CCGD Framework > design > Creative Low-fidelity Prototyping

Creative Low-fidelity Prototyping

Posted by Christiane Moser

The aim of this approach is to create tangible game prototypes in groups of four children, which are sketchy, incomplete, and quickly built game models. As a starting point, children can create Game Progress Storyboard illustrating a short game scene, i.e., sequence of interactions within the game. The children are provided then with Playmais®, Playdough®, Lego®, and other creative material to create the prototypes, similar to Knudtzon et al. [2003] Bags of Stuff approach. The prototypes are used to illustrate parts of game levels and reenact scenes of the previously created progress storyboard or to describe their game ideas. The children can try out game procedures/mechanics and actively discover problems or challenges in the gameplay. Afterwards, the prototypes are filmed, while the children play the gaming sequence of the Game Progress Storyboard for the others and explain their game idea. More details on this approach and application insights are described in Moser [2013a] and Moser [2013b]. The videos can be used for brainstorming game ideas (e.g., in game idea jams [Beck et al., 2014]) or as input for the game designer and developer when conceptualizing a game [Moser et al., 2014]. Different approaches exist to analyze the videos, for example, by annotating game elements and experiences using the lenses of game design of Schell [2008] and the categories for playful user experience of Korhonen et al. [2009], as described in Moser et al. [2014], by using the memoming and lenses approaches of Beck et al. [2014], or by using the design rationale theory described in Sluis-Thiescheffer et al. [2007].

References
Beck, E., Moser, C. and Tscheligi, M. 2014. Memoing and Lenses: Two Approaches for Exploring Player-Generated Game Ideas in Videos. In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (ACE ’14), ACM.
Knudtzon, K., Druin, A., Kaplan, N., Summers, K., Chisik, Y., Kulkarni, R., Moulthrop, S., Weeks, H. and Bederson, B. 2003. Starting an intergenerational technology design team: a case study. In Proceedings of the 2nd conference on Interaction design and children (IDC ’03). ACM, 51-58.
Korhonen, H., Montola, M. and Arrasvuori, J. 2009. Understanding playful user experience through digital games. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Designing Pleasurable Products and Interfaces (DPPI 2009), ACM, 274-285.
Moser, C. 2013a. Child-centered game development (CCGD): developing games with children at school. In Personal and ubiquitous computing, 17(8), 1647-1661.
Moser, C. 2013b. Children Ideation Workshop. In Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology (ACE ’13), Springer International Publishing, 592-599.
Moser, C., Chisik, Y. and Tscheligi, M. 2014a. Around the World in 8 Workshops: Investigating Anticipated Player Experiences of Children. In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY ’14), ACM, 207-216.
Sluis-Thiescheffer, W., Bekker, T. and Eggen, B. 2007. Comparing early design methods for children. In Proceedings of the 6th international conference on interaction design and children (IDC ’07), ACM, 17-24.

Role of children: informants | design partners |