Computer Games for Preschoolers: Nintendo's Research and Design Process
Read Computer Games for Preschoolers: Nintendo's Research and Design Process and check the IELTS Reading answers. Designing video games for the youngest consumers is a difficult task for producers, who historically have focused on more "hard core" game fans. This article describes the research and…
Passage preview
Designing video games for the youngest consumers is a difficult task for producers, who historically have focused on more "hard core" game fans. This article describes the research and design process involved in creating Nintendo DS* games for a preschool audience.
Vocabulary from this passage
11 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- caregiver noun
A person who looks after a child or dependent adult, whether or not they are a parent
Researchers interviewed each caregiver separately to avoid influencing the child's responses.
- communal adjective
Shared by all members of a group or community rather than belonging to one individual
The flats were designed around a communal garden that encouraged contact between neighbours.
- exploratory adjective
Intended to investigate a subject in a preliminary way, without a fixed hypothesis, in order to guide later work
An exploratory survey of commuters helped the council decide which questions deserved a full-scale investigation.
- formative research noun
Research carried out while a product is still being developed, so that its design can be improved before release
Formative research with teachers shaped the early drafts of the new digital curriculum.
- game mechanics noun
The rules and systems that determine how a player interacts with a game and what results from each action
Designers refined the game mechanics until even novice players could grasp the objective quickly.
- incorporate verb
To include something as an integral part of a larger whole, so that it works together with the rest
Modern curricula increasingly incorporate digital literacy into every subject area.
- in-house adjective
Carried out within an organisation by its own staff rather than by outside specialists or contractors
The publisher moved its translation work in-house to maintain tighter control over quality.
- instinctive adjective
Done naturally and without conscious thought, as a response that has not been taught or learned
Infants show an instinctive preference for human faces within hours of birth.
- manual dexterity noun
Skill and ease in using the hands to carry out precise movements, such as operating small controls
Surgeons undergo years of training to develop the manual dexterity that delicate procedures demand.
- purchase-intent noun
A consumer's stated likelihood of buying a product, measured by market researchers before or after its release
Focus groups were used to gauge purchase-intent before the company committed to mass production.
- supervision noun
The act of watching over a person or activity to make sure that rules are followed and safety is maintained
Young children's internet use requires close supervision from responsible adults.
Answers with explanations
- 1. abilities
The note asks what the project aimed to **determine** about preschool children, so scan the list of objectives in the first paragraphs. The passage says the team decided to **understand preschoolers' abilities** in the context of handheld system game play, which the note shortens to 'relevant ___ of preschool children'. The gap follows 'relevant' and precedes 'of', so it needs a plural noun. The word is copied from the text and meets the one-word limit. Answer: abilities.
- 2. parents
The note records the **attitudes** of preschoolers' ___ to games. The passage lists the third objective as understanding **the expectations of their parents** with regard to handheld systems, where 'expectations' paraphrases 'attitudes' and 'handheld systems' paraphrases 'games'. The gap follows a possessive and needs a plural noun naming people. 'Parents' is copied from the passage and satisfies the one-word limit. Answer: parents.
- 2-3: competitive
2: The note records the **attitudes** of preschoolers' ___ to games. The passage lists the third objective as understanding **the expectations of their parents** with regard to handheld systems, where 'expectations' paraphrases 'attitudes' and 'handheld systems' paraphrases 'games'. The gap follows a possessive and needs a plural noun naming people. 'Parents' is copied from the passage and satisfies the one-word limit. Answer: parents.
3: The notes under Subjects say '26 children from different US ___'. The passage says the team conducted **26 in-home interviews with children** in **three markets** across the US, so the gap needs a plural noun naming the areas. The number 26 is the keyword that leads the eye to this sentence, and the three regions listed afterwards confirm the meaning. The answer is copied from the text and fits the one-word limit. Answer: markets.
- 3. markets
The notes under Subjects say '26 children from different US ___'. The passage says the team conducted **26 in-home interviews with children** in **three markets** across the US, so the gap needs a plural noun naming the areas. The number 26 is the keyword that leads the eye to this sentence, and the three regions listed afterwards confirm the meaning. The answer is copied from the text and fits the one-word limit. Answer: markets.
- 3-4: B
3: The notes under Subjects say '26 children from different US ___'. The passage says the team conducted **26 in-home interviews with children** in **three markets** across the US, so the gap needs a plural noun naming the areas. The number 26 is the keyword that leads the eye to this sentence, and the three regions listed afterwards confirm the meaning. The answer is copied from the text and fits the one-word limit. Answer: markets.
4: The note says 'some children with older ___', so a plural noun for family members is needed. The passage explains that, because earlier research showed the effects of **school-age siblings** on game play, the sample included households with **preschoolers with and without** such siblings. 'School-age' is paraphrased by 'older'. Only the noun is required, so the answer is a single word taken from the text. Answer: siblings.
- 4. siblings
The note says 'some children with older ___', so a plural noun for family members is needed. The passage explains that, because earlier research showed the effects of **school-age siblings** on game play, the sample included households with **preschoolers with and without** such siblings. 'School-age' is paraphrased by 'older'. Only the noun is required, so the answer is a single word taken from the text. Answer: siblings.
- 5. experienced
The note refers to equal numbers of **new** and ___ players. The passage says the team wanted to understand both **experienced preschool users** of the system and those **new to video games**, so they split the sample into **thirteen families** who owned a Nintendo DS and thirteen who did not. Thirteen and thirteen are the 'equal numbers'. The gap needs an adjective that contrasts with 'new' and fits one word. Answer: experienced.
- 6. TRUE
The statement says the researchers investigated how far **mothers or fathers controlled** their children's game playing. The passage lists what the interviewers found out from the parents, including **levels of parental supervision with regard to gaming**. 'Parental supervision' paraphrases parents' control, and 'gaming' matches 'game playing'. The point is clearly stated as part of the research, so it is supported rather than missing or contradicted. Answer: TRUE.
- 7. NOT GIVEN
The statement claims the researchers had **free access to all parts** of the subjects' houses. The passage says the interviews were **in-home** and that the team learned which **spaces** were used for game play and where handheld play occurred in the house, but it never says what access they were allowed. Being in the house does not prove unrestricted access, and nothing contradicts it either, so the text is silent. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 8. TRUE
The statement says the researchers regarded **The Little Mermaid** game as likely to **appeal** to preschoolers. The passage reports that the team chose it because it was one of the few games on the market with **characters that all of this young age group really liked**. Choosing it for that reason shows they expected it to appeal, so the claim is fully supported and nothing in the text suggests otherwise. Answer: TRUE.
- 9. FALSE
The statement says the game is operated **entirely** by hand controls. The passage says it used a large variety of **operating techniques**, **including blowing or singing into the microphone**. Using a microphone directly contradicts the idea that only hand controls were needed, so the answer is FALSE rather than NOT GIVEN. The word 'entirely' is the trap: the passage gives a specific counterexample. Answer: FALSE.
- 10. firm
The first flow-chart step after the review is the **presentation of design requirements to a specialist** ___. The passage says that, after reviewing the results in-house, the team **outlined their needs to a firm specializing in children's games**. 'Outlined needs' paraphrases 'presentation of design requirements', and 'specializing' matches 'specialist'. The gap needs a singular noun, and the word is copied from the text. Answer: firm.
- 11. simplicity
The box describes the **mechanics** of two new games trialled in the Nintendo DS **lab**, and the gap comes before 'and interest'. The passage says that whenever new **game mechanics** were developed, preschoolers were brought into the lab so the team could assess not only their **simplicity**, but also how **engaging** they were. 'Engaging' is the 'interest' in the chart, so the first quality needed is a noun. Answer: simplicity.
- 12. full version
The box needs the form of the game used in the field test with **twelve children**. The passage says that once a **full version** of the games was ready, the team went back into the **field** and tested with **a dozen preschoolers**. 'A dozen' paraphrases twelve. The phrase 'a ___ of each game' needs a noun phrase, and the two-word answer, copied from the text, fits the word limit. Answer: full version.
- 13. feedback
The last box concerns the **collection** of something **from family members**. The passage ends by saying the team also got **feedback** on what the children's **siblings and parents** thought about the games. 'Siblings and parents' are the family members, and 'got' matches 'collection'. The gap follows 'of' and needs a noun, which is copied from the text and fits the one-word limit. Answer: feedback.