Interviews + Cowboys, Ankle Sprains, and Keepers of Quality

Transcription

1 Interviews + Cowboys, Ankle Sprains, and Keepers of Quality The Interview A Review By Aswin Why Interview? New Perspectives can be gained Exploratory Investigation - Can lead to formulation of Hypothesis Collect Historical Data not found elsewhere Conducting Interviews can be a challenge Small Sample Size Time Intensive Can easily be biased

2 But some practices can help! An Interview Guide can help to focus High Level Topics + High Level Questions Recommended size : 1 page A fresh guide for every interview Check off Questions as they are asked Identify the right people Diverse Selection Saturation : Stop the interview if there are no new answers Get the right people to talk! Introduce yourself Explain research goal Explain benefits Give Interview duration Estimate List any pre-interview tasks Explain selection process Additional Information

3 Preparation is Key! The D-Day! Conducting the Interview Collect any background information needed Understand team & process At least two Interviewers Face to Face is better Manage Time Compensate Send report/ note Post-Interview Analyse the responses DISCUSS! TRANSCRIBE? Discuss the Interview Make More Notes - Organize Interview responses Can be expensive Chunked Transcription

4 Reporting How video game development is different from Software Development Interview Details Interview Guide / other artifacts Don t cherry pick quotes out of context Quantitative analysis on interview results should be avoided Cowboy Coders Art VS Science Too often game developers hold themselves apart from formal software development and production methods with the false rationalization that games are an art, not a science.

5 The Two Methodologies Employed The interviewees 1. Individual Interviews 2. Surveys Folks that had built both games and software. Were questioned on demographics to know what sort of work they had done Were posed open ended questions on S/W vs Game development. Were asked to discuss 2 topics from Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK, like software maintenance and software testing ) and Humphrey and colleagues list of general work features from applied psychology( social support and problem solving ) Were given 2-3 topics by the interviewer to discus The Interviewees - 14 people The interviews were transcribed

6 The Survey The Surveyees 10 Minutes 5 point likert scale Strongly disagree - Strongly Agree 28 Statements 300 Game devs 300 Office Devs 300 Other microsoft Devs The Surveyees The Results

7 4.1.1 Software Requirements Software Design Software Development had Defined requirements. Game developers had requirements that are more art like. Interviewees explained that in games they tended to do less design as a planning activity. Games are expected to be fun Software is expected to solve problems Software Construction, Tools, and Methods Software Testing and Quality Code reuse was uncommon in games. Game engines and assets were reused. Game development involved a lot of hacks. Game sequels reused a lot of code Software Testing was informal in games

8 4.1.5 Software Maintenance Software Configuration Management Generally games weren t maintained but now with the advent of platforms like STEAM, code maintenance is a thing SCM is important to Game development It is a challenge too as it involves various assets and various machine configurations Software Engineering Management Software Engineering Process Non technical folk manage game development engineers Productivity was measured by number of bug fixes. Agile model was employed a lot in gaming due to the nature of game requirements Gamer developers were pressed for time.

9 4.2 General Work Topics 4.2 General Work Topics No difference is autonomy for Game devs vs Non game devs First, interviewees noted that developing games presented distinct technical challenges.a need for higher-level math and specialized knowledge. Second, the subjectivity inherent in meeting the fun requirement gives game developers complex problems to solve: Game companies might be tougher. Third, interviewees suggested that a wider variety of skills is required to develop games [S12], which can make game development more challenging if a developer lacks those skills: Interviewees remarks regarding specialization and interdependence focused on the broad range of skills required to make games, compared to non-game software development: Interviewees indicated that game developers tend to have a stronger tie to the customer, both because game players tend to be more engaged than general software users, and because meeting the fun requirement is difficult without understanding the customer: 4.2 General Work Topics Results Game developers were recognized by the society. Game developers experience physical fatigue.

10 Conclusion How Many Gamers Here? Game development and software development have many differences Questions & Discussions