The Transit Space, Take One

The first playspace I want to take a look at is the transit space. This is the back seat of the car, or the bus seat, or, for the more adventurous, the plane seat. I'm not, for now, going to look at the value of gaming in this space, but rather going to attempt to catalogue the considerations.

1) Confined space for a predetermined period of time
Your gamer will be required to sit still for a period of time ranging from 15 minutes to 12 hours. What is your gamer's attention span like? Will you be able to monitor gameplay directly or assist? Will your gamer be able to stop playing when required?

2) Close proximity to the gamer
You will be sitting very close to your gamer. Is your gamer likely to become violent when frustrated? Will your gamer be compelled to show you the game?

3) The Shakes
Not the shakes your gamer may have, but rather the inherent shakes that a moving vehicle implies. Does your gamer have the fine motor skills to handle the game in an ideal situation? In a shaky situation? Is your gamer prone to motion sickness? Can your gamer keep hold of the portable console?

These are just the first factors in this playspace that come to my mind. I will continue as more strike me.

Where do we play?

This is my first consideration. Even before I get to what we are playing the games on, and long before I consider what games to play. What is the play space? Is the gamer playing in the living room, or another shared space at home? Is the gamer playing in her bedroom or similarly private space? Is the gamer playing in the car or another mode of transport where he will be confined for a predetermined period of time? Is the gamer playing on a bench or another place where she has to wait? Is the gamer playing at a rec centre or other community space where there will be more peers than at home? In coming posts I hope to find ways to describe these play spaces and what effect they have on what makes for an appropriate game.