Game studies extends across many disciplines and has become an increasingly popular topic for academics. Many studies have been conducted to determine who plays games, why they play games, methods of constructing games, and what qualities create a positive experience for players. However, within current research and critiques, there is a lack of specific reasoning for how exactly developers can use this knowledge to create better, more immersive gaming experiences. Ultimately, a game’s success depends on its audience and, thus, it is crucial for research to take an audience-centered approach. This study takes an academic perspective in application to industry knowledge, using a rhetorical approach to examine the specific decisions developers make while creating persuasive user experiences. From prior scholarly and industry research, I have created a comprehensive theoretical framework with which to analyze games according to users’ experiences. This framework is applied to three games to serve as case studies for practical application of my research and I provide developers with specific recommendations for future projects. In conclusion, I discuss the potential for expansion upon my research and its overall benefits to the gaming industry.
","abstract_html":"<p>Game studies extends across many disciplines and has become an increasingly popular topic for academics. Many studies have been conducted to determine who plays games, why they play games, methods of constructing games, and what qualities create a positive experience for players. However, within current research and critiques, there is a lack of specific reasoning for how exactly developers can use this knowledge to create better, more immersive gaming experiences. Ultimately, a game’s success depends on its audience and, thus, it is crucial for research to take an audience-centered approach. This study takes an academic perspective in application to industry knowledge, using a rhetorical approach to examine the specific decisions developers make while creating persuasive user experiences. From prior scholarly and industry research, I have created a comprehensive theoretical framework with which to analyze games according to users’ experiences. This framework is applied to three games to serve as case studies for practical application of my research and I provide developers with specific recommendations for future projects. In conclusion, I discuss the potential for expansion upon my research and its overall benefits to the gaming industry.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Olszewski, Lexi"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)","degree_level":"Capstone","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Sergio C. Figueiredo","Jeffrey D. Greene"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:42Z","subjects":["Communication Technology and New Media","Creative Writing","Rhetoric","Technical and Professional Writing"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/72","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Sergio C. Figueiredo","Jeffrey D. Greene"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Olszewski, Lexi"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2030-05-03T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Capstone"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Communication Technology and New Media","Creative Writing","Rhetoric","Technical and Professional Writing"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/72"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Game studies extends across many disciplines and has become an increasingly popular topic for academics. Many studies have been conducted to determine who plays games, why they play games, methods of constructing games, and what qualities create a positive experience for players. However, within current research and critiques, there is a lack of specific reasoning for how exactly developers can use this knowledge to create better, more immersive gaming experiences. Ultimately, a game’s success depends on its audience and, thus, it is crucial for research to take an audience-centered approach. This study takes an academic perspective in application to industry knowledge, using a rhetorical approach to examine the specific decisions developers make while creating persuasive user experiences. From prior scholarly and industry research, I have created a comprehensive theoretical framework with which to analyze games according to users’ experiences. This framework is applied to three games to serve as case studies for practical application of my research and I provide developers with specific recommendations for future projects. In conclusion, I discuss the potential for expansion upon my research and its overall benefits to the gaming industry.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Tactical Rhetoric: User Experience Analysis & Strategies for Game Developers"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Sergio C. Figueiredo","Jeffrey D. Greene"],"dc:creator":["Olszewski, Lexi"],"dc:date.available":["2030-05-03T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Game studies extends across many disciplines and has become an increasingly popular topic for academics. Many studies have been conducted to determine who plays games, why they play games, methods of constructing games, and what qualities create a positive experience for players. However, within current research and critiques, there is a lack of specific reasoning for how exactly developers can use this knowledge to create better, more immersive gaming experiences. Ultimately, a game’s success depends on its audience and, thus, it is crucial for research to take an audience-centered approach. This study takes an academic perspective in application to industry knowledge, using a rhetorical approach to examine the specific decisions developers make while creating persuasive user experiences. From prior scholarly and industry research, I have created a comprehensive theoretical framework with which to analyze games according to users’ experiences. This framework is applied to three games to serve as case studies for practical application of my research and I provide developers with specific recommendations for future projects. In conclusion, I discuss the potential for expansion upon my research and its overall benefits to the gaming industry.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mapw_etd/72"],"dc:subject":["Communication Technology and New Media","Creative Writing","Rhetoric","Technical and Professional Writing"],"dc:title":["Tactical Rhetoric: User Experience Analysis & Strategies for Game Developers"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Capstone"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:42Z"}