Shaping virtual realities: Heuristics and design practices for simulations and games
Kim, Alexis
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122220
Description
Title
Shaping virtual realities: Heuristics and design practices for simulations and games
Author(s)
Kim, Alexis
Issue Date
2023-11-17
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Pintar, Judith
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Pintar, Judith
Committee Member(s)
Sadler, Randall
Lindgren, Robb
D'Angelo, Cynthia
Department of Study
Illinois Informatics Institute
Discipline
Informatics
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Game Design
Games
Training
Simulations
Design
Iterative Design
Heuristics
Practice-based Learning
Pedagogical Instruction
Design Education
Informatics
Virtual Reality
Escape Rooms
Language
eng
Abstract
Game and simulation designers, engaged in both entertainment and educational contexts, employ heuristics as guiding principles for shaping their design practices. It is not clear to what degree there is congruence between pedagogical design instruction and its real-world implementation. It is important, therefore, to conduct heuristic research to discover what designers do in practice. The dominant trend for heuristic research in the game design field is the use of survey-based methods. To gain a more contextualized and nuanced understanding of designers’ practices, I conducted open-ended interviews with six designers of games and simulations across five field sites, and explored their works in depth. I found that despite designers’ diverse educational and professional backgrounds, their practices converge at key points, reflecting common heuristics. This finding supports the use of iterative and practice-based learning in game design instruction.
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