices: characters should reflect or contrast players' identities. To achieve it, designers should rely on their personas.
Contrasting what they said, players prefer small and regular updates over big and drastic changes.
UX Research should be more important in daily work. We believe that conducting more efficient User Research will strengthen trust with the players.
