13 Controlling Your Game Controls: Interface and Customization Sonam Adinolf, Selen Turkay, Teachers College, Columbia University Email: st2282@columbia.edu, sza2105@columbia.edu Abstract A game’s interface is where players communicate with the game, so it has intrinsic importance to players. As player interactions in a game get more advanced, so does the complexity of the game interface. Massively Multiplayer Online game (MMO) interfaces are at the top of the complexity pyramid as they can display plentiful information such as character skills, stats, maps, chat windows. As the interface gets more complex, so does the merits of customizable interfaces. This paper reports results from a study which investigated the importance of interfaces and interface customization for MMO players using an online mixed method survey. Results validate that interface quality is important for players and interface customization is a desirable feature for player engagement and motivation to play MMOs. Further results are discussed in the paper. Background “I enjoy customizing the interface to maximize usability and provide information that's useful for improving gameplay.” – (M117, WoW) 1 In games, as with all products, usability is a top priority. Interface design has a large impact on a game’s usability, and hence its playability. Just as people are less likely to use a mouse that gives them arm pain, they will shy away from headache interfaces. The quality of the game interface affects players’ gaming experience as it impacts a game’s playability. The results of several studies on student control in Computer Based Instruction(CBI) point to positive effects of this control on elements of instruction (e.g., Corbalan, Kester & van Merrienboer, 2006; Kinzie, Sullivan & Berdel, 1988). Theories such as Flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi,1990) and Self Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan,1985) also point to the importance of user control for enjoyment and motivation. Still, while theories and CBI research exist implying that customization may lead to identification and ownership, and is related to motivation and achievement, research examining specific uses and effects of various types of customization in games is lacking. Many games, especially massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), offer players ways to customize their experiences, either through built-in options or the ability to create or obtain add-on software modules. This ability to customize allows players to personalize their avatars/characters and control aspects of their play experience. Doing so could lead to players identifying more closely with a game and “taking ownership” of it. In this study, we decided to work with massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) because of their complex systems and range of choices that they provide to players. MMORPGs are persistent, networked, interactive, narrative environments that support large numbers of people, either synchronously or asynchronously. MMORPGs allow players to