Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
mandatory pause, the game can ask a young player to make some actions; for
example, tilt a device, shake it, put it on a table, and so on, and also give some
rewards (the accelerometer and the gyroscope can register such movements).
That may help to switch the attention from the screen for some time. A brilliant
idea is to ask a kid to get a photo of a specific object that may motivate him to
move and not concentrate only on the screen.
Overall, to increase readability of text, it should come in portions; there should be a
good contrast with the background (but not too sharp as black on white for example,
it should be a little bit milder). Sans-serif typeface such as Helvetica are good, the
background should not be too motley.
An intentional audience can, in some cases, understand basic text lines written in
English, but in many cases, it cannot. Even simple words such as race, go, fire, and
so on can be incomprehensible for some people. To check if a game is accessible
for such players, it should be tested without any text shown on the buttons.
Besides the texts, there is also another "Lost in translation" case. The intended cus-
tomers can have trouble perceiving cultural elements; first of all, different referen-
ces on events or traditions that are pertaining to a specific territory or country. The
general content should be quite multicultural, but some minor things may have more
specific connotations that help a wider audience to understand the plot, character's
motivations, principle of design and rule, and so on.
Also, keep in mind some specific taboos, respected objects, traditions, people, or
historical events in different cultures. A harmless content for a certain type of people
may hurt the senses of others.
The following are the links you can refer to for additional information on topics that
are used in this chapter:
•
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/
#
documentation/userexperien-
ce/conceptual/mobilehig/Characteristics/Characterist-
ics.html
