Grassio,
I''d suggest that your real study is the effect of ergonomics on the creative process, not simply on productivity.
Added comfort for an accountant working on a spreadsheet will make him or her feel more at ease, simply by sitting in a more comfortable chair and having an arm rest.
How does that translate over to artists, programmers and writers - a game development team? As a writer, I can tell you that I get my best work done while sitting in a twisted, but comfortable for me, position and hacking away on my laptop. When I''m sitting upright in a normal chair and working on the desktop, I''m continuously less pleased with my work.
I haven''t personally tested this yet, but I''ve questioned whether I could work better in a crowded club, sitting on a pillow with my back to a wall while working from the LT rather than at some ergonomically-designed desktop scenario. It''d be an interesting take.
Ergonomics & Game Design
ErikTrickster, I found out that I work best while sitting in a not to crowded subway train with my laptop (too bad the grafic card is so crappy I can''t really do more than basic stuff before going back to a *real* computer.) I can''t tell you why though. Normally I don''t like having people around when I work.
But I guess that you''re right that ergonomics are partly subjective, although you need some standards, especially concerning lighting, if you want people to work for a longer period of time (and developing games definitely falls in that category).
I''m not sure whether the original poster meant during development or for the actual gamer. So: I know that I love to find out a game implements a good degree of customizability. Think of the way remappable keys weren''t standard a few years back and how it rapidly became something gamers expected from a game. Giving the player a way to customize his gaming experience
(keymapping, controls, colors of the HUD, ...) is probably a good way to ensure that things are ergonomical for everybody.
But I guess that you''re right that ergonomics are partly subjective, although you need some standards, especially concerning lighting, if you want people to work for a longer period of time (and developing games definitely falls in that category).
I''m not sure whether the original poster meant during development or for the actual gamer. So: I know that I love to find out a game implements a good degree of customizability. Think of the way remappable keys weren''t standard a few years back and how it rapidly became something gamers expected from a game. Giving the player a way to customize his gaming experience
(keymapping, controls, colors of the HUD, ...) is probably a good way to ensure that things are ergonomical for everybody.
quote:Original post by OOProgrammer
If you''re interested in 3D UI''s in games, check out Black & White. That game has a great UI, and it''s 2d and 3d at the same time. It''s a hand (your hand) that hovers a few feet above the ground. As you move the mouse in two dimensions, the hand moves over the terrain in 3 dimensions, since it follows the ground up and down. It''s really intuitive.
OMG, you liked that interface? I hated it! Camera control was impossible, and the hand movements were never picked up properly. Perhaps if I''d got a spaceball or something it might have worked better, but it probably wouldn''t have supported it... Granted, it''s overall a good idea, and it suits the whole ''God'' thing, but it could have been implemented *so* much better...
Superpig
- saving pigs from untimely fates
- sleeps in a ham-mock at www.thebinaryrefinery.cjb.net
Author
ErikTrickster and Sammy70,
>But I guess that you''re right that ergonomics are partly >subjective, although you need some standards, especially >concerning lighting, if you want people to work for a longer >period of time
I firmly believe that ergonomics such as the environment (lighting, sitting position, quality of hardware...) influence the whole process of sotware creation. To work better, you need to feel good at work. And it depends on every individual. Some prefer to lay down in a garden to be inspired, to get ideas. Others who mainly work inside in an office might then prefer adapted devices around.
Other factors are crucial as well: the structure and organisation of the whole enterprise, to be considered as a system in itself. Then what matters is how the dataflow is managed. How can you be sure that the right information is conveyed to the right person? and how can you be sure to access to it without any problem? Which means that effective COMMUNICATION stands as the key factor in any system.
>I''m not sure whether the original poster meant during development >or for the actual gamer.
my thesis is focused on the ergonomics of game design process during development.
>Giving the player a way to customize his gaming experience
>(keymapping, controls, colors of the HUD, ...) is probably a good >way to ensure that things are ergonomical for everybody.
Sure... one aspect of future games is customization of the interface. It has to be integrated right into the philosophy that commands the specifications of the game design document. If you want to be sure that your game is meant to be played by all gamers, make a customized one. It is the game that has to adapt itself to the gamer, not the contrary!
>I''d suggest that your real study is the effect of ergonomics on >the creative process, not simply on productivity.
I didn''t mean that the effect of ergonomics simply lies on productivity. I''m not a shark! It has a global effect on the whole process, so on creativity too. As said before by one of you, creative people won''t automaticaly be inspired sitting in an ergonomic chair. I agree that the mystic of creation has to be intimate, wherever it happens, whenever too, in a techno-club at midnight or during a quite walk in the countryside at noon.
>Added comfort for an accountant working on a spreadsheet will >make him or her feel more at ease, simply by sitting in a more >comfortable chair and having an arm rest.
>How does that translate over to artists, programmers and writers >- a game development team?
I guess it concerns everyone who get up in the morning to go to work. Nobody can escape the reality of work environment, including game development studios. I would say that ergonomics is much more important for programmers, because they are the ones that spend far more time in front of their PCs. That implies comfort at work. Basicaly everyone who sits hours in front of their sreen are concerned by those researches.
Yves from Clavingrad
>But I guess that you''re right that ergonomics are partly >subjective, although you need some standards, especially >concerning lighting, if you want people to work for a longer >period of time
I firmly believe that ergonomics such as the environment (lighting, sitting position, quality of hardware...) influence the whole process of sotware creation. To work better, you need to feel good at work. And it depends on every individual. Some prefer to lay down in a garden to be inspired, to get ideas. Others who mainly work inside in an office might then prefer adapted devices around.
Other factors are crucial as well: the structure and organisation of the whole enterprise, to be considered as a system in itself. Then what matters is how the dataflow is managed. How can you be sure that the right information is conveyed to the right person? and how can you be sure to access to it without any problem? Which means that effective COMMUNICATION stands as the key factor in any system.
>I''m not sure whether the original poster meant during development >or for the actual gamer.
my thesis is focused on the ergonomics of game design process during development.
>Giving the player a way to customize his gaming experience
>(keymapping, controls, colors of the HUD, ...) is probably a good >way to ensure that things are ergonomical for everybody.
Sure... one aspect of future games is customization of the interface. It has to be integrated right into the philosophy that commands the specifications of the game design document. If you want to be sure that your game is meant to be played by all gamers, make a customized one. It is the game that has to adapt itself to the gamer, not the contrary!
>I''d suggest that your real study is the effect of ergonomics on >the creative process, not simply on productivity.
I didn''t mean that the effect of ergonomics simply lies on productivity. I''m not a shark! It has a global effect on the whole process, so on creativity too. As said before by one of you, creative people won''t automaticaly be inspired sitting in an ergonomic chair. I agree that the mystic of creation has to be intimate, wherever it happens, whenever too, in a techno-club at midnight or during a quite walk in the countryside at noon.
>Added comfort for an accountant working on a spreadsheet will >make him or her feel more at ease, simply by sitting in a more >comfortable chair and having an arm rest.
>How does that translate over to artists, programmers and writers >- a game development team?
I guess it concerns everyone who get up in the morning to go to work. Nobody can escape the reality of work environment, including game development studios. I would say that ergonomics is much more important for programmers, because they are the ones that spend far more time in front of their PCs. That implies comfort at work. Basicaly everyone who sits hours in front of their sreen are concerned by those researches.
Yves from Clavingrad
Well, as far as OSHA regulations are concerned, the environment does need to be ergonomic to begin with. However, if your environment is too comfortable, you reproduce ION STORM during the days of John Romero's Daikatana. Another idea is Id's 1 hour deathmatch everyday. And general advice I can offer is to carefully weigh who works at the company. Somebody who doesn't work well with others and is just a drag on the whole process obviously belongs at one of Acclaim's Houses, rather than a startup paying the employees with the profits on the prior game. Then, once you have a group that has good team morale, keep it up by disversifying the work week a bit. Let wednesday be the serious coding/drawing/etc. day and then schedule an optional weekly meeting down at the local pub after work. Granted its not the best environment to get any work done, but it keeps the employees generally happy. I'm speaking on the level of a 10-20 employee dev.house, and on all startups with a small number of employees, its generaly a good idea to have a sort of family going, where everybody knows everybody and the work environment is pleasent. That way, everyone is motivated, and no one is a drag to the project.
-> Will Bubel
-> Machine wash cold, tumble dry.
[edited by - inmate2993 on April 10, 2002 4:58:10 PM]
-> Will Bubel
-> Machine wash cold, tumble dry.
[edited by - inmate2993 on April 10, 2002 4:58:10 PM]
Grassio,
Keep in mind, through all of this, that I''m not disagreeing - just trying to better understand.
What I''m not clear on is why your focus is, apparently, primarily on software design - or specifically game design. There''s a hidden implication that ergonomics in an office affect game design differently from how they would affect production in a law firm, a newspaper, or some other business environment.
My suggestion was a way to better understand your research - the idea that ergonomics affect the creative process in a business environment more so, or differently, from how they affect the day-to-day operations of a business.
If I''m incorrect...please, clarify
Keep in mind, through all of this, that I''m not disagreeing - just trying to better understand.
What I''m not clear on is why your focus is, apparently, primarily on software design - or specifically game design. There''s a hidden implication that ergonomics in an office affect game design differently from how they would affect production in a law firm, a newspaper, or some other business environment.
My suggestion was a way to better understand your research - the idea that ergonomics affect the creative process in a business environment more so, or differently, from how they affect the day-to-day operations of a business.
If I''m incorrect...please, clarify
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement