I am a PhD Candidate at the Information School at the University of Washington in Seattle. I have an occasionally updated research blog. My email address is giffordc at uw.edu.
My Research
"Take that!":
Evaluating Game Systems as Communicative Media
Gifford Cheung. Game User Research Workshop CHI 2012.
Introduced is a method of analysis for evaluating the communicative aspects of game systems. This method is offered as a type of artifact analysis and, also, as a design lens. It is based on Clark and Brennan’s theory of communicative grounding. These dimensions for game design are explained and an example analysis of Pictochat on the Nintendo DS is conducted.
Evaluating Game Systems as Communicative Media
Gifford Cheung. Game User Research Workshop CHI 2012.
Introduced is a method of analysis for evaluating the communicative aspects of game systems. This method is offered as a type of artifact analysis and, also, as a design lens. It is based on Clark and Brennan’s theory of communicative grounding. These dimensions for game design are explained and an example analysis of Pictochat on the Nintendo DS is conducted.
| "Take That!": Evaluating Game Systems as Communicative Media |
Remix and Play:
Lessons from Rule Variants in Texas Hold'em and Halo 2
Gifford Cheung and Jeff Huang. CSCW 2012
Players can change the rules of a multi-person game to experience a different gameplay mechanic, add thematic color, or fine-tune its balance. To better understand game variants, we use a grounded approach to analyze 62 variants for Texas Hold'em, a popular card game, and a follow-up case-study of 91 variants of Halo 2, a popular video game. We study their development and examine whether lessons from Texas Hold'em apply to a constrained system such as Halo 2. We discover video gamers' reliance on 'honor rules', rules dependent on the cooperative spirit of its players. We develop a theory of 'necessity' in rule adoption, showing players' sensitivity to the impact of one change on the whole game. In solving game-design problems, adjustments drawn from a set of 'canned' rule changes address common problems with familiar solutions. We find a complex interplay between who can play and what rules are chosen. Our findings have implications for game designers and for variants in non-game contexts. . [image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/insightimaging/3593236191/]
Lessons from Rule Variants in Texas Hold'em and Halo 2
Gifford Cheung and Jeff Huang. CSCW 2012
Players can change the rules of a multi-person game to experience a different gameplay mechanic, add thematic color, or fine-tune its balance. To better understand game variants, we use a grounded approach to analyze 62 variants for Texas Hold'em, a popular card game, and a follow-up case-study of 91 variants of Halo 2, a popular video game. We study their development and examine whether lessons from Texas Hold'em apply to a constrained system such as Halo 2. We discover video gamers' reliance on 'honor rules', rules dependent on the cooperative spirit of its players. We develop a theory of 'necessity' in rule adoption, showing players' sensitivity to the impact of one change on the whole game. In solving game-design problems, adjustments drawn from a set of 'canned' rule changes address common problems with familiar solutions. We find a complex interplay between who can play and what rules are chosen. Our findings have implications for game designers and for variants in non-game contexts. . [image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/insightimaging/3593236191/]
Starcraft from the Stands:
Understanding the Game Spectator
Gifford Cheung and Jeff Huang. CHI 2011
Video games are primarily designed for the players. However, video game spectating is also a popular activity, boosted by the rise of online video sites and major gaming tournaments. In this paper, we focus on the spectator, who is emerging as an important stakeholder in video games. Our study focuses on Starcraft, a popular real-time strategy game with millions of spectators and high level tournament play. We have collected over a hundred stories of the Starcraft spectator from online sources, aiming for as diverse a group as possible. We make three contributions using this data: i) we find nine personas in the data that tell us who the spectators are and why they spectate; ii) we strive to understand how different stakeholders like commentators, players, crowds, and game designers affect the spectator experience; and iii) we infer from the spectators' expressions what makes the game entertaining to watch, forming a theory of distinct types of information asymmetry that create suspense for the spectator. One design implication derived from these findings is that rather than presenting as much information to the spectator as possible, it is more important for the stakeholders to be able to decide how and when they uncover that information. [image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/surfguard/3015516898/]
Understanding the Game Spectator
Gifford Cheung and Jeff Huang. CHI 2011
Video games are primarily designed for the players. However, video game spectating is also a popular activity, boosted by the rise of online video sites and major gaming tournaments. In this paper, we focus on the spectator, who is emerging as an important stakeholder in video games. Our study focuses on Starcraft, a popular real-time strategy game with millions of spectators and high level tournament play. We have collected over a hundred stories of the Starcraft spectator from online sources, aiming for as diverse a group as possible. We make three contributions using this data: i) we find nine personas in the data that tell us who the spectators are and why they spectate; ii) we strive to understand how different stakeholders like commentators, players, crowds, and game designers affect the spectator experience; and iii) we infer from the spectators' expressions what makes the game entertaining to watch, forming a theory of distinct types of information asymmetry that create suspense for the spectator. One design implication derived from these findings is that rather than presenting as much information to the spectator as possible, it is more important for the stakeholders to be able to decide how and when they uncover that information. [image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/surfguard/3015516898/]
Designing for discovery:
opening the hood for open-source end user tinkering
Gifford Cheung, Parmit Chilana, Shaun Kane, Braden Pellett. CHI 2009, Work in Progress
According to the Free Software Movement, the user ought to have "the freedoms to make changes, and to publish improved versions" and "to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs". The Open Source Initiative expects users to access source code, explaining that "you can't evolve programs without modifying them. Since our purpose is to make evolution easy, we require that modification be made easy". These philosophies can shape a unique perspective on software usability that has not been addressed thoroughly in the open-source domain. That is: how to design user-interfaces and tools that facilitate access to source code and encourage the behaviors envisioned above, namely, to improve the code, to personalize it, to learn from it, and to share it. And, as the Open Source Initiative recommends, to make this easy. In addition to presenting this research perspective, we suggest some fruitful approaches to answering these questions.
opening the hood for open-source end user tinkering
Gifford Cheung, Parmit Chilana, Shaun Kane, Braden Pellett. CHI 2009, Work in Progress
According to the Free Software Movement, the user ought to have "the freedoms to make changes, and to publish improved versions" and "to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs". The Open Source Initiative expects users to access source code, explaining that "you can't evolve programs without modifying them. Since our purpose is to make evolution easy, we require that modification be made easy". These philosophies can shape a unique perspective on software usability that has not been addressed thoroughly in the open-source domain. That is: how to design user-interfaces and tools that facilitate access to source code and encourage the behaviors envisioned above, namely, to improve the code, to personalize it, to learn from it, and to share it. And, as the Open Source Initiative recommends, to make this easy. In addition to presenting this research perspective, we suggest some fruitful approaches to answering these questions.
