January 11, 2008

Devs may be out of touch with target audience when it comes to kids' games
By Michael Lafferty

Kids are much more proficient at gaming now than they were 10 years ago

One wonders just how far out of touch developers of kids’ programs are with their target audience. Do they even know what or who their target audience is?

There was a time when kids’ games labeled for ages 4-10 meant something, but not any more. Children have grown up in the video-game age, and their skills are much more proficient than – it seems – developers give them credit for. Hence we see a host of games geared for children that are really suitable for ages much younger than what the developer assumed was the correct age.

I speak from experience. When first starting out in the business, games from Humongous crossed my desk. There was Pajama Sam, Freddi Fish and Putt Putt. These were games that underwent focus testing and were deemed suitable for the age group targeted. They were entertaining and educational – hence the coining of the phrase ‘edutainment.’ My daughter, in the target group, benefited from the games. At times they were too easy, but in other areas, what was obvious to me was a bit more challenging to her. In other words, they combined solid gaming elements.

But that branch of Humongous went away when the company was sold.

Today, what seems to pass for children’s games are either too easy, thereby underestimating the target audience, or just too silly to hold even younger players’ attention for long. Movie-licensed games try to combine tried and true platforming elements with aspects of the feature film and fall flat. Why? Because players demand more.

Kids today have grown up in the video-game era. They understand how to control games, they understand core puzzle concepts and they have reflexes capable of succeeding at higher difficulty levels.

This was obvious to me years ago, back when my now-19-year old was in the 11-12 age group. She had soccer teammates over and they were producing a minor neighborhood disturbance while I was trying to work through a Tomb Raider game. There was a particular point I was stuck on. Lara was supposed to leap from a ledge, grab a vine, swing across a chasm, and at the right moment let go of the vine and land on a ledge that seemed about as wide as a dime. I had failed several times as the group of girls cycled past and then stopped to watch. Finally, one of them said, “can I try?” “Might as well,” I muttered. She did … and nailed it on the first try. From that moment on, she was the one playing the game, to the delighted squeals of the other girls, and I was the spectator.

How often have you heard an FPS gamer lament being “pwned” by a bunch of 12-year olds in the multiplayer element of a game? Sure, there is a current of sarcasm in their voice, but the truth of the matter is there are a lot of 10-12 year olds out there who are very proficient in multiplayer arenas. Can you see these kids being content with a Freddi Fish adventure now?

Youtube.com recently featured a video of a 9-year old beating Dragonforce’s Through the Fire and the Flames (the final payoff song in Guitar Hero III)  on the expert difficulty setting. Nice job, kid, now go play your Pajama Sam game!

Kids have changed and the gaming industry needs to do some serious focus studies, realize that and then start producing games that challenge the younger generation of gamers. After all, young gamers will grow up to be mature gamers and will keep the industry as strong as it currently is.

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