1. Graphics and sounds allow the developer to bypass some, if not all of
the initial commitment required in sinking a new user in to a game.
2. Over-exposure to products relying on graphics and sound to just
bypass the initial commitment may lead to people unable to put in the
effort for that initial commitment.
Of course, that is just my oppinion of the matter. I don't have any
scientific research to back it up. It does seem a reasonable hypothesis,
though.
An interesting corollary to explore would be whether folks who have
a reduced ability to make a mental commitment to games not involving
graphics and sound (and presumably also a reduced ability to enjoy
books) also have a reduced ability to get in to games of types they are
not already familiar with.
Cheers,
Steven Black
On Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 03:04:30PM -0400, Steven Black wrote:
> It boils down to the Barney problem. Barney the Dinosaur has/had
> segments on the show where they "imagine" things. To engage the broadest
> set of young minds, this is not left to the imagination. This had the
> side-effect of leaving some young children believing that they were
> incapable of imagining things, as it didn't work the same as it did
> for Barney.
>
> To imagine things or to play more abstract games it takes up front
> effort to begin. You need to make a commitment to the process before it
> can become enjoyable.
>
> If you reach a point in a book where you "just never could really
> get in to it" it is a sign that you were unable to make that initial
> commitment. Even a childhood game like "the floor is lava" requires
> first the commitment to put your mind in a place where you can't touch
> the floor.
>
> The use of graphics and sounds bypasses the need for that up-front
> commitment. You don't need to pretend that the floor is lava, if it
> actually looks like lava. You don't need to visualize and imagine
> what is going on in a book, if it is spelled out for you in picture
> and sound.
>
> This also clarifies why so many games use a similar style of play.
> Pretty much any FPS plays like any other FPS. This means there is no
> learning curve for new games once you've played one. They've completely
> bypassed any up-front commitment required to learn or get in to a game.
>
> Compare this even to the old Atari 2600 games. While they almost all
> had a joystick, and you didn't really need to read instructions (like
> you do for a more complex game), the game play varied significantly, to
> the point where someone would at least need to poke around for a bit
> (and possibly lose their first game) before they would understand the
> controls. Without a commitment to experiment and possibly lose the first
> game, they could never get in to it and really enjoy it.
--
Steven Black <blacks@indiana.edu> / KeyID: 8596FA8E
Fingerprint: 108C 089C EFA4 832C BF07 78C2 DE71 5433 8596 FA8E
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