Early synthetic prototyping: the use of video after-action reports for harvesting useful feedback in early design

Abstract

Early Synthetic Prototyping (ESP) is a new concept in which capability and material developers use an online game to crowdsource ideas from online players in order to increase viable synthetic prototypes. In entertainment games, players often create videos of their game play to share with other players to demonstrate how to complete a segment of a game. This thesis explores similar self-recorded videos of ESP game play and determines if they provide useful data to capability and material developers that can influence the early design process, or if the videos affect the ESP process itself. The study shows that user videos affect player behavior as well as increase engagement and entertainment for the players, which serves to maintain a large player population essential to ESP success. The exact reasons for increased engagement and entertainment are unclear and are topics for further investigation. These results are important to ESP developers because if ESP game developers can increase the engagement and fun in playing their games, it will increase participation and willingness to contribute ideas and strategies with other players. The increase in contributions and participation will then lead to an increase in the number of early prototypes that can be analyzed and potentially used.