Talk Description
To design valid serious games experiences, designers need to engage with the problem holder and/or target group. If a game is made for professionals, it is relatively easy to identify individuals one should talk to. In addition, techniques exist that can help to foster the engagement, such as interview or brainstorming techniques. This way, professionals often get some valuable insights during the design phase already. But what about co-designing games for children or young adults? How to engage with them, and how to make sure that a designer receives the information they need? And even more challenging, how to design games with children with special needs, e.g. when diagnosed with Autism or ADHD? This talk will highlight some challenges, opportunities, and approaches to co-design of serious games, for professionals on the one hand, and for children and youth on the other.
Talk Takeaways
This talk is interesting for game designers of applied and serious games, especially those who design games for children or individuals with special needs. It will discuss benefits and challenges of co-designing games, and highlight why co-design is an important approach for serious game development.