Amanda Nicole Curtis | Compass UX Session 2025
summary
Research uses 55 players across North America Europe and Japan who produce 260 diary entries plus about 900 images and videos via diary studies streams in-game walkthroughs and interviews with developers including Skyrim team and ConcernedApe. Key claims: players map game systems onto life (Skyrim stamina → social energy; Stardew bundles → a Notion task system), read moral messages (Zelda rewards experimentation), and assert agency by breaking or modding systems. Practical takeaway: learn system design and interpretation not superficial gamification.
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chapters (19)
- 0:00Video games and UX research
- 1:04Why video games matter for UX
- 2:32Video games' societal impact
- 5:46Player experiences via ethnography
- 11:49Games shaping real-world behavior
- 16:19Games as moral systems
- 19:31Player agency in game systems
- 24:29Learning beyond gamification
- 28:46Ethical participant-centered research
- 30:51Q&A: Favorite games & motivations
- 31:35Q&A: Ethical concerns in game UX
- 33:00Q&A: Free-to-play costs
- 33:21Q&A: Funding game research
- 35:07Q&A: Research scope & genres
- 36:13Q&A: Diverse user needs
- 36:35Q&A: Staying engaged in topics
- 37:58Q&A: Efficient research workflows
- 39:25Q&A: Breaking games & motivations
- 41:11Q&A: Modding culture & ownership
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