Speech Game - tākaro


Discuss Kōrero Mai: What different games can you think of?

Games are all around us. They can be used at home, when travelling, at school, etc. They can be played on your own or with others. They are played for many different reasons, some examples include:
  • entertainment
  • keeping fit
  • stop boredom
  • to learn something new...



Can you think of any other reasons people play games?


Types of games

There are many types of games, but they all fit into 3 main categories:

  • Analogue Games
  • Physical Games
  • Digital Games


Ready? Kua reri? - Ready? it's your turn... Identifying games

Write down different games you can think of. What category do they belong to?


Characteristics of Games

When designing new games you can start by thinking about the type of game you want it to be and what you want it do do.

Here are some game characteristics that you can choose from…



Ready? Kua reri? - Ready? it's your turn... Games Characteristics

Choose a few different types of games to explore. Identify what type of game they are & their game characteristics.



Ready? Kua reri? - Ready? it's your turn... Empathy for a client (stakeholder)

Use the empathize stage of the design thinking process to consider the needs of a possible game user. Think about:
  • Who they are,
  • What they do,
  • What they enjoy,
  • What they like to learn about...



VR Game design

Discuss Kōrero Mai: What limitations about VR do game designers have to consider?

The main considerations that designers make are generally around:
  • Controller Input
  • Device Output

Can you think of any other limitations?


Discuss Kōrero Mai: How many buttons / inputs do digital computer games use?

Minecraft is a very popular digital game that most people enjoy playing. How many Inputs does a game like Minecraft have? Take a guess. Consider the devices you use as input.

Minecraft has over 35 different key inputs on the keyboard alone. That isn't even factoring in the mouse / touchpad! That's much more than we can achieve on most VR controllers combined!


Using VR’s limited control scheme to our advantage

VR controller might have not have many button inputs. But they have many others. Can you think of what they are?



Ready? Kua reri? - Ready? It's your turn... Analyse the video below.

Watch this video of Job Simulator a determine how many BUTTON inputs are used throughout the whole video.
How have they used their limited button input into an advantage?


What strengths about VR do game designers use?

VR has many strengths when it comes to being a medium to experience media through. Primarily, it’s how immersive experiences can feel with a VR device. You actually believe that you are inside of a different world.

Because of this, Immersion can:

  • Heighten the experience to another level
  • Help you retain information for long periods of time
  • Allows you to truly experience different subjects such as History or Science


Ready? Kua reri? - Ready? It's your turn... Play test and Analyse a VR game

Try playing a VR game yourself! You can use a VR headset if you have one, or can playtest some WebVR games using a computer or mobile device. Think to yourself and answer the following questions:

  • How many button inputs did you need to play the game?
  • Did you have to think about how to use each input or was it intuitive?
  • What Category does the game belong to? How does VR enhance this?
  • What are some characteristics that you noticed about the game through a VR device?
Click here to try 'a-blast'. Powered by a-frame
Click here to try 'moonrider'. Powered by a-frame


Or try the a-frame example through the window below

hint: Use Spacebar to shoot projectiles on a PC or Laptop device