Gamification

7 Deadly sins of making serious / educational games

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7 deadly sins of serious game design 7 Deadly sins of making serious educational games

I wanted to add a short post just highlighting 7 things that I repeatedly see people doing wrong when they are making or considering making serious / educational games. This is by no means an exhaustive list though – I just like the idea of 7 deadly sins 😀

  1. Assume because you think it is fun that everyone else will.
  2. Forget that it is actually a game.
  3. Forget that it is meant to teach something or provide a message.
  4. Test with the wrong people.
  5. Think that it doesn’t need to look good.
  6. Think that playing games will make you a good game designer.
  7. Underestimate how hard it is to make a good game.

In a little more detail.

Assume because you think it is fun that everyone else will.

  • Fun is really subjective and just because you think it is amazing doesn’t mean that the rest of us will! See sin 2…
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    It’s time for you to grow down a little

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    One of the really obvious things that has come out of looking into play and fun, is how resistant us grown ups are to letting go and doing things that seem, on the surface of it, to be of no value.

    I think it is time for use to grow down a little and learn to let go and enjoy moments of silliness, fun and play. Not everything has to earn you money or respect or power to be worthwhile. Sometimes you have to do things that are just done to may you happy – nothing more nothing less!

    https://youtu.be/QsSMkN2iz5s Read More ...

    Don’t be afraid to say no to Gamification

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    Here is something that many who know me or know of me would be surprised to hear. Gamification is not always the answer!

    There, I said it.

    Often gamification is just a concept people have heard of and know may be of use. In these cases they will ask if it can be used as a solution for an issue they have. The trouble is that it is very easy to fall into the trap of just saying yes. As a gamifier, we really want to use gamification to solve business problems. We know the power that games and game elements can have and want to demonstrate this whenever we can. Read More ...

    Emergence: Learning to Love the Unintentional

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    Emergence in Games

    Emergence is a well-known concept in game design. Emergent gameplay comes when players interact with the mechanics of the game creating situations that have not been deliberately designed.

    This could be part of the game design or it could be unintentional. For instance, the game may offer several tools to solve a puzzle, but allow the player to use them in any way they see fit. If the puzzle requires you to reach an item that is high up, there could be an infinite number of ways to get it. Use a grapple hook, build a tower, make a jetpack and so on. Read More ...

    Unleash your creativity with Story Cubes

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    If you follow me on Twitter, it is unlikely that you will have missed the fact that I love a toy called Rory’s Story Cubes.

    For those who don’t know, Story Cubes are sets of dice with unique icons on each face. The basic idea is to roll a set of 9 dice (made up from the various core packs and expansion packs) and then use the sequence of icons to create a story. It can be played alone or as a group and to be honest it is absolutely wonderful!

    I have used them as a tool for helping my own creativity, I have used them as part of workshops to loosen up a few minds and of course I have used them for fun and play. Read More ...

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