Research, Publications, and Interviews

If you would like to contact Microsoft Game Studios' user research group for information regarding the group, its research efforts, or to request a print version of any publication, please contact gur@microsoft.com.

2010

Phillips, B. (2010). Peering into the Black Box of Player Behavior: The Player Experience Panel at Microsoft Game Studios, GDC 2010

Pagulayan, R., Keeker, K., Fuller, T., Wixon, D., Romero, R., & Gunn, D. (in press). User-centered design in games. In J. Jacko, & A. Sears (Eds), Handbook for Human-Computer Interaction in Interactive Systems: Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies and Emerging Applications (3rd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: CRC Press.

Hopson, J. (2010). Better Games Through Better Understanding. Presented at the Foundations of Digital Games Conference, Monterey, CA, June 2010.

2009

Phillips, B. (2009). Staying Power, Game Developer Magazine (June) and online at Gamasutra.com

Hopson, J. (2010). Halo in the Laboratory. Presented at the Game Developer’s Conference, Austin TX, September 2009.

Playtest Labs : Get your gaming voice heard, by Laura Foy. Online Channel 9 Video. (Featuring T. Nichols)

2008

Amaya, G., Davis, J., Gunn, D., Harrison, C., Pagulayan, R., Phillips, B., & Wixon, D. (2008). Games User Research (GUR): Our Experience with and Evolution of Four Methods. In K. Isbister, & N. Schaffer, Game Usability: Advice from the experts for advancing the player experience (pp. 35-64). Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.

Kim, J., Gunn, D., Schuh, E., Phillips, B., Pagulayan, R., & Wixon, D. (2008). Tracking Real-Time User Experience (TRUE): A comprehensive instrumentation solution for complex systems. Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems. Florence, Italy.

Schuh, E., Gunn, D., Phillips, B., Pagulayan, R., Kim, J., & Wixon, D. (2008). TRUE Instrumentation: Tracking Real-Time User Experience in Games. In K. Isbister, & N. Schaffer, Game Usability: Advice from the experts for advancing the player experience (pp. 237-265). Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.

Romero, R. (2008). Successful Instrumentation: Tracking Attitudes and Behviors to Improve Games. Presented at the Game Developer's Conference, San Jose CA, February 2008.

2007

Halo 3: How Microsoft Labs Invented a New Science of Play, by Thompson. Wired Magazine. (Featuring R. Pagulayan)

Harrison, C. (2007). Using Technology to Autmate Summative Usability Testing. In C. Righi & J. James, User-Centered Design Stories: Real-World UCD Case Studies. Morgan Kaufman.

2006

Goebel, K. Harrison, C. Moreno, K. Nakata, H. Romero, R., & Sellar, T., (2007). Do-It-Yourself Usability: How to Use User research to Improve your Game. Presented at the Game Developer's Conference, San Jose CA, March 2006.

Here’s Entertainment!, by D. Wixon. Interactions: New Visions of Human-Computer Interaction. (Reoccurring forum edited and or written by former MGS User Research Manager Dennis Wixon)

The Perception Engineers, by Spanner. The Escapist Magazine. (Featuring D. Gunn and T. Nichols)

We're Not Listening: An Open Letter to Academic Game Researchers,by J. Hopson. Gamasutra.com

K. Isbisteer (2006). Better Game Characters by Design: A Psychological Approach. (Interview with R. Pagulayan). Morgan Kaufmann.

Nunes-Ueno, M., Davis, J., Goebel, K., Quiroz, D., Hove, P., Harrison, C., Sellar, T., & Hopson, J. (2006). Do-It-Yourself Usability: How to Use User Research to Improve your Game. Presented at the Game Developer’s Conference, San Jose CA, March 2006.

Pagulayan, R., Gunn, D., & Romero, R. (2006). A Gameplay-Centered Design Framework for Human Factors in Games. In W. Karwowski (ed.) 2nd Edition of International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors, London: Taylor & Francis.

Pagulayan, R., Keeker, K., Fuller, T., Wixon, D., & Romero, R. (2006) User-centered design in games (revision). In J. Jacko and A. Sears (Eds.), Handbook for Human-Computer Interaction in Interactive Systems. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Pagulayan, R., and Keeker, K. (2006). Measuring Pleasure and Fun: Playtesting. In C. Wilson, Handbook of Formal and Informal Interaction Design Methods. Morgan Kaufmann.

2005

Back to School, by D. Beltramo. Interactions: New Visions of Human-Computer Interaction, Vol. 12.5, October. (Featuring C. Harrison)

Game On by C. Keall. Unlimited Magazine, 73, July (Featuring T. Sellar)

Davis, J., Steury, K., & Pagulayan, R. A survey method for assessing perceptions of a game: The consumer playtest in game design. Game Studies: the International Journal of Computer Game Research. Vol. 5, issue1, 10/2005

Medlock, M.C., b, D. McGee, M, Welsh, D. (in press). The Rapid Iterative Test and Evaluation Method: Better Products in Less Time. Cost Justifying Usability 2, edited by R. Bias & D. Mayhew.

Nunes-Ueno, M., Davis, J., Goebel, K., Burdick, M., Quiroz, D., & Gunn, D. (2005). Do-It-Yourself Usability: How to Use User Research to Improve your Game. Presented at the Game Developer’s Conference, San Jose CA, March 2005.

Romero, R., & Lorusso, T. (2005). Befuddlement in Action: Classic Usability Problems in Games and How to Avoid Them. Presented at the Game Developer’s Conference, San Jose CA, March 2005.

Wixon, D. (2005). Is ROI an Effective Approach for Persuading Decision Makers on the Value of User-Centered Design? Panel Discussion at Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2005).

2004

Fulton, B., & Romero, R. (2004). User-testing in a Hostile Environment: Overcoming Resistance and Apathy in your Game Company. Presented at the Game Developer’s Conference, San Jose CA, March 2004.

Gamboa, M., Kowalewski, R., & Roy, P. (2004). Playtesting Strategies. Presented at the Game Developer’s Conference, San Jose CA, March 2004.

Hopson, J. (2004). Behavioral Game Design. Presented at the Game Developer’s Conference, San Jose CA, March 2004.

Keeker, K., & Lazarro, N. (2004). What’s My Method? A Game Show on Games. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2004) (p. 1093-1094). Vienna, Austria, April 2004.

Keeker, K., Pagulayan, R., Sykes, J., & Lazarro, N. (2004). The Untapped World of Video Games. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2004) (p. 1610-1611). Vienna, Austria, April 2004.

Pagulayan, R., & Steury, K. (2004). Beyond Usability in Games. Interactions, 11, (5).pp. 70-71. New York, ACM Press.

2003

Fulton, B., & Fuller, T. (2003). HCI, Usability, and Computer Games. Presented at the Digital Games Research Conference 2003, November 2003 University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Fulton, B., & Medlock, M. (2003). Beyond Focus Groups: Getting More Useful Feedback from Consumers. Game Developer's Conference 2003 Proceedings, San Jose CA, March 2003.

Pagulayan, R. J., Keeker, K., Wixon, D., Romero, R., & Fuller, T. (2003). User-centered design in games. In J. Jacko and A. Sears (Eds.), Handbook for Human-Computer Interaction in Interactive Systems (pp. 883-906). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Pagulayan, R. J., Steury, K. R., Fulton, B., & Romero, R. L (2003). Designing for fun: User-testing case studies. In M. Blythe, K. Overbeeke, A. Monk, and P. Wright, (Eds.), Funology: From Usability to Enjoyment (pp. 137-150). Kluwer Academic Publishers.

2002

Fulton, B. (2002). Beyond Psychological Theory: Getting Data that Improve Games. Game Developer's Conference 2002 Proceedings, San Jose CA, March 2002. Reprinted on the front page of Gamasutra.com on May 21, 2002

Fulton, B (2002). Conversations from GDC Europe: Bill Fulton, Zeno Colaco, Harvey Smith Interview by John McLean-Foreman at Game Developer's Conference-Europe 2002, (London, UK), on the front page of Gamasutra.com on Sept 11, 20.02,

Medlock, M. C., Wixon, D., Terrano, M., Romero, R., Fulton, B. (2002). Using the RITE Method to improve products: a definition and a case study. Usability Professionals Association, Orlando FL July 2002