Play Better, Enjoy More
Joy+ is an intelligent guide plugin designed specifically for video games:
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Joy+ can recognize and analyze players' game screens in real time, actively identifying the challenges they face.
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Game guides and walkthroughs are presented within the game, allowing players to easily reference or learn gameplay techniques while playing.
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Joy+ only offers walkthroughs after players have failed multiple times in a challenge (ensuring it does not take away the fun of the challenges).
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When players perform exceptionally well, Joy+ can automatically create a guide video from their gameplay and share it with other players.
Background
In 2023, people in the United States spent 6 to 12 hours a week on gaming, making video games an important part of their lives for entertainment. With the development of gaming culture, more categories of games have emerged.
The interactions in these different types of games have become more specialized, complex, and skill-oriented, leading to the rise of many new gaming terms. These terms have helped create dedicated gaming communities, each with a large user base.
Problem space
We are curious about the friction points and challenges that novice gamers（who lack the necessary skills and expertise） encounter when trying out a new large-scale game. Additionally, how do these challenges affect their gaming experience?
The challenge
The timeline for our project is 4 months. (Sep 2023 - Jan 2024)
Our goal is to explore the gaming experiences and behaviors of novice gamers, aiming to provide more thoughtful support to gamers in addressing friction points within the game
My role
I led the design of the Joy+ plugin, guiding its development from initial ideation through to execution. (Collaborating closely with two other designers and a researcher).
At the outset
Understanding the gamers
We conducted qualitative research to explore the gaming experiences and behaviors of novice gamers and experienced gamers.
By comparing the similarities and differences between these two groups of players, we can gain comprehensive insights.
What friction points do they encounter when playing a new game?
Interviews: 9 novice gamers + 6 experienced gamers
Focus: Their gaming experience and behavior
Findings
Patience vs. Challenge
Both novice and experienced gamers find new games challenging in terms of controls, difficulty, and navigation. However, experienced gamers are generally more patient, while novices are more likely to give up.
Struggling to Describe Problems
Most novice players turn to Google for help with their issues, but their limited understanding of the game often makes it hard to articulate problems accurately, hindering their ability to find effective assistance.
A Disruptive Task
All gamers noted that learning from game guides significantly impacts their overall gaming experience. They frequently have to pause the game and spend considerable time looking for and understanding useful information.
The Toxicity of Online Communities
All participants see online gaming communities as toxic environments. They are reluctant to seek help from others online, fearing that exposing their gaming weaknesses will lead to judgment and ridicule.
Design challege
The experience we aim to provide:
A more seamless gaming experience that offers effective support when players face difficulties, without taking away the enjoyment of overcoming challenges on their own.
How might we deliver accurate and effective game guides to players when they face challenges, thereby enhancing their overall gaming experience?
Design Principles
Based on the findings from our research, we have established the following design principles:
Introducing
Identify your difficulties
Provide game guides
Enhance your gaming experience
Note: Examples use Genshin Impact for illustration only and do not imply compatibility with Joy+. The Joy+ plugin is designed for all major games.
Key feature1
Joy+ will activate after detecting that the user has failed a challenge multiple times.
This AI-driven feature intelligently recognizes the user's tasks and intentions. If the user fails a challenge, JOY+ remains unavailable (the icon appears gray) to preserve the game's enjoyment. After several failed attempts, it will become available (icon changes to orange-yellow).
Key Feature 2
Game screen recognition for accurate identification of challenges.
Joy+ can accurately identify the game tasks and actions players are currently engaged in through the current screen, proactively recommending the most highly-rated guides.
Key Feature 3
Picture-in-picture, guide players without interrupting the gaming experience.
The game guides will be displayed within the game, allowing players to view them without having to exit the game. Players can also freely adjust the canvas size.
Key Feature 4
Record players' outstanding performances to boost their confidence
When players perform exceptionally well, Joy+ will ask if they would like to turn their performance into a guide to share within the Joy+ community (the guide generation will be handled by AI).
Challenges
In our research, most participants indicated that while game challenges can be frustrating, they are also a source of enjoyment and a sense of achievement. Therefore, one of the main challenges in our solution is to assist players in overcoming difficulties without diminishing their enjoyment and sense of accomplishment.
When we asked participants how many failures or how long they could be stuck on a challenge before losing interest in the game, their answers varied widely—even among members of the same group, whether novice or experienced gamers.
Ultimately, we settled on a midpoint: after three failed attempts at a task, Joy+ will be activated, and players will have the option to customize this attempt limit. This approach encourages players to improve through challenges while preventing them from experiencing excessive failure that could lead to frustration. Additionally, players have the autonomy to set their preferred challenge limits, catering to the needs of different players.
Next Steps
Optimize Video Guide Creation
Highlight Key Moments
Use AI to automatically detect and highlight important gameplay moments (e.g., boss fights, puzzle completions, or achievements) within the recorded video. Provide an editing timeline that allows users to fine-tune these highlights.
Voiceover Integration
Add an option for players to record voiceover commentary while reviewing their gameplay or automatically generate AI voiceovers that explain the actions and strategies used during key moments.
Customization of Sharing Options
Enable players to customize their videos before sharing, such as by adding titles, descriptions, and tags. Provide built-in integration for direct uploading to platforms like YouTube, Twitch, or within a game's community hub. Add privacy settings for sharing, like public, private, or invite-only links.
User Experience Enhancements
Non-Intrusive UI
Design the in-game Joy+ interface to be minimal and subtle. Use floating buttons, transparent overlays, or pop-up notifications that appear only when needed (e.g., after multiple failures). Allow players to customize the appearance and placement of these UI elements to avoid disrupting gameplay.
Dynamic UI Themes
Implement game-specific UI themes that align with the art style of different genres (e.g., fantasy, sci-fi, sports). For example, use vibrant colors for an action game or minimalist designs for puzzle games, ensuring a cohesive experience.
Hotkey Access
Create customizable hotkeys or gestures that let players quickly open the Joy+ guide or walkthrough interface without navigating away from the game screen.