http://www.edge-online.com/features/gdc-bringing-families-together-with-video-games
Jessee Schell
– toy story mania ride
– pixie hollow
– toon town
– pirates
10 things to try to achieve:
1. You have to decide to design for both kids and parents
2. Find themes that both kids and parents care about
– Toon Town’s executives takeover theme – work/play tension
– Last child in the woods – nature – offline tasks
– Nostaligia bridges generation gap – children want to learn about their parent’s childhoods
3. Understand what family wants and provide it
– Families want shared experiences and shared accomplishments
– Parents want to feel that they provided meaningful and useful experiences
– Parents also just want to feel like they provided
– Kids want to be more emotionally connected to their families
– Both kids nad parents want to connect to distant relatives
4. Parents want to teach & kids want to learn
– Adult jokes are teaching/learning opportunities
– Need situations where kids are in over their head where the parents can save them
– Opportunities for kids to brag/show off
5. Co-opt existing roles for quick immersion
– Parent’s understand how to buy a doll, that’s why Webkinz had a big jump off
6. Reverse roles to delight everyone
– Everyone wants a break
– when child’s skills surpasses parent’s – it’s a landmark moment
7. Consider Gender Issues
– There are 12 POV in a 4 person household (Dad, Mom, Sis, Bro)
– Make play patterns to facilitate
8. Deciding to pay is collaborative
– Club Penguin – elastic Velvet rope – effectively teasing enough in a free-to-play situation
– Mailers in Toontown gave the impression of value add
9. Safety is paramount
This is where Mr Schell’s up-to-this-point wonderful talk went off the rails for me. Instead, he decided to perpetuate the culture of fear mongering that is so popular to do nowadays when discussing children in the online space. Instead of going off on the rant that this point caused from me, I will just leave this point as the title, and move on. grumble…
10. Design for the family as well as for the individual
– Design to let them connect with one another
– Families are busy now
– Connection btwn parents and kids is a stoong emotional bond. Leverage it.
Joi Podgorny 