Welcome to the GiantBomb group's final presentation page. Here you will find a walkthrough of our design focused around two user archetypes: the casual user of the CVGA, and an academic who's use of the design includes not just search and recommendation, but exploration of time. This page also includes a summary of our project's goals, a listing of our design's core functionality, and plans for evaluation and possible implementation.

This screencast outlines several features of our latest design iteration. The focus of this presentation is to highlight the features and interface elements used by both a casual patron of the CVGA and an academic who is interested in additional functionality beyond searching and recommendations.

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Current Fullsize Designs:
Random Layout JPG | Spiral Layout JPG | Fan Layout JPG
Illustrator File (Toggle Layers to Simulate Interactions!)

Our project began as a means of engaging the patrons of the Computer & Video Games Archive in the Art, Architecture, and Engineering Library at the University of Michigan. Through several iterations it has evolved into a tool for academics and students to explore the greater context of all games starting from a smaller subset: the games present within the archive’s collection.

Our visualization leverages the unique ways in which GiantBomb indexes and displays data, to allow our users to discover relationships between the games they select to play in the archive. We found that our design is quite in line with GiantBomb creators‘ core philosophy of connecting users up to large collections of data in new and unique ways:

"Put simply, user submitted data should not be locked up in one site. As a core philosophy Whiskey Media feels that the hard work of our individual sites' communities should be usable (within reason) by that same community. We also generally believe in karma, and though we are admittedly pretty scared about giving away all this data, we think at the end of the day it's the right thing to do."

The core functionality of our visualization allows a user to explore games related to their selection by concept. By highlighting which of these are present in the CVGA archive using the Library’s "MGet It" links , we enable users to further engage the archive’s collection.

Our design encourages users to relate the archive’s collection to the larger history of gaming. This encompasses exploring relationships between game Characters, Franchises, Platforms, and Titles over time. Lastly, the core functionality of our visualization forefronts time as a means of exploring relationships between these objects and asks users to consider the greater context surrounding their search queries and game selections.

As a functioning web object for researchers to get information they need in the CVGA, the following recommendations for implementation are suggested:

Flash

Using Flash with ActionScript 3 might be the first choice for implementing our design because Flash can generate animations conveniently for us to build the interface. Secondly, it can play with the database using ActionScript. In addition, using the video game pictures and animations would make the design of the interface attractive to users.

Processing

Processing is a good choice with which to implement our design. Its syntax is similar to Java but easier to learn than Java GUIs. It also includes all the functions we need for the design: animations, search and filtering.

R

R is good at data analysis and generating static graphs such as bar charts, pie charts and plots. However, R is not really set up for interactive graphs. (We have made some pie charts using R and the data from GiantBomb in order to provide a static overview of the data). An optional choice of using R to implement the project is to use something like one of the SVG graphics devices. For example, gridSVG may allow you to build a grid plot and attach the mouse-over events. However, we don't think R is a very good choice because the kinds of graphs that can be drawn by R are limited to statistical graphs, and we still not sure if we can get all the functionalities implemented by using R.

Future work

Once the implementation has taken place, the maintenance and updates needed for users to conveniently access the most recent data is considered.

Highest level (the ideal updating method): automatically updated the system with the Mirlyn and Giantbomb data. This requires the functionality of using subset of the Mirlyn or GiantBomb database to implement into the system. The issue that should be considered is the degree to which CVGA will be able to access these data sets.

Middle level: the staff working in CVGA can upload the data using spread sheets by building a web form for the application that staff can use to update the database. In this case, CVGA should build its own database which might require some work because they do not have one now.

The last choice of maintenance and updating is updating the application manually by us. One of our group member will take the role of maintenance: once the dataset needs to be updated, the CVGA staff will contact us and we will update the database used by the application manually.

Project Goals

Our goal is to provide a visual path of engagement within the physical space of the Computer Video Game Archive. If successful, patrons should be motivated to explore and learn about the evolution of concepts employed in video games over time and across genres.

Model for a Successful UI

The CVGA archive project will be considered a success if it..

* Matches users' expectations for novel video game exploration

* Gives positive answers to the following 5 questions:

1.To what extent are users able to explore the evolution of concepts employed in video games?

2.To what extent do users recognize that novel exploration has taken place?

3.To what extent are users satisfied with their interactions with the interface?

4.Are novel perspectives on video games formed after interacting with the system? Evidence: what novel perspectives on video games are formed after interacting with the system?

5.To what extent does the interface facilitate or hamper interaction with games found in the CVGA?

User Testing

User testing will provide a means of gaining answers to the questions posed in the model for interface success.

Prototype testing with users who match the appropriate profile (students and academics who are interested in games) should provide answers to the questions written above. Hence, the following tasks should be administered:

1.Explain how would you find the oldest video game in the group of games shown on this prototype.

2.Find a game related to "Super Smash Bros. Brawl."

3. List a few ways in which you think the game "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" is related to "Donkey Kong" (games will be changed as "related games" panel is developed).

4. Find a game you want to play in the CVGA

Additionally, a post-test questionnaire should be administered that includes a measure of overall satisfaction using a Likert scale measure with the following questions:

"How easy or difficult was it for you to accomplish [each task]"?

"Overall, to what extent are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your interactions with this prototype?"

Summary

The methodology described above presents 5 questions for which a positive outcome is desired, and proscribes several user tasks and questions that will help provide satisfactory answers to these higher-level questions. The project will be successful if users identify novel ways of looking at video games and feel successful in their interactions with the interface.