SMU Guildhall Graduate Catalog Fall 2016 — Cohort 24 | Page 24

Ed Dearien Production « Adaptive Gameplay Methodology for Increasing Engagement via Analytic Driven Real Time Archetype Identification For my master’s thesis project, I wanted This project is a stepping stone in what games and how companies translate game player data. Traditionally, there to explore how data analytics work in player data into actionable game designs. I specifically analyzed player session archetypes in the game TUG by Nerd Kingdom and how those archetypes can be used to increase overall player engagement. I learned many things through this project and achieved the goals that I set. I now know more about data analytics and how their application can help a game thrive. I also gathered some best practices for how to effectively read and compile data for the purposes of modifying game design. 24 PRODUCTION I hope is a new way of analyzing video is substantial focus centered around gathering feedback from user data via play tests and surveys, but analyzing a player by their actions in the game can provide even deeper insights into what the player views as fun or not fun.