Understanding user needs in videogame moment retrieval

Barrett R. Anderson, Adam M. Smith

Abstract: Videogames are a rich domain for scholarship, and their dynamic content makes them a new and unique challenge for information retrieval (IR). Recent work has made it possible to cite specific moments in a videogame (like pages in a book), but currently finding those moments to cite is laborious because there are no videogame moment search engines. We conducted an in-depth interview study with ten users across a variety of user profiles: developers, educators, speedrunners, scholars, and streamers. From these interviews, we identify the unique needs of each user profile for retrieving moments from videogames. We outline implications for future research in retrieval and design implications for new tools focused on interactive media.