Research Methods: Games

Games

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To develop games through which respondents express themselves by making a series of linked choice.

– One of the oldest such games is Wilson’s “Neighborhood Game” .

Alternative degrees of attributes such as neighborhood physical quality and sanitation services each have a price tag attached. Respondents are given a set of chips representing the total amount of money they can spend to “buy” the amenities on the game board. With the amount of play money they have, they are forced to chose among attractive alternatives, not all of which they can afford. Their final judgements express not a linear series of individual choices but a balanced set of simultaneous ones.

– Another game developed by Zeisel and Griffin is the “Dwelling Unit Floor Plan game” in which respondents make a series of simple design decisions to develop their housing unit.