Children and Video Games: An Industry Perspective

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© 2007 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1 Kathleen Kremer, Ph.D. Fisher-Price Play Laboratory October 2010 Children and Video Games: An Industry Perspective

Transcript of Children and Video Games: An Industry Perspective

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© 2007 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1

Kathleen Kremer, Ph.D.Fisher-Price Play Laboratory

October 2010

Children and Video Games:

An Industry Perspective

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Fisher-Price• Most popular brand of infant and preschool toys.• Focus is 0-6 year olds and their families• 81% of mothers in our target age have at least 12

Fisher-Price toys

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Fisher-Price Play Laboratory

• Serve as Child Advocates and Design Partners

Testing/Research Content Expertise(child development,education, game play,interface, ergonomics)

• Over 4,500 children and 1,500 parents per year

• Hundreds of products

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WHAT WORKS (Happy Kids)

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WHAT WORKS (Happy Kids)

WHAT DOESN’T WORK (Unhappy Kids)

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Some Thoughts

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1. Realize It’s Not Just “Video Games”

• Traditional: consoles, handheld gaming devices, (sometimes) computers

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• New Reality: “blurred” boundaries

Toys/Physical Play Video Games

Video Games Toys/Physical Play

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2. Adopt a Lifespan Approach

• Digital play increasingly starts before preschool

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• … and extends to seniors

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3. Explore Design Elements • Need more research on how specifically to design games for transfer (e.g., game elements)

Academia Industry

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4. Include the Social Context

• Even solitary digital play is inherently social.

• Children learn from each other (not just from the game).

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• Design for social interactions (e.g., cooperation, competition, sharing).

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5. Keep in Mind Individual Differences

Gaming Experience/Skills

Content Knowledge

Learning Styles/Preferences

Motivation/Interests

Attitudes and Behaviors Gender

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• Designing for individual differences is one of the biggest challenges

4-yr-oldnovice

4-yr-oldexpert

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6. The “Magical Formula” for transfer

Digital Interactivity

EducationalContent

is not sufficient

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6. The “Magical Formula” for transfer

Digital Interactivity

Educational Content Engagement

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• Transfer requires engagement

- Immediately accessible

- Continuously motivating

- Tech not just for “tech sake”

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