In a recent Game Design Challenge, you were tasked with creating a safe communication system for a children's MMORPG.

First, I want to applaud everyone who entered or participated on the forum. This was a probably the toughest challenge we've had.

Making a communication system for a children's MMO may be a problem with a limited number of solutions, an issue I find fascinating. Every single answer I received either involved an autocomplete system, much like the text input on modern phones, a list of keywords for the player to choose from, or a series of emotes.

As you all quickly figured out, the challenge was largely about UI and usability -- how will the game convey these systems to the players?

Let's first look at some of the most fascinating ideas:

Observations
Evolving Language
Several people brought up the possibility of starting players with only a few word choices (by word choices I mean expressions) and letting them earn more words as they progressed throughout the game. I feel as though this system is fantastic. It not only minimizes the amount of input a young player has to assimilate at any given time, but also allows the game to mimic something the players are doing in real life: learning a written language. If the system allows words to be combined to have new meanings, you really can simulate the process of language acquisition.

Parent Roles
I loved how many entries tried to involve parents. Even if this is arguably a commercial detriment, I love the idea.

Breaking the stereotype of video games as babysitter and making them a family activity -- like playing catch or going to the zoo -- is by itself a worthwhile endeavor. But the real benefit here exceeds that. I guess it comes down to the fundamental question, "Would you leave your kid alone at a playground in the middle of the city?" If not, why would you leave them alone on an MMO?

Children guided by their parents through a virtual world have a chance to learn and explore in a way that has incalculable value, both for the family as a whole and for the education of the child.

Best Entries
Matthew Pederson, Burds (see page 2)
Matthew Pederson's entry is unique in its approach. Instead of finding some radically different way around the problem Matthew simply designed a game that requires very little communication to play, yet still feels like it has group interaction.
This technically falls outside the purview of the assignment, but sometimes you have to break the rules to achieve anything.

Finn and Fletcher Haverkamp, Mamorpgahs (see page 3)
Finn and Fletcher demonstrate elegance and grace in their emote system. It is simple, effective, and easy to understand. Most importantly it seems highly usable for the target audience.

Carrie Arnold, Lockdown (see page 4)
As always, choosing the submission to take this third-place slot was almost impossible. I ended up going with Carrie Arnold's entry, as it demonstrates how giving parents tools to moderate their child's account goes a long way to solving the problem of safety online (so long as parents are willing to watch their kids a little).

My only critique to Carrie's submission is that the parents are simply moderators. How could the game make parents accountable for taking a more active role in the game itself? Policing a child is much less enjoyable and much less effective than playing with one.

Honorable Mention
A special shout out to Tim Edwards for his sticker/overlay idea on the forum.

Tim has told me he's just recently moved across the country in search of everlasting fame and gaming glory. Everybody wish him luck!