Exploring the use of participatory design in game design: a Brazilian perspective

Abstract

This paper reviews the current body of literature on participatory design (PD) for game design, including participatory design elements, participatory design in education, and the current challenges that game designers and developers encountered. This paper also contains the findings of a survey among game designers in Brazil (N=29) concerning their use of participatory design techniques during the design process in their studios. The survey results show that playtesting is the most common technique that they utilise in order to improve player experience. Several of the respondents admitted that they have considered player participation during other stages of game development. This paper is concluded with a critical overview of the role of participatory design in game design and potential uses for games for learning. The literature and survey-based findings in this paper may be of benefit to game design scholars and designers who are intent on critically analysing the use of participatory design in the game design process.