What children and cats teach us about play can be applied to game design.
By Jenny Lim and Erica McCay of Valtech Themed Entertainment Studio.
How do you do something fun? As an interactive designer We know that winning – while rewarding – is not enough to keep the game engaging. Be it scores, timers, or any other shorthand technique designers use to enhance the game. Games must have fun activities at their core. if not The amount of points and “gaming” will keep players hooked.
Our source of inspiration begins at home. Kids and cats create fun activities. in its own way without seemingly anything with a delicate balance between curiosity and chaos. These happy moments and expressions illustrate the core tenets of interactive design.
We’ll explore this with case studies of two games: Beat the Buzz and Laser Cats. We’ll examine the intelligence of babies and cats using three principles:
- Balancing Expertise and Surprise
- Exploration of power and competition
- play with no purpose
Balancing Expertise and Surprise
Play should be intuitive but unexpected: a balance of skills that players can master. and surprises that make players not bored
Have you ever entertained a cat using a laser pointer or a hanging toy? Move too fast, the cat watches. Don’t move the toy. The cat ignores the whole show. when holding a cat toy You need to combine moments of stillness with quick, sudden movements. You have to make the prey catch. But not a sitting duck Cats need an attainable challenge.
Have you ever heard a child shout, “The floor is lava!”? Everyone can walk across the room. But can you jump? And if you’re too good at jumping from chair to table to sofa Can you dodge freezing bombs from other players pointing sticks?
Introducing more complex rules and obstacles to reinvent the way you are allowed to move through space. Helps you master over and over again. Make your own rules then overlap during play Constantly creates surprise and interest. Even the children who make the rules themselves How will other players react? children thirst for evolution
Exploration of power and competition
Play provides a space to explore power and competition whether physically or fictitiously.
Games of power aimed at humans range from literal (Nerf wars) to symbols (Monopoly) with no less brutality. civilized The game, invented in the 1930s by Charles B. Darrow, actually originated as a socialist statement.
We all know which version of monopoly survives, but why? how to interact They need to sit still. Be nice to others, share, etc. whether they are in the mood or not. What better way to impoverish your friends than in an imaginary, strictly confined space? While in fact we may condemn the bandit warlords But within the realm of imagination We may play with gusto.
play with no purpose
Unquestionably pure form of play. A kid who runs around with the ball without a friend to play with, doesn’t score, doesn’t have a goal or score. A cat who attacks shoelaces who never do anything wrong. This is a gold mine for inspiration. What is your child or cat doing? Can you do it too?
Kids and cats allow themselves to be impulsive and present. Because they are not constrained by the consequences. This could be a security challenge. But we can design an open-ended survey within a limited range.
Kids and cats are the ultimate play experience testers. And if something isn’t fun, they won’t. Kids and cats express their feelings, and kids get the added bonus of talking as much about things they don’t like.
In addition, children and cats have amazing destructive abilities. They are natural quality testers. Better to learn that experiences or physical parts fall apart early, right?
So how do the above principles apply to real games?
beat the buzz
Beat the Buzz is a reinvention of the childhood clap game. Designed by Erica McCay and Jenny Lim and created by Valtech Themed Entertainment Studio, IFM Interactive and Alchemy Controls. tes.valtech.com/InPark95In Beat the Buzz, players place their hands on the podium and feel a tactile signal indicating their turn. as long as there is a fan in hand They have to score as many points as possible by hitting insanely big buttons.
Challenge? It’s a one-handed game. You will continue to press the button and risk scoring for other players. Or spend your precious time checking your boyfriend to see if it’s still your turn?
- Balancing Dexterity and Surprise
- Each player gets turns of different lengths, eg 1, 2, 1.5 seconds. You may feel those moments.
- Players will be summoned randomly. So you may master the feel for the turn duration. But when will your boyfriend stop playing?
- You will discover other ways. To learn when it’s your turn? Maybe by getting the audience involved to help.
- power and competition
- How fast can you hit the button?
- Can you stop at the right time to stop other players from scoring?
- As a spectator, you can distract or mislead the players. Can you rank higher on the leaderboard when it’s your turn?
- play with no purpose
- Isn’t it fun to press the button that lights up? yes! Can we make adults become less cautious and stupid at professional networking events? Yes we can! And the joint experience is a great icebreaker!
- Can we make adults become less cautious and stupid at professional networking events? Yes we can! And the joint experience is a great icebreaker!
cat laser
Laser Cats was created by Jenny Lim and DongChan Kim. You can read more and watch the video here. jlimetc.com/games#/laser-cats/. It lets you be a cat chasing laser.
One player commands a head-mounted laser. Another player attempts to capture the laser with their “paw” (soft glove with a light sensor sewn into the back) every time the sensor catches the laser. The cat will score
- Balancing Dexterity and Surprise
- Laser Player requires Cat Player to run around for maximum cartoon effect.
- Cat Player impresses audiences with its athleticism. Didn’t you think I could jump that high?
- A few basic rules ensure that Laser Player can be mastered. This makes it possible to instantly change the requirements for specialization.
- power and competition
- Laser Player: Move your head slightly. And the cat will dance to your rhythm. How absurd can you make a friend, family member or stranger look?
- Cat Player: Yeah, you’re being manipulated. But you’re the one who pulls the points too!
- play with no purpose
- Is chasing stuff fun? yes.
Discovery leads to game design
Game design is not a matter of invention. but a discovery What behaviors have we observed in children and cats who play unannounced? How do we identify the core charm of these events and create a game that crystallizes rewards for human players of all ages?
We are inspired by three common features:
- Balancing Expertise and Surprise
- Skill must be possible. But it must not be too easy.
- add new ways to control the game as the player develops
- Surprise with stratification rules
- Exploration of power and competition
- Accept how to safely break the rules of everyday life.
- Take a break from the original design to find some fun!
- play with no purpose
- Leave room for play with no defined goals or commands.
- find opportunities to play anywhere
The same features can be found in some of the most successful titles, from tabletop RPGs to embedded games in high-end theme park attractions like Super Nintendo World.
When looking for inspiration Let’s turn to the simplest examples of everyday life. We recommend that you get small and/or furry animals. Identify the basic source of happiness. and build from there
More information: https://www.tes.valtech.com/ • •
Jenny Lim is a NYC-based game and interactive designer interested in realistic gameplay and experiences. She uses game engines, writing, physical processing. Props, sets, video and audio to tell an embedded, interactive, linear and non-linear story. Her work has been screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, Indiecade East, Games for Change, Museum of Modern Art in New York, and on HBO…and soon will be on display at an amazing, unidentified theme park!
She works as an interactive designer at Valtech Themed Entertainment Studio. In her spare time, she enjoys public speaking. listen to audio books and trying to entertain her cat
Erica McCay (she/they) is a creative director, writer and story designer that connects people and places. She has been working in interactive theme parks, theater and play education since 2005.
In the past 10 years between Universal Creative and Valtech Themed Entertainment Studio Erica has focused on designing large-scale interactive experiences. including Magic Wands at Universal Studios Hollywood and territory-wide games for Universal’s award-winning Super Nintendo World Thea in Japan, Hollywood and Orlando.
Erica has an MFA in Creative Writing and several patents including Outside of work, Erica likes to play with her daily motives: her spouse, two children, and two cats.
