1. Gaming Panel - ONA 2011 Notes
Presented by Julia Schmalz
Games are social: Don’t work in a vacuum.
* Your team is key: Front-end developer, database guru, artist/designer and multimedia
producers
* Use your online community for input in early stages
Play on paper: Play your game using low-tech methods before actual development is started
Simplify: Design for touch. Online should be a rich experience - how can you use artwork,
video, audio in place of text?
Focused: Make sure your content complements your mission/story
Be flexible: Your first idea may not be your best
Dream big, but be realistic about scope of project. Acknowledge what features would be great
to have, but then calculate development time. There are always other projects waiting.
Like any interactive development, think about what features or code can be reused or learned
from
If applicable talk to your company’s media lawyer early in the project. Make sure you have a
clear understanding of what material you can use and how you can use it.
The USA TODAY Generations Game was produced
by Bill Couch, Katharine Jarmul, Dave Evans, Josh
Hatch, Denny Gainer, Juan Thomassie and Julia
Schmalz for a series on Baby Boomers turning 65.
http://projects.usatoday.com/news/generations/quiz/