Pentiment
Ask about one observed pause on the estate or creator. Change only the implicated text, layout or input condition in a later comparison.
02
Player decisions and journeys
Whose experience are we designing for?
Interview first, watch an uncoached task, or observe and then interview?
THE SNAKE EYES BASELINE
- What can be compared. Reflection is marked above two differently facing card portraits. A person might spend time here choosing a face they like. A long visit need not be friction.
- What is local. The footer says Saved on this device, alongside Keep editing and Save appearance. A still cannot show which profile, draft or card the person believes will change.
- The expected result. Before any save, invite the player to describe what they expect to find when they come back. A separate disposable-profile reopen would be needed to check persistence.
R32 / 02 NOV 2026 Reviewing the portrait pair
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Which follow-up separates two explanations?
Ask about the participant’s own goal or cue, then name a second observation that could distinguish the answers.
A pause here might mean comparing the two portraits or wondering what Save appearance will keep. Invite the player to describe the moment before suggesting either explanation.
01 / RESEARCH SHORTLIST
CURATED FOR THIS QUESTIONThree for Snake Eyes
Unpacking
For a saved-character choice, ask what the player wanted to see before deciding whether hesitation needs a fix.
Dead Cells
If the person predicts the guard correctly, compare the same task with their preferred alternative input, keeping the instruction constant.
02 / PRODUCTION CONTEXT
One question, different scales
Compare what the player can infer. The scale labels describe the production context of each example.
03 / COMPARATIVE GALLERY
PROBE / EDITORIAL RANKINGThe top ten
How these examples were ranked
These editorial lists rank how well a particular shipped interface supports the stated research question. We inspected publisher and developer imagery across 22 candidate games, including examples from the 1990 Loom lineage through 2023 releases. We compared the specificity of the task, the strength of the primary source, whether an observable action can distinguish plausible explanations, and transfer across genres. The four lists answer different questions. The three Snake Eyes picks in each list are separate editorial recommendations. In particular, the Dead Cells team reports a player panel for its revision, and Turn 10 describes direct consultation on Blind Driving Assists. Other proposed prompts and observations are our exercises. No reference screenshot records a Snake Eyes participant, and no sample here represents all game players. Award labels describe their organizer’s category rather than endorsing our rank or exercise.
Each entry links to the image and the feature evidence. Award badges name the recognized category. The saved direction records the director’s own choices.
See how different genres answer this question
Historical narrative RPGPentimentLocate the source of “it felt slow”
Environmental placement puzzleUnpackingSeparate chosen exploration from a failed placement
Action platformerDead CellsSeparate knowledge from sustained effort
Deduction adventureReturn of the Obra DinnAsk what information was still missing
Fighting gameStreet Fighter 6Replay an identical opponent sequence
First-person puzzlePortal 2Separate finding a goal from inferring its cause
Survival city builderFrostpunkAsk what made the condition meaningful
Co-operative cookingOvercooked! 2Ask each participant for their own view
Racing simulationForza MotorsportAsk what informed the action
Musical graphic adventureLoomAsk what the player expected the target to do10 / 10 references
Publisher-led · Historical narrative RPG2022
Pentiment
Locate the source of “it felt slow”
Ask “Walk me through what was happening between seeing the choices and moving on.” If needed, ask “What were you waiting for at that point?” Check the answer against the focused row and activation you observed.
Study notes and sources
- Why it ranks
- One neutral account can discriminate among reading, choosing and executing a hold.
- Where it breaks down
- Long reading time, deliberate role-playing and an unfinished hold call for different changes. A leading “Was the font too small?” favors only one.
- For Snake Eyes
- Ask about one observed pause on the estate or creator. Change only the implicated text, layout or input condition in a later comparison.
- Production
- Obsidian Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios · PC · original game and Obsidian’s official settings illustrations. A small project inside a major publisher. The director’s account describes the scale and the small-team process.
Other views of this game
Obsidian Entertainment / Xbox Game Studios · official settings and publisher-supplied gameplay screenshotsIndie · Environmental placement puzzle2021
Unpacking
Separate chosen exploration from a failed placement
After a second placement, ask “What were you trying to arrange there?” and “How did you decide you were finished?” Follow the participant’s words before asking them to repeat one action.
Study notes and sources
- Why it ranks
- A retrospective can distinguish satisfying self-expression from fighting an input target.
- Where it breaks down
- The player might be composing a pleasing space or trying to hit a small target. Repetition alone supports both accounts.
- For Snake Eyes
- For a saved-character choice, ask what the player wanted to see before deciding whether hesitation needs a fix.
- Production
- Witch Beam / Humble Games · PC · original game, publisher gallery. Witch Beam’s site credits the team and describes the independent production.
Image context Original image Feature source Production source 2022 BAFTA Games Awards · Narrative, for the game
Other views of this game
Witch Beam / Humble Games · publisher-supplied PC screenshotsIndie · Action platformer2018
Dead Cells
Separate knowledge from sustained effort
After a hesitation, ask “What were you trying to make the shield do at that moment?” Then ask “What happened when you tried?” Let the person demonstrate on the configuration they used.
Study notes and sources
- Why it ranks
- A question about an intended guard state can separate a semantic misunderstanding from sustained-input cost.
- Where it breaks down
- Uncertainty about guard state and difficulty maintaining pressure can generate the same missed defense. A spoken preference alone cannot separate them.
- For Snake Eyes
- If the person predicts the guard correctly, compare the same task with their preferred alternative input, keeping the instruction constant.
- Production
- Motion Twin / Evil Empire · PC · Breaking Barriers update, June 2022. The independent project and its update team are credited in the developers’ announcement.
Image context Original image Feature source Production source The Game Awards 2018 · Best Action Game, for the game
Other views of this game
Motion Twin / Evil Empire · developer update screenshotsIndie · Deduction adventure2018
Return of the Obra Dinn
Ask what information was still missing
Ask “What did you want to find out next?” After the response, ask “How were you planning to record that?” One question addresses the evidence, the other the interface.
Study notes and sources
- Why it ranks
- Questions about missing evidence and recording an answer can send the designer to different parts of the interface.
- Where it breaks down
- The player may understand the ledger and lack a clue, or know the answer and be unable to put it in the ledger. A single elapsed time cannot decide.
- For Snake Eyes
- After creator inspection, ask separately what the player had decided and how they expected that decision to be saved.
- Production
- Lucas Pope / 3909 · PC · publisher gallery. The game and its creator are identified on the developer’s official game page.
Other views of this game
Lucas Pope / 3909 · developer-supplied PC screenshotsAAA · Fighting game2023
Street Fighter 6
Replay an identical opponent sequence
After the participant misses the response, ask “What was your cue to act?” Repeat the same stored sequence, then ask what they expected their input to do.
Study notes and sources
- Why it ranks
- Repeating one stored action lets the moderator test an interpretation against a fixed stimulus.
- Where it breaks down
- The cue may not have been recognized, or it may have been recognized too late for the player’s execution. Rehearsal itself creates learning.
- For Snake Eyes
- Use a repeatable estate route or arena test state and report the first attempt separately from the coached replay.
- Production
- Capcom · PS5 · Capcom web manual, Practice and Recording Settings. Capcom identifies its worldwide multiplatform fighting release. GAconf identifies the Modern and Dynamic controls in its mobility award.
Image context Original image Feature source Production source GAconf Awards 2023 · Best physical/mobility accessibility, citing Modern and Dynamic control options
Other views of this game
Capcom · official Street Fighter 6 web manual screenshotsPublisher-led · First-person puzzle2011
Portal 2
Separate finding a goal from inferring its cause
After the player approaches the door, ask “What did you think would make it open?” If they identify a mechanism, ask how they expected to operate it. Observe the next unprompted attempt.
Study notes and sources
- Why it ranks
- Asking about the cause of a visible goal separates orientation from puzzle reasoning.
- Where it breaks down
- A player may be testing a correct hypothesis or searching without a model. Walking to the same door is consistent with either.
- For Snake Eyes
- Ask what the player expected Inspect to reveal and what made them think it was available on this turn.
- Production
- Valve · PC · publisher chamber screenshots. Valve’s store page credits the developer and publisher, with separate single-player and co-operative experiences. The screenshots do not disclose team size or budget.
Other views of this game
Valve · publisher-supplied PC screenshotsAA · Survival city builder2018
Frostpunk
Ask what made the condition meaningful
After a temperature judgment, ask “What led you to that answer?” If the reply is vague, ask “Which part of the display were you using?” Then present a second building without pointing.
Study notes and sources
- Why it ranks
- The player can point to the legend, building tooltip or a remembered rule, giving the follow-up a concrete subject.
- Where it breaks down
- Finding the legend and understanding what “Freezing” implies are different. Someone may also rely on a remembered rule.
- For Snake Eyes
- Probe whether the player used Hem’s panel, the turn heading or prior rules knowledge before revising any of them.
- Production
- 11 bit studios · PC · two different publisher-captured city states. Editorial mid-scale bracket. The studio’s 2017 consolidated report describes almost 50 in-house contributors and external support.
Other views of this game
11 bit studios · publisher-supplied PC screenshotsIndie · Co-operative cooking2018
Overcooked! 2
Ask each participant for their own view
Ask each person separately, “What were you expecting to happen next at that counter?” Follow with “What did you use to decide that?” Compare the answers with the public handoff and any consented communication record.
Study notes and sources
- Why it ranks
- Two independent accounts can expose mismatched expectations that a joint answer would hide.
- Where it breaks down
- The more vocal player may describe their partner’s goal incorrectly. A shared result does not establish a shared mental model.
- For Snake Eyes
- Collect each opponent’s account of a public turn transition without filling in the other player’s private intentions.
- Production
- Ghost Town Games / Team17 · PC · publisher gameplay gallery. Team17’s FAQ credits Ghost Town Games and Team17 and documents local and online play. The category describes the studio lineage rather than a disclosed project budget.
Image context Original image Feature source Production source The Game Awards 2018 · Best Family Game, for the game
Other views of this game
Ghost Town Games / Team17 · publisher-supplied PC screenshotsAAA · Racing simulation2023
Forza Motorsport
Ask what informed the action
After the turn, ask “What told you it was time to steer?” and “Was there anything you were waiting for?” Give the person the option to demonstrate their usual cue in a replay or another lap.
Study notes and sources
- Why it ranks
- Open wording lets the player name a sound or another cue a sighted observer might overlook.
- Where it breaks down
- A person may be using track memory, the engine, a dedicated cue, visual information or a combination. Avoid naming a channel in the first question.
- For Snake Eyes
- Ask what identified the next player before suggesting that the heading, sound or dice panel was overlooked.
- Production
- Turn 10 Studios / Xbox Game Studios · 2023 game · PC publisher cockpit and track images. GAconf gave this title its 2023 AAA Excellence Award and recognized its Blind Driving Assists.
Image context Original image Feature source Production source GAconf Awards 2023 · Best blind/low vision accessibility
Other views of this game
Turn 10 Studios / Xbox Game Studios · publisher-supplied PC screenshotsPublisher-led · Musical graphic adventure1990
Loom
Ask what the player expected the target to do
After an unsuccessful attempt, ask “What did you expect to change?” Then ask “How did you decide what to play?” Check target interpretation, remembered notes and physical input separately.
Study notes and sources
- Why it ranks
- An explanation of the chosen tune can separate a remembered effect from the actual note sequence.
- Where it breaks down
- Hearing only “I knew the tune” leaves the selected object and delivered notes unverified.
- For Snake Eyes
- When a player says a known skill did nothing, ask first about the expected outcome, then inspect the actual target and received input.
- Production
- Lucasfilm Games · 1990 design · publisher-distributed PC edition, exact screenshot build unspecified. Lucasfilm’s retrospective identifies the original team, period and unusual four-note interaction. Comparing its budget to a contemporary AAA production would be speculative.
Other views of this game
Lucasfilm Games · publisher-distributed PC screenshotsSaved direction
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