Comments on: How Complex is BrainSplode!? https://northwaygames.com/how-complex-is-brainsplode/ Makers of Rebuild and I Was a Teenage Exocolonist Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:22:58 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.3 By: Lawrence https://northwaygames.com/how-complex-is-brainsplode/#comment-925 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:22:58 +0000 http://northwaygames.com/?p=435#comment-925 Your discussion on optimal complexity fun-zone actually touches on an area of education psychology that I was researching during last summer. Players enjoy challenges when they are “pleasantly frustrating.” They are stumped by the challenge but they know they almost had it. In education terms it’s called zone of proximal development, where the most rewarding learning experience takes place. When the challenge becomes too difficult or too easy, players lose interest. Of course, there is no consensus of what is “pleasantly frustrating” as it differs from person to person but some games like Angry Bird, Tetris, or Bejewel manage to hit the sweet spot and have mass appeal.

Here’s the slideshow of my presentation: http://prezi.com/2v4gnkopq02f/game-based-assessment-in-the-classroom/

BTW, I had my classmates play Fantastic Contraption as a part of my presentation to illustrate my point. Ideally I would have them play Wordup Dog too but didn’t have enough time.

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By: Colin Northway https://northwaygames.com/how-complex-is-brainsplode/#comment-120 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:58:34 +0000 http://northwaygames.com/?p=435#comment-120 In reply to MDB.

In Rich’s defence, it is just a prototype. Although quite a well fleshed out prototype.

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By: MDB https://northwaygames.com/how-complex-is-brainsplode/#comment-119 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:37:19 +0000 http://northwaygames.com/?p=435#comment-119 Sigh. Aren’t the days of making single platform games dead and gone? I don’t want to have to set up a whole Windows machine just to try out someone’s game.

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