Define "Fun"...

     One of the first hurtles anyone has to get through in game development is figuring out a definition for "Fun".  Quite often, the initial keywords/phrases a designer may use when first conceiving a game would be "Interesting", "Challenging" and "Lots to do".  But the one keyword they should be focusing on is "Fun".

     So what is fun?  :  Fun is why people play your game.  It is what gets them involved.  It is why they tell others.  And, it is why they keep coming back for more.  Granted, fun can be challenging, interesting and give you lots to do, but the word challenging can describe wrecking your bike, and having to walk it home 2 miles in the rain.  NOT FUN.  Challenging yes, but not fun.  All to often a game designer will get caught up figuring out how to challenge, when you should always first questions yourself, would the players enjoy this?

     First, look at some of the games you play, the games you are most interested in.  Don't consider the technical details of it, but start asking yourself "Why do I enjoy this?", and "What makes me keep coming back for more?", and naturally, "Why would I pay money for this?".  Make a list of things that you think really tie you too it.  Be honest; don't just put things that tie directly back to your ideas, but think through what really makes you want to keep playing it.  Order these by what you think is most important.

     Now, look at your existing designs, and look for where it addresses any of these.  chances are, it probably doesn't address any of it, and probably not things at the top of the list.  

     Now that you have a list of what you really enjoy about a similar game, Start going through your existing design, or start a new one, and everything you add, or have added, ask yourself does it help with the list, and how valuable is it.  For instance, if your list is 20 items long, number them 1-20, then each requirement laid out in your game design should get a number corresponding to which item on the list it covers.  If it is not on the list, put an X next to it.  This right now, is a really important make or break time; don't look at your design trying to defend it, but look at it like its too big, and you need to simplify it.

     Now, take a look through your design, and see what stacks up.  You'll probably find that some of the lower end items have a lot of hits, while your top 3-5 have very few.  This is bad.  The best reasons for playing your game are being ignored, while these little things are taking over.  They are consuming your design time, and certainly will reek havoc on programming development and graphics time.  Remember that every requirement you add, can easily add a week to your projects timeline.

     Now, I don't expect anyone to do exactly what I suggested.  This is intended to give you some ideas, but the most important thing to get from this is that you DO need to figure out what is fun, and focus on that.  Anything else is extra.

McEducation...

Education is, by far, one of the most important factors in any ones life.  It helps take the luck out of success, and in general, improves the quality of their lives and everyone around them.  But that's not necessarily true any more.

Public education has significantly changed over the years.  What is a diploma worth?  While our kids take classes on Economics, History, Calculus and Psychology, a high school diploma has dropped to the income of a happy meal.  

In my years of teaching, I've seen 7th graders learn binary encryption routines and apply it within a 30 minute period.  I've also seen people graduate high school that had no practical work skills.  

I've seen documentaries, and witnessed first hand what our public education system is, a backup.  It is a backup for a real education.  It is a backup when there are no other options available.  When the money starts disappearing, what's the places companies like to pull money from? Luxuries and redundancies. 

The public education system has been a mirror of our country's economic and health status.  More and more physical education and exercise was removed, while our country's obesity was on the rise.  The No Child Left Behind act gets started about the same time that Walmart starts taking over.  We see dropping educational resources, and a rising percentage of jobs that don't provide enough to live on.

So I put this into every ones hands, Education is not something the government is capable of handling any more.  (Please understand, I know there are anomalies in the system.  Teachers, programs, leaders and others that do great things; but this is usually against the grain, and certainly not the status quo.)  Education, if you want it done right, needs to be from experienced people who know how to apply it in the real world.  

A Happy Meal is (to me) an epitome of unhealthy choices both financially and for a child's health.  It is selected because parents don't know better, or don't have the option of something better.  (for time, for knowledge of cooking, for finances)

You can feel the difference of a school that hires teachers to work there, and a school that finds teachers who have a passion for what they do.  To one, its just a job, in a system that wears them down.  To the other, they can show exactly how things are done, what they can really do with them.  

For most of us, we have had teachers that really were impassioned about what they taught, and at the same time, experienced the contrast of a teacher who is just looking from one paycheck to the next.  Ask them, how do I ever apply this to real life.  One will show you, another will tell you to open your book to page 5.

Don't take your's or your kids education lightly.  And kids, don't settle for poor education.  Every reduction in the quality of your education, is a reduction in your future quality of life.  If you don't leave a class room feeling excited about it's future, and yours, then you need to change something.

I recommend looking into charter schools, having talks with teachers, and ask them about their personal interest and history with their teaching subject.  What they do for fun, with it.  A good math teacher will usually like puzzles, and finding tricks and teazers for the kids.  A good english teacher will enjoy novels, and seek ways to get the kids excited about stories.  

Any teacher can require home work, but only a good one can make it exciting.