Although reducing note-taking to a single tick or cross maximises observer time and makes analysis easier, it might not always capture the full story of what the player has done.

For example, although the player may have equipped an item correctly, it may have only occurred after the third attempt. This information would not be captured in a single box tick, but you might want to record this context.

It’s documenting this context where you need to be careful to not interpret what the player has done, but rather try to document as factually as possible.

Example scenario - a player tries to craft a new item, tries several times, then gives up.

• Note with observer interpretation - “The player had difficulty crafting the item”.

• Factual note - “The player tried 3 times to craft a new item, failed and moved on”

You don’t know whether the player was having difficulty in execution, or if they couldn’t remember the controls, or if they were just experimenting etc, don’t guess, it’s the role of the interview to uncover what was going on. At the observation stage just document as factually as possible what happened.

In general, avoid using experiential words when taking notes - ‘difficulty’, ‘enjoyed’, ‘disliked’ etc. as you cannot be certain at this point.

Key Takeaway

Adding context to observed behaviours can be useful, but don’t try to add any interpretation at this point in time, just record the facts.

Next: 42. Constructing a Player Behaviour Log