The USERlab
The USERlab (Usability Services, Enterprise and Research) is an innovative facility for helping games publishers and developers to assess gamers’ involvement in games. It forms one arm of a broad strategy being pursued by the School of Computing and Creative Technology department at the University of Bolton to create closer ties with companies in the “new media” industries.
The USERlab is a flexible environment, which can be configured as a lounge, a studio flat or even a home-office. State-of-the-art computers, games consoles and audio-visual equipment allow us to create an immersive experience for gamers of all types. The USERlab incorporates multiple digital video cameras. Images can be fed live to the viewing area outside the studio, streamed across the internet, or recorded onto DVD.
The USERlab will therefore support game play analysis and evaluation, usability testing, focus testing and assessment of players’ reaction to games. The facility can also be used for product launches and for the production of promotional material. The USERlab opened for business in 2004 and we are proud that we are credited on the Triple-A Evolution Studios PS2 title, WRC5: Rally Evolved, published by Sony. Industry partners are able to utilise the facility at a very competitive introductory rate to help them to assess exactly how they wish to use it.
You can find us on http://www.theuserlab.co.uk/ Contact us on theuserlab@bolton.ac.uk
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