The gameplay visualization manifesto: a framework for logging and visualization of online gameplay data

As massively multiplayer online games gain popularity, there has been a concomitant increase in their size and complexity, both technically and in terms of player usage. Quality assurance for such games takes up a major component of the development budget due to the painstaking work required to ensure the best possible gameplay. This article presents a new framework for the process of visualizing online game-play data. Major components such as an event model and data acquisition infrastructure are derived. Interface and implementation factors are also explored, including in-situ game interface approaches. We also expect that this framework can be modified for all genres of gaming that require an understanding of complex game-play.