Live Blogging GDC 2010: Designing for Kids and Parents Playing Together

Jesse Schell takes the stage with a harmonica to call our attention.  Nice.  This talk is spawned off a panel at GDC Austin last year that ended up discussing kids games more than kids and parents.

Parent & Kid games that Schell Games has produced: Sum of All Thrills, ToonTown Online, DisneyQuest, Toy Story Mania

1) You have to decide to design for kids and parents playing together.  It does not happen by accident.  Think about what parent will do, what kid will do.

2) Find themes both kids and parents will care about.  Like pirates, classic practical jokes, tension between work and play.  Book: Last Child in the Woods - children don't go outside anymore. -> inspired Pixie Hollow.  One pixie talks to you directly, not your avatar.  She gives you tasks to do outside, like find pinecones, give trees you see names.  Nostalgia bridges the generation gap (like Disney World) use classic elements, like SpongeBob is sim to Looney Tunes.

3) Understand what families want - and provide it!  Our culture tears families apart, distractions, work hours, divorce, etc.  Hercules in the Underworld, DisneyQuest attraction - saw a tense family fighting with each other in the line, they came out from the game with tension gone, kids are excited "awesome!", dad thought it was beautiful.  Gives family shared accomplishment.  "We did this thing together."  Parents want to feel they have provided meaningful, useful experiences for the children.  Kids want to feel more emotionally connected to their families (but kids can't tell you this, even if you asked them).  Both kids and parents want to connect to distant relatives (cousins, grandparents, etc.)  <- Untapped opportunity.

4) Parents want to teach, kids want to learn.  Could be educational, could be something like jokes.  "Ambulance chaser" - if parents find it funny, kid wants to learn why it's funny.  Now you've designed a moment they shared.  Kids are aspirational.  Create a situation where they are in over their heads and need parent's help.  Two stage game where kids have activity, parents have activity (Electric Co game example)

5) Co-opt existing roles for quick immersion.  Webkinz, Pirates of Caribbean game where mom drives, other family members shoot cannons, etc.

6) Role reversals delight everyone.  Everyone wants a break from the kid/parent relationship.  Let kids be in charge.  When a child's skills surpasses skills of the parent, it's a landmark moment.

7) Consider gender issues.  Mom/Dad, Brother/Sister, Father/Daughter, Father/Mother, Mother/Son, Mother/Daughter.

8) Deciding to pay is a collaboration between kids and parents.  Kids have to want it, parents have to know they want it and believe they'll use it, etc.  ToonTown used monthly mailers to give parents and kids a together moment, because parent gives kid mail, parent sees excitement.

9) Safety is paramount.  Parents think of language, violence.  13 yr old meeting adults in chat areas, etc.  Monitor chat, only allow chats between ppl confirmed to know one another in real world, have good quality canned phrases ppl actually want to use.

10) Design for the family as well as for the individuals.  Design to let them connect with each other, but understand their busy schedules also.

The connection between parents and children is the strongest emotional force we know.  If you can harness that, your game will be very powerful.  Dispatches from the Pixie Glade - Mom's blog about Pixie Hollow.

Building a Preschool iPhone Game, Part 2

When I left off at the end of Part 1 in this series, I had found the developer and graphic artist I wanted to work with.  Finding them has turned out to be the most important part of the whole process.  Every day I work on this project, I'm very thankful for both of the individuals I'm working with.  Not only are they very skilled at what they do, but they're very easy to get along with, and never seem to fret when changes need to be made.  They're both as dedicated to the game's success as I am.

After I had verbal confirmation from both of them that they were interested in the project, it was time to get things going legally and officially.  It was a little bit scary to take something that was just an idea in my head and begin investing serious money in it!

As I mentioned in Part 1, I didn't have enough money to pay a developer upfront.  I'm not even sure how much a developer costs, but I only had a few thousand dollars to spend.  My developer agreed to a profit share agreement, where each of us would split whatever income the game makes from the iTunes Store.  That allowed me to spend the money I did have on paying the graphic artist, and on the legal fees that would be involved in establishing a company and getting contracts written. 

It took me almost two months to go through the whole process of incorporation.  The iTunes Store will only let you sell an app under a legal name, either your own, or an official corporate name.  It didn't seem right to sell a game we made together under only my name.  Plus, there were other benefits to incorporating, like keeping the finances separate from my own bank account, and having legal protection for not producing the game in my own name.  I read up on small business laws, which was the most time consuming part.  I weighed the pros and cons between forming an LLC or an S-Corp, and then hired a lawyer to help me file the necessary paperwork.  I was lucky and found a friend of a friend who specializes in small business law and gave me a good rate.  Once the ball was rolling on that, I hired a different lawyer to help me with the contracts for my developer and graphic artist.  I could have used the small business lawyer, but I had met someone who specializes in interactive media and video games while I was attending Boston GameLoop, and I decided to go with him.

We had a team conference call so the three of us could talk through the plans for the project.  Much of what we talked about was already in the design document I had written, but it was good to talk through it and make sure we were all on the same page.  The developer talked with the artist about the specs and file requirements she would need.  I didn't understand 100% of what was said because some of it was pretty technical, but I wrote it all down anyway. When the call was over, I typed everything we discussed in an email that we could all refer back to.

Since then, everything has taken place via email and file exchange at box.net.  The graphic artist sent me some pencil sketches, and after just a couple of back and forths, she arrived at art that I fell in love with.  The programmer got a first build together pretty quickly, too.  The first couple of builds were only playable on the computer, but it wasn't long before she had a build that ran on the iPhone itself.  Meanwhile, I took care of everything that needed to be done to get into the Apple iTunes Store.  Those things are all listed in this handy article, so I won't repeat them here.

In the past several weeks, there has been a lot of QA testing by the programmer and myself.  That means we play the game over and over to see what wonky 'bugs' occur that shouldn't be happening, and we record them in a spreadsheet.  The programmer then works out kinks in the code so the bugs don't happen anymore.  It can be time consuming to QA because once you observe a bug, you have to reproduce it a few times to confirm what conditions cause it to happen.

We have also made a few tweaks to the conditions that affect the game's difficulty, but now we're ready to watch some kids play the game and see how difficult they find the game to be.  I am most curious to see if kids understand how to play the game, because when the game is released, we won't be there to tell each player what to do.  I'm doing my best to make the game play intuitive without using formal directions, so we'll see how clear it actually is when I observe some kids play.  Watch this blog for more about the kid testing process and intuitive play in Part 3.

Picture of a toddler playing with an iPhone by jessica.garro, shared via Creative Commons.

How to Land an Internship in the Children’s Television or Video Game Industry

Blogs are about sharing wisdom and opinions. One thing I have collected a lot of wisdom about is interning in children’s television. I began my career working in children’s television, before I transitioned into video games. All of my experience with internships, both being an intern, and hiring and supervising interns, is in children’s television. I believe much of the advice in this article would apply to finding an internship in the video game industry as well.

1) Have a concise, one page resume. If you're just starting your career, you should be able to summarize your relevant experience on one sheet. Getting to the point is a virtue in all media. Don't use your resume to tell your life story. You must realize that the employer will receive hundreds of resumes in response to an advertisement.  
Keep in mind that whoever looks at your resume will only glance at it for a few seconds before moving on to the next one. You have precious little time to show them that you are the intern they’re looking for. List your most relevant qualifications first, even if they are projects you completed for a class or school club. Work experience is great to mention too, but if thus far you’ve only worked at the Dairy Queen or a local grocery store, the employer may be more interested in projects you produced in class. This is especially true if they won awards or special recognition. Put those things up top. I'm not talking about listing courses you took. I'm suggesting you list the works you completed.

2) Don’t just submit resumes to advertised internships. Do whatever you can to pursue other avenues as well. 

• Ask your professors if they have colleagues in the industry they would be willing to introduce you to. If those people are not personally hiring interns, interview them about their career anyway. At the end of the interview, ask if they have a colleague who might be hiring interns.
• For the television industry, you can pick a show you’re interested in and watch that show’s credits. Write directly to production coordinators and production assistants by name. People in those positions are usually involved in hiring interns. Once you have some names, you can either:
  • Contact them via LinkedIn or email. See more on this below.
  • Search the internet for the production company's postal address. People enjoy receiving mail, and chances are good they’ll open your envelope. I’m a big fan of the old-fashioned paper resume. In this email heavy culture, they help you stand apart. Plus, your resume will now be taking up physical space on the recipient's desk. Small, yes, but it's more difficult for them to ignore than a one line entry in an email inbox.
  • Find the main phone number for the production company and ask the receptionist for the production coordinator or production assistant by name. It's important to use that name you found in the credits, because receptionists are usually strong gatekeepers. If you know who you want to talk to, they're not likely to question you about it. If you get voice mail, don’t leave a message. Try again later. When you do get through, be very brief. Introduce yourself by name as a student at X University and ask if this is a good time to talk for a moment. If it is (or even if they say it isn’t) ask if they are hiring interns at the moment, and if so, may you send a resume direct to their attention? At which address or fax number? Now you can begin your cover letter by thanking them for the phone conversation. Hopefully they will remember your name, which should help raise you to the top of the pile.

3) Consider an internship in research. Research departments are responsible for making sure the target audience will enjoy, understand and be able to use the media that is created for them. Watching children interact with shows and games first hand is invaluable to developing your understanding and making you a better writer or producer. And who knows, you may decide to pursue a career in research! Even if you still have your heart set on production or writing, you can use your internship in research as an opportunity to meet people in those departments.
Some kids’ TV shows and video game licenses are researched on the academic level, to prove that media can truly benefit the children that use them. Sometimes these studies are run by university professors, but often they are run by researchers who work for the production companies. Search your college library for scholarly journal articles about current shows like Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer and Blue’s Clues. Read video game research put out by places like EDC, and the Institute of Play. Contact authors you’d like to work with, talk about what you found interesting in their report, and ask if they’re hiring interns.

4) Pick one or two companies you’re particularly passionate about working for, and focus your energies on getting an internship there. If you don’t get hired this semester, just try again next semester and the next until you get through. But remember that big name places like EA or Nickelodeon can afford to be choosy and often prefer candidates with an internship or two already under their belt. Apply to your dream companies, but also apply at smaller companies to get your feet wet.

5) Apply early. Companies don’t all hire interns the same way colleges admit new students. The application deadline isn’t set in stone. If a producer happens to meet a great intern in January or February who will be available in the summer, then in the producer’s mind, the summer internship is already full. That said, many places will have rolling openings, or many availabilities, so submit your resume often. Hiring an intern is something that often gets pushed to the bottom of the to-do list over and over again until it becomes a last minute scramble. Apply early, but be patient.

6) If at all possible, use an address that’s local (within commuting distance) to the place you are applying. Many internships are unpaid. A hiring supervisor in New York City may feel guilty about bringing someone all the way from the middle of the country to earn a $10 a day stipend, and their guilt might keep you from rising to the top of the pile. This isn’t fair to you, but remember too that hiring managers are burdened with the responsibility of making sure someone good fills the position. They may worry that if they hire you, you’ll bail out at the last minute once you face the realities of how expensive it is to live in the city. That will leave them in the lurch. If you are planning to live with your Aunt Tilly while you intern, use Aunt Tilly’s address on your resume. You can explain in the job interview, if the topic comes up.

A note on contacting someone via email: 
First, try LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an increasingly popular social networking site that is specifically focused on making career related connections. Some LinkedIn users have their permissions set so anyone with an account may send them a message. Use this to your advantage. It’s what LinkedIn was created for. Sending someone a message on LinkedIn should not be confused for trying to add a person to your network. As LinkedIn states in many places, network connections are for people who already know one another. Similarly, contacting someone on Facebook for the purposes of finding a job or internship might not be well received, because Facebook is an environment for people who already know one another.

If you’re unable to contact the person you’re trying to reach via LinkedIn, you may be able to figure out what their email address is. Most large companies assign every employee’s email address according to the same schema, like firstinitiallastname@ourcompany.com. So, if you have an email address for one employee, you’ll be able to make an educated guess at what another employee’s email address will be.
First, figure out the domain name the company uses for email. This is often the same domain the company’s website appears under, but not always. Once you know it, Google that domain name and the word ‘email’. Right now, we’re looking for any employee who has published his work email address on the web, maybe in a conference proceeding or presentation slideshow. So for example, if I was targeting Ubisoft, I’d search “email ubisoft.com” and browse results. If you’re unsure of the email domain name, you can use the company name instead. If that doesn't work, look for conference presentation slides (on SlideShare and conference websites) from anyone at the target company, and see if there's an email address on the last slide in the deck.
Once you have located one employee’s email address, copy that format with the name of the person you’re trying to reach. For example, if I dug up Joe.Smith@ubisoft.com, and I’m trying to reach Sally Simpson, I would send an email to Sally.Simpson@ubisoft.com
Whether you're contacting someone on LinkedIn or via email, remember not to make a pest of yourself. Be brief, and send one message. If you don't hear a response, follow up in two or three weeks. If you still don't hear anything back, let it go.

Once you've snagged that internship, check out my follow up article on how to succeed as an intern and make them want to hire you full time.

Report from Women in Children's Media: Gaming in the 21st Century

I had the pleasure of attending a Women in Children's Media (WiCM) event this evening.  Jesper Juul gave a presentation entitled 'Gaming in the 21st Century.'  It was a good basic overview of the gaming world for the audience, many of whom work in the television industry. 

Audience members were asked to put their favorite video game on their nametag.  Jesper pointed out that it was interesting that about half the audience chose a game from the 70s or 80s, like Pong, Ms. Pac-Man, or Tetris.  One of the main points of his presentation was that the casual game genre is making a resurrgence in recent years.  In the 90s, games trended toward becoming complicated, and lost many players in the process.

Now that I think about it, it's also interesting that when I first arrived, the direction was to write your favorite video game character on your nametag.  The direction was soon changed to write your favorite video game, not character.  WiCM is an organization that traditionally focuses on television and print media, and those are very character driven industries.  Video games really aren't.  There are some games and game series that have strong characters that players identify with, but those games are an exception.  To pick a popular example, many people are fans of Mario games, but few people are fans of Mario himself.  Fans of Mario the character do exist, but it's more common to be a fan of the experience of playing a Mario game.  So, one challenge that people who move from a career in children's television to video games may find difficult is producing a meaningful experience, but not necessarily strong characters.  This is significant, because children's television and books have always excelled at making compelling characters.

Here are my notes of Jesper's presentation, such as they are:

Jesper: Author of half-real & A Casual Revolution books

NYU Game Center, currently offering a few classes
will offer a two-year master's in Game Development in 2-3 years time

Why study video games?
Major part of contemporary culture
65% of US households play -> more video game players than non-video game players
crime in society is going down, video game sales are going up.  :)
there’s a lot of money to be made!

First computer game: Spacewar! 1961 MIT
Senet - 3000BC  games older than novels

More fiction in video games than non-digital games.  Board games and card games are abstract.  But what does it do?

Cooking Mama - You can’t do everything you could normally do in a kitchen. Can’t order take out, you can only slice food one way, etc.  Games have rules that aren’t explained by fiction, like Mario coming back to life 3 times, $200 for passing ‘Go’ in Monopoly.  Fiction is not always implemented in rules: Car never runs out of gas

The industry:
Developers, publishers, platform owners, retailers
Roles: Game designer, programmer, artist, producer, QA tester, etc.

Where does the $60 go?  Forbes 12/2006 break down

2005/6 Casual Game explosion, Wii, Guitar Hero/Rock Band, Bejeweled big business, Diner Dash - not about graphics, renewed focus on what’s going on in front of the screen = in the living room
2005 = death of: promoting new games as having better graphics, promoting to young males, games sold only in boxes

GameZebo, 182 users interviewed in summer ‘08, 93% female, 35% several times a day

Casual games fit into a player’s life
often feature positive feedback more than negative - Peggle is a huge example of this.

Building a Preschool iPhone Game, Part 1

I'm in the middle of producing an iPhone app for preschoolers.  A lot of people seem to be curious about the whole process, so I thought I would share some of my journey. 

First, you need an idea for a game.  My motivation to make a game came from browsing the App Store. I noticed that with some exception, most of the apps available for young kids were pretty dry.  There are many 'touch the thing that begins with this letter' games, memory card games, flash card apps, simple jigsaw puzzles, and apps where you touch an animal to hear the sound it makes.  I grew up playing pretty sophisticated games on the Apple IIe, so I thought I would try my hand at designing a game that I would have enjoyed as a kid.

So I got to thinking about what my game would include.  I wanted something very simple.  I wanted kids to be able to play without frustrations.  Young kids don't have the fine motor skills necessary to make delicate motions required in many small touch screen games, so I knew I shouldn't design something that would need careful precision on the part of the player.  I also knew the game had to be somewhat intuitive, because I didn't want to include any kind of aural or text instructions.  I'm of the mindset that players come to a game to play, and many people don't have the patience for reading or listening to instructions.  Plus, if the audience is preschoolers, most wouldn't be able to read anyhow.  So simple, intuitive play was my first directive.

Next, I needed a setting.  Most games are mimicking a system found in the real world.  For example, SimCity and Diner Dash mimick urban planning and restaurant management.  So what type of system would interest small children?  I thought about this for a couple of weeks.  Finally, in the middle of a walk through my neighborhood, I was struck with a concept I really liked.  Over the next few days, I brainstormed ways a player could interact with this concept via touchscreen.

Then it was time to work on my game design document.  I searched Google for a couple of templates to study, and chose one to use as my main model.  I didn't include every section shown in the template, because my game isn't as complicated or lengthy as some games, like fantasy role playing games.  But it was handy to have a structural guide for sections I would need.  It took me a couple of days to think through the game mechanics.  In other words, I had to plan out what the computer would do after each action a player could possibly take, and what would trigger the computer to introduce more advanced challenges to the game.  I also had to think about specific characters and objects in the game, and what the computer should be doing with them at specific times.  Once I had all this decided upon, I would be able to talk to a programmer about getting the game built.  The programmer uses this information to write the code.

Finding a programmer to work with was a challenge!  I talked to some of my colleagues from the children's media industry, and they were very supportive.  My friend Lynn tried to connect me with some production companies she had worked with before.  I didn't have any money to offer upfront though.  It was difficult to find a company willing to devote manhours with no guarantee of profit.  That was understandable.  Established companies would need to put their paying clients' work first.

In September, I attended GDC Austin and met many wonderful people from the video game industry.  Even there though, not everyone was interested in my game.  Kids' games are a niche market, and many of the people at the conference were interested in bigger selling MMOGs and console games.  I met some experienced iPhone programmers, but they seemed busy either developing their own game ideas, or working for bigger fish in the pond than myself.  I made sure to have individuals sign a non disclosure agreement before discussing details of the game with them, but honestly, I didn't get that far with very many of the people I met.  If they weren't interested after hearing my elevator pitch, I didn't press the issue.  I wanted a development partner who was excited from the get go, not someone I would have to constantly be motivating.

I did meet someone at GDC Austin I'm really excited to work with, and work has already begun!  I have a great graphic artist on board, too!  She's someone I've worked with on other projects.  Watch this blog for updates on our progress, including more details on the game itself. 

In the meantime, if you're interested in producing your own iPhone game, check out Carla White's Inside Secrets to an iPhone App.  It continues to be a great help to me in this process.  Another thing I should mention is that before you share your design document with anyone, it's a good idea to register it with the WGA West or East.  This will provide you with an extra layer of protection, should you find yourself in the position where you feel someone has stolen your idea.

Learn about my next steps in Building a Preschool iPhone Game, Part 2!

Photo credit: apdk, shared via Creative Commons