KERN is an iPhone game designed for a very targeted audience as a test of the “long-tail” concept in relation to the Apple App Store distribution system and the network of blogs tailored to particular subject matter. The experiment was successful and resulted in a critically-acclaimed game with deep penetration and awareness within the targeted sub-culture.
PROJECT PREMISE
Can a simple game created for a specific and narrow sub-culture, namely computer-centric typography fans, find an audience with little more than a gentle push to seed its awareness?
DEVELOPMENT
The original concept for the game was built around the idea of using type-size “points” as a measurement for point scoring in a game. While exploring this angle, it became clear that if this device were used, the game would take on a highly meticulous and somewhat intellectual bent that clearly wasn’t going to appeal to just anyone. Rather than try and broaden the audience, the decision was made to embrace the vocabulary and framework of typography fully, and intentionally create a game solely aimed at typography and graphic-design fans.
DESIGN
The catalyst for the gameplay came oddly from a nuance of the credits for the game itself. Although it may not immediately be noticeable, all of the words on the title screen end in the letter ‘N’. This quirk brought to mind the idea of a letter falling from the top to the bottom, and the game structure then became obvious: Words would fall from the top of the screen and the player would try to place missing letters into the words with proper spacing–or kerning in typography terminology.
Second to the letter spacing framework was another typographical reference that was integral to the game’s integrity: the measurement of type and spaces in ‘points’. In traditional typography, a letter’s height is represented in points (10-point, 12-point, 36-point, etc.) These points were originally used to define the size of type when physical lead characters were used to set words for printing. With the advent of computer typography, the measurement has remained, and is generally calculated as 72 points = 1 inch. 36-point type is therefore 1/2” tall, 18-point type 1/4” tall, etc. Space between lines of type, as well as offsets of type left or right, are also all measured in these same points. Taken together, these multiple point measurements create the foundation of the scoring formula.
To further reinforce the targeting of the game to students of typography and graphic design, the collection of words used in the game are all related to typography. Names of typefaces, type designers, type styles, terminology and techniques all are referenced in the word list. The font Helvetica was also chosen as the main component of the game, as it holds a special place in the hearts of most designers for its timeless character and utter ubiquity.
SCORING
The scoring formula uses 3 variables to yield a score for an individual play: The SIZE of the type for the word being kerned, the HEIGHT from which the word is dropped, and the OFFSET of the character from its correctly kerned position. The challenge then was to create a formula for judging the quality of the play (a low OFFSET) based on the difficulty of the play (a high HEIGHT) and relate it to the precision needed (the SIZE of the word, where smaller is more difficult).
The formula became: ( HEIGHT / SIZE ) - OFFSET = SCORE
As a final typographical allusion, the player is given five ‘lives’ to use during the games, each of which is represented by a ligature. Ligature is the typographical name for an instance when two separate characters are merged together to form a new character that is more legible or unique. A ligature is the result of very precise kerning of characters, and its relevance to the success and scoring of a hand in the game was not coincidental. When the player has placed their letter too far to the left or right of its correct location, the letter will intersect an adjacent character, thereby forming an unintentional ligature. These poor kerning situations are punished with the loss of one of the five ligatures, the complete loss of which ends the game.
ESSENCE
The spirit of the game is captured in its minimalist interface and nearly monochrome palette. The game contains nothing in the way of decoration or illustration, instead relying solely on the honest display of words, letters and date to create the space for gameplay. Amongst the myriad of games and application available for the iPhone, KERN stands out as an exercise in design restraint.
RESPONSE
KERN was released on February 12th, 2009 and quickly garnered a small and vocal international following within the typography and graphic design sub-cultures. Reviews and comments from within the community included the following:
“This is every typographers dream. It's beautiful to look at, littered with beautiful design.”
“The game looks like something you’d expect to come out of the famous Bauhaus design movement in the 20s and 30s.”
“The iPhone’s first design-nerd game.”
“This is a minimalists dream game. A word I can’t remember using when describing a game before: beautiful. This application is exactly what I love about creativity and technology, bringing a mix of both so eloquently. The though that has gone into the execution of such a visually perfect interface that completely suits the content is evident. It’s wonderful to see.”
A video trailer for the game was quickly shared around the world via design blogs and review sites, oftentimes accompanied by comments that captured the spirit of the project: “If you get it, you’ll love this.”
KERN serves as a testament to the value of a well executed strong vision and its ability to find an audience of like-minded supporters.
Jason Franzen
Designer
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