The Factors Affecting Perceived Playability of Hardcore and Casual Players in Online Role-Playing Games 353 The Factors Affecting Perceived Playability of Hardcore and Casual Players in Online Role-Playing Games

Purpose-A new design concept, playability, has emerged and been advocated as a decisive factor for players’ gameplay experiences. The present study intends to identify what playability factors might affect players’ gaming experiences, particularly from the perspective of individual motivation. Design/methodolgy/approach-According to the game heuristics and playability design guidelines, the present study developed and managed a wide-scale survey to investigate the determinants of playability, reflecting hardcore and casual players’ RPG gaming experiences. Finding-The survey results revealed that the Gameplay dimension is primary decisive factor leading players to value the playability of an online role-playing game, following by Game Interface and then Game Mechanics. From the hardcore players’ point of view, Gameplay is definitely more important than Game Interface, while Game Interface is equally important to Game Mechanics. From the casual players’ point of view, Gameplay is positioned at the same critical level as Game Interface while Game Interface has a stronger impact than Game Mechanics. Research limitations/implications-The results of the present study can merely provide information of which design factors of playability might be deemed important by players from the perspective of individual motivation. In addition, although the * Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] 2013/06/01 received; 2014/05/11 revised; 2014/09/04 accepted Lee, J. (2015), ‘The factors affecting perceived playability of hardcore and casual players in online role-playing games’, Journal of Information Mauagement, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 353-402. 354 資訊管理學報 第二十二卷 第四期 emotion issue is highly related to the psychological dimension of the player’s gaming experience, it wasn’t included in this investigation due to the limitation of the survey method, and the match between issues of emotion and playability has yet to be specified. Practical implications and originality/value-From the survey results of the present study, it provides a useful design reference for game developers. What players consider to be a good game largely lies more on the hedonistic level than on the ergonomic level. In other words, usability design in online role-playing game environments comes second to the emotional elements.