Dhruin
SasqWatch
Don Daglow (original Neverwinter Nights and much more) has told GDC Europe the American education system has removed failure, resulting in students that can't handle difficult challenges. Controversial, obviously, but here's a snip:
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Avantenor points out this German article that covers the subject in more depth. Let's keep the racist retorts in the comments on this subject to a dull roar, please.While traditional education systems teach students to try to succeed and learn from their failures, he said, the American education system has evolved to the point that failure has largely been removed from the equation entirely. "The idea of failure has been dramatically reduced," he said, noting that American students don't "fail." Rather, they are "challenged," a concept that Daglow believes European developers should keep in mind when trying to design games that will succeed in the American market.
The concept of failure as an inducement to try again and succeed is difficult for many Americans to accept. Many will blame their failure on the game itself, instead of recognizing their mistake and trying again. The key to breaking through to an American audience, he said, is encouragement, individuality and grabbing the player's interest as quickly as possible. "If you think of the best James Bond movies, the first ten minutes is an experience all unto itself. You're on this joy ride," he said, "don't wait to entertain people."
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