Player enjoyment

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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

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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

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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

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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.