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2007: Games for Everyone! How Harmonix makes games even your grandmother will love. 03/08/2007 Harmonix is a hot item right now, after signing on with EA to make their next game, and based on their GDC session, they're going to stay that hot. We sat in on "Designing Games for Everyone: Harmonix Design in Practice" which focused on how Harmonix-makers of Guitar Hero, Karaoke Revolution and Amplitude-create games that appeal to both stereotypical hardcore and casual gamers. Both senior designer Rob Kay, and senior producer Tracy Rosenthal-Newsom, shared the stage and talked about how their ultimate goal is to build a game with both depth and accessibility. They were harsh with two of their past creations (both critical successes), saying they failed with Frequency (all depth, little accessibility) and Karaoke Revolution (lots of accessibility, little depth), but admitted success with Guitar Hero. Their process is to break down game creation into nine design practices, starting with a universal concept (rockstardom is inarguably universal-as MySpace Music proves). Secondly, Rosenthal-Newsom said they focus on "what's exciting, and what are the trends?" That means going outside of video games for inspiration. Too, they discussed the importance of context and presentation, referring to a user's inability to immediately understand their role in a game like Frequency. "With Karaoke Revolution and Guitar Hero we significantly changed our approach and presentation," said Kay. "We were able to create the experience of performing music in your living room and it actually showed in the video game." They also felt leveling the playing field was important, so that hardcore gamers and casual types could compete, which meant embracing alternate controllers-in fact, they haven't used a Dual Shock since 2003. "Joypads are generic, so there are no clues for the player," said Kay, who talked about how intimidating and complex games were now. "Our games use controllers that are friendly and appealing." As far as keeping hardcore and casual gamers enchanted, they talk about making core gameplay simple and mandatory-like strumming a note in Guitar Hero, while secondary gameplay includes cool stuff that can be ignored until the user is ready. But much of Harmonix's success can be tied to their obsession with play-testing, whether its bringing in their wide demographic before the game's release, or getting members of the development team to play the game. "The collective insight is so important to the way we make a game," said Rosenthal-Newsom. The other part of their success: making sure that first hour of gameplay is awesome. Their model, so far, has totally rocked. Other WDS GUIDES: GRAND
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