Games Matt is Playing

Active Game Development Process

• Identify Health Goal / GoalsExerciseBehavior ChangeEducational

• Identify Audience• Identify Game Goals• Select Delivery Platform

Health Goals• Exercise

• Behavior Change• Educational

Identify your Audience

Identify the Game Goals

• Fun• Type of game play• Fun• Type of Movements• Fun• Challenge worth time invested, Social,

Networked• Fun

PC Platform• Open System• Low Distribution Barriers• Expensive• Not in most players family rooms.

Console Platform• Difficult to become developer• Submission restrictions• In the family room• Portable

Develop Initial Design

Need a map to find the fun?

What’s missing from this Fishing Game?

• Huge Auto Loading Lake System• Boat Driving• Weather System• Customizable Boats / Players• Sports Announcer Commentary• Morning, Day, Night system

Active Play Motions

• Core Movements• Duration• Control Feedback

Review and Refine

Apply Movements

• Develop the game prototype.

Work With Health Experts

• Physical Therapists• Nutritionists• Doctors• Nurses• Adminstrative• Target Audience

Constant Measure

• Does the health goal interfere with the game?

• Does the game get in the way of the health goal?

Prototype #1: ExerVenture Soccer Blast

• Soccer style game• Controlled by

DDR pad• Two control

methods– Standard game

pad– Run & jump capture

DDR Run & Jump Controls

• Original intent of project• Excellent for exercise– Up to 100+ steps per minute

• Design controls around DDR pad layout– Captures run, turn & jump actions• Walk/jog/run uses either pair of front buttons• Turning uses front + side buttons• Spin blast uses jump on corner buttons

Soccer Blast Demo

ExerVenture Soccer Blast: What We've Learned

• Can create fun games using DDR pad• Tune down difficulty for pad• 15-30 minute learning curve

Prototype #2: Karate Bears

• Karate move game• Controlled by

Wii Remote& Nunchuck– No joystick, buttons,

or pointer control– Only accelerometer data

• Two types of action

Gesture Actions

• Common in Wii games (waggle)• Used for strike and kick moves• Five actions in Karate Bears– Four slices + forward thrust– Five one-hand actions (right and left)– Up to 25 combo gestures possible

Gesture Actions (Continued)

• Limitations– Controller frame of reference– Small wrist motions vs. ideal motions

• Mapping onto karate moves– Good for hand strikes– Arbitrary for kicks

Pose Actions

• Less common in Wii games• Used for blocking moves in Karate Bears• Detect direction of gravity + acceleration• Pose defined by gravity direction vector– Angle tolerance determines nearest match• Could adjust for player skill level

• Always uses both hands in combination

Pose Actions (Continued)

• Limitations– Only works well when controller not moving• Could be fixed with Wii Motion Plus

– Difficult to teach correct poses– Can achieve pose with only wrist motions

• Mapping of poses to karate blocks– Good for hand orientation– No way to track foot stance

Karate Bears: What We've Learned

• Need multiple methods to demonstrate correct motions– Wooden avatar– Animated 3D controllers– Tutorial and practice modes

• Show players full body moves– Most players have more fun using whole body,

even if they know they don’t need to