Design By Candlelight

Rethinking my Blog: Girls & Games

I came home today from playing soccer, injured.  If you know me, then you know that is not all that uncommon. I may regret this in the morning. Or perhaps not as it got me inspired to blog.

First I want to state that for 2010 I think I will be talking about User Experience in a more generalized way.  I find I put too much pressure on myself to say something profound in my blog. Like every blogger in the blog-o-sphere must say something profound that has massive universal impact rather than simply saying, “I think this about that.” Thus in order to take the pressure off and to encourage more blogging, I will blog about anything I think impacts experience or technology. I’ll ask more questions. I’ll talk about stuff that inspires my thinking. Speaking of, my biggest inspiration lately has been gaming.

Girls and Games.

Ask most females and they would tell you they are either 1) not a gamer or 2) there aren’t enough “girl games” out there for them. What does that really mean though?

Let’s start with point one: “I’m not a gamer”

Any girl who tells you this is simply lying. Truth is they have probably played several games as a kids. As a member of the female gender, they play games with their friends, lovers, and others they come across. They are just not the “normal” type of game we might think of. Girls are competitive in nature.  If you don’t believe me, watch females play soccer or volleyball. (Or fight over a man.)

That brings me to point two: “The games out there aren’t interesting to me.”

I had an interesting conversation with the people at Playdom during an interview a few weeks back. It turns out the game, “Sorority Life“, has a strong appeal to women in their 30/40/50’s whom have the desire at the end of the day to “kill”. (In other words they love the fight feature where they can challenge other women and win battles for money, power, status, or game items.) It is a release of stress for them.

While I was not a fan of Sorority Life (because it felt too girly),  ”Mafia Wars” (by Zynga) appealed to me for much of the same reason. Fascinating, isn’t it?

Why then aren’t more games built for girls that allow us to play to our competitive natures? The game industry is missing a key component to the type of experience girls would want in games. Perhaps there would be more peace in the world if we could take out our aggression within games?

Then again, probably not.

Tags: female gaming, fun, games, girl games, Mafia Wars, Playdom, Sorority Life, technology, User Experience, Zynga

Mafia Wars (on Facebook) and Friend Invites

Recently as I have been between consulting gigs I have been playing a lot of Mafia Wars on Facebook. I started playing in hopes that if I had an interview with Zynga (the creators of the game) that I would have something to talk about. However that interview never came. Meanwhile I ended up engrossed in this game. (If you could call it that.)

There is something fun in the experience of being a Mafioso and going out on jobs doing what you. I partially enjoyed the aspect of living this double life as my character grew and I was able to take out other families (hitlist) or rough up a local “gang” (robbing). For a period the challenge of getting to that next level (street thug to hitman to capo and so on) was an incredible thrill. If I mastered a level then I got a bonus and even going after that seemed like an interesting challenge. However, with most games there comes a point when you find yourself losing interest.

What’s interesting about Mafia Wars is not only the role playing aspect but how they used that in relation to a casual game. It is literally a game you can pick up and put down whenever the mood strikes (unless you are out of energy and/or health). However this is also a problem for the game. As one starts to lose interest they stop going to visit the game as much thus energy or health builds faster (seemingly) and they eventually find themselves in a place where they need to invest in the game (to buy Godfather points) or invite other friends to play with them. The first creates a problem for the recently unemployed and the second creates a problem with friends whom don’t care to add extra apps. Leaving customers to feel “put upon” to spend money or invite friends (who will probably grumble at the invite). Lou Carbone said in his talk, “Creating Customer Loyalty”, (at MX West 2007) we need to concern ourselves about with customers feel. User experience and (for games) “fun” is only one aspect of creating a system (games or otherwise) but really how does the customer feel?

I understand that companies need to make money in order to thrive but a customer feeling “put upon” is really only going to walk away. Thus how about an added solution to the game of Mafia Wars? Add an extra element to the game to allow users to make more Godfather points because as it stands now it takes weeks to get enough to do anything (unless you pay) and I feel there should be a balance that encourages me as a user to come back.

Give users an opportunity to win Godfather points through a shooting game (learning to be a hitman) or a “grand theft auto” casual game that teaches about other aspects of being a Mafioso. They must gain a certain number of points in the game to get a certain number of Godfather points and perhaps they can only play so many times a day.

All this does is add another level of rewards to help keep users engaged. If they still don’t feel like they are making enough and still want to invest in the game then definitely give them that option but adding this adds a balance that doesn’t exist right now.

IxDA 09 Redux SF

I went to the SF Redux of Interaction 09 and had a great time not only getting to know some new people but also learning more about Interaction Design. Here’s some quick thoughts and notes of what I saw:

——

Steve Portigal was up first to walk us through his sold out workshop called, “Well, we did all this research … now what?”

My Twitter Feeds on SP:

“Who cares about terminology. Examine, infer and apply to business or design.” I’d say apply to both. Why should they be different.

“Stay out of solution land. Try different methods”

When stuck come up with really bad ideas to encourage creativity.

——-

Second was Kumi Akiyoshi with “Feeling: What Makes an Engaging Product?“.  The slides from the presentation are below:

Third was Ian Swinson with “Postcard Patterns”.

Postcards = simple straight forward messaging

——-

Fourth was Nadya Direkova with “What’s in a game? A look at game design best practices as prime influencers of interaction design.”  The slides from the presentation are below:

Twitter:

Is google a single player or multiplayer game? How many of us get to design apps in 3d?

This is review so far. It’s all about the same from my game design class at Parsons.

Simply controls. Friend invites to play with friends. (AdverGames)

Create a reward in health. Physical Therapy… Doing # of exercises = whatever

——

Kim Goodwin “each one teach one” – people are now saying I experienced good design. This is easier than that.

Twitter:

“Nothing special about the iPhone. Technology is simple. It’s design they are selling. And we’re paying a lot of money for good design.”

“Corporate Americas new found belief in design is fragile.”

A lot of good ideas end up collecting dust. “It’s someone else’s fault. We need to take responsibility.”

Sales people understand progressive commitment. Get people involved in the research and so on to understand reasoning. Pushes commitment.

Even those who are use to rational decisions can be susceptable to emotion. (Ie the Mini Cooper)

Bargaining a normal part of Change Management. “I’ll have the salad with the cake.”

Ixd = generation creation

——

In summary -

Personal gripe: Another thing about less is more on presentation slides… Less information focuses the audience on you and what you are saying. Avoids info overload

At the bar afterwards: “We’re designing behaviour”

Tags: conferences, ixda, san francisco, User Experience

Why We Should Define UXD

The San Francisco division of the IxDA recently held a “redo” of the recent Interaction 09 Conference in Vancover. The slide that left me most moved was the one below:

This slide opened my eyes to how vital it is that we define user experience. After all if we do not define what we do then we risk not being heard, understood, or taken seriously. With standards and definitions then we can pass down our knowledge to younger practitioners and build credibility in the marketplace.

Other images from the IXDA Redux are found here

Tags: definitions, ixda, User Experience

Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry: Unveiling the “Sixth Sense,” game-changing wearable tech

Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry demonstrate a “Minority Report” type of interactive gaming. How would this change the way we interact with the web and games in general. User experience of the future goes 3D?

Tags: future, new technology, User Experience

Music on Websites

While exploring the option of spending a couple weeks in Italy in a dance intensive, I visited the site of the recommended hotel: Park Hotel La Grave

In process my computer crashed and on reload Firefox reloaded all my open tabs. Then as if from no where, there was music filling the air on a constant loop. I started going through each tab scrolling up and down frantically looking for the off switch. It was no where to be found. Instead I find myself reminded of Eddie Izzard’s skit about trying to get the printer to work:

No matter where I turn. I cannot find the off switch. Finally after 10 minutes of this frustration, I find the switch at the bottom of the home page!

Don’t get me wrong, there are definite distinct advantages to using sound in the right places at the right time. Jakob Nielsen points out that sound can “enhance the user experience substantially”. He adds that testing within a game environment using the same graphics but higher and lower quality sound led users to believe that the game had better graphics when better sound was utilized. However that was a game environment not a website.

When exploring the web most users are looking for information. In this case, I was looking for the amenities, price, and any reviews on the hotel. I didn’t care whether or not the hotel had a good atmosphere. After all in a hotel you mainly sleep. You aren’t looking for a home. Thus the music only frustrated me when I couldn’t locate the module to turn it off.

If you would like to use sound to create an experience than use it wisely and place it where the user can find it. The top right or even the right rail work beautifully for this purpose. The worst thing you can do to your user is frustrate them because you will lose them as a customer. Remember you never get a second chance to make a good first impression and on the web that is even more vital.

Tags: Gaming, sound, User Experience, web

Pac-Manhattan (Alternate/Augmented Reality Game)

LINK

A large scale urban game utilizing the pacman game framework.

—————–More———————–

Blast Theory – UK
Cloud Walkers
Alternate Reality Game – What is it?
Augumented reality game is a game which auguments reality.

Article: “This is not a game”

Tags: Gaming

Microsoft to sell game making tools

[LINK]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT – news) on Monday will announce the availability of software tools aimed at encouraging independent and hobbyist video game makers to create titles for its new Xbox 360 console.

The move from Microsoft, which kicks off its two-day Gamefest video game development conference in Seattle on Monday, comes as the popularity of user-created content on the Internet grows and as the software giant builds a large audience for its Web-connected Xbox Live online service.

Microsoft said its tool kit, called XNA Game Studio Express, will make it easier for enthusiasts to create games to run on Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox 360 console or personal computers running its Windows operating system.

A test version of the tool kit will be out by August 30. The final product will be available this holiday season for an annual subscription of $99 per year for Xbox 360 game development. The software will be free to people making games to run on Windows.

Microsoft said more than 10 universities, including the University of Southern California and Southern Methodist University, will include XNA Game Studio Express and Xbox 360 development in their fall curricula.

YouTube is a wildly popular Web site featuring videos from ordinary people around the world. Its star has risen as Internet giants Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO – news) and Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG – news) have been investing in user-generated content such as Web logs, known as blogs, and video.

Peter Moore, vice president of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, said individuals will own the games they create using the tools and that the company will do revenue sharing deals with people who create games for the Xbox 360.

“I’d love to send a royalty check to a kid,” said Moore, who added that Microsoft hopes to get the tool kit into high schools.

Tags: business, Gaming

Mobile Technology

Mobile games take a step forward

Games on mobile phones have come a long way since Snake or endless knock-offs of arcade classics such as Asteroids and Space Invaders.

Now many of the big name titles first created for consoles and PCs are turning up in shrunken versions for handsets that an increasingly large section of the population own.

But, says Thor Gunnarson of British mobile game maker Ideaworks3D, the whole industry is just getting started.

Handsets, he says, are getting powerful enough to cope with what he dubs “console class” gaming, which means they are able to cope with 3D graphics that scroll past at a rate of at least 20 frames a second.

Speed kings

Before now many of the mobile gaming conventions we are used to, such as competing against “ghost” opponents rather than real people, have come about because of the limitations of phone networks.

Data transfer rates on second generation networks are too slow to play real people in real time.

But, said Mr Gunnarson, such limitations disappear with 3G networks simply because they can ship more data back and forth more quickly.

Console class games are coming to phones
Once latency or delay drops below 3.5 milliseconds it becomes invisible to users, said Mr Gunnarson, and 3G networks will definitely ship data between handsets fast enough for that.

“That’s good enough for multi-player gaming and real time racing,” he said.

But what will also make a big difference is the way that people pay for the data they consume via their phone.

Currently most operators charge users for the megabytes they use. A pricing mechanism, said Mr Gunnarson, that does not encourage people to spend lots of time browsing the web or downloading extra levels for games.

Flat rate pricing transformed the net industry and drove a huge rise in the numbers of people going online.

In the US, Verizon’s VCast network uses flat rate pricing as does KDDI in Japan. Both have seen the numbers of mobile gamers increase rapidly.

If you can swap huge amounts of data in and out of a handset without incurring extra charges, it also changes the types of games you get on a handset. No longer do they have to be restricted to a file that the phone’s own memory can store.

Instead, extra parts can be added as they are needed. This also frees up game makers to think big, he said.

“Something like Need for Speed Underground 2 (NFSU2) would not be economically viable to deliver to the consumer before we saw flat rate data networks,” he said. “There are megabytes of data flowing back and forth.”

Flat rate pricing helps players and game makers
As a result, games can be much bigger. The mobile version of NFSU2 has about 40 hours of game play in it. All of it expected to be consumed in small chunks.

“It relies completely on network-based storage and only pulls down levels, cars and characters it needs at that point in time,” he said. “It’s constantly shuffling data back and forth.”

Another game that Mr Gunnarson expects to be big on handsets is Sims 2 Mobile – again which would be hard to do without the advent of 3G.

The key feature of this Ideaworks developed title is the connection with the PC version.

A Sim can be created for the PC version, converted to a mobile character and then uploaded to a handset.

Although the way the game is played has been changed for the handset, with floating menus and different modes for exploring or interacting, the experience is as close as possible to the full version, said Mr Gunnarson.

“It’s a big challenge to get a relatively complicated game like this on a mobile phone,” he said, “not least because you have to be able to play the game with one hand.”

Tags: Gaming, Mobile, technology