Creating Game Experiences in Everyday Interfaces
Game design is a sibling discipline to software and Web design, but they’re siblings that grew up in different houses. They have much more in common than their perceived distinction typically suggests, and user experience practitioners can realize enormous benefit by exploiting the solutions that games have found to the real problems of design. This book will show you how.
John Ferrara has worked as a user experience practitioner since 1999 and began designing video games in 2001. His nutrition education game Fitter Critters was a top prizewinner in the 2010 Apps for Healthy Kids contest sponsored by Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign, and it is currently being tested in public elementary schools. In 2011 he co-founded Megazoid Games, which focuses on creating mobile, social, and educational player experiences.
John works as an information architect at Vanguard and has done significant work in the past for Unisys and GE. He holds a BA in Communication Arts from Hofstra University and an MA in Communication Studies from West Chester University. He gets really excited about things like search algorithms, human evolution, artificial intelligence, and independent films of the 1990s. He freely admits that he probably plays too many video games, but swears up and down that he’s got it under control and can stop at any time. He lives in the Philadelphia area with his beautiful wife and superhero daughter.
John is the author of Playful Design: Creating Game Experiences in Everyday Interfaces.
Read MoreFor UX designers eager to go beyond simple points and badges, it’s been hard to find resources that truly bridge the worlds of UX and game design. John Ferrara’s thorough, thoughtful, and practical book is just what we’ve been waiting for.
Jesse James Garrett, Author, The Elements of User Experience
The hype around games and gamification for learning, social change, and impact has hit warp speed. Playful Design is a brilliant beyond-the-hype book that truly sifts the gold from the dross. It is a must read for anyone interested not just in games, but in designing engaging and meaningful human experiences.
James Paul Gee, Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies, Arizona State University, Author of What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy
This book couldn’t be more timely: Playful Design delivers a concise introduction to the theory, experience, and design of games for nongame designers, blended with fresh personal takes. Trust John Ferrara to get you started building games for learning, persuasion, or real-world action in one small, handy volume.
Sebastian Deterding, designer and game researcher, coding conduct
John Ferrara cuts through the hype and provides a concise, practical, and insightful summary of issues every designer needs to consider in venturing into this challenging yet promising field.
Scot Osterweil, Creative Director, MIT Education Arcade
A central challenge in the field of UX is learning to adapt to the ever-changing world in which UX is practiced. One of the most important megatrends in the world is the increasing use of serious games to solve complex problems. John Ferrara’s book provides a useful reference to help UX designers expand their repertoire by learning the basics of game design and how to apply these skills to create engaging and compelling experiences.
Luke Hohmann, Founder and CEO, The Innovation Games® Company
What can the field of UX learn from game design? To answer this question, John Ferrara examines the underlying mechanics behind some familiar (and less familiar) games. But be prepared, you’ll come away with more than a few new tools and ideas added to your design toolbox!
Stephen P. Anderson, Author, Seductive Interaction Design
These common questions about video games and design and their short answers are taken from John Ferrara’s book Playful Design. You can find longer answers to each in your copy of the book, either printed or digital version.
The word “game” conjures up numerous meanings for people. We think of fun, of playing, of winning and losing; we think of competition. But we often miss the depth of discovery and reward that games provide. We don’t always recognize the high level of cognitive functionality that games can bring to the table. And, before this book, most of us haven’t paid attention to the variety of environments in which games can work serious mojo.
In this age of explosive information and the inevitable rise in architecting that information, John Ferrara’s theory that game design should be combined with user experience is not only creative but prescient. We’re seeing games move toward a social crescendo in so many areas—health, education, innovation, scenario planning—that the opportunity for the UX community is enormous. If a fundamental goal of user experience is to elevate human-computer interaction, what better way to up-level that interaction than by infusing games? Because make no mistake: games have a long and profound relationship with human beings. They appeal to our fundamental need to surprise and be surprised, to learn and teach, to discover and connect, to analyze and intuit.
But to echo the author’s perspective, it behooves UX designers to distinguish between trendy gamification—really all lipstick and no sex—and robust, compelling game design that ignites our systems of pleasure. Points and “Likes” are a decent first step, but feedback loops and small, surmountable obstacles are better. Make the user experience “seductive” (to borrow an expression from Kathy Sierra). Design it so it talks to and tickles human psychology. Think of the value intrinsic in a worthwhile transaction and leverage what lies beneath. That’s where your design can inspire loyalty, evangelism, and excitement. That’s where you can create an “epic win” for everyone.
The UX field has made ongoing and significant improvements in the way users navigate online space, and it’s only a matter of time before it starts to show a prowess in game space. What an exciting time for all of us! So go forth, apply the knowledge of game design John offers, and play with all your might.
—Sunni Brown
Expert meeting gamer and coauthor of Gamestorming
I owe enormous thanks to my publisher, Lou Rosenfeld, not only for championing this book but also for the tremendous support he’s provided to me over the years. He’s been an inspiring force in my life, and his belief in me has made all the difference in who I am today.
A lot of people have generously lent their expertise and viewpoints to this book, and I sincerely hope that I’ve managed to cite all of them here. Ian Bogost, Jim Gee, Stone Librande, Jamie Madigan, and Jesse Schell not only contributed the sidebars in this book, but were kind enough to give personal guidance and review chapters as they were in progress.
My wonderful editor was JoAnn Simony, and the technical reviewers were Stephen Anderson, Mathias Crawford, and Nathan Verrill. This is a much better book as a result of their careful attention and thoughtful input. Other people who made critical contributions of time and expertise include Mike Ambinder of Valve Software; Nate Bolt of Bolt|Peters; Luis Von Ahn of Carnegie Mellon; Seth Cooper of Foldit; Dennis Crowley of Foursquare; Scott Rigby of Immersyve; Jason Haas, Eric Klopfer, and Scot Osterweil of MIT’s Education Arcade; Anna Johnson and Sooin Lee of Project Injini; Richard Marks and Eric Matthews of Sony Computer Entertainment; and Seann Dikkers and Ben Shapiro from the University of Wisconsin. Additional reviews were provided by Catriona Cornett, Jim Kalbach, Julie Price, and Kyle Soucy. Thank you all so much for your help!
People who made pertinent impacts in my professional life include David Wright, who first provided a platform for me to start designing games; Todd Horning, Rob Patey, and Mike Rosario, with whom I collaborated on those projects; Richard Dalton and Gina Puzo, who pushed me hard to start talking about games; and James “Chip” Chiponis, Andrew Karetas, and Bri Lance, who each made a leap of faith to pursue game projects with me. I sincerely hope that I’ve lived up to the confidence they’ve all invested in me.
I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t thank my parents, Margie and Charlie, who have made so many sacrifices on my behalf and to whom I can never be sufficiently grateful, and my siblings Steve, Chris, and Cath. You are each, in your own way, a part of this book.
I opened the book with a dedication to my wife Amanda, and I must close with a note of gratitude to her. She’s put up with so much over the course of this project, above and beyond what could ever be reasonably asked. I will always be thankful for the support she has given me, not only during this period, but throughout our time together.
—John Ferrara, Philadelphia, April 2012
