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Interpretive Gameplay Method

(2024-2025)


Objectives
  • To utilize an existing sandbox game (Minecraft) to understand player behavior for my own sandbox project.
  • To develop a game user research method: Interpretive Gameplay
  • Consider what game design research might look like in an indie studio context?



Upon originally being assigned this project, I figured I may study playtesting as a game design research method. In researching playtesting, I found that the amount of game research methods purely from the field of games was limited. After realizing this, I thought of creating a method that would assist in the making of a simulation sandbox project I’m working on. I wondered: how might I play test for my simulation sandbox that is currently lacking in features? This project is an examination of borrowing other ‘complete’ games for the purpose of playteseting a conceptual project that has yet to reach a capacity of playtesting. 





Planning
  • Recruitment poster, talking with friends and seeing if they were interested in participating.
  • Scheduling back-to-back days for ease and familiarity with previous gameplay.
  • Setup a desk at ACCAD to have Minecraft installed, use a mic & webcam, and capture that data with OBS Studio.


Agenda
  • Day 1: The first day was ‘normal’ play mode. We began with informal questions about their previous video game experience, followed by one hour of play on peaceful mode. After the play session, we had an informal conversation about their decisions and timeline of play.
  • Day 2: The second day was ‘environment’ play mode. The format was similar to day 1, but with an environmental tone to the informal conversations. During the play session, they were given instructions to play in a way that cares for the environment, and to garden.





Particpant One’s 1st Day ‘Normal’ Mode
Pre-play conversation
  • Experienced player.
  • Enjoys chicken farming.
  • Most frustrated when they die.
Play time
  • Instinct is to gather resources.
  • Explored but was frequently sidetracked.
  • Comments on being a lucky world.
  • Builds a house and starts chicken farm.
Post-play conversation
  • Reviewed their accomplishments & timeline.





Participant One’s 2nd Day ‘Environment’ Mode
Pre-play conversation
  • Is semi-mindful of the environment.
  • Values shaped through experience on farm.
  • Concerned about land scarcity in Singapore.
Play time
  • More deliberate with day 1 resources.
  • Questioned her actions through an eco-lens.
  • Expanded chicken farm.
  • Returned excess materials to environment.
Post-play conversation
  • Discussed agenda’s influence on decisions.
  • Expressed satisfaction with achievements.





Participant Two’s 1st Day ‘Normal’ Mode
Pre-play conversation
  • Experienced player and game designer.
  • Has previously played on a 100+ hour world.
  • Takes breaks due to content over saturation.
Play time
  • Calls peaceful mode ‘baby’ mode.
  • Initially focused on resource gathering.
  • Opts to build a ‘cozy cottage’ in a nice area.
  • Finds a small cliff side next to water for his home.
  • Dissatisfied with ‘ugly’ dirt landscape.
Post-play conversation
  • Reviewed his timeline of events.
  • Decides goal for day 2 is relaxed building.







Participant Two’s 2nd Day ‘Environment’ Mode
Pre-play conversation
  • Is semi-mindful of the environment.
  • Participated in Greta Thunberg climate march.
  • First game created was on environment ethics.
  • Developing a game with environmental themes.

Play time
  • Upon initial agenda, pulled out tree saplings.
  • Spent majority of time building cottage.
  • Associated mental wellness to environmentalism.
  • Carefully considered resource use.
  • Created garden with various zen-like decisions.

Post-play conversation
  • Environmental constraints sparked creativity.
  • Reflected on possible environmental approaches.
  • Minecraft’s infinite world discourages sustainability.
  • Appreciated peaceful mode being stress-free.
  • Suggested environmental gameplay improvements.



Analysis Process
Informal note taking.
Created video transcripts through OneDrive.
Rewatched the videos and took notes again.
Used Notion AI to improve my note writing.
Fed those notes to Claude AI to help with analysis.



Conclusions
  • Both participants interpreted the agenda similarly and made some of the same decisions accordingly.
  • Being experienced players, they immediately went into resource gathering mode rather than taking in their environment. 
  • Kah Min spent day 2 caring for her chickens wellness whereas Donald spent day 2 considering his own mental health.
  • Both were reflective in finding ways to justify resource usage and harvesting.
  • Both maintained core gameplay patterns while adapting to meet the environmental agenda.



Research learnings (simulation sandbox with environmental values)
  • Giving players the freedom to play as they desire while maintaining a simple direction led them to being creative; they designed their own gameplay experience.
  • In fine tuning the agenda and game (with mods), I see a path forward to utilizing Minecraft as a game design tool in my own project’s pipeline and game design framework.
  • The process can be repeated for other games in examining and reinterpreting their underlying systems.
  • Now, I can see myself becoming a games user research or game systems researcher.

Learning from Interpretive Gameplay & Next Time
  • Peaceful mode is atypical and acts like a constraint.
  • I can reframe the agenda to more closely meet my needs, i.e. create an ecosystem.
  • For experienced players, it might be better to do 1 day with a longer period of play .
  • In the future, I might incorporate the before and after questions during play.
  • Withholding my bias was hard given the informal nature.
  • I may ask the next participants to draw a map of their world after play.
  • I’m curious to know what would happen in a multiplayer version.

This is an ongoing project that will receive 2025 updates.