A couple of years ago Electronic Arts set up a focus test for a GBA "Lord of the Rings" game. A friend of mine was the Designer/Producer and he was invited to watch the test from one of those special rooms with the double mirrors. There were 8 to 10 kids in the test, with an adult standing behind each one taking notes. The adults had been instructed NOT to provide any help or assistance.
The test starts and my friend is watching the closest participant, a cute little girl roughly 9 years old. To his dismay, he IMMEDIATELY realizes that there is a problem with the current build of the game -- a last minute change has caused the monster database to wrap around. So the cute harmless little monster at the start of the game has the actual stats of the final END BOSS! The EA Producer, in an attempt to cover his ass and salvage *something* useful out of the test, decides to let it continue.
The girl, an excited smile on her face, runs cute little Frodo up to harmless looking little starter monster and hits her Attack button: <dink> The creature turns around and ANNIHILATES Frodo with a single blow.
The girl looks rather startled. Hmmm.
The girl restarts the game and tries again, this time repeatedly tapping her Attack button: <dink dink dink dink> Again Frodo is smashed into the ground with a single hit.
"Geeeez", the girl must have been thinking, "This game is kind of hard."
On her next attempt the girl tries to combine a jump with her assault <jump dink jump dink jum-- SMMMAASHHHH! GAME OVER!> Confused and frustrated she turns around to ask for help, but the adult just shakes his head. He's not allowed to say anything.
Tears start to well up in her eyes but she keeps at it. She tries running, she tries mashing multiple buttons, she tries dodging left and right: <dink run CRRRUNCH> <dinkdinkdinkdi-- SMOOOOSH> Now the tears are flowing down her cheeks. <jump run dink CRAAACK!> <dink dodge run jum-- SMAAACK!> She tries to hide it but before long her body is wracked by heaving sobs.
Mercifully, someone finally sees her and they stop the test.
After hearing this story a team member jokingly suggested that EA should adopt the slogan: "We make little kids cry".
The test starts and my friend is watching the closest participant, a cute little girl roughly 9 years old. To his dismay, he IMMEDIATELY realizes that there is a problem with the current build of the game -- a last minute change has caused the monster database to wrap around. So the cute harmless little monster at the start of the game has the actual stats of the final END BOSS! The EA Producer, in an attempt to cover his ass and salvage *something* useful out of the test, decides to let it continue.
The girl, an excited smile on her face, runs cute little Frodo up to harmless looking little starter monster and hits her Attack button: <dink> The creature turns around and ANNIHILATES Frodo with a single blow.
The girl looks rather startled. Hmmm.
The girl restarts the game and tries again, this time repeatedly tapping her Attack button: <dink dink dink dink> Again Frodo is smashed into the ground with a single hit.
"Geeeez", the girl must have been thinking, "This game is kind of hard."
On her next attempt the girl tries to combine a jump with her assault <jump dink jump dink jum-- SMMMAASHHHH! GAME OVER!> Confused and frustrated she turns around to ask for help, but the adult just shakes his head. He's not allowed to say anything.
Tears start to well up in her eyes but she keeps at it. She tries running, she tries mashing multiple buttons, she tries dodging left and right: <dink run CRRRUNCH> <dinkdinkdinkdi-- SMOOOOSH> Now the tears are flowing down her cheeks. <jump run dink CRAAACK!> <dink dodge run jum-- SMAAACK!> She tries to hide it but before long her body is wracked by heaving sobs.
Mercifully, someone finally sees her and they stop the test.
After hearing this story a team member jokingly suggested that EA should adopt the slogan: "We make little kids cry".
RSS Feed
