Does Our User Group Needs a Safe State Feature? - UQdeco2800/2022-studio-1 GitHub Wiki

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• Save State Design Introduction
• Primary User Group
• Justification for existence <--You're Here
• User test to identify location
• Save State Design – Welcome Screen
• Save State Design Gameplay screen
  • Sprint 1 Design Gameplay screen
  • Sprint 2 Design Gameplay screen
• Final Design Style
• User testing session - final design
• Appendix
  • User Test – Save State Location
  • Sprint 1 Save State Design Gameplay screen
  • Sprint 2 Survey Save Game Icon Design
  • Sprint 2 Survey Load Game Icon Design
  • Insights from Final User Testing Session

As mentioned in the sprint description ticket the idea to implement a Safe State functionality was derived from the ambition to help players enjoy the game so that they would be able to stop playing at any time and continue only when they require. However, is it necessary to implement such functionality considering that the entire game consists of 4 levels and a 10-minute gameplay? To answer this question, we referred to the target audience and persona profile description. There are two main reasons why the Safe State feature is important in the game.

First, the option to Save or Load the game stems from our target audience short- and long-term needs.

• Short term needs refer to the pause and continue state of the game. For example, when a player needs to take care of her baby, answer a phone, talk to a neighbor, or prepare a meal. Small tasks that prevent our persona from playing. This feature we will not be covered in this sprint, however, justifications provided here can be used as a base for future considerations.
• Long term needs point to the save and load state of the game. For instance, returning to the game after several weeks, or after a holiday. Our persona doesn’t perceive video games as a primary source of entertainment and even if they do, family time is more precious to this user group.

Second, the endless mode game which is unlocked after a final boss “Typhon” has been defeated will allow player to endlessly defend the crystal against the hordes of enemies spawning on the map. This by default implies spending more time than completing 4 levels of the game – time, which our user group can’t afford spending. In addition, it also correlates with our persona needs who "hate when the game progress has not been saved" and they need to start over. We can infer from this that there is a strong need to introduce a Save state if we want to make the game enjoyable for our target audience.

Future direction

The endless mode feature is currently under development; therefore, our assumptions are based purely on the existing game functionalities, features, persona needs, and current target audience analysis. However, considering that endless mode is a completely different gaming domain, it could potentially introduce a new user group [1] that has the time to play the game. For example, professional esports players [2] who are interested in leaderboards and competition. In other words, people who like to compete against each other and then share results on forums, social networks, and external gaming hubs [2]. Although, it contradicts with the needs of our current target audience, it would still mean that this unknown user group with unique needs and values could hypothetically welcome the idea of a Safe and Load state.

[1] Activision Blizzard Media, “Modern Gamer Personas” https://www.activisionblizzardmedia.com/content/dam/atvi/ab-media/gamer-identity/Gallery_of_the_Gamer_-_Modern_Gamer_Personas.pdf

[2] GlobalWebIndex Q3 2020, Gaming personas, “An audience profile on the digital attitudes and behaviors of six gamer types” https://www.gwi.com/hubfs/Downloads/Gaming_Personas.pdf