In the past, I encountered an article/video much like Joshua Nuernberger's article on using visual cues to direct the player. It was a commentary created by the Valve developers for game Left 4 Dead. One thing the developers talked about is how important light placement was in directing player movement. Their production was set in the midst of a zombie apocalypse and featured fast-paced and deadly zombie action. The game was intentionally designed with low-lighting, in order to hide zombies in the environment as well as to assist one of the game mechanics--wherever you weren't looking is a potential spawn point for enemies. One thing that the developers noted, from player-testing, is that players would typically follow whatever path was lit up. This hearkens back to basic human survival instincts. Our primary sense is vision, which is why many people are afraid of and feel powerless in the dark. We can't see what is around us and need to rely on our other senses, which all come secondary to sight. Nuernberger's article was interesting but not really all that insightful for me, though.
Daniel Sanchez-Crespo Dalmau makes some good points in his article on making more intuitive interfaces for players. His logic is very straightforward and holds true because of it. Just as with Nuernberger's article, Dalmau hits at basic human psychology to deliver meaningful game design. His article strikes at how humans learn, and that is through relating things to our prior experiences. Therefore, games that build off of historical precedence will have less of a learning curve than games that try to pave forward a new schema. The closer this precedence is to truths in the real world, the quicker players will be able to pick it up (ex: that fire burns is a real-world principle. Players would be able to recognize this instantly were it introduced into a game).
"There are no bad players--only bad designers"
I agree that Dalmau hits a basic human psychology. People use what they learn to interpret other things or create new material. We've always built off of what we've known and applied to more material. While we want to create something so new and fresh, it's important to realize that the quicker someone understands the rules and procedures, the quicker they'll become enraptured with the game.
ReplyDeleteYour title is very funny lol.
ReplyDeleteMaking anything intuitive allows for wider interpretation. Ask McDonalds. Ask Apple. Ask angry birds, Think of how Google's home page is setup, and then laugh at Yahoo. HAHAHAHAH! People really take design for granted until it is time to design a logo or brand for their company. Then you see why that stupid little f with the box on it or the little blue bird works so well. Albert Einstein said make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. I would bet that super advanced alien technology is really simple to use and understand... If we were aliens. Since we are not aliens, pictures of how to do things works out fine.