Objective

Help gamers build expectations about a game by sharing the essential information of what it offers.

 

Strategy

Because every individual will build their unique set of expectations, the 3 Step Review methodology design allows readers to disagree with The Partisan Spy (TPS) and produce their own game evaluations. TPS’s opinion is a reference for readers to adjust and build their own expectations.

 

Data Collection

The way to collect and publish the data is done in order to assure the objective and strategy success. There are two data sources: game developer and/or publisher released information and the game itself.

All gathered information from the first source (game publisher) is published to the reader with no editing or interpretation.

The information collected while playing the game is published in two variations:
1. The entire gameplay evaluation process (25 hours or until the game is 100% complete) is live-streamed or publicly posted on Youtube. This allows gamers to watch and make their own assessment about game variables.
2. The analysis and interpretation of this data are published as a game review made by The Partisan Spy.

 

Game Selection

Games to be reviewed are selected by The Partisan Spy following the criteria below:
1. Release data (preference to games still to be released)
2. Community interest
3. Unprecedented factor

 

Data Analysis​

After the game is selected and data is collected in the 25 hours of gameplay, an assessment of this data is made (during gameplay, TPS mood is tracked and notes are made). The information is used to describe game variables and reasons for the selection of qualifiers. At the end of the evaluation, all these elements are summarized in a Cons x Neutrals x Pros graph.

Furthermore, to give gamers a conclusion about the game is suggested four possible choices and advice.

 

Variables and Qualifiers Description

The methodology counts with 6 variables. Some variables are more self-explanatory than others, for those that may bring different interpretations, follow below its description and qualifiers explanations.

A. USER INTERFACE
Defines how the player interacts with the game. It includes game mechanics, methods (keyboard and mouse control), and interfaces.

  1. QUALIFIERS
    QUESTIONABLE: hard to understand, misleading design, simple actions made complicated and/or with bugs
    TRADITIONAL: natural to players as replicates what already exists
    INNOVATIVE: an unprecedented way to present the game behavior with low experimentation or need of tutorial to understand it
  2. CONS x NEUTRALS x PROS CRITERIA
    QUESTIONABLE: Potential to be CON or NEUTRAL, never PRO. The selection depends on the degree of influence the questionable elements have in the gameplay.
    TRADITIONAL: Always NEUTRAL, never CON or PRO.
    INNOVATIVE: Potential to be NEUTRAL or PRO, never CON. The selection depends on how well the interface runs.

B. STORY
Define the role of the story in the game. Its function is not to determine the quality of the story (good or bad).

  1. QUALIFIERS
    HARMFUL: harms the gameplay experience
    ABSENT: doesn’t exist
    TRIVIAL: only exist to give reason to game objective
    SECONDARY: is part of the game but doesn’t define the main objective of the game
    GAME BASIS: conducts the gamer during the entire game and ends with the victory condition
  2. CONS x NEUTRALS x PROS CRITERIA
    HARMFUL: Always CON, never NEUTRAL or PRO.
    ABSENT: Always NEUTRAL, never CON or PRO.
    TRIVIAL, SECONDARY, and GAME BASIS: The game proposition and its result define how these qualifiers are classified. Potential to be CON, NEUTRAL, or PRO.

C. COMMUNITY POTENTIAL
Define the game potential of being a recurring topic among friends and the gaming community.

  1. QUALIFIERS
    ABSENT: there is no potential of being a topic
    LOW: has a chance of being a topic during its release
    AVERAGE: has the potential of building a community around it
    HIGH: has the potential of being a major game title for years to come
  2. CONS x NEUTRALS x PROS CRITERIA
    The game mode, genre, and title are factors considered when considering the classification of these qualifiers. The parameters defined for these criteria are:
    PVE + GENRE + TITLE are expected to be between ABSENT and LOW.
    PVE + COOP + GENRE + TITLE are expected to be between LOW and AVERAGE.
    PVP + GENRE + TITLE are expected to be between LOW and HIGH.
    Games with a performance potential at the low end will classify as CON.
    Games with a performance potential as expected will classify as NEUTRALS.
    Games with a performance potential at the high end will classify as PROS.

D. MOOD ANALYSIS
The final average result of the mood tracker. There are 9 different possible mood levels and every gameplay hour the high and low are listed. Each qualifier is self-explanatory to describe TPS mood.

  1. CONS x NEUTRALS x PROS CRITERIA
    CONS: WHY PLAY IT, HOPELESS, ANXIOUS and HOPEFUL
    NEUTRAL: NORMAL
    PROS: ENTERTAINED, EAGER, EXCITED, CAN’T STOP PLAYING IT

E. GRIND FEELING
The feeling of performing a repetitive task to reach an objective. The methodology measure this variable based on The Partisan Spy gameplay experience.

  1. QUALIFIERS
    ABSENT: 0-5% of grind feeling during 25 hours of gameplay
    TRIVIAL: 5,1-20% of grind feeling during 25 hours of gameplay
    SECONDARY: 20,1-40% of grind feeling during 25 hours of gameplay
    GAME BASIS: +40,1% of grind feeling during 25 hours of gameplay
    (Variables were defined by secondary studies about games and what most influence gamers purchase decisions.)
  2. CONS x NEUTRALS x PROS CRITERIA
    Grind is considered a negative game variable unless it’s the game proposition, in this case, the qualifiers classification is inverted.
    ABSENT: Always PRO, never CON or NEUTRAL.
    TRIVIAL: Potential to be CON or NEUTRAL, never PRO. It depends on the intensity of the grind.
    SECONDARY: Potential to be CON or NEUTRAL, never PRO. It depends on the intensity of the grind.
    GAME BASIS: Always CON, never NEUTRAL or PRO.

E. PRICE
The overall perception of what the game offers and its price tag.
CONS: Offers less compared to what it costs.
NEUTRAL: Balanced value between what it offers and what it costs.
PROS: Offers more compared to what it costs.

PATCH NOTES

Source

​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_design​​
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_design_document
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_mechanics#Victory_condition_mechanics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_genres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grinding_(video_gaming)
https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/21183/Henri_Lindgren_.pdf?s
http://www.acagamic.com/courses/game-design-course/the-formal-systems-of-games-and-game-design-atoms/
https://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/tutorials/game-ui-by-example-a-crash-course-in-the-good-and-the-bad–gamedev-3943
https://www.facebook.com/business/news/insights/understanding-the-journey-of-the-connected-mobile-gamer
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0080210717301838