Very big long words

 

Phenomenology

Blimey!  You know you're getting serious when you start bringing the existentialist mumblings of Jean-Paul Sartre into Games Design research...

Anyway, today I was introduced to a concept new to me: Phenomenology.  In very simple terms it's concerned with analysing feelings in a structured way, while avoiding the scientific stuff associated with clinical psychology (e.g. neurological endorphin triggers).

I want this on my bookshelf!
It will make me CLEVER!

The phenomenological* approach (*note to self: don't try typing that after a few ciders) can be used as a qualitative method in formal research. 

This is useful, because I'm examining the effects of nostalgia as a motivational tool in games design -- and player feelings play a fairly big part in that.

Subjective experience

At last!  I've struggled for months with the word "experience" (see earlier post).

It's an ambiguous word, and means I can't talk about a player's experience (i.e. experience-gained-from-playing-my-game-now) without it getting confused with a player's experience (i.e. prior-experience-that-helps-them-play-games).

We had a lecture today from fashion designer Fiona Candy where she used the term "subjective experience".  Wow!  That hits the spot perfectly.  I now have a phrase I can use which explains what I, concisely yet accurately.  I'm a happy bunny!