2008 July « snippets of cloud

Archive for July, 2008

play it straight for 7-12 year olds

25 July, 2008 at 9:23 pm · Filed under game design, quote, research

This theory is a four-stage ladder up which Piaget thought children climbed as they gathered knowledge about the world:

Sensorimotor (birth to 18-24 months): infants are aware only of their sensations, fascinated by all the strange new experiences their bodies are having. They are like little scientists exploring the world by shouting at, listening to, banging and tasting everything.
Pre-operational (18-24 months to 7 years): during this stage children can process images, words and concepts but they can’t do anything with them, they can’t yet operate on them. It’s like they’ve acquired the tools of thought, but don’t yet know how to use them. E.g. in maths they can’t understand that 2 x 3 is the same as 3 x 2.
Concrete operations (7 to 12 years): at this stage children gain the ability to manipulate symbols and objects, but only if they are concrete – abstract operations are still a challenge.
Formal operations (12 and up): from here on children are able to think in abstract terms about the world. Now they can understand concepts such as the future, values and justice. From around this age children start thinking like adults.

http://www.spring.org.uk/2008/07/jean-piagets-four-stage-theory-how.php

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why use a complex one when a simple one will do?

22 July, 2008 at 6:33 pm · Filed under life

In the quest for instructional literalism…

http://www.ironicsans.com/thsrs/

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G-CREDit+

18 July, 2008 at 6:05 pm · Filed under game design ·Tagged design language

GOALS

Clear Goals

Give players purpose

Know what they’re aiming for at the end of the journey

Satisfaction in achieving

CONSISTENCY

Consistency in the World and its Rules

Give players a rounded and coherent ‘conceptual model’ of the world – what they expect to happen will happen

Know that the world and the way it’s presented is reassuringly consistent and predictable

Constantly guided through the laws of logical, yet magical world

REWARDS

Rewards for Positive Interactions

Give players praise/reward/encouragement for everything that’s correct

Know they’re doing the right thing

Constantly rewarded and encouraged to continue achieving

Clear, Proportional and Consistent Feedback

Give players clear feedback to whatever they’ve done (however small the step)

Know that world is predictable and actions have appropriate consequences: cause and effect

Aware what has an effect and how big that effect is

EXPERIMENTATION

Opportunities for Experimentation and “Playground” Interactivity

Give players enough options to discover that experimentation is possible, rewarded and therefore encouraged

Know that making your own fun and playing around always gets you somewhere

Constantly reminded that there’s more to do than just the main path

Choices that are Clear and Meaningful

Choices are presented to players that give greater reward for actions that are riskier, more complex or tactically advantageous

Know that more sophisticated play and risk-taking are options that will have gains

Experimenting all the time, trying different methods and exploring game depth

DIRECTION

Clear Direction

Give players unambiguous guidance

Know where to go/what to do along the route of the journey

Constantly making progress

PLUS

Intuitive, Smooth Controls

Give players controls to assist them in what they are trying to achieve – nothing is clumsy or confusing

Know that controls are there to help players achieve goals

Aware that the only barriers are players’ own skill in dealing with the obstacles presented

Clear Pacing and Narrative

Give drama, context and rhythm

Know “story” and be engaged in it

Experience is meaningful, not spurious

Progression, Variety and Challenge

Give something new to do/achieve

Know that there’s always something new coming up

Constantly encouraged to keep playing