Mind Mapping for Game Development 

 Challenge and Selection 

 In recent years I have been involved with the development of games in special for tablets and   smartphones . Games are a tough market and at least 50 % of games being sold today will make   less than 2500 USD a year in revenue . Since games have a huge amount of genre , applications   and market , our goal was to find the niche we could explore with better success . We had tons   of data and insights , but no start point for our project . We started by writing our key ideas in   paper and arranging them like a mind map . The mind mapping strategy is great to explore large   amounts of data – it enables us to have great visualization of key concepts and pain points . Also ,   by using this technique , it´s possible to rearrange topics fast and drill down on topics that were   not explored at all . Visualization was key for this project . This is the reason we select the mind   mapping : it´s a tool used to deal with large amounts of data and has outcomes towards patterns   and insights . Although Mind Mapping is designed to help the “ what if ” phase of design thinking ,   it actually produces very intense insights that are powerful as well in reviewing the “ what is ”   phase . 

 Application 

 First we started our project by creating ordered lists of topics . Although the lists were a good   starting point , it was difficult for us to create relationships within the elements . Also , by focusing   on a list we left a lot of good insights and information out of the project . We then decided to   write on post - its single ideas from the lists on each sheet . By writing ideas individually , some   patterns and common ideas started to emerge among the participants . We limited this to a   couple of hours to avoid overthinking the problem . Idea generation has to be “ fast and furious ” . 

 Second part , we set all the post - it on a board , where all common ideas or patterns formed a   group . From that group we started adding the other related topics and subjects , creating   references and links among them . After a few hours , we could definitely see a very   comprehensive visual map of our problems and specially opportunities . On the next days and   hours , we started shaping ideas and creating a “ mental path ” between different concepts . 

 Each session would be at least 2 hours , but no more than 4 hours . This gave us enough time to   analyze and still remain fresh about new ideas and topics .   As the “ Mental Path ” evolved , we   turned each one into their own smaller “ mind maps ” , allowing us to better see specific problems   and solutions individually . 

 The exercise was like a drill down on each one of the topics and themes . For the last part only 5   final concepts were scrutinized . We evaluated based on a set of questions : 1 ) if the idea was   original 2 ) if the problem was being solved , 3 ) if was feasible , 4 ) Time and Money , 5 ) Return . The   mind mapping tool was extremely successful in turning ideas into something we could see and   evaluate . 

 Insights 

 The mind mapping tool allowed us to better organize our ideas and thoughts . Also , by having   the ability to visualize the connections within the maps and insights together , we could further   explore on individual topics . 

 For me , one of the key elements was the beginning of the process :   when we started everybody   was writing their ideas on a post - it – and suddenly we realize topics and insights that were 

 common to many . Also , since mind mapping is quite a “ loose ” process , we were able to build   very interesting connections between the elements . For us , the major insight was actually   discovering a niche inside games for adult education , that became the basis of our current   projects . 

 Approach 

 Mind Mapping is quite an easy process to apply . After this initial session , we have been using   every opportunity we can . The path to success is actually having someone that is the guide to   the process , stimulating the group into the insights and connections . This person has to be   neutral on opinions but question the group towards an outcome . 

 Also , time - framed sessions work best to delimit the initial scope and force participants to   produce . From our sessions , every time we did not have a “ time pressure ” to finish , we started   to ramble and our insights were not as powerful or strong . Also , for next sessions I would use a   mix of paper and software ( mind map ) to organize ideas . 

 Only paper can get confusing if the topic is complex . Also , have someone recording or writing   down the insights as they occur . We lost a lot of them in the initial discussions and was hard to   retrieve the information after a while . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Mind Mapping for Game Development 

 Challenge and Selection 

 In recent years I have been involved with the development of games in special for tablets and   smartphones . Games are a tough market and at least 50 % of games being sold today will make   less than 2500 USD a year in revenue . Since games have a huge amount of genre , applications   and market , our goal was to find the niche we could explore with better success . We had tons   of data and insights , but no start point for our project . We started by writing our key ideas in   paper and arranging them like a mind map . The mind mapping strategy is great to explore large   amounts of data – it enables us to have great visualization of key concepts and pain points . Also ,   by using this technique , it´s possible to rearrange topics fast and drill down on topics that were   not explored at all . Visualization was key for this project . This is the reason we select the mind   mapping : it´s a tool used to deal with large amounts of data and has outcomes towards patterns   and insights . Although Mind Mapping is designed to help the “ what if ” phase of design thinking ,   it actually produces very intense insights that are powerful as well in reviewing the “ what is ”   phase . 

 Application 

 First we started our project by creating ordered lists of topics . Although the lists were a good   starting point , it was difficult for us to create relationships within the elements . Also , by focusing   on a list we left a lot of good insights and information out of the project . We then decided to   write on post - its single ideas from the lists on each sheet . By writing ideas individually , some   patterns and common ideas started to emerge among the participants . We limited this to a   couple of hours to avoid overthinking the problem . Idea generation has to be “ fast and furious ” . 

 Second part , we set all the post - it on a board , where all common ideas or patterns formed a   group . From that group we started adding the other related topics and subjects , creating   references and links among them . After a few hours , we could definitely see a very   comprehensive visual map of our problems and specially opportunities . On the next days and   hours , we started shaping ideas and creating a “ mental path ” between different concepts . 

 Each session would be at least 2 hours , but no more than 4 hours . This gave us enough time to   analyze and still remain fresh about new ideas and topics .   As the “ Mental Path ” evolved , we   turned each one into their own smaller “ mind maps ” , allowing us to better see specific problems   and solutions individually . 

 The exercise was like a drill down on each one of the topics and themes . For the last part only 5   final concepts were scrutinized . We evaluated based on a set of questions : 1 ) if the idea was   original 2 ) if the problem was being solved , 3 ) if was feasible , 4 ) Time and Money , 5 ) Return . The   mind mapping tool was extremely successful in turning ideas into something we could see and   evaluate . 

 Insights 

 The mind mapping tool allowed us to better organize our ideas and thoughts . Also , by having   the ability to visualize the connections within the maps and insights together , we could further   explore on individual topics . 

 For me , one of the key elements was the beginning of the process :   when we started everybody   was writing their ideas on a post - it – and suddenly we realize topics and insights that were 

 common to many . Also , since mind mapping is quite a “ loose ” process , we were able to build   very interesting connections between the elements . For us , the major insight was actually   discovering a niche inside games for adult education , that became the basis of our current   projects . 

 Approach 

 Mind Mapping is quite an easy process to apply . After this initial session , we have been using   every opportunity we can . The path to success is actually having someone that is the guide to   the process , stimulating the group into the insights and connections . This person has to be   neutral on opinions but question the group towards an outcome . 

 Also , time - framed sessions work best to delimit the initial scope and force participants to   produce . From our sessions , every time we did not have a “ time pressure ” to finish , we started   to ramble and our insights were not as powerful or strong . Also , for next sessions I would use a   mix of paper and software ( mind map ) to organize ideas . 

 Only paper can get confusing if the topic is complex . Also , have someone recording or writing   down the insights as they occur . We lost a lot of them in the initial discussions and was hard to   retrieve the information after a while .
### Output: 