Abstract

As computer games have increased in popularity, gameplay has gained renewed attention within HCI as a genera of human-computer-interaction. Drawing on phenomen-ological accounts of expert skill, this paper examines the gameplay of Counter-Strike, one popular online game. While Counter-Strike at first appearance may seem an unsophisticated pursuit, players display complex skills developed through many hours of concerted play. Using video analysis of gameplay, we examine Counter-Strike as an example of expert technology use. Players move beyond physical dexterity to chain their movements with the online environment. They develop a sense of the terrain of play as contingent to the state of play, rather than as static spatial knowledge. The games design also makes available to players an analysis of their successes and failures as an integral part of play. From these observations we draw concepts for better conceiving of expert skill in HCI , alongside designing to support expert use.