Game Design Mashup Games for Inspiration l Design

Inspiration l Design Challenges l GDC ’ 04, ‘ 05 l 3 Designers –

Goals l Approach a hard problem l From a new perspective l With a

The Mashup l Old, New, Borrowed… Blue? l Familiar but different l Grounded l

Games for Granny l The Audience ¡ Mainstream ¡ Casual ¡ Female ¡ Gray

Contestants l Demis Hassabis ¡ l Nick Davies* ¡ l Republic, Evil Genius Project

Contest l 15 minutes each… l Discussion… l Vote by applause… l Prizes!

Games For Grannies GDCE 2005 Demis Hassabis

Approach • What do grannies like? • What can’t we do? • Some rejects

Grannies like… • • • Hobbies: Knitting/reading/gardening Reminiscing/telling stories Playing bridge Watching soap operas

Aims • Out are… – Complex controls – Anything too fantastical – Gratuitous violence/sex/language

The Hobby Simulator • Real-time knitting guide • Landscape gardening program • Rejected due

War Story Constructor • • • Use Half-Life 2 or Battlefield engine Instructions via

Bridge Online • • • TV based Voice input – dial in conference call

The Village • • • The world’s first MMO Gossip Simulator Set in a

The Village (cont. ) • • • AI characters play key actors Ongoing content

Summary • The world’s first MMO Gossip Simulator • Think Shenmue meets Sims Online

What’s different about Granny? l She has slower reaction time She has weaker eyesight

What’s the same about Granny? l She wants to be entertained. She wants to

What Subject Matter? l l l Relevant to their interests. Relevant to a different

The Interface l Simple Controller – – – l Simple Button Layout Large Buttons

The Gameplay Ideas l l Simulators – Sim City, The Sims, Train Simulator. Mental

The Conclusion l l You can’t please all of the Grannys all of the

However… Ballroom Dancing Revolution. TM: It’s a popular past time It’s the right pace

Discussion Similarities? l Differences? l Comments? l

Prize!! l Something “remixed” l Inspire new ideas l Old-fashioned l Useful

And, of course… l Sharffen Berger Chocolates l Independent, Bay Area l Recently acquired

Conclusions Hard problems l New perspectives l Sense of humor l There are new

Slides: 39

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Game Design Mashup Games for ……….

Inspiration l Design Challenges l GDC ’ 04, ‘ 05 l 3 Designers – One Theme ¡ Romance ¡ Emily Dickenson

Goals l Approach a hard problem l From a new perspective l With a sense of humor l Think big!

The Mashup l Old, New, Borrowed… Blue? l Familiar but different l Grounded l Reflective

Games for Granny l The Audience ¡ Mainstream ¡ Casual ¡ Female ¡ Gray l Who is really out there? l How can we reach them?

Contestants l Demis Hassabis ¡ l Nick Davies* ¡ l Republic, Evil Genius Project Gotham Racing Keita Takahashi ¡ Katamari Damacy (1&2)

Contestants l Demis Hassabis ¡ l Nick Davies* ¡ l Republic, Evil Genius Project Gotham Racing Keita Takahashi ¡ Katamari Damacy (1&2) *one day notice

Contest l 15 minutes each… l Discussion… l Vote by applause… l Prizes!

Games For Grannies GDCE 2005 Demis Hassabis

Approach • What do grannies like? • What can’t we do? • Some rejects • The idea

Grannies like… • • • Hobbies: Knitting/reading/gardening Reminiscing/telling stories Playing bridge Watching soap operas Gossiping Grandchildren

Aims • Out are… – Complex controls – Anything too fantastical – Gratuitous violence/sex/language • Should be… – Familiar setting – Social/friendly – Simple

The Hobby Simulator • Real-time knitting guide • Landscape gardening program • Rejected due to: – Being too obvious – Not as good as the real thing

War Story Constructor • • • Use Half-Life 2 or Battlefield engine Instructions via voice input Unlimited add-on packs Grandkids could actually play it Rejected due to: – Difficult AI – Problematic making it simple enough

Bridge Online • • • TV based Voice input – dial in conference call Simple interface same as poker sites Social and competition Rejected: a bit dry

The Village • • • The world’s first MMO Gossip Simulator Set in a present day city block or village Grannies effectively play themselves Aim is to gain as much info as possible Missions: – Decimate reputations of those you dislike – Enhance reputations of those you like – Spread gossip to as many as possible

The Village (cont. ) • • • AI characters play key actors Ongoing content released Upgrades and ‘special’ abilities Bonus points for needless interference Daily TV show – new ‘missions’ Grandkids play in the same game world

Summary • The world’s first MMO Gossip Simulator • Think Shenmue meets Sims Online meets Eastenders • Also includes: – Bridge online and real-time knitting

Games for Granny (or Grandad? )

What’s different about Granny? l She has slower reaction time She has weaker eyesight She is harder of hearing She has slower Hand Eye co-ordination l Conclusion – It sounds a bit like being drunk l l l

What’s the same about Granny? l She wants to be entertained. She wants to interact with like minded people. She wants to be challenged. l Conclusion – Granny is just like you and me l l

What Subject Matter? l l l Relevant to their interests. Relevant to a different moral era. Relevant Licence. Relevant Music Conclusion – The subject matter already exists

The Interface l Simple Controller – – – l Simple Button Layout Large Buttons Comfortable to Hold Conclusion – The interface already exists

The Gameplay Ideas l l Simulators – Sim City, The Sims, Train Simulator. Mental Games – Chess, Sudoku. Unique Interface – Buzz! Conclusion - The gameplay ideas already exists

The Conclusion l l You can’t please all of the Grannys all of the Time. There is no ‘Stereotypical Granny’ Games that Granny would like already exist in the market place. Not a revolution in gameplay, more a revolution in marketing.

However… Ballroom Dancing Revolution. TM: It’s a popular past time It’s the right pace It has relevant music It’s good exercise It needs a partner However: – It also needs a dance mat the size of a gymnasium – It will probably cause broken hips