Presented at: NMC Online Educational Gaming Conference | December 8, 2005

Angel Inokon, Stanford University

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

How the design of an innovative Japanese game captivated the world.

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Outline

• Introduction• See the game• Discuss the Game • Design Takeaways – summary• Bonus: Katamari in the Classroom• Questions and Answers

pronounced: ka - ta – ma - ry da – ma- she

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

About me

IBM Center for Advanced LearningShaba Games intern, discovering the “special sauce”Learning should be “nutritious and delicious”.

SpeakerAngel Inokon

(an-gel e-no-kon)

Now:

Before:

Soon:

My motivation:

Stanford UniversityLearning, Design and Technology. School of Education

Nice picture. She doesn’t look like that now though.

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

See the game

• Two releases on PlayStation 2 and third on its way for the PSP

• Watch video– Gameplay View

– Japanese Commercial Watch ad

Developer: NamcoGenre: ActionDesigner: Keita Takahashi Platform: PS2 Rating: E

Release: March and September 2004 (US)

Release: September 2005 (US)

Our fans love us.

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Poll: What are the fundamental properties of a ball?

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Design Principle #1: Affordances

Properties of a ball:• Rolls• Round• Bounce• Comes in different sizes

and colors• Bounce• Uniform interface• Push• Resilient• Throw• Weight - light or heavy

Make use and function obvious.

what’s different?

Special Katamari property - Sticky!

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Design Principle #2: Simple mappings

• Only need two thumbs

• Student project: rigged a rotating fan to play

If you’ve got two opposable thumbs, you can play.

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Design Principle #3: Visibility and Feedback

• Clear progress indicators

• Time display

• Objects you roll make a sound

• Text labels with icons

• Katamari grows as you collect

• Camera recedes as you grow

Games are fun when they are juicy.

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Design Principle #4: Constraints

• Can’t roll up an object bigger than you

• Levels are subtly sectioned so you can’t get stuck

• Camera constrains what you can see

• Obstacles become targets

Constrain challenges to keep things fun.

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Perspective from game designers

Very satisfying progress. Any obstacle for the player soon becomes a target. You constantly get to "turn the tables" on your adversaries. Instead of killing your enemies, they join you.

The game taps into visceral notions of growth. It also allows for safe mayhem with a low penalty for mistakes.

Jeb HavensLead Game DesignerCyberlore Studios

Scott KimPuzzle Game DesignerScott Kim

Erin HoffmanWriter and Game Designer1st Playable Productions

The holy grail of game design is simplicity and addictiveness. It's like Tetris -- without any manual or explanation you can play it within five minutes.

Tip: Reference people smarter than you.

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Design Takeaways

• Principle 1: Affordances – appearance should indicate function

• Principle 2: Simple Mappings – simple looking doesn’t mean simple to use. Simplify game controls using single function tools

• Principle 3: Visibility and Feedback – gamers need lots of information. Make it consistent and juicy.

• Principle 4: Constraints – prevent users from making errors that could decrease immersion. Balance challenge by constraining the environment.

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Bonus: Katamari in the Classroom?

What can students learn from the game:

• Language: English, Japanese, Korean

• Math: metrics, measurements, ratios, proportions

• Design thinking• Genre information – how to

play similar games• Spirituality • Strategy• Game development (see

Cloud example, partner with EA)

Go read James Gee.

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Discussion Questions

• Is there an educational value of safe mayhem in games?

• Katamari depicts mayhem as creative. Is mayhem creative? In what contexts?

• Professor Ted Reuter, DePauw University has made a recent statement that video game degrees are kidnapping higher education. What evidence presented today suggest games may offer hope for higher education? http://www.collegenews.org/x5107.xml

• Apply some of these design principles to a specific educational game. Describe the game and brainstorm ideas to improve it.

• What other design principles can you think of?

• How could we apply Katamari Damacy to education and learning? What are some of your ideas?

• Video games are made for people by people. In the end they teach us about ourselves. What does Katamari Damacy teach us about people and their needs?

The Affordances of Katamari Damacy

Closing

1. Innovation is still happening, no one has it all figured out yet.

2. Educators have a huge role to play in that innovation.

3. It’s not all about sexy graphics. Core, solid gameplay that delivers 120% on experience, still saves the day.

4. Four you can adapt most any video game, even Katamari, for educational purpose.

Shh…The art was created by college students

Keita TakahashiDesigner

Thank you

Question and Answers.

Angel Inokonhttp://ldt.stanford.edu/~inokoninokon@stanford.edu

Special thanks to:Shelley GoldmanDeanne Gonzalez-PerezHalsted LarssonJeb HavensScott KimErin HoffmanSusie WiseRoy PeaLearningtimes support