Chapter One

Introduction

Katherine Isbister and Noah Schaffer

1.1 Why Usability Now?

More and more game developers (and educators in the field of game development) are talking about user research and usability. There have been articles in industry venues such as Gamasutra, and workshops on usability at the annual Game Developers Conference. You may be wondering what exactly the excitement is about, and what it has to do with your daily challenges as a game developer.

There are many reasons for the increasing interest in user research for games that led us to feel the time was right for an edited volume about what’s state-of-the- art in this emerging field:

  • Developers and publishers are trying to reach out to broader audiences. User research ...

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