Convolution Blog

2 days ago my wife and I were talking about my latest game, my proposed next game, and where convolution should go from there. During that discussion the topic of children who are challenged, common worries of parents of those children, and the state of support for both groups took a central place in our talks.

One disorder in particular stood out, FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), a terrible disorder that affects children around the world, knows no social, economic, or racial boundaries. FASD is a social disorder, is 100% preventable, and is widely misunderstood by both medical professionals and general population alike. While I won’t even try to articulate the details of FASD here (there is a vast amount of information available through printed, electronic, and internet searches) I will net out some of the things we discussed:

These children (and adults) have the following key challenges (not a complete list!!):

• They mature very slowly (it’s not uncommon to be half their chronological age mentally)
• They often have average  range IQ
• They have great difficulties making and keeping friends
• They often have ADD (Attention deficit disorder) or ADHD  (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and a host of other “clinical” disorders in conjunction with FASD
• They look “normal” (there are some subtle physical signs in early childhood, but they often go away with age)
• They speak very well (this is a particular pain point, given they sound average or above average but do not completely understand what they are saying)
• They have great challenges understanding cause and effect (which leads many to have trouble with authority figures and the law)
• They desperately want to be part of a social group
• They are easily mislead
• They have great difficulties learning (and then retaining what they learn, they can forget things they apparently have known for some time (some times it “comes and goes”), but this is hard to accept for most people who assume the person is “being funny” or “being cheeky”
• Most sadly, they are aware they are different but can’t fix the problem(s).

The last point is one of the most tragic to me.  It’s very difficult to have a serious mental disorder and function day to day, but when you know, and want all the things others want, but cannot figure out how to succeed….  In fact clinical depression is very common as these people reach teen years and beyond.

So, why say all this?  What does this have to do with games?  Well.. These kids can (usually) play video games.   Video games can hold the attention of most kids as well as TV and ADD/ADHD kids are no different (although durations should be more closely monitored for the children we’re talking about).

Now, complex games are more challenging for them than their peers, often leaving them watching for some time as a peer plays for an hour after they have been “eliminated”.  They are also challenged to separate fantasy from reality, making the “common” popular video games a poor choice (with the main themes revolving around killing, combat, etc…).

Parents of these kids are just regular people.  Many are adoptive parents.  Support in any form is not as easy to find as you’d think.  They worry, and wish for many things.  One of those things is that their “special” kids could interact with other kids (sometimes including non-affected siblings) in some normal way.

How can we, in the game industry help?  That was my quandary, and the net of my discussions with my wife the other night.  My answer (rightly or wrongly):

Build games designed from the ground up to “level the playing field” for these (and other) special needs kids.  Now not a new concept, there is research and work done on games for a variety of special needs from blindness, deaf, physically challenged, and so on.  But as with much about this, and similar, disorders there is little attention being paid to their particular challenges.  What would a game for these kids look like?  Well, here’s some of my initial thoughts:

• Consistency.  These kids learn slowly, and often need to relearn.  Don’t change the nature of things on the fly (if a red button stops something here, it shouldn’t shoot in the next scene).
• Easy to learn controls.
• More verbal feedback (than simply relying on “mood/setting” music and popup text)
• Either setting based, or (clever) game internal discovery based “augmented play”.  For kids who physically can’t perform the triple button move controllers up-right-left-left-push, craft a schema where players requiring assistance can perform advanced moves without needing the dexterity of a double-jointed cat
• Avoid negative based themes (like killing).
• Promote positive game themes
• Incorporate seamless learning, that promotes basic learning (memory, problem solving, etc…) without necessarily being obvious (yes there’s room for specific education based games, but adding these things, not for the sake of challenging game play alone, but intentionally to reinforce known learning techniques can help)
• Play to the strengths of these people (they do have them), let the normal people play catchup for once
• Rich story lines, now a goal of many games, but don’t dumb down the story (plots and sub-plots).  They can enjoy a good story like the rest of us.

Most of all, create games that appeal to challenged and non-challenged children alike.  We can’t fix the problems they face, but to provide these kids a way to play, discuss, and just plain feel normal when interacting with peers on a “level playing field” is the least we can do for them.

I know one of my goals, and my company’s goals for the coming years.. to build something better in support of those who have been overlooked.

Sincerely,

Galen (Owner, Convolution)

A topic I’m passionate about has recently resurfaced in one of the forums I regularly visit. Namely, the need to exercise caution and good business sense in the gaming industry.

Perhaps it’s just the nature of a industry built on games and play that people of all ages, including at times those that are experienced professionals, loose sight of the “common sense” things we all apply without thought in everyday life.

Parents and children fall easily into the notion that “games and game making” are synonymous with “kids and game playing”. Nothing could be further from the truth! Games, from mobile platforms like iPhone, to PC and console games are mostly developed by adults, and (for the ones everyone knows about) usually large companies. I don’t think anyone would question the need to seek professional legal advise if they were approached by a bank or a global IT company to do work, or if they wanted to sell something to a global retail chain. It seems if you insert Game Industry into that picture, people just chuckle and “go with the flow”.

Now, back to children and parents, while it’s true a young person could make a game, a very good game, parents and kids should not loose sight of the business and industry aspects of what they’re doing! Kids don’t (usually) research tax and import/export laws. Depending on age (not perceived maturity) kids may not be able to legally enter into binding contracts (NOTE TO PARENTS: in a number of countries if a child falsely enters into a business deal with (sometimes predicitable) negative financial results, it’s up to the parents to deal with the consequences).

If there is any doubt about the industry opinion of age relating to the game business, I noted that on my invitation to E3 (a major annual Gaming Industry conference) this year it was clearly stated that no one under 17 was allowed to attend (even as a guest of an attendee).

Now, compounding the issues that get conjured up by this perception of “fun and openness”, the game industry operates like a sub-industry of the overall entertainment industry. The entertainment industry has a long history of attracting people who are experts in “selling a good story” and soliciting others to provide what they need (I’ll let you decide what term should apply to that practice). These persons and companies are experts in what they do, and do regularly secure “unsatisfactory” (from the “other” side) deals with seasoned professionals and companies who “should know better”. It’s awful hard to resist working with someone who claims to be (and may really be) working with some of the entertainment industry’s biggest stars.

My intent here (in case I’ve rambled on again) is to echo a message of caution! As we all look out to the internet to “connect” with others, and do business, work, etc… Caution! Use common sense! Remember one of the truisms of life :

“if it sounds too good to be true… it probably is!”

- Galen (owner: Convolution)

Well it’s hard to be a “hip” (yes self use of the word implies a lack of the intended quality… *sigh*) game developer company and not blog.  This is my first blog, so let’s start slow.

Look Ma, no hands!