Ranking of location based game characteristics

SeraphimSpawn

Hi,
I am a PhD student at the NWU (Potchefstroom Campus). My research is about location based games and the development of it. I need game developers and game designers to aid in a quick assessment. We have identified characteristics that influence the successful development of location based games. Could you please aid in completing the attached assessment? It should not take longer than 2 minutes.
Regards

The development of a systems develop methodology for location based games

The gaming industry is one of the most profitable software industries in the world. Although the gaming industry is one of the largest, fast growing and complex software industries, research on its development is still in its infancy. This fact opens an opportunity for researchers to develop better methodologies and techniques for developing games. This research will endeavour to develop a systems development methodology (SDM) that better fit the development of location based games. The SDM will be developed by using elements and characteristics identified for the successful development of a location based games.

Please Rank the importance of the following characteristics in regards to developing a location based game or a mobile game. Furthermore please indicate characteristics that may have been overlooked and can be added to the study.

Rank /10
User Experience
Usability
Cognitive Support
Learnability
Value to the Player
User Interface Design
Availability and Accessibility
Adaptability
Compatibility
Efficiency
Security and Privacy
Playability
Re-Playability
Organisational Structure
Development Team
Suggestion 1
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Suggestion 5

dislekcia

Hmm. I'm not sure if this is helpful to your research or not, but I'm uncertain if any of those things is really something other than a 10 in terms of importance... Well, except maybe Organisational Structure, but then again if a game is built by team with very little coherent structure (whatever that might be for them to work best) then minor hiccups in communication will amplify each other until the team falls apart and the game is crap. That makes me feel like they're not actually primary concerns for a methodology to focus on. Where is prototyping and playtesting in those?

I would also argue that there are some pretty good methodologies out there, they're just not widely known (because it's such a small industry locally, so everyone keeps thinking they're on their own - and internationally because the big publisher/big studio method dominates).

One of my favorite resources is Project Horseshoe and these two reports in particular that you might find interesting/relevant:
-Location-based games
-Building innovative games that sell

The second article (and it's various follow-ups) have been very influential in how I set up my own company and development methodologies.

SeraphimSpawn

Hi dislekcia,
Thank you for your replay really appreciate it. I also think that these characteristics are 10 but unfortunately for the study to be viable I need the gaming community to indicate their feeling about the characteristics and also that which I forgot.

Prototyping and playtesting is one of the steps in the methodology. These are just characteristics that a game need rather than the development process. The argument that I am trying to strengthen is that the development of a game is more complex and has more characteristics than a normal IS system. Thus the SDM that is developed for normal IS systems need to be panel beaded to fit the game development process. The study will use known SDM from gaming and IS, evaluate them with the characteristic and see which if any fit the needs. After this the SDM will be developed based on the needs and shortages identified.
I thank you once again for you reply and hope there will be more that can aid me in this.
Regards