Librería Portfolio

This book is a way of sharing insights empirically gathered, over decades of interactive media development, by the author and other children's designers. Included is as much emerging theory as possible in order to provide background for practical and technical aspects of design while still keeping the information accessible. The author´s intent for this book is not to create an academic treatise but to furnish an insightful and practical manual for the next generation of children's interactive media and game designers.



Key Features

Provides practical detailing of how children´s developmental needs and capabilities translate to specific design elements of a piece of media
Serves as an invaluable reference for anyone who is designing interactive games for children (or adults)
Detailed discussions of how children learn and how they play
Provides lots of examples and design tips on how to design content that will be appealing and effective for various age ranges
Accessible approach, based on years of successful creative business experience, covers basics across the gamut from developmental needs and learning theories to formats, colors, and sounds



Table of Contents
Foreword

Introduction

Part1: Sparking Interactive Magic

Chapter 1: The Power of Play

Chapter 2: Creating Invitations to Play

Chapter 3: Maintaining Engagement

Part 2: Engaging the Senses

Chapter 4: Old Brains in a Modern World

Chapter 5: Seeing is Believing: Visual Perception

Chapter 6: Seeing is Believing: Art and Animation

Chapter 7: The Magic of Audio: How We Hear

Chapter 8: The Magic of Audio: Designing Soundscapes for Kids

Part 3: Knowing Your Audience

Chapter 9: How Kids Learn

Chapter 10: Ages and Stages: Why Kids Do What They Do

Chapter 11: Gender: Understanding the Play Patterns of Girls and Boys

Part 4: Creating Digital Playgrounds

Chapter 12: Interface

Chapter 13: The User Relationship

Chapter 14: Characters, Avatars, and Agents

Chapter 15: Supporting Play Patterns

Chapter 16: Community and Virtual Worlds

Part 5: Enhancing the Design Process

Chapter 17: Predesign Considerations

Chapter 18: The Design Process

Chapter 19: The Production Process

Chapter 20: Testing with Kids

Part 6: Case Studies

Chapter 21: Case Study: Club Penguin

Chapter 22: Case Study: Noodle Words

Conclusion

Afterword

Acknowledgments

Credits

Endnotes

Bibliography

Index