-I- About the creation and development of the game

By Thomas Nansot – Dancing Dots

Can you introduce Dancing Dots to us?

“Dancing Dots, a Parisian development studio, was founded in August 2005 by Martial Dréville and myself, with a mainly PC based track record. After working for some time as a contractor for Cyanide Studio on a winter sports game, we developed the horse riding game for the PC under our own name: Ride! We always intended to develop console games and “My Baby©” is the first Nintendo DS™ game developed by Dancing Dots. We involved the publishers, distributors and licensors in the design process for these products and carefully considered the marketing constraints related to the development of a video game, in other words, suitable objectives for the publishers and distributors. For us, marketing and sales constraints are not artistically restrictive, but give rise to creation.” By Thomas Nansot, co-founder of Dancing Dots.

Why choose a life simulation game rather than mini-games?

Nintendo DS™ games containing collections of mini-games offer a quick break but do not strictly hold the attention of the player. There are also rarely any feelings involved.

How did you manage to combine the desire to make a game both playful and funny yet still keep it close to reality?

It was not easy to combine the reality of a new born baby and the need to provide gaming fun quickly. We had to take out or significantly relax certain aspects of the life of a real baby which we could not properly use in the game.

Why the very cartoon like graphics?

The technical constraints inherent to the Nintendo DS™ console focus us to the possibility of a realistic baby model aside. So we decided to work on a more cartoon-like baby. This “cartoon” approach is also a plus when aimed at the children’s target market.

Which parts of your research required the most effort?

The parts of the research which required the most effort were certainly the design and technical implementation of the baby’s behaviour.

Your team visibly consists of a majority of men… How did the development go for them?

The development of “My Baby©” did not present any problem for the men that we are, everything went well. ☺

There is great tenderness in the game and a permanent wonder for the baby, how did you manage to portray all these emotions?

The baby plays a central role. Using 3D animation, it is constantly in the process of expressing something. Furthermore, we worked very hard on the sound design and particularly the baby noises, which make it very endearing.

What other difficulties did you encounter during development? How did you manage the “ethical” aspect essential to this type of game?

The main difficulty in the “My Baby©” game was integrating a maximum number of animations and interactions with the baby, taking into account the memory capacity of the Nintendo DS™ console.

We knew that we had to be particularly attentive to the idea of ethics, working on the concept of a baby game. So we built our vision for the game around this strong idea. We paid particular attention to the system of interaction with the baby: contact and voice.

How – and with who – did you work in order to be as realistic and accurate as possible about the babies development?

In order to gather as much information as possible on the subject, our designer carried out his research using various sources (books, internet, etc.) and compiled it. This compilation was used as a guideline during production.

Do you have an anecdote about the game’s development?

From the start of the development, we heard the sounds of a new born baby next door to our offices. Even if we had never seen this baby, it was funny to watch him develop at the same time as the project.

What would you like adults to say about your game? How do children feel about it?

Ideally, adults would tell us that they enjoy playing the game and that it gives them ideas. For children, the problem is different, but we would be delighted if they were attached to their baby as if it was a real one!

-II- About the game

By Sébastien Brison & Romain Gobert – Nobilis Publishing

Can you explain the aim of the game and who the player represents?

The player takes on the role of a parent who must make every effort to encourage the newborn’s learning. From the start, he must play with the baby to enable him to discover this new world bit by bit. As the baby develops the player must pay attention to its needs while teaching it to move around.

The player achieves his goal when the baby can take its first steps on its own. What is the game play based on?

The heart of the game is focused on the baby and its discovery of the world. The idea is to give the player a unique experience by charging him with the actions that must be performed in order for the baby to learn from day to day.

All the Nintendo DS™ capabilities are used in order to establish a strong bond between the player and the baby. The voice, like the stylus interactions invites the player to strike a balance between his actions: not to talk too loudly or be too abrupt.

What are the different stages in the baby’s life that appear in the game?

Awareness of the world which surrounds the baby. This obviously happens through the development of its senses and muscular functions. It enables the player to enjoy the baby more and more. There are also other elements characteristic of a baby’s life such as: changing nappies, feeding (firstly with a bottle then a spoon), bathing the baby, taking it for walks, playing with it, etc.

How is My Baby different from its competitors?

“My Baby©” is based completely on the baby, on what fills him with wonder and what he feels. The player has a strong role, as much through the game play as in the continual attention that the game requires.

Is the game based on a rewards system?

Of course! This is still a video game. There are many rewards in “My Baby ©”. The baby’s development is without doubt the best reward for the player. Seeing his baby grow up and move, playing with you or laughing at you, all these small moments make the player feel good. We have also done a lot of work on the baby’s clothes and toys, the player will have the opportunity, on several occasions, to receive many gifts.

Are the environments in 3D too? Have you used a specific technology?

Yes, everything in “My Baby ©” is in 3D. Furthermore, we have used a technique called “vertex paint”, to work the shading and thus make the environments more realistic and with much more light than the backgrounds usually seen on the Nintendo DS™.

What are the different ways in which the player can interact with his baby?

We have used all the Nintendo DS™ possibilities. Of course the touch screen but also the voice and the double screen. When playing “My Baby©” you will discover that we have taken a lot of care in differentiating interactions which are too harsh or noises which are too loud through the microphone.

How can we talk about “replay value”?

In “My Baby©” there are more than 300 clothing items and accessories to collect. The player can also choose to repeat the experience at the end of the game either with a girl or a boy.

How did you come up with the idea to make a game about babies?

It was an idea that we had in mind for a long time. Too early, too late,… we needed to find the right time to launch it. After several meetings with Dancing Dots, we took the gamble. Creating a game where the player must take care of a baby for the first 14 months. Many ideas followed on from this gamble:
- creating a real life simulation and not a collection of mini-games,
- having a real ethical and educational aspect.
These are the game’s core values.