Orbus Gameworks

Orbus Featured in GEE Magazine

Jun 25, 11:09 AM

I’m happy to say that Orbus Gameworks has been featured in German video game magazine GEE (“Games_Entertainment_Education”). I got a copy in the mail and found it interesting to look through. Although I can’t read German, the magazine is well-designed and it covers a wide range of stuff: retro reviews of older games, gamer fashion, an interview with Ron Gilbert, indie game reviews, and of course your standard game mag news and reviews. I am impressed, as it looks like 50% of the magazine was dedicated to exploring games and culture (including an article I wish I could read on “ethikspiels”) and the other half was the typical game mag stuff

I’ve posted a scan of the article in question. It’s got an interview with me and a screenshot of one of our old Quake III visualizations. And of course, the whole article’s in German.

Like a Magic Filter

Darius Kazemi has, with two colleagues from the game industry, founded the company Orbus Gameworks, which concerns itself with the measurement and visualization of gameplayer data. He explains to us why the industry won’t be able to do without it in the future.

EE: With your methods of analyzing game devlopment you want to change the industry. What’s wrong with how it is now?
DK: Most decisions made during the development of games are based primarily on the establishment. I found it more sensible for game designers to orient themselves more on hard facts and performance data.
EE: What role should Orbus Gameworks play in this?
DK: We want to try to change the skeptical attitude that is prominent in many development studios towards statistical measuring practices, by providing programs that are very userfriendly. Primarily the point for us is to visually convert collected data such as the exact path of a player through a level, the number and location of virtual events and meetings. It’s fascinating to see how, thanks to a successful diagram or a nice chart [?] out of a complicated data flood, suddenly information is available that everyone an understand. It’s like a magic filter that lays itself over the data and makes the complex simple.
EE: And what do we players get from this? How will it affect the game experience if more studios use your methods?
DK: I’m convinced that sensibly used performance data can contribute to greater game enjoyment. Single player games can, through the analysis of player data, figure out the final touches and find and remove bugs more quickly. For the smooth function of online games it’s also important for the operator to always be informed of how the virtual world develops. This can also best be achieved with the help of precise but clear analysis.
EE: But isn’t there also the danger that games will become too boring, when the developers make decisions based on statistics and not on creative ideas?
DK: The danger is absolutely there. The game designer still has to ask him/herself, “Am I applying the data in order to make the users’ behavior conform to my wishes, or am I trying to make sure that they have the best possible play experience I can give them?” I hope, of course, that the majority will choose the second option.

Game picture caption: This is how it looks when Orbus Gameworks visualizes a Quake III level. The purple dots mark the exchange of fire, and the geometric explosions the virtual deaths of the players.

Darius picture caption: Darius Kazemi is the president of Orbus Gameworks and by his own admission addicted to data. He has already analyzed the behavior of players for developers of the online games “Dungeons and Dragons” and “The Lord of the Rings.”

-Darius Kazemi

— DariusKazemi