Development and validation of an instrument to evaluate the content effectiveness of video games: a pilot study

Storytelling is the key design element in game design. Content preparation, which examines ‘what information users want’, yielded valuable data concerning the necessary attributes of storytelling in a web-based interface. After identifying 17 basic components of video games, the authors of this paper were able to categorise the components based on guidelines reported from the literature review into four major factors: game play; game setup; game control; and game help. In order to evaluate these factors, an experiment was conducted that required participants to evaluate three PC games selected for their distinctiveness and popularity: Need for Speed VII: Most Wanted; StarCraft; and Diablo II. Twelve highly skilled video game players were selected as participants. After playing each game, participants were asked to complete a 56-question survey and the results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that all items of development and content preparation are not of equal importance. Fantasy, pressure, reward/bonus, next step, pressure, status, menu, goal, character, hints and instruction are the components that have the most significant impact on user satisfaction.