Keynote at ETech
Somehow I completely forgot to mention that I am giving a keynote at ETech next week, called “The Core of Fun.” It will be about fun, obviously, but most specifically, about the ways in which the basics of game grammar can be applied to any sort of interaction design.
More info on the session here and below the fold:
The Core of Fun
Raph Koster, President, Areae, Inc.
Date: Wednesday, March 28
Time: 11:00am – 11:35am
Location: Douglas BC
Recently, game designers have been engaged in figuring out just what the heck games are: how they work, what makes them fun, what core elements go into making something what we call a “game” as opposed to a “toy” or “a hobby.” Surprisingly, what has started to emerge from this fledgling study is an understanding of the atomic parts that make up game systems – and they turn out to be surprisingly applicable to all sorts of interaction design. Each of these elements can be boiled down into a simple checklist for making your customer experience more entertaining. Come learn what the core bits of a game are, and how you can apply them to whatever web site or product you happen to be building!
So… I hear amazon.com isn’t a fun game. I also hear there may be a video of the presentation… Perhaps we can fix this 🙂
Actually, i spent quite a while in the evening talking to Russell Dicker of Amazon about small things that could be done. 🙂
Don’t get me wrong, though — I use Amazon CONSTANTLY. I didn’t mean to pick on it too much! I love it.