An analysis of design thinking in applied game design.

Abstract

The design of an applied game is complicated by needing to balance its usefulness, game- play experience, and sustainability. In the applied design process, game designers occupy a pivotal position between game design knowledge, development team, co-designers, and players. From this complex web of interaction, the designer is still expected to invent a new game. From a design investigation perspective, there is an opportunity to expand our general knowledge of game design by exploring first-hand the design and development of an applied game. The aim of this practice-led PhD research was to design and develop a pervasive multi- player applied video game as a tool for psychiatric healthcare workers treating patients suffering from depression and psychosis. The applied game Moodbot was co-designed during an intensive iterative process with healthcare experts and patients from Altrecht Mental Healthcare Institute and developers from the HKU University of the Arts. The following exegesis highlights game design knowledge gained from the development of the applied game Moodbot co-created with psychiatric healthcare workers, psychiatric patients, game artists, programmers, audio designers, and game designers. A design decision tool based on epistemic frameworks is used in this dissertation to structure and explore the applied game decision-making that shaped Moodbot and specifically examines a critical design decision moment, which looks at the influences from technology and co-designers on the design and designer.