Testing ADDventure is a journey into the mind of a student with attention deficit disorder (ADD).
Requires sound to play.
Requires sound to play.
What I worked on
- Unity
- C# Programming - UI - Animation - Sound Design |
Process
The overall scope of this game was the same from the beginning but the first prototype was just a test taking application. It worked well but it didn't come across as an ADD simulation or an art game. For the rest of development I focused on the aesthetic part; audio and visual.
The key points I wanted to get across to the player were the random nature of ADD and how distractions will prevent you from doing or thinking about anything else. My overall goal was to make an accurate depiction of ADD and to show those without it what it is like to have it.
I wrote all of the music in completely different genres and made each puzzle and thought different to show how the mind can skip from one thing to the next.
To convey the idea that distractions prevent you from doing what you are supposed to be focusing on I had the distracting elements literally prevent you from taking the test. The player has to wait for a second before closing the dialogue boxes and the mini games have to be completed before being allowed to see the next question.
I showed this game to roughly three types of people: people with ADD, people without ADD, and game designers.
The feedback from those with ADD was very positive. They typically said something along the lines of: "This is exactly what I feel like when I take a math test". After hearing that I felt like I had accomplished one part of my goal.
Those without ADD also gave me the reaction I wanted, which was: "This really puts it into perspective. I had no idea it was like this". This group was my target demographic so this response let me know I had accomplished the second part of my goal.
Showing this game to a large group of game designers taught me something I hadn't thought about before. Art games and simulations shouldn't be judged under the same criteria as games made for fun. Most of the feedback I got from this group had to do with usability and player enjoyment. All of it was useful feedback but it got me thinking about how to get people to think of the game as an art piece or a simulation because they were clearly viewing it from a different lens.
This experience taught me that getting the point across is difficult with interactive media. Many people will view it as a video game and try to have fun with it. They aren't wrong to do so; it just means I have to make sure they have the proper context in which to view the experience.
The key points I wanted to get across to the player were the random nature of ADD and how distractions will prevent you from doing or thinking about anything else. My overall goal was to make an accurate depiction of ADD and to show those without it what it is like to have it.
I wrote all of the music in completely different genres and made each puzzle and thought different to show how the mind can skip from one thing to the next.
To convey the idea that distractions prevent you from doing what you are supposed to be focusing on I had the distracting elements literally prevent you from taking the test. The player has to wait for a second before closing the dialogue boxes and the mini games have to be completed before being allowed to see the next question.
I showed this game to roughly three types of people: people with ADD, people without ADD, and game designers.
The feedback from those with ADD was very positive. They typically said something along the lines of: "This is exactly what I feel like when I take a math test". After hearing that I felt like I had accomplished one part of my goal.
Those without ADD also gave me the reaction I wanted, which was: "This really puts it into perspective. I had no idea it was like this". This group was my target demographic so this response let me know I had accomplished the second part of my goal.
Showing this game to a large group of game designers taught me something I hadn't thought about before. Art games and simulations shouldn't be judged under the same criteria as games made for fun. Most of the feedback I got from this group had to do with usability and player enjoyment. All of it was useful feedback but it got me thinking about how to get people to think of the game as an art piece or a simulation because they were clearly viewing it from a different lens.
This experience taught me that getting the point across is difficult with interactive media. Many people will view it as a video game and try to have fun with it. They aren't wrong to do so; it just means I have to make sure they have the proper context in which to view the experience.