Kids – how they can change the rule of play

In recent years, I had a chance to take part in the production of games and multimedia products that are targeted to children with a broad age range.
Along the way I get to see over and over again, how kids see and think differently than adults.
Where there mind is still “free” from any conventions and their brain is much more flexible.

Focus groups with children. Help answer questions that we as adults don’t take into account.

In level design it’s critical to track at the beginning the “frustrating” points of a game. A certain “jump” or Obstacle that is too hard for kids with lower motoric skills then average.

In the capture below you can see a screen with many “hot spots” that were not clear enough for kids.

During tests kids couldn’t recognize what items are “clickable” and will lead them into games and other locations, so we understand it is critical to add massive highlights and animations around the hot spots.