The Gamer's Brain ─ How Neuroscience and Ux Can Impact Video Game Design

User experience in the gaming industry is a hot topic, as is psychology and neuroscience. Most believe that the brain is rational and makes decisions based on logic and analysis. However, numerous studies show that the brain is instead emotional, and that our decisions are heavily influenced by many biases. As a developer, this raises difficulties that must be taken into account for players to have great experiences. In this book readers will learn how to use neuroscience (the study of how the brain perceives, processes information, and retains it) and user experience guidelines to constantly be aware of these biases so they can make the best design decisions and ship higher-quality games more quickly.

Celia Hodent has a PhD in Psychology from the University of Paris 5 Sorbonne where she specialized in cognitive development and how the human brain learns and processes its environment. After leaving academic research and joining the game industry to help developers design better games through neuroscience, first at Ubisoft's Strategic Innovation Lab think tank. She has also worked with Ubisoft Montreal and LucasArts on games such as Assassin's Creed, Fry Cry, Star Wars: 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault, among others. Currently she is Director of User Experience at Epic Games, building UX practices and strategy for the studio working on Fortnite, Unreal Engine 4, Unreal Tournament and others.