Luring the non-gamers

Nokia executives state during a briefing that one of the goals of the N-Gage games service is to provide "something for everyone" - they want to lure in the vast consumer market of non-gamers comprising groups like older adults, girls and women. That would be me: I am an older adult woman who never plays games on mobiles.

I take a handset loaded with several games and decide to try out a Nokia-produced one they have touted as a game for non-gamers - a fishing game called Hooked on Creatures of the Deep, which looks fun. My first big obstacle is using the N81 handset as a gaming device - I can't figure out whether it goes sideways or vertical, there's no help menu to explain which key does what, and over and over, I accidentally exit the game.

Though the images are beautiful, I cannot read the screen print - like the game directions! - except with the greatest difficulty. I don't normally need reading glasses but the typeface is so minute and slight that directions might as well be in Sanskrit.

My frustration level is rising. Then I find the far more intuitively designed Mile High Pinball, Snakes Subsonic and System Rush. Over the next day I get obsessed with Pinball in particular. I'd buy this!

But more thought needs to go into game design to consider the real needs of the non-gamer and of older eyes, instead of assuming a general level of device knowledge and 20/20 vision.