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Growing Up to Learn
• Father: • Art & Antiques
Dealer
• Microbiologist
• English Teacher
• Mother: • Research Librarian
• Volunteer
Origin Of A Career
• Job Ad: Video Game Testers Wanted
• Richard Garriott aka Lord British
• Can we do this better?
Ultima Online
• One of the very first MMORPG’s
• Coined the terms “MMORPG”, “rares”, “shards”
• 1st MMO to have player housing
• 1st Subscription based model
• Longest running commercial MMO in history
The Big Leagues: Disney
• Big Career Shift
• Learning Games
• Kids & Parents
• Disney Connected Learning
Disney Connected LearningCurriculum
Relational Database
Reporting
Fun Learning Games
AssessmentEngine & Tools
Portalarium & Shroud of the avatar
• Kickstarter April 2013: $1.9M• #2 Crowdfunded Game at $10.5M
• Open Development & Crowd Sourcing
• Players Accessed Early Game Prototype in Nov 2013
• Unity + Photon
Co-Development: Core Concepts
• Transparency
• Cadence
• Feedback Loop
Transparency = Sausages
Law and sausage are two things you do not want to see being made. No one should see how laws or sausages are made. To retain
respect for sausages and laws, one must not watch them in the making. The making of laws like the making of sausages, is not a
pretty sight.
- Otto Von Bismarck
Transparency
• Daily, Weekly, Monthly, & Quarterly Updates
• Forums & IRC
• Scheduling, Funding, Staffing Details
• Unfiltered Responses
• No NDAs
Cadence
• Daily, Weekly, Monthly, & Quarterly Updates
• Monthly updates to the game
• Same day and time, no matter what
• New Content, bug fixes, polish, etc.
• When > What
Feedback Loop
• Iteration
• Subjective + Objective Data = Iteration
• ~30% of schedule for response
• Recognize contributors
Challenges: Schedule
• Iteration w/Feedback takes longer
• Vision vs. Feedback: Staying on Target
• Educating Users on Early Development
• Backwards Scheduling
Challenges: Perception
• Getting Discouraged by Negativity
• Expectation vs. Reality
• Negative Feedback Blackhole
• Play Games
• Make Something “you” want
• Gameplay First: Define your game / compulsion loop and worry about rest after
• Understand and build for your audience(s)
• Intrinsic Rewards ≥ Extrinsic Rewards
• Creation of fun should be fun
• Iterate and Fail Fast
• Evolution ≥ Revolution (Old is New)
Starr’s Design Principles
Contact Info
Starr Long
Executive Producer
Portalarium / Stellar Effect
stellareffect.com
shroudoftheavatar.com
Q & A