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The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy. How the design of an innovative Japanese game captivated the world. Outline. Introduction See the game Discuss the Game Design Takeaways – summary Bonus: Katamari in the Classroom Questions and Answers. pronounced: ka - ta – ma - ry da – ma- she.

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The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

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  1. The Affordances of Katamari Damacy How the design of an innovative Japanese game captivated the world.

  2. Outline • Introduction • See the game • Discuss the Game • Design Takeaways – summary • Bonus: Katamari in the Classroom • Questions and Answers pronounced: ka - ta – ma - ry da – ma- she

  3. About me IBM Center for Advanced Learning Shaba Games intern, discovering the “special sauce” Learning should be “nutritious and delicious”. Speaker Angel Inokon (an-gel e-no-kon) Now: • Stanford University • Learning, Design and Technology. School of Education Before: Soon: My motivation: Nice picture. She doesn’t look like that now though.

  4. See the game • Two releases on PlayStation 2 and third on its way for the PSP • Watch video • Gameplay View • Japanese Commercial Watch ad Release: September 2005 (US) Release: March and September 2004 (US) Developer: Namco Genre: Action Designer: Keita Takahashi Platform: PS2 Rating: E Our fans love us.

  5. Poll: What are the fundamental properties of a ball?

  6. Design Principle #1: Affordances what’s different? Properties of a ball: • Rolls • Round • Bounce • Comes in different sizes and colors • Bounce • Uniform interface • Push • Resilient • Throw • Weight - light or heavy Special Katamari property - Sticky! Make use and function obvious.

  7. Design Principle #2: Simple mappings • Only need two thumbs • Student project: rigged a rotating fan to play If you’ve got two opposable thumbs, you can play.

  8. Design Principle #3: Visibility and Feedback • Clear progress indicators • Time display • Objects you roll make a sound • Text labels with icons • Katamari grows as you collect • Camera recedes as you grow Games are fun when they are juicy.

  9. Design Principle #4: Constraints • Can’t roll up an object bigger than you • Levels are subtly sectioned so you can’t get stuck • Camera constrains what you can see • Obstacles become targets Constrain challenges to keep things fun.

  10. Perspective from game designers Very satisfying progress. Any obstacle for the player soon becomes a target. You constantly get to "turn the tables" on your adversaries. Instead of killing your enemies, they join you. The game taps into visceral notions of growth. It also allows for safe mayhem with a low penalty for mistakes. Jeb HavensLead Game Designer Cyberlore Studios The holy grail of game design is simplicity and addictiveness. It's like Tetris -- without any manual or explanation you can play it within five minutes. Scott Kim Puzzle Game Designer Scott Kim Erin Hoffman Writer and Game Designer 1st Playable Productions Tip: Reference people smarter than you.

  11. Design Takeaways • Principle 1: Affordances – appearance should indicate function • Principle 2: Simple Mappings – simple looking doesn’t mean simple to use. Simplify game controls using single function tools • Principle 3: Visibility and Feedback – gamers need lots of information. Make it consistent and juicy. • Principle 4: Constraints – prevent users from making errors that could decrease immersion. Balance challenge by constraining the environment.

  12. Bonus: Katamari in the Classroom? What can students learn from the game: • Language: English, Japanese, Korean • Math: metrics, measurements, ratios, proportions • Design thinking • Genre information – how to play similar games • Spirituality • Strategy • Game development (see Cloud example, partner with EA) Go read James Gee.

  13. Discussion Questions • Is there an educational value of safe mayhem in games? • Katamari depicts mayhem as creative. Is mayhem creative? In what contexts? • Professor Ted Reuter, DePauw University has made a recent statement that video game degrees are kidnapping higher education. What evidence presented today suggest games may offer hope for higher education? http://www.collegenews.org/x5107.xml • Apply some of these design principles to a specific educational game. Describe the game and brainstorm ideas to improve it. • What other design principles can you think of? • How could we apply Katamari Damacy to education and learning? What are some of your ideas? • Video games are made for people by people. In the end they teach us about ourselves. What does Katamari Damacy teach us about people and their needs?

  14. Closing • Innovation is still happening, no one has it all figured out yet. • Educators have a huge role to play in that innovation. • It’s not all about sexy graphics. Core, solid gameplay that delivers 120% on experience, still saves the day. • Four you can adapt most any video game, even Katamari, for educational purpose. Keita Takahashi Designer Shh…The art was created by college students

  15. Special thanks to: Shelley Goldman Deanne Gonzalez-Perez Halsted Larsson Jeb Havens Scott Kim Erin Hoffman Susie Wise Roy Pea Learningtimes support Thank you Question and Answers. Angel Inokon http://ldt.stanford.edu/~inokon inokon@stanford.edu

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