Designing Games for Children

Chapter 8Child Development Overview

We were all kids once, so why does a game designer need to bother knowing about child development? Familiarity with child development provides guidelines for what kids can do at various ages, which in turn allows us to design for the particular needs of our audience. As adults, we are far removed from the hallmark experiences of childhood.

For example, as you read this, your brain is automatically processing the words. While you may encounter an unfamiliar word from time to time, which will slow you down, you are not actively engaged in figuring out what every single word says. The process of reading is automated so you can focus on meaning, not how the individual letters come together to make a word. As adults, ...