Balancing Playability and Historical Accuracy in Game Design - Developing the Struve Geodetic Arc Mobile Game

A key insight from developing the Struve Geodetic Arc mobile game is that the interplay between historical accuracy and playability is shaped by resource constraints, timing of research, and developers' roles—often leading to varying degrees of historical fidelity. The study identifies critical challenges in balancing educational value with engaging gameplay, particularly in small development teams where individual decisions influence both design and historical representation. Through thematic analysis of interviews and game documents, researchers reveal that historical knowledge and technological integration must be carefully timed to avoid compromising either accuracy or user experience.

Mustonen, S., Paananen, S., Eckhoff, E., & Colley, A. (2024). Balancing Playability and Historical Accuracy in Game Design - Developing the Struve Geodetic Arc Mobile Game. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 8(CHI PLAY), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1145/3677060