Development Cycle: Quality and Feedback

Abstract

The advantage to having an abundance of well-loved (or even hated) characters from established stories is that there is an opportunity to use what’s special about them to create innovative activities and games. Children are often already familiar with Disney characters through the animated films the company releases and then regularly re-releases, the print and digital books that retell the story, and the dolls, toys, and other products that are merchandising spinoffs. Peculiarities of character and nuances of environment are generally already established by the time a character reaches Disney’s online environment. Take for instance the game mentioned in an earlier chapter, Hercules, in which players shoot arrows at a target in ancient Greece. The game is based in the character Hercules from the animated film of the same name. For children who have watched the film, possibly read the animated storybook or the print book, and played with the Hercules and Megara dolls, this legacy of experience with the character adds the extra dimension of a larger, all-embracing story within which they engage with the character’s activities in the game. This past experience also gives younger children the sense of familiarity and inclusion that makes a new game enjoyable rather than stressful. Disney relies on building schema and providing a sense of continuity to ensure that reiterations of its characters in both new stories and new media are successfully embraced by audiences.

Online photos and graphics provide extra detail and are identified by urls the reader can refer to. This additional reference information will be particularly beneficial as an enhancement for the online version of this book. URLs are current at time of printing.