CIRCA:Game Analysis: Developing a methodological toolkit for the qualitative study of games - Consalvo, Mia and Dutton, Nathan
From CIRCA
Game Analysis: Developing a methodological toolkit for the qualitative study of games
Consalvo, Mia and Dutton, Nathan. 2006. “Game Analysis: Developing a methodological toolkit for the qualitative study of games”. Game Studies, 6 (2). Retrieved from: http://gamestudies.org/0601/articles/consalvo_dutton
Abstract: “Although the study of digital games is steadily increasing, there has been little or no effort to develop a method for the qualitative, critical analysis of games as "texts" (broadly defined). This paper creates a template for such analyses by developing and explaining four areas that game researchers should consider when studying a game: Object Inventory, Interface Study, Interaction Map, and Gameplay Log.”
By breaking game elements down to these four categories, Consalvo and Dutton intend their framework to be broad enough to encompass analysis of games from different genres while allowing enough “enough flexibility to account for the specifics of the game and genre under the microscope.”