Joined: Dec 21, 2011 Age: 33 Posts: 402 Location: Most likely work. Sigh.
Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 12:23 pm Post subject:
AScomposer13413 wrote:
ghostar wrote:
AScomposer13413 wrote:
While I love the concept, in my opinion, I only see it working under some (preferably all) of these conditions:
1. The game should be first person, or at least have a function that switches between first and third-person. For me, it's easy to observe a conversation because the cues are passing me by and are filtered by the people in question, whereas conversing with someone has the cues trying to reach my brain directly. A video game that does both would allow analysis *and* practice attempts.
2. The game should, without a doubt, have motion support controls. I was initially thinking of the Wii, but upon heavier thinking, Kinect for the 360 would be much closer, since your body is the controller and we do have to train to use our bodies when socializing.
3. The game should definitely come with a microphone (maybe specific to the game or USB) and/or have voice-recognition software/tone-of-voice coach built in. I can't speak on behalf of all Aspies, but, from my experience, lots of conversational missteps of mine have occurred not because of what I said, but how I said it. Most of the time I wasn't even aware of how it was coming across for it to have turned into a misstep in the first place, so having something like this would increases awareness levels of it.
4. While it's debatable whether or not a plot is necessary, there should be at least streamlined objectives and/or levels to go through. That way, the player can progress through the game and feel that their social skills are improving. Even a social skills "checklist" or "records" within the game would cover this well.
5. The game shouldn't have any cheats. At all. While, based on my anecdotal experience, there are multiple ways to process a skill that might be effortless for others, none of them were simply given by entering a "code" into your brain - same goes with this game.
6. I have played a few dating sim games, and there's one thing I can't help but notice one key element that was missing - reaction times! You're given as much time as you need to take the info given and process it, leading to near-correct answers all the time because of it (there's still room for error, but it's smaller). Except that for conversations IRL and/or in real time, you're only given a few second window to formulate a response. Maybe there could be a range of difficulty settings where the easiest setting could be a large amount of time (10secs?) and the hardest setting mimic the actual flow of conversation reaction times.
There are more ideas, but I think they might be best for another post.
This is a super great post in my opinion. For me, as a female aspie, I think numbers 5 and 6 are the most important. (Although perhaps male aspies have the same troubles...idk.
Thanks for posting so much detail. Yours is a very well thought out post.
Glad you appreciate it!! Ironically, I wrote it at the time of night when I don't usually do a lot of thinking Anyway, being a male aspie myself, I do share some of the problems, and while there are key difference between male and female aspies, the only way to make the game cater to both would be to focus on the similarities but create enough room to acknowledge the differences.
Speaking of which, more points on the way
7. Like cheats, glitches are a no-no, especially if they're graphical ones. You need to capture an environment down to the last detail (as far as the graphics can go without taking away from everything else), and considering the target market would be those who want to practice social skills, there has to be extra care taken to provide that environment to those who have a sharper eye for detail elsewhere!
8. Conversation topics - this is probably going to be the most difficult because of the wide range of them. I'd say prepare the AI for almost any topic to make conversation out of it, even if normally that wouldn't be the case.
9. Sandbox mode - I might have mentioned this earlier, but it does take a lot of elements to form a good conversation and, by extension, a good conversationalist. Give the player the ability to test how to build on certain skills in such a way that they won't be penalized outside of the original "objective" mode so their skills can be sharpened for the real conversations!
Again, that's all I can think of right now. Maybe there's more to come?
In response to 7, I completely agree.
Regarding 8, I am envisioning a basic game that frames a typical day's social interactions with expansion packs available for different social settings i.e. sporting events, a museum, the theatre, dinner in a restaurant, etc.
Number 9 is a brilliant idea! Like mini-games within the main game. This reminds me of the game "Enchanted Arms" where you have the main game which involves turn-based combat to level up characters' skills but one may also enter into gambling halls to bet on fights in which they enter to earn game money without affecting one's characters' progress.
While I love the concept, in my opinion, I only see it working under some (preferably all) of these conditions:
1. The game should be first person, or at least have a function that switches between first and third-person. For me, it's easy to observe a conversation because the cues are passing me by and are filtered by the people in question, whereas conversing with someone has the cues trying to reach my brain directly. A video game that does both would allow analysis *and* practice attempts.
2. The game should, without a doubt, have motion support controls. I was initially thinking of the Wii, but upon heavier thinking, Kinect for the 360 would be much closer, since your body is the controller and we do have to train to use our bodies when socializing.
3. The game should definitely come with a microphone (maybe specific to the game or USB) and/or have voice-recognition software/tone-of-voice coach built in. I can't speak on behalf of all Aspies, but, from my experience, lots of conversational missteps of mine have occurred not because of what I said, but how I said it. Most of the time I wasn't even aware of how it was coming across for it to have turned into a misstep in the first place, so having something like this would increases awareness levels of it.
4. While it's debatable whether or not a plot is necessary, there should be at least streamlined objectives and/or levels to go through. That way, the player can progress through the game and feel that their social skills are improving. Even a social skills "checklist" or "records" within the game would cover this well.
5. The game shouldn't have any cheats. At all. While, based on my anecdotal experience, there are multiple ways to process a skill that might be effortless for others, none of them were simply given by entering a "code" into your brain - same goes with this game.
6. I have played a few dating sim games, and there's one thing I can't help but notice one key element that was missing - reaction times! You're given as much time as you need to take the info given and process it, leading to near-correct answers all the time because of it (there's still room for error, but it's smaller). Except that for conversations IRL and/or in real time, you're only given a few second window to formulate a response. Maybe there could be a range of difficulty settings where the easiest setting could be a large amount of time (10secs?) and the hardest setting mimic the actual flow of conversation reaction times.
There are more ideas, but I think they might be best for another post.
This is a super great post in my opinion. For me, as a female aspie, I think numbers 5 and 6 are the most important. (Although perhaps male aspies have the same troubles...idk.
Thanks for posting so much detail. Yours is a very well thought out post.
Glad you appreciate it!! Ironically, I wrote it at the time of night when I don't usually do a lot of thinking Anyway, being a male aspie myself, I do share some of the problems, and while there are key difference between male and female aspies, the only way to make the game cater to both would be to focus on the similarities but create enough room to acknowledge the differences.
Speaking of which, more points on the way
7. Like cheats, glitches are a no-no, especially if they're graphical ones. You need to capture an environment down to the last detail (as far as the graphics can go without taking away from everything else), and considering the target market would be those who want to practice social skills, there has to be extra care taken to provide that environment to those who have a sharper eye for detail elsewhere!
8. Conversation topics - this is probably going to be the most difficult because of the wide range of them. I'd say prepare the AI for almost any topic to make conversation out of it, even if normally that wouldn't be the case.
9. Sandbox mode - I might have mentioned this earlier, but it does take a lot of elements to form a good conversation and, by extension, a good conversationalist. Give the player the ability to test how to build on certain skills in such a way that they won't be penalized outside of the original "objective" mode so their skills can be sharpened for the real conversations!
Again, that's all I can think of right now. Maybe there's more to come?
In response to 7, I completely agree.
Regarding 8, I am envisioning a basic game that frames a typical day's social interactions with expansion packs available for different social settings i.e. sporting events, a museum, the theatre, dinner in a restaurant, etc.
Hm...in-depth exploration into specific social scenarios while still having the general framework...I like the way you think Not sure it would work through expansion packs, though Maybe have them as Downloadable Content (DLC)??
ghostar wrote:
Number 9 is a brilliant idea! Like mini-games within the main game.
MINIGAME-CEPTION!!! (Sorry, couldn't resist XD)
ghostar wrote:
This reminds me of the game "Enchanted Arms" where you have the main game which involves turn-based combat to level up characters' skills but one may also enter into gambling halls to bet on fights in which they enter to earn game money without affecting one's characters' progress.
I admit I had to look up Enchanted Arms to figure out what you meant! I would say it does bear a lot of resemblance to it...minus the boss battles
ghostar wrote:
Great ideas all!
Now we just need a gaming software developer...
Maybe one of the mods could sticky this/move part of it to Games and Video Games?
Joined: Apr 04, 2008 Age: 22 Posts: 2895 Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 1:39 am Post subject:
1000Knives wrote:
There's always dating sims... Sorta close? Then there's games like Persona/Shin Megami Tensai, where you get to be in virtual high school and have virtual social interactions.
Ugh. YOu said that BEFORE me. I was going to say 'have y ou played dating sims, OP? It's -somewhat- similar _________________ I am a Star Wars Fan, Warsie here.
Masterdebating on chi-city's south side.......!
There's always dating sims... Sorta close? Then there's games like Persona/Shin Megami Tensai, where you get to be in virtual high school and have virtual social interactions.
Ugh. YOu said that BEFORE me. I was going to say 'have y ou played dating sims, OP? It's -somewhat- similar
Well Persona, you're in virtual high school and stuff, and gotta juggle like, your friends and stuff, and you can only do one thing per day with a friend, so you gotta like, choose what friends are most important and stuff. That, and you get dialogue checked with all your friends, both platonic and romantic friends, and you gotta like, give them emotional support and stuff.
But still, Ryo Hazuki taught me everything I ever needed to know about social skills.
SUP FRIEND, I NEED TO BORROW YOUR MOTORCYCLE AT 1AM. _________________ Too kawaii to live...
Too sugoi to die!
Glad you appreciate it!! Ironically, I wrote it at the time of night when I 
Anyway, being a male aspie myself, I do share some of the problems, and while there are key difference between male and female aspies, the only way to make the game cater to both would be to focus on the similarities but create enough room to acknowledge the differences.
