Note: This post is one in a series of posts that seeks to examine ways in which information visualization (infovis) can be game-like, or gamey (an unfortunate, but fun term we default to when discussing this topic as a group).
One way we can consider infovis to be game-like is by exploring the notion of directed activity. Directed activity in games and in information visualizations influences the ways users navigate through the game or information space and it can occur implicitly or explicitly. In both games and information visualizations directed activity operates to guide the user to certain goals.
One way we can consider infovis to be game-like is by exploring the notion of directed activity. Directed activity in games and in information visualizations influences the ways users navigate through the game or information space and it can occur implicitly or explicitly. In both games and information visualizations directed activity operates to guide the user to certain goals.
Explicitly stated, directed activity regarding a game
would come across as something like "defeat boss X before taking on
boss Y, because boss X's weapon is necessary to beat boss Y." For
information visualization it could be "look at the dips that occur at
spots x and y in data sets a and b, this is indicative of a larger
trend."
The affordances and constraints placed upon users who engage these spaces play a major role in how activity is directed. An instance within in a game might be the ability of an avatar within a large gamescape to enter buildings and enter rooms within that building. The analogy in information visualization might be the level of detail a user is able to zoom into on a graph. Affordances and constraints within the gamespace or the interface can be viewed as implicit factors that direct activity.
Outside of affordances and constraints, explicit directed activity takes the form of prompts inside and outside of the game or information space. Dialogue boxes are a standard trope of directing activities in both games and information visualizations.
Directed activity doesn't necessarily need to occur within the artifact itself. A good example of this might be cheat/strategy forums or publications for games. An analogous example within information visualization can be found in the discourse sprouting up around Martin Wattenberg's Name Voyager. Commenters prompt other users to engage the visualization in a certain way (e.g. "Type in 'Bertha' and see what happens!") to recognize the trends they've identified (the trend in this case being that "Bertha" became tremendously unpopular as a name in the latter half of the 20th century... go see for yourself!).
Much of Jeffrey Heer's work looks to incorporate social directed activity as a central part of information visualization, situating comment boxes within the actual visualization. Users are encouraged to create paths within the comments for other users to follow.
While this might seem like a simple observation, it serves as a fundamental point of comparison. A better understanding of how directed activity is constructed, within interfaces and as discourse, can provide insights into the ways that both games and information visualizations can take on journalistic qualities.
The affordances and constraints placed upon users who engage these spaces play a major role in how activity is directed. An instance within in a game might be the ability of an avatar within a large gamescape to enter buildings and enter rooms within that building. The analogy in information visualization might be the level of detail a user is able to zoom into on a graph. Affordances and constraints within the gamespace or the interface can be viewed as implicit factors that direct activity.
Outside of affordances and constraints, explicit directed activity takes the form of prompts inside and outside of the game or information space. Dialogue boxes are a standard trope of directing activities in both games and information visualizations.
Directed activity doesn't necessarily need to occur within the artifact itself. A good example of this might be cheat/strategy forums or publications for games. An analogous example within information visualization can be found in the discourse sprouting up around Martin Wattenberg's Name Voyager. Commenters prompt other users to engage the visualization in a certain way (e.g. "Type in 'Bertha' and see what happens!") to recognize the trends they've identified (the trend in this case being that "Bertha" became tremendously unpopular as a name in the latter half of the 20th century... go see for yourself!).
Much of Jeffrey Heer's work looks to incorporate social directed activity as a central part of information visualization, situating comment boxes within the actual visualization. Users are encouraged to create paths within the comments for other users to follow.
While this might seem like a simple observation, it serves as a fundamental point of comparison. A better understanding of how directed activity is constructed, within interfaces and as discourse, can provide insights into the ways that both games and information visualizations can take on journalistic qualities.
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