-Game industry veteran Richard Lemarchand, then the lead game designer at Naughty Dog, discusses the psychological concept of attention as it relates to game design. We often use words like “immersive” or “engaging” when discussing some of the most powerful and well-crafted games ever made, but how much do we really know about how those experiences are practically crafted? How can you find the right balance of content to ensure that your players remain really, meaningfully immersed in your work? Richard Lemarchand, then the lead game designer at Naughty Dog, attempted to dispel some of that confusion by discussing the psychological concept of attention as it relates to games at GDC 2012. By using practical examples from his involvement in the playtesting of the Uncharted games, Lemarchand explored how we can use metrics data and other methods to measure and understand our players’ attention, without breaking the bank with elaborate analytical equipment. It’s a talk with enduring value for all game developers, large and small, so we’ve gone ahead and embedded the free video of “Attention, Not Immersion: Making Your Games Better with Psychology and Playtesting, the Uncharted Way” above, but you can also watch it here on the GDC Vault.
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