Every week, I'll post about 2 links to articles, as well as provide a small (or medium sized, depending on how interesting the article may be) commentary of what I thought of those articles. If any personal commitments get in the way, I may miss a week or more of blogging, but I'll inform you all anyway of such events (hopefully I get a heads-up on these instances).
With things that simple, lettuce get started. Our 2 articles this week are:
Germer, C. (2013). "Not So Random Randomness" in Game Design and Programming. Hamburg, Germany: gamedev.net
Link: http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/creative/game-design/not-so-random-randomness-in-game-design-and-programming-r3423
Germer, C. (2013). "Not So Random Randomness" in Game Design and Programming. Hamburg, Germany: gamedev.net
Link: http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/creative/game-design/not-so-random-randomness-in-game-design-and-programming-r3423
Nemberg, M. (2014). Beginners Guide to User Testing With Children. Baltics: gamedev.net
Germer's article basically speculates how randomness within games can be further harnessed for "realism". In his article, he uses the example of collecting loot from a treasure chest and how the chance of getting something can be increased with every consecutive chest opening.
It's a fairly amusing concept, as I myself a small-time game-man, because randomness can be so static due to our reliance on in-built library functions, that we sometimes don't look further and beyond in order to create that sense of realism just that little more...realistic, I suppose.
Beginners Guide to User Testing With Children by M. Nemberg lists 6 basic steps to make sure that children, too, are included in the Beta testing process. It also outlines the boundaries of certain actions, such as parental permission and physical contact with the children.
Similar to Germer's article, I find this article fairly interesting, as it looks at how you can transition children correctly into the physical environment, as well as how to interpret certain reactions. The point I find most fundamental is #6 Pay Attention to Non-Verbal Cues, and how you, as a test coordinator, need to be able to show children that this is not a classroom; there's no right or wrong answer, and that they are able to express freely what they feel about the game.
That's it for this week's post. I apologize if any of you did get bored. If you can send me back any feedback, go right ahead.
It's a fairly amusing concept, as I myself a small-time game-man, because randomness can be so static due to our reliance on in-built library functions, that we sometimes don't look further and beyond in order to create that sense of realism just that little more...realistic, I suppose.
Beginners Guide to User Testing With Children by M. Nemberg lists 6 basic steps to make sure that children, too, are included in the Beta testing process. It also outlines the boundaries of certain actions, such as parental permission and physical contact with the children.
Similar to Germer's article, I find this article fairly interesting, as it looks at how you can transition children correctly into the physical environment, as well as how to interpret certain reactions. The point I find most fundamental is #6 Pay Attention to Non-Verbal Cues, and how you, as a test coordinator, need to be able to show children that this is not a classroom; there's no right or wrong answer, and that they are able to express freely what they feel about the game.
That's it for this week's post. I apologize if any of you did get bored. If you can send me back any feedback, go right ahead.
Peace. ☮
