I was fortunate enough to give a short talk on Usability is a Culture at the Christchurch Game Developer’s Conference. There were lots of great topics discussed, and Usability is pretty well baked into games, from what I’m hearing, which is a great sign!
Have a quick read through my presentation, you might get a laugh or two, and I outline the value of UX in games.
The long and short of my presentation is that UX is a Culture, embedded in the studio experience as well as the player experience. When this is right, Cultural Value occurs (see Fortnite mentioned in other games and movies!) and monetary value/profit usually follows.
Convenience + Creative Intent = Cultural Value (increased profits)
The trick is tracking data on UX improvements! More on this in a future post.