Based on work / models developed with Dubit, inspired by academic work, presented at the MRS annual children / youth conference. Cross-media adaptation into digital games Note: this is the 'screens' version - there's one with screens + notes under 'Documents'. Everyone's a gamer nowadays. What's so appealing about games? Which games are young people playing and why? And how can stories / characters from other media be successfully adapted into game form? Note: this is the 'screens+notes' version - there's one just with screens under 'Presentations'. Everyone's a gamer nowadays. What's so appealing about games? Which games are young people playing and why? And how can stories / characters from other media be successfully adapted into game form?

1.
INTRODUCTION
..............................................................................................................................................................
2
KIDS
GAMING
LANDSCAPE
............................................................................................................................................
4
INTEGRATED
MEDIA
STRATEGIES
............................................................................................................................
10
MEDIA
PRODUCTION
MODEL
...................................................................................................................................
15
WRAP
UP
..........................................................................................................................................................................
20
Claudio
Pires
Franco,
Head
of
Games
and
Media
Research
claudio.franco@dubitlimited.com
Kids
&
Youth
Research
2011
SCREENSHOTS
&
SPEAKER
NOTES

2.
Page 2 of 21
GamesLab
INTRODUCTION
I
want
to
begin
by
telling
you
about
a
book
that
I
started
reading
this
week.
It’s
a
book
about
the
relation
between
games,
culture
and
society,
by
Ian
Bogost,
a
famous
games
designer
and
game
scholar.
The
book
preview
starts
with
the
following
title:
Puzzling,
isn’t
it?
This
sounds
like
bad
news,
especially
when
it
is
said
by
a
games
designer!
As
I
read
on,
it
all
started
to
make
sense...
In
recent
years,
computer
games
have
moved
from
the
margins
of
popular
culture
to
its
center.
Games
are
being
played
by
all
types
of
people,
from
stereotypical
teenager
boy
gamers,
to
grannies,
to
politicians
who
get
sacked
for
playing
Farmville
during
Council
meetings!

3.
Page 3 of 21
GamesLab
This
is
a
picture
of
the
Bulgarian
councilor
caught
red-­‐handed.
He
excused
himself
by
saying
that
other
councilors
also
play
-­‐
and
he’s
only
on
level
40
whilst
one
of
his
colleagues
is
already
on
level
48!
Tough
competition
in
Bulgaria!
Ian
Bogost
suggests
that
we
think
about
games
as
a
medium
which
can
be
used
for
infinite
purposes,
not
just
as
entertainment
products
in
limited
formats.
I
liked
this
quote
as
it
reflects
the
status
that
games
seem
to
be
acquiring
as
a
medium
in
their
own
right.
All
types
of
games
can
be
created,
for
all
types
of
people,
and
for
all
types
of
purposes.
Games
are
being
used
for
storytelling,
for
education
and
training,
for
marketing,
for
therapy,
for
politics,
you
name
it...
As
Betty
has
shown
us,
games
are
even
shaping
the
way
we
do
research!
So
instead
of
witnessing
the
end
of
the
gamer,
we’re
living
in
a
time
where
games
are
becoming
global
-­‐
in
audience
reach;
in
their
uses;
and
in
the
influences
they
have
on
many
aspects
of
our
society
and
culture.

4.
Page 4 of 21
GamesLab
Games
are
here
to
stay,
and
any
brands
and
organisations
who
work
with
kids
should
probably
be
thinking
about
how
they
can
use
games
to
engage
with
their
audiences
Today
we’ll
be
exploring
three
main
areas:
I’ll
show
you
some
fresh
data
on
the
games
that
kids
are
playing,
Then
we’ll
see
how
games
have
become
an
essential
part
of
integrated
media
strategies,
and
finally
we’ll
hear
about
some
strategic
insight
based
on
media
production
models
developed
by
Dubit
KIDS
GAMING
LANDSCAPE
Let’s
start
by
looking
at
what
kids
are
playing
with
data
from
Dubit’s
latest
ONLINE
GAMES
RESEARCH...
We’ll
be
releasing
a
lot
more
data
very
soon
for
the
US
and
UK,
but
for
now
I’ll
show
you
topline
data
for
the
UK.
Think
of
it
as
a
little
appetizer
fresh
off
the
press

5.
Page 5 of 21
GamesLab
According
to
our
online
survey
of
1,000
kids,
99%
are
playing
some
kind
of
computer
or
video
games.
Here
the
main
surprise
is
that
the
industry
would
probably
expect
the
level
of
kids
playing
on
mobile
gadgets
to
be
higher,
especially
on
iPads
and
iPhones...
But
probably
this
expectation
is
down
to
a
bit
of
media
hype
about
these
platforms,
which
reminds
me
of
similar
hypes
about
Twitter
a
coupe
of
years
ago,
when
everyone
was
thinking
about
engaging
with
kids
via
Twitter
but
then
we
found
out
that
only
a
tiny
proportion
actually
used
with
any
regularity.
The
cost
of
iPads
and
the
like
are
still
prohibitive
for
kids,
and
parents
tend
to
opt
for
cheaper
options
for
kids
gaming.
Apart
from
games
consoles,
the
computer
is
still
the
main
platform
used
to
play
games,
and
a
platform
which
is
more
accessible
than
consoles
for
most
brands
and
IPs.

6.
Page 6 of 21
GamesLab
This
second
chart
shows
the
top
5
websites
kids
used
to
play
games
in
October
Facebook
seems
to
be
the
one
site
that
could
cause
some
surprise...
However,
in
spite
of
existing
regulation,
we
know
from
previous
research
that
many
under
13s
using
it
-­‐
and
mostly
to
play
games!
Probably
something
to
be
discussed
later
today
in
the
ethics
panel
FB
is
followed
by
TV
channels
websites
where
kids
get
in
touch
with
their
favourite
characters,
and
then
by
Miniclip,
a
hugely
successful
mini-­‐games
portal.

7.
Page 7 of 21
GamesLab
Now
let’s
look
at
Facebook
in
more
detail.
Facebook
gaming
is
ruled
by
Zynga
with
3
titles
in
the
top
5.
This
seems
to
reflect
the
adult
market,
which
makes
sense
as
we
know
that
typically
kids
are
introduced
to
FB
gaming
by
their
parents,
and
even
group
play
as
a
family.
Zynga
have
been
doing
extremely
well
in
the
social
games
arena,
in
part
probably
due
to
their
attention
to
games
analytics:
understanding
what
their
players
do
in
their
games
and
re-­‐adapt
their
design
and
strategies
accordingly.

8.
Page 8 of 21
GamesLab
This
chart
shows
the
top
VWs
and
MMOs
-­‐
for
those
of
you
who
are
not
sure
what
they
are,
think
of
multiplayer
games
where
your
character
can
walk
around
different
areas...
No
surprises
in
the
top
5,
except
perhaps
for
Minecraft
finally
making
its
way
to
the
top.
Club
Penguin
and
Moshi
Monsters
continue
to
rule
the
UK
market
-­‐
by
far!
Which
may
have
something
to
do
with
their
overall
online
and
offline
strategies...
we’ll
see
later
on...

9.
Page 9 of 21
GamesLab
In
this
study
we
also
wanted
to
know
what
games
really
stand
out.
Which
ones
do
kids
find
more
appealing?
We’ll
have
to
leave
their
reasons
for
a
later
date
–
this
data
is
still
being
analysed.
The
chart
shows
the
top
10
favourite
games
for
kids.
I’ll
make
the
analysis
easier
for
you:
VWs
make
up
7
out
of
the
10
games.
And
CP
and
Moshi
Monsters
alone
represent
the
preferences
of
over
one-­‐third
of
all
kids.
But
why
are
VWs
so
popular
with
kids?
They’re
the
most
complex
kinds
of
online
games
out
there
-­‐
and
they
cover
many
diverse
needs,
from
socialising,
to
role-­‐playing,
to
narrative
and
storytelling,
to
exploration,
to
user
customisation,
competition,
and
a
lot
more!
As
we
like
to
say
at
Dubit,
VWs/MMOs
satisfy
the
needs
of
different
player
archetypes,
which
as
we
will
see
should
be
taken
into
consideration
when
designing
a
game.
Safety
and
trust
are
another
important
reason
why
CP
and
MM
are
so
popular.
The
teams
behind
these
games
invest
strongly
in
communicating
with
parents,
and
in
showing
them
that
their
kids
will
be
safe
online.
And
parents
act
as
important
gatekeepers
for
what
kids
-­‐
especially
the
youngest
-­‐
can
do
online.

10.
Page 10 of 21
GamesLab
Let’s
now
see
how
games
link
up
with
other
forms
of
media...
INTEGRATED
MEDIA
STRATEGIES
Kids
media
consumption
has
never
been
so
integrated
across
different
platforms
and
different
media.
Kids
media
has
essentially
become
Transmedia.
Kids
nowadays
read
the
book,
watch
the
film,
buy
the
toy
and
play
the
game
-­‐
they
expect
to
find
their
favourite
characters
across
all
platforms,
across
all
media.
As
Adam
Khwaja,
ex-­‐BBC,
likes
to
say:
kids
are
becoming
platform-­‐agnostic...
Online
games
have
become
an
essential
part
of
transmedia
strategies
in
the
kids
market.
And
VWs
are
at
the
centre
of
innovation
often
leading
the
way
in
the
kids
transmedia
landscape.

11.
Page 11 of 21
GamesLab
From
established
ways
of
working
mostly
from
book,
to
film,
to
game
and
toy...
Now
IPs
travel
in
all
directions...
You
can
start
with
a
game,
a
film,
a
book,
or
a
toy,
but
kids
will
expect
to
experience
your
IP
across
all
of
these
media.
Let
me
show
you
a
few
examples...

12.
Page 12 of 21
GamesLab
CP
and
MM
have
invested
strongly
in
their
transmedia
expansion,
recurring
to
licensing
strategies
and
partnerships
with
established
names,
for
example
in
the
publishing
and
toys
sectors.

13.
Page 13 of 21
GamesLab
Poptropica
is
less
well
known
in
the
UK,
but
comes
up
on
the
top
3
VWs
in
the
US.
It
is
owned
by
Pearson,
who
by
the
way
are
book
publishers.
Poptropica
is
based
on
a
strong
narrative,
and
allows
kids
to
travel
to
different
islands
like
in
a
theme
park,
where
they
can
go
on
pirate
adventures,
or
cowboy
adventures,
or
play
with
knights
and
princesses.
The
Poptropica
team
also
creates
bespoke
islands
to
promote
IPs
in
other
media.
In
this
example,
kids
are
able
to
visit
Wimpy
Wonderland
and
play
a
Wimpy
Kid
adventure.
Whilst
they’re
doing
this,
they
are
exposed
not
only
to
the
IP
through
playing
a
story,
but
also
to
information
about
the
book,
film
and
DVDs.

14.
Page 14 of 21
GamesLab
This
example
is
even
less
well
known,
and
comes
from
our
French
neighbours
Ankama.
Ankama
started
creating
MMOs,
but
have
meantime
expanded
to
other
areas
of
media
and
entertainment.
They
adopt
a
different
business
model
to
most
MMOs
-­‐
instead
of
relying
on
licensing,
all
transmedia
content
is
created
in-­‐house,
through
Ankama’s
very
own
publishing
department,
cartoon
studio,
console
development
team,
etc.
Something
else
I
love
about
Ankama
is
the
highly
integrated
way
they
weave
their
transmedia
content.
For
example,
when
you
play
the
Wakfu
game,
you
can
become
a
Wakfu
legend,
and
your
character
and
adventures
may
feature
in
the
manga-­‐style
Wakfu
magazine...
Imagine
how
exciting
that
can
be
for
the
players!
Ankama
even
have
their
own
Transmedia
quality
control
team
-­‐
forgot
what
they
call
it.
This
team
works
across
departments,
to
make
sure
that
all
their
IPs
provide
a
seamless
experience
across
different
media...
from
game
to
film
to
cards
and
books,
all
needs
to
work
seamlessly.
-­‐
as
we
will
see
next,
this
is
extremely
important!

15.
Page 15 of 21
GamesLab
MEDIA
PRODUCTION
MODEL
I
now
want
to
give
you
a
little
bit
of
a
flavour
of
the
types
of
media
production
models
that
Dubit
have
been
developing.
In
this
highly
cross-­‐media
environment
for
kids,
it
is
essential
to
reflect
on
how
we
work.
And
on
how
we
can
produce
media
products
that
build
on
existing
IPs
in
ways
that
guarantee
brand
consistency
and
quality
of
adaptation.
This
is
how
we
can
meet
-­‐
and
exceed
-­‐
audience
expectations,
by
building
an
effective
cross-­‐media
web
of
ongoing
engagement
with
brands
/
IPs
in
an
integrated
way.

16.
Page 16 of 21
GamesLab
This
wheel
represents
the
main
areas
that
you
should
consider
when
you’re
creating
content
in
a
transmedia
context.
I
will
use
the
creation
of
a
game
based
on
an
existing
IP
example,
but
the
model
could
be
used
to
inform
the
production
of
a
completely
new
IP,
or
using
an
existing
IP
to
produce
a
cartoon
or
any
other
form
of
media
product.
There
is
flexibility
about
which
areas
are
relevant,
depending
on
what
you’re
trying
to
achieve.
My
example
is
illustrated
with
a
mock
exercise
we
did
for
the
Bookseller
conference
last
month,
where
we
looked
at
how
we
could
adapt
the
Swiss
Family
Robinson
(SFR)
IP
into
a
game.
We
invited
a
group
of
kids
to
read
the
book,
watch
the
Disney
film
adaptation,
and
work
with
us
in
the
design
of
the
basic
sketch
for
a
SFR
game.
Try
to
imagine
that
you’re
attempting
to
do
the
same
with
your
own
IP,
or
with
your
brand
-­‐
even
if
you’re
not
in
the
media
sector.
Production
Factors
Basically
this
is
the
kind
of
information
that
should
be
defined
in
any
initial
brief.
objectives,
budget,
timings,
target
audience
But
also
the
less
obvious
factors
like
editorial
guidelines,
technical
limitations
and
promotion
and
marketing
plans
Source
IP
here
we
look
at
the
IP
in
detail
We
extract
the
narrative
structure
of
the
IP,
but
also
hear
what
kids
think
about
the
characters,
which
are
their
favourite,
what
traits
they
find
most
engaging,
and
main
events
in
the
story
that
can
be
translated
into
the
game.
Here
we
also
look
at
themes
and
effects:
is
the
story
supposed
to
be
funny?
Is
it
serious?
What
feelings
does
it
convene
to
the
audience?
And
how
can
these
effects
be
reflected
in
the
game?
Often
themes
will
function
as
inspiration
for
game
mechanics.
In
the
case
of
the
SFR,
the
theme
of
team
work
could
be
translated
into
a
mechanic
whereby

17.
Page 17 of 21
GamesLab
players
can
choose
different
characters
to
complete
different
tasks.
Think
again
about
your
IP
or
brand
-­‐
is
it
funny?
is
it
serious?
What
effects
do
you
want
to
cause
in
your
audience?
What
should
the
tone
/
style
be?
And
can
any
of
the
themes
be
translated
into
game
mechanics?
Previous
Adaptations
In
the
case
of
the
SFR,
the
DIsney
film
adaptation
of
the
book
had
a
very
powerful
influence
in
the
way
kids
imagined
the
game.
For
example,
in
the
film
there
was
an
added
scene
where
the
heroes
fight
a
bunch
of
pirates
-­‐
this
never
happened
in
the
book,
but
kids
wanted
it
to
be
part
of
the
game.
How
much
you
change
your
source
IP
is
really
up
to
you
-­‐
but
don’t
forget
you
need
a
good
level
of
consistency
for
a
seamless
experience!
And
you’ll
probably
want
to
please
your
book
readers
and
your
film
watchers!
Theme
Universe
This
area
of
the
wheel
is
linked
to
a
knowledge
of
the
wider
kids’
media
universe.
If
you’re
doing
a
game
around
pirates,
it
is
worth
exploring
what
other
pirate-­‐related
media
kids
kids
enjoy.
Back
to
our
example,
the
SFR,
kids
told
us
that
the
pirates
of
the
Disney
movie
did
not
look
like
real
pirates
-­‐
for
kids,
a
real
pirate
had
to
look
like
the
pirates
in
the
film
Pirates
of
the
Caribbean.
This
shows
how
this
film
has
shaped
kids’
views
of
pirates.
Games
Universe
The
Games
Universe
area
means
that
if
you’re
creating
a
game
for
a
specific
audience
group,
you
need
to
understand
what
games
those
kids
are
playing
and
also
what
is
it
that
they
find
appealing
in
the
games
they
play.

18.
Page 18 of 21
GamesLab
The
main
point
is
to
understand
what
mechanics
and
features
can
be
used
in
your
game,
and
how
these
may
help
you
satisfy
the
needs
of
existing
gamers.
At
Dubit
we
use
the
concept
of
‘player
archetypes’
to
help
us
guide
design.
Players
–
in
different
ages
and
gender
–
have
different
tendencies
or
preferences,
and
this
can
to
a
certain
extent
guide
your
design.
Games
Technology
This
is
the
most
geeky
part
of
the
process.
But
geeks
are
cool,
and
they’ll
eventually
rule
the
world!
This
is
where
you
look
at
existing
technologies
appropriate
for
the
game
you
want
to
create
Often
finding
a
platform
that
already
has
many
of
the
features
you
want
to
add
to
the
game
will
save
time
and
money
-­‐
which
you
can
invest
in
making
a
better
game
Transmedia
Strategy
This
is
where
you
think
how
your
game
will
link
up
and
integrate
with
the
other
parts
of
your
IP,
across
other
media
and
platforms
This
could
be,
for
example,
through
the
use
of
toys
or
cards
that
open
features
in
your
game;
and
through
game
levels
or
achievements
that
unlock
access
to
videos
of
your
new
cartoon
episodes...
or
more
complex
stuff
that
links
all
sorts
of
media
together
in
storytelling.
Increasingly,
IP
development
across
different
media
is
being
designed
in
an
integrated
manner
from
stage
one
-­‐
integrating
your
offers
means
that
readers,
TV
watchers
or
game
players
can
start
at
any
touch
point
and
move
through
your
web
of
transmedia
content.
Game
Evolution
Once
we
have
a
Game
Design
Document
-­‐
this
is
the
specifications
for
a
game
-­‐
and
some
artwork
ready,
we
test
these
with
our
audience.
And
as
soon
as
a
game
has
a
prototype,
we
invite
kids
to
play
it,
ins-­‐tudio
or
form
home,
alone
or
in
groups.
Our
little
testers
play
our
games
at
Alpha
stage,
at
Beta
stage,
at
every
stage
-­‐
in
order

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to
optimise
gameplay
and
unveil
any
usability
problems
which
could
cost
us
dearly
after
launch.
Launching
a
game
is
not
the
end
of
the
story
Games
are
a
bit
like
organic
creatures
-­‐
they
are
born,
they
grow,
evolve,
change
-­‐
often
informed
by
what
your
audience
is
doing
in
them.
Games
have
one
great
advantage
in
terms
of
audience
insight
when
compared
to
other
types
of
offline
media
-­‐
they
allow
you
to
collate
live
data
on
how
kids
are
using
your
game!
You
can
know
what
characters
are
more
popular,
which
levels
kids
find
too
hard,
where
they’re
getting
stuck
and
where
they
seem
to
be
getting
back
for
more
fun.
Game
Analytics
allow
you
to
take
informed
decisions
to
develop
your
game
in
the
right
direction
A
piece
of
advice:
besides
analytics,
try
to
involve
your
audience
in
decisions
about
future
developments,
for
example
which
new
places
to
create,
or
which
new
characters
to
bring
on
board
-­‐
kids
will
love
to
take
part
and
use
their
creativity
to
help
you.
END
OF
THE
WHEEL...
That’s
the
brief
overview
of
our
approach
to
creating
transmedia
integrated
games.
Over
the
next
couple
of
years
Dubit
will
be
taking
part
in
a
UNESCO-­‐sponsored
project
looking
at
how
books
and
stories
can
be
translated
into,
and
integrated
with,
new
media
forms
-­‐
we’re
representing
the
games
industry
perspective.
We’ll
be
part
of
an
international
team
of
academics
and
industry
practitioners
that
will
study
current
practices,
develop
models
and
create
new
media
products
based
on
the
insights
gained.
We’re
looking
for
partners
who
want
to
embark
with
us
on
a
journey
of
discovery
about
the
adaptation
of
stories
into
new
digital
forms.
We’d
love
to
involve
storytellers
from
other
media
because
we
think
that
the
games
industry
can
benefit
from
existing
story-­‐telling
skills
and
better
narratives...
Our
dream
is
to
create
games
that
feel
like
interactive
cartoons...
we
want
to
be
the
Pixar
of
Gaming!...
And
we’re
also
planning
to
bring
together
an
informal
group
of
people
who
may
be
interested
in
a

20.
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GamesLab
less
hands-­‐on
involvement
-­‐
but
still
want
to
follow
developments
and
get
insight
through
informal
meetings
and
our
project
blog.
WRAP
UP
Today
we
started
with
a
question:
are
we
witnessing
the
end
of
the
gamer?
To
a
certain
extent,
the
answer
is
yes,
we
are...
We’re
moving
away
from
gamer
stereotypes...
and
evolving
towards
global
gaming
-­‐
gaming
at
a
planetary
scale!
In
many
shapes
and
forms.
But
we’re
also
seeing
games
as
part
of
wider
nets
of
media
consumption.
We
live
in
a
new
era
of
transmedia,
where
kids
are
platform-­‐agnostic
and
expect
to
find
the
content
they
like
across
every
media
-­‐
in
a
seamless
way.
We’ve
seen
how
VWs
and
MMOs
form
an
integral
part
of
transmedia
strategies,
and
how
they’re
often
leading
the
way
in
innovation
and
creativity.
Finally
we
also
explored
some
rules
of
thumb
for
creating
games
in
this
transmedia
environment.
Above
all
-­‐
and
here
I
put
my
big
researcher
hat
on
-­‐
we
think
we
should
be
involving
kids
in
these
processes
of
media
creation.
Think
of
kids
as
our
little
media
experts
-­‐
we
can
obviously
come
up
with
brilliant
creative
ideas,
but
it
is
important
to
involve
our
audiences
in
pretty
much
every
step
of
the
way.
If
we
do
this,
everyone
is
going
to
win
-­‐
It’s
a
WIN-­‐WIN-­‐WIN
situation
-­‐
for
game
developers,
for
brand
owners,
and
for
gamers,
who
end
up
having
better
games
to
play.
I’d
love
to
discuss
these
things
in
more
detail
-­‐
please
come
and
grab
me
during
the
breaks
or
get
in
touch
after
the
event.
Thank
you!
THE
END

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GamesLab