Mobile Games & Culture

Mobile Games & CultureMindgrub (Alex Hachey)

Mindgrub Technologies, LLC.

Design Exposed: Mindgrub and Howard County Public Library System

Mindgrub Technologies

WHO ARE WE?• Technology Innovation

Agency specializing in mobile, social and web application development• Mindgrub Games• Mindgrub Labs

WHAT DO WE DO?• Mobile applications

(iOS/Android/Windows)• Branded games• Gaming IP• Enterprise Web development• Technology Solutioneering


Project Overview

WHAT HAVE WE DONE?


Pitch to Delivery

ACQUIRING GRANTS• Library Digital Learning center

• Focuses on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).• Launching point for STEM

career pipeline

CLIENT/ PROJECT GOALS• Exposing kids to technology

• Making technology cool• Tangible deliverable• Kids physically being in the

space

PARTNERING WITH MINDGRUB• Finding the right advanced

technology project• How HCLS discovered

Mindgrub• How HCLS engaged with

Mindgrub throughout the project


What did we actually do?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2D1Bwh1SKE


What did we actually do?

THE BIG CHALLENGE WITH GAMES


Client/Student Engagement

DEMONSTRATED CAPABILITIES

• Demonstrated latest game “Rescue Jump”• Discussed how it was made

ASK SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AND LISTEN!Played specific mobile games with students and asked

specific questions:• You mentioned “Jetpack Joyride” was more fun that

“Where’s My Water,” why? Is it the amount of action? The difficulty? The controls?• When/how often do you play Temple Run vs. Angry Birds?• What about this design do you like better than the other

design of the similar game?

Taken from HiTech STEM Lab Flickr set


Project Kickoff

BUDGET ON SCOPE IMMEDIATELY• Agree on high level boundaries

• Give realistic itemized time estimates• Create a strict timeline! (Karen)• But be able to break it! (Alex)

COMPARTMENTALIZE DESIGN

• Set milestones and benchmarks for decisions that can’t be turned around• Agree on the rules and get a

contract signed



Client/ Student Ideation

SELECTIVE BRAINSTORMING• The easiest idea to sell a client, is

the one they just gave you• Keep going until it doesn’t stink

DIRECTED ENTHUSIASM

• Mr. Alex’s caffeine habit• Quick! “Yea, and then what- go!”• Intense engagement• Heavy praise and branch off

great ideas immediately• Ignore bad ideas?



Mindgrub’s ProcessUSER-CENTRIC DESIGN

*Brainstorming &Functional Requirements

*Information Architecture& Wireframes

*Interactive Design & Animation

Programming & Writing Code

Play test

*Testing & Evaluate

Refine


Teaching a Process

REVIEWED CURRENT IDEA• “Escape from Detention” idea from last Technology

Symposium• Lecture review: “Functional Requirements > Information Architecture > Design > Development > Test > Evaluate – Launch”

WORKSHOP #1- IMPACT OF DESIGN ON BUSINESS GOALS

DIRECTION & FRAMING IDEAS• Prepare with examples to show• Focus on best ideas from brainstorm• Remind everyone that it was there idea• Sneak in new “re-interpreted” ideas • Build engagement & direct subtly• REMEMBER THE SCOPE!

The Classroom 3- addictinggames.com


Teaching a ProcessWORKSHOP #1- DESIGNERS AND CLIENTS WORKING TOGETHER

HIGH LEVEL FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Storyline- what is the setting? Why is it relevant?• Concept- what is the major mode of gameplay?

What’s the object of the game• Characters- what classes of characters are there? • Levels- how many levels? How are they organized?• Objects- obstacles? Barriers? Power-ups?• Controls- what is the central action of the character? How do

you move?• Scoring Methods- artificial time-limits? Collecting objects?

Reaching goals?

Game Dynamics = motivating behavior = User-centric Design


Synthesizing Ideas

REVIEW STUDENT F.R.• Review all of the students ideas• Vote on our favorite ideas• Participate!

WORKSHOP #2- USER CENTERED DESIGN

LESSON IN WIRE FRAMING• Structuring game play for easy

implementation• Classifying items in the Functional

Requirements• Illustrate purpose of the game• Show cause & effect relationships

between all interactive behaviors• Be factual and concise


Creating a Workflow

REVIEW STUDENT WIRES• Discuss and organize the “user-

experience”• New objects and ideas added based off

F.R.• Ask for details? How does that work?

WORKSHOP #3- PROBLEM SOLVING

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

• JUST LIKE CARTOONS! (storyboard)• Piece together all interactive features

in order• Identify everything in each wire-

frame• This is where the “rules” are created• Intuitiveness is key


Organizing & Codifying

REVIEW INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE• Established comprehensive “Play Book”

• Voted on what to keep and what to throw out • Participate!


NO MORE IDEATIONNO TURNING BACK

• Total agreement on the obstacles, character types, barriers and power-ups• Total agreement on total level &

settingsASSIGNMENTSIn class: LEVEL DESIGNOutside class MOODBOARDS


Level Design Workflow

THE “PLAY BOOK”

EXAMPLE- PROBLEM SOLVING


Design

REVIEW MOOD BOARDS & VISUAL LANGUAGE

• Motivates behavior and interaction• Design paradigms in games• Art style• Pros and cons of different perspectives


VOTE ON CURATED VISUAL OPTIONS• Color: flat? Complex? Gradient?

• Character style: cartoon? realistic? anime?• View: top down or isometric?• Interactive objects: outline? Glow? Sparkle?

*The only control you have is over what you show


Mood boardsEXAMPLE- USER CENTRIC DESIGN


Queue Mindgrub

ILLUSTRATION• Students all drew pictures of themselves

to be incorporated into the game• Described what clothes and “style” they

wanted their characters to have• Students described how teachers should

look based on the “type of vision”

ILLUSTRATION DESIGN- USER CENTERED DESIGN

ANIMATION


Queue Mindgrub

INTERFACE DESIGN• Menu selection • Level selection• General user interface

DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

GAME ENGINE• Structuring major

gameplay• Character controls• Scoring

methodologies• Event triggers

GENERAL DEV• Optimizing memory

& code• User interface

screens• In-app

currency/storefronts

DEVELOPMENT


Queue MindgrubTESTING

EXPECTED THIS…


Queue MindgrubTESTING

BUT ACTUALLY WITNESSED THIS…


Marketing PushMARKETING

DISTRIBUTION IS 50% OF THE GAME


In the NewsCOMMUNITY AWARENESS

LOTS OF ORGANIC NOISE


HiTech Stem LabRESULTS

INCREASED TRAFFIC

WORKSHOP

TEST DAY


HiTech Stem LabRESULTS- STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Q & A

Mindgrub Technologies, LLC.

Mobile Games & Culture

Entertainment & Humor

user centered design

design exposed

problem solving

design

mindgrub

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