Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2018 Video Game Development Strategies for Creating Successful Cognitively Challenging Games Walter K. Williams Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Databases and Information Systems Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Management and Technology This is to certify that the doctoral study by Walter Williams has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Gail Miles, Committee Chairperson, Information Technology Faculty Dr. Steven Case, Committee Member, Information Technology Faculty Dr. Bob Duhainy, University Reviewer, Information Technology Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2017 Abstract Video Game Development Strategies for Creating Successful Cognitively Challenging Games by Walter K. Williams MS, Walden University, 2015 MBA, NC State University, 2004 BS, United States Military Academy, 1990 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Information Technology Walden University January 2018 Abstract The video game industry is a global multibillion dollar industry with millions of players. The process of developing video games is essential for the continued growth of the industry, and developers need to employ effective strategies that will help them to create successful games. The purpose of this explorative qualitative single case study was to investigate the design strategies of video game developers who have successfully created video games that are challenging, entertaining, and successful. The technology acceptance model served as a conceptual framework. The entire population for this study was members of a video game development team from a small successful video game development company in North Carolina. The data collection process included interviews with 7 video game developers and analysis of 7 organizational documents. Member checking was used to increase the validity of the findings from the participants. Through the use of triangulation, 4 major themes were identified in the study: the video game designer has a significant impact on the development process, the development process for successful video games follows iterative agile programming methods, programming to challenge cognition is not a target goal for developers, and receiving feedback is essential to the process. The findings in this study may benefit future video game developers and organizations to develop strategies for developing successful games that entertain and challenge players while ensuring the viability of the organization. Findings may influence society as they demonstrate where the points of interest should be directed concerning the impact of video games upon behavior of the players. Video Game Development Strategies for Creating Successful Cognitively Challenging Games by Walter K. Williams MS, Walden University , 2015 MBA, NC State University, 2005 BS, United States Military Academy, 1990 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Information Technology Walden University January 2018 Dedication First and foremost, I want to dedicate this study to my rock, my heart and soul, and my everything, my wife, Veronica. There is absolutely no way I could have completed this without your support. Thank you for helping me to see one of my lifelong dreams come to pass. I want to thank my children, as I know that I have been unavailable on many nights and many weekends while I worked on my study. Makayla, Dre, you have both been very understanding and supportive and I certainly appreciate it. Dre, you have been a special inspiration for me because I have watched and played video games with you since you were old enough to hold a controller, and I have often worried how the games affected you. You are a wonderful young man now, so I am confident that you turned out ok. Lastly, I would like to dedicate this to all of my other supportive family members and good friends who have given me words of encouragement over the years that I have been working on this. Big Mike and Ray, everytime that you encouraged me lifted me up just a little bit more. I hope that I can be as big of an inspiration for someone as you both have been for me. Acknowledgments I would like to thank Dr. Gail Miles, my first chair, for all of her help in getting me through this process. Dr. Miles has a way of taking the complicated and making it easy for me to understand. Thank you for you encouragement as I stumbled some along the way. I would also like to thank Dr. Steven Case as my second chair and mentor. You have been a source of knowledge and inspiration for me, even helping me when I was not in your course. That will never be forgotten. I would like to thank Dr. Bob Duhainy for taking the time to review my work as my URR. Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Section 1: Foundation of the Study ......................................................................................1 Background of the Problem ...........................................................................................1 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................2 Purpose Statement ..........................................................................................................2 Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................3 Research Question .........................................................................................................5 Interview Questions ................................................................................................ 5 Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................6 Definition of Terms........................................................................................................7 Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations ................................................................7 Assumptions ............................................................................................................ 7 Limitations .............................................................................................................. 8 Delimitations ........................................................................................................... 8 Significance of the Study ...............................................................................................8 Contribution to Information Technology Practice .................................................. 8 Implications for Social Change ............................................................................... 9 A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature ..............................................10 Conceptual Framework ......................................................................................... 11 The TAM .............................................................................................................. 12 i Alternate Models and Extensions ......................................................................... 14 Constructs of the TAM ......................................................................................... 18 Future Directions for the TAM ............................................................................. 23 The Video Game Industry ..................................................................................... 24 Challenges for Video Game Designer .................................................................. 25 Video Game Design .............................................................................................. 27 Social Impacts Upon Videogame Design ............................................................. 31 Implications........................................................................................................... 33 TAM and Video Game Design ............................................................................. 35 Transition and Summary ..............................................................................................36 Section 2: The Project ........................................................................................................38 Purpose Statement ........................................................................................................38 Role of the Researcher .................................................................................................39 Participants ...................................................................................................................41