Player enjoyment

Before bringing a game on the market, it definitely has to be evaluated by people being independent from it. This blogpost tells about the experience of telling a member of another group about the game concept and showing relevant screens, graphics and the overall design.

First explanations

Before having let Barbara, member of the group "gruppe_" fill out the evaluation table, she was given the general information behind the idea of "YUM". Within some short sentences the idea what the game is about and who it is for was explained. Barbara assured to having understood the intention of "YUM".

Concentration, Challenge, Player Skills, Control

After having shown her several screes e.g. dealing with the mini-games and having told her about the interaction between player and the game, we asked her to tell us about her impressions. First of all, she told us that, in her opinion, the fundamental design is very good adapted to the target audience. She liked the idea of challenging mini-games that are easy to understand and their simple control.

Clear Goals, Feedback, Immersion

She told us that the goals of the game are represented clearly and easy to understand and liked the idea behind "YUM" in general. Teaching children about having a healthy diet by letting them play mini-games referring to that topic could, in her opinion, definitely work out.

Social Interaction

She noted that, with only offering a highscore-table where the player could compare, there could be a potential lack of social interaction. However, Barbara said that children aged 8 to 10 might not need that sort of interaction yet.

Full list of mini-games

Here you can read about all the mini-games offered in "YUM". This blogpost is referring to a short explanation and description, as well as to the interaction between the player and the interface.

A game coming to life

Here you can see a short video showing one of the numerous mini-games of "YUM". Enjoy it and don't forget: One apple a day keeps the doctor away!

Finding a name

Like all the other "basic modules" in the process of game development, the name of the final product is of tremendously high importance. So when designing a game for children, the title of it needs no be adapted to them, as well. This blogpost provides an insight in the process of finding an appropriate name for "tba". 

First thoughts


The first consideration when having thought about the name, was the following: It has to be catchy, short and significant. To put it in a nutshell, no overlong, complicated and confusing term which runs the risk of not being understood by the target group.

Furthermore, the name should, in any case, deal with the topics "food" or "nutrition". The first idea, which was, in fact, catchy but definitely too inapplicable for children aged 8 to 10, was "Nutrition Ambition". Hence, the process of finding a name started again.

After having thought and brainstormed for hours and not having had any suitable suggestions, the short word "YUM" came up from close to scratch. It was, short, significant, catchy and, moreover, dealt with the topic the game is referring to. It is understood and associated with food easily and - which is an important point of view for designers - opens interesting opportunities concerning the graphic implementation.

What about a subheading? 


The idea behind the subheading for "YUM" is the following: It should, first of all, pique the target group's curiosity, secondly "reveal" a bit what the game is about and, last but no least, provide an attraction.

"Become a food champion" is, in view of the above-mentioned aspects, a fitting subhead meeting the criteria.

What are our marketing opportunities?

The best idea is be completely useless, when no-one gets to know about it. Hence, the communication of an idea is essential when wanting to appeal the target audience. Who is going to play a game produced for children? Right, children. Due to this, the marketing decisions need to be adapted. Advertising "tba" in e.g. financial magazines, hence, will not lead to the desired outcome. This blogpost is referring to first ideas concerning the marketing of "tba". 

Why not trying something new?


Of course print-advertising and TV-spots are appealing and will possibly (if the budget will it allow one day) be part of the marketing campaign of "tba" but the target audience definitely needs to be addressed in others ways, as well and especially directly. Due to this thought, the idea of a promotion tour through schools classes came up. It is, first of all, way cheaper than a high-priced TV-spot production and, secondly, offers the possibility of attracting the children directly. With letting them play and try out "tba", a potential interest might be drawn immediately. Another plus factor of this promotion tour is the fact, that teachers can be taught about the learning benefits of the game and, furthermore, be convinced of involving the game into their lessons.

Comprehensive marketing


The target audience of "tba" is aged 8 to 10 and due to that attending to school. So why not producing several merchandise products which can be useful at school, e.g. pencil cases, rulers, pens, etc.? The design of the game is adapted to children, the main characters are lovely and might, therefore, be suitable for items facilitating the days at school.

Time for innovations



When working on a long term project, of course the fundamental decisions are being made at the beginning of it. Nevertheless, during the whole process, some small changes, innovations and ideas might breathe new life into the venture. This blogpost is referring to those last-mentioned changes and ideas, as well as to the decision concerning the appropriate game engine.

Mode-play as challenge


As it was as told us in our feedback-session with Ms Pivec's husband, children love the challenge. They love to compare themselves to others, the love being challenged, anyway. Hence, we decided that in the beginning of the game, the player is given the decision of choosing between three modes: easy, advanced and expert. These modes differentiate into the difficulty of the mini-games. Moreover, a highscore table supports this "competition".

Which game engine fits best?


For "tba" no game engine, but a platform compiler will be needed. The game is made for iPhone will be available in the AppStore. Hence, the decisions concerning the operating system, the integrated development environment and programming language are the following:

Operating system: iOS
IDE: Xcode
Programming language: Swift

Gender question

When designing a game, precise adjustment concerning the audience is essential. Hence, it is important to think about the exact target group, before making serious decisions pertaining to several design aspects. Here, gender specification or gender neutrality are two leading points that need to be thought about.

Reasons "tba" appeals its audience


"tba" is a game designed for children aged 8 to 10. Due to that, the overall-design is adjusted to that - simple, flat and modern, but as well lovely and appropriate for children. Especially the visual appearance of the game is well adapted for "youngsters": Fresh and bright colors, easily readable typography and no excessive and overloaded screens. The aim is to create an harmonizing interaction design which does not ask too much of the player.

Gender specification


Whether the player is male of female, he or she can choose between a male or female "avatar" which represents the player during the whole game. By reason of the fact that the target audience is aged from 8 to 10, these avatars are not created in a sexist way. Thus, the differentiation between the male and female avatar is based on the hairstyle.

Gender neutrality


In terms of game genres, "tba", which is a mix of role-play and puzzle, is gender neutral. 
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