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« Playability guidelines | Main | User is NOT the king (TM) »
When you think of mobile games, you think of fun. But what does fun have to do with usability?
Fun is one of the main factors that differentiates game usability from usability in other applications. Mobile games are typically played for brief time periods, so there is no extra time to learn how to navigate inside the game. Playing should be as intuitive as possible and the challenge should be in the game play, not in the interaction with the game user interface.
Usability provides the framework and tools for playability, which is a quality every game must have in order to survive. Playability is defined as the degree to which a game is both fun to play and usable, with an emphasis on the interaction style - the quality of game play.
It has been said that an individual game lives or dies by its interface. If usability problems get in the way of intense game playing, the game probably will not be played again.
(Based on an article called "Usability And Fun - Best Friends In Mobile Games" published previously on Forum Nokia)