Real-Life Communication
You are a game tester looking at a game derived from Homer's Odyssey.
The manufacturer sends a note saying that they have tested the game and are
happy with it. That's odd. Why are they now sending the game to you?
You
continue reading the note and find that the company is concerned about the
documentation that accompanies the game. Is it written clearly? Will a player
be able to read through it and understand how to play the game?
"Testers
should have good written and oral communication skills," says Matthew Burns,
a game producer and former tester. "Finding bugs is great, but once they are
found, they need to be clearly described."
Read the documentation below:
The
Odyssey Game Rules:
You are Odysseus, a Greek warrior trying to
sail across the sea to reach your home. You have come from the Trojan War,
and desperately want to get home to your wife Penelope and your son Telemachos.
However, along your way, you angered the god Poseidon, and he has decided
to delay your homecoming.
It will take you 10 years to reach your home.
Along the way, you will wash ashore on many different islands. You must figure
out how to get off each island and continue your journey. The islands you
will visit on your way home from Troy are: the Kikonians, the Lotus-eaters,
the Cyclopes, Aiolos, the Laistrygones, Circe's isle, the Land of the Dead,
the Sirens, Skylla and Charybdis, Thrinakia and Kalypso's isle.
If
you figure out how to get off each of these isles, you will be sent home to
your family.
You are allowed to be wounded twice. The third time, the
game is ended. Remember that the god Athena is your protector. Begin by sailing
from Troy on the first screen.
You ask questions to see
if the rules are clear:
- What is the object of the game?
- Why has your homecoming been delayed?
- How many times can you be wounded?
- What god is your protector?
Can you answer these questions?