{"id":246,"date":"2020-07-04T19:55:28","date_gmt":"2020-07-04T19:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brown-sheep-511001.hostingersite.com\/carla\/?p=246"},"modified":"2020-07-05T18:12:51","modified_gmt":"2020-07-05T18:12:51","slug":"making-games-that-appeal-to-kids-and-adults-with-helaina-cappel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/2020\/07\/04\/making-games-that-appeal-to-kids-and-adults-with-helaina-cappel\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Games that Appeal to Kids and Adults with Helaina Cappel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Designing games that appeal to both adults and children is hard! However, Helaina Cappel of both Kids Table Board Gaming and Burnt Island Games has been making games that appeal to both adults and children for years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Watch the live chat below: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Game Design Chat: Making Games that Appeal to Kids and Adults with Helaina Cappel\" width=\"864\" height=\"648\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-18D_ctcjOU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s usually easier to take a game that&#8217;s intended for adults and modify it down into one that kids can handle. Typically, this means you&#8217;ll have to take a lot out; you need to get rid of all the things that the kids can&#8217;t handle.  Basically, get a game to the point where you really enjoy it, then modify it down to what kids enjoy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When trying to find people with kids to playtest with, some good places to check are the different tabletop family games groups on Facebook. You can ask about any families that are willing to play over zoom, so that you can watch how the game is played and see what reactions the kids have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> When you can&#8217;t test with kids, a good thing to aim for is as few rules as possible. This means that the kids will be able to retain more of the game and it&#8217;ll be more accessible to them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn how to speak to kids:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Have someone that they&#8217;re close to around them. That person will know the capacity of their kids and they&#8217;ll be able to translate things into language that their kids can understand.  <\/li><li>Really listen to what they&#8217;re saying. <\/li><li>Ask lots of questions like: did you have fun? why did you have fun?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Something that works great in games made for kids and adults is emergent strategy. Emergent strategies are ones that seem normal and like the thing you should do and you can figure out why you&#8217;re doing that particular strategy later on. This is also why thematic games work really well, as the players have an idea of what they should do in the game before knowing much about it. Thematic games also let players get more immersed in the game, so that they stick around more and it makes it easier to get to the point where they understand what they&#8217;re doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find out more about Helaina here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Twitter:&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kidstablebg\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/kidstablebg<\/a> ,  <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/burntislandgm\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/burntislandgm<\/a> <\/li><li>Kids Table Board Games Website:  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kidstablebg.com\/\">https:\/\/www.kidstablebg.com\/<\/a> <\/li><li>Facebook Group:  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/TableTopFamilyGames\/members\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/TableTopFamilyGames\/members<\/a> <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>You are welcome to participate or simply listen in to the Game Design Live Chats whenever the time fits in your schedule.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/game-design-live-chats\/\">Click here for our calendar of events.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Did you enjoy this entry? Please let me know I\u2019d love to hear what you think and what kind of things you\u2019d like to see from this blog. Feel free to send me an&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:contact@weirdgiraffegames.com\">email<\/a>&nbsp;or comment with your thoughts!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t forget to sign up for my mailing list, so you don\u2019t miss a post:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tinyletter.com\/carlakopp\">https:\/\/tinyletter.com\/carlakopp<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Designing games that appeal to both adults and children is hard! However, Helaina Cappel of both Kids Table Board Gaming and Burnt Island Games has&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_4766012646_4766012646":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[2,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","category-live-chat"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/helaina.png","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":661,"url":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/2021\/02\/25\/playtesting-goals\/","url_meta":{"origin":246,"position":0},"title":"Playtesting Goals","author":"Carla","date":"February 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"One way to make your playtests really valuable is by setting goals before you start. Giving yourself a direction and something to pay particular attention to means you'll have a better idea of who to playtest with, how to prepare them for the playtest, and what questions to ask them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game Design&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Game Design","link":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/category\/design\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/playtesting-goals.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/playtesting-goals.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/playtesting-goals.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/playtesting-goals.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/playtesting-goals.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":212,"url":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/2020\/04\/28\/working-on-multiple-games-at-once\/","url_meta":{"origin":246,"position":1},"title":"Working on Multiple Games at Once","author":"Carla","date":"April 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Most designers start with one game, then eventually start working on two games at once. Some designers even move on to having 5+ in progress at the same time! There's several great reasons why you should work on more than one game at one time. You can playtest based on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game Design&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Game Design","link":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/category\/design\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Slide4.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Slide4.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Slide4.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Slide4.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Slide4.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":515,"url":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/2020\/12\/07\/organized-game-design-with-annamaria-jackson-phelps\/","url_meta":{"origin":246,"position":2},"title":"Organized Game Design with AnnaMaria Jackson-Phelps","author":"Carla","date":"December 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"AnnaMaria has designed Synchronized, HEAP, and Net Fishing, she is the social media manager for Pencil First Games, and is a content creator at Girl's Game Shelf. Watch the live chat below: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OzaDsGS8gXc&t Staying Organized in a Pandemic There are so many online resources out there! Before the pandemic, we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game Design&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Game Design","link":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/category\/design\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/annamaria.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/annamaria.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/annamaria.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/annamaria.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/annamaria.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":573,"url":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/2021\/01\/05\/working-with-publishers-with-eric-slauson\/","url_meta":{"origin":246,"position":3},"title":"Working with Publishers with Eric Slauson","author":"Carla","date":"January 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Eric Slauson is the designer of Tattoo Stories, MonsDRAWsity, Nerd Words: Science, and more! Eric is known for creating party and social games and games that can create social bonds. Watch the live chat below: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Iulhk3uu2tI&list=PLGdg7kzVTDnH7bzVxIRcG9_HTCqG0Zdud&index=35 Reasons to Work with a Publisher There are several ways to make a game,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game Design&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Game Design","link":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/category\/design\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/eric-publishers.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/eric-publishers.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/eric-publishers.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/eric-publishers.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/eric-publishers.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1437,"url":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/2022\/02\/09\/discovering-myself-through-tabletop-game-design-with-beth-jackson\/","url_meta":{"origin":246,"position":4},"title":"Discovering Myself Through Tabletop Game Design with Beth Jackson","author":"Beth","date":"February 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you've tried to discover yourself? Sure! I'm \u2728Beth (and yes, I use the sparkles before my name every chance I get). I'm a positive transgender woman who loves making games and uplifting the awesome people in my life (and also\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game Design&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Game Design","link":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/category\/design\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/beth-jackson-discover-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/beth-jackson-discover-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/beth-jackson-discover-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/beth-jackson-discover-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/beth-jackson-discover-1.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":490,"url":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/2021\/07\/20\/working-on-multiple-games\/","url_meta":{"origin":246,"position":5},"title":"Working on Multiple Games","author":"Carla","date":"July 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"I really enjoy working on multiple games at the same time. As a publisher, this is pretty much required if I want to have more than one game come out every year or so. The process of game design and development can take months, and art can sometimes take even\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game Design&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Game Design","link":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/category\/design\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/working-on-multiple-games.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/working-on-multiple-games.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/working-on-multiple-games.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/working-on-multiple-games.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/working-on-multiple-games.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":314,"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246\/revisions\/314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weirdgiraffegames.com\/carla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}