Gaming App : Resortopia

 

Gaming on mobile devices is a popular way for individuals to game on their own time. Traditional console systems only allows users to play the game while they are at home (or where their setup is). Mobile gaming has changed the way gamers can access games and some of the major gaming brands are looking at mobile gaming to increase their franchises and interest in their products. Mobile gaming has come a long way and gamers can now experience a whole console-style game on their phones. I selected a game that is more simple to use and more of a casual gaming experience. The game is called Resortopia. It currently has a 4.6 star review on the Google Play Store and has over a million downloads. It is rated E for everybody, so it doesn't have a stated intended audience. The overall goal of the game is to rebuild the resort and make it successful. 

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The first thing I noticed when I loaded the game is the game is on version 5.3.2 which means that the creators of the game have done updates to it since it was first released. As a gamer, this makes me feel better about selecting a game to play because I know that it is one that may have events or periodic updates to make gameplay better for users. The initial load up time for the game to install current updates was not very long - between a minute and a minute and a half. This indicates that it is a smaller game in comparison to other games like RPGs or MMORPGs that take a long time to download all necessary data to play the game. The user can connect to google or social media to save their gameplay in case they ever change devices, which is a plus because it means the game data can be recovered and users won't have to start over from the beginning if they get a new mobile device. 

As the game loads, a cute comic book style introduction is played for the users to get the small backstory needed to understand the game. The beginning of the game includes a tutorial with a walkthrough on where to go to buy items, upgrade the resort, or interact with customers. This makes it user friendly by allowing users to learn the interface with assistance instead of on their own. Once the user finishes the tutorial, the interface is fairly simple to use and stays the same throughout the game.

There are several different currency items that the user must collect in order to buy items or upgrades to the resort. The main 2 are cookies and candies which can be collected in the game relatively easy which minimizes the need to pay-to-play and makes it more accessible for those on a budget or younger users who do not have their own money or bank account. There are ad options as well for users to collect more currency items when completing tasks or reaching achievements.

The user also has a multitude of quests to do which gives more options for the user to work on while they are collecting currency. The quests also have a fail-safe method by allowing users to go straight to the area that is needed to complete the quest. As users go through the quests, they can unlock new customers and receive rewards for unlocking rare customers. The font used for the quests is ideal as it is large and easy to read. The only downfall is that the quest description is in all capitalized lettering which may make it difficult for some users to read. 

There are in game options to purchase items and currency and other packs for the user to be able to upgrade their resort easier. These purchases are not required and most of them are relatively cheap - though some packages do get to be in the $20+ range. The shop also has an exchange option where the player can exchange currency or items for other items that will help them with their resort. There is also a free item each day that users can claim. 

When working around the resort, there are plenty of things for the user to do. The receptionist desk has energy and the player can tap on people passing by the resort to make them become interested in the resort and become a customer. Every person takes away an energy, so this is a limited action that players can take. Energy regenerates over time, so the player can come back to the game later and continue to attract guests. When buying items for rooms or other areas of the resort, the player is allowed to customize the rooms how they want. They can move objects around the room after they purchase them to create a unique atmosphere. The downside is that the icons are extremely small when moving furniture and makes it more difficult to create the room on a smaller screen. 

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As far as universal design principles, the game does a decent job at making it accessible to all users. It would be recommended to look at the user interface and declutter some of the icons to make it more accessible for users with fine motor difficulties. Everything is easy to locate and with the built-in fail-proof tutorials, most users should have no difficulty finding what they are needing to purchase or build. As noted before, some of the icons are relatively small, so users who have smaller devices may have issues playing the game. There are no built-in accessibility features for users with disabilities or who need extra assistance. Another problem area is the advertisements that the game selects for users to watch. Some of them, in my opinion, would not be appropriate for younger aged users. Overall, the app does follow universal design principles and would not need much in the way of modifications to be more accessible to all users.