#point systems

A baby/toddler is 5 points because they cant get out of the way but are usually bald

An adult is 10 points because they can jump but arent usually bald

Who doesn’t love free stuff? My husband has several expensive prescriptions which we get covered through my benefit plan at work, but we also get Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum points with them as well. We are going to cash in 25,000 points and will get $50 worth of items. We need to get another fan for our apartment because the one we have is dying and has been allocated to the bedroom, this one will live in the living room for the summer. Then we will just get some items we need like Milk and toilet paper.

I am not coupon or deal savvy at all, 1. Because I don’t have the patience for it and 2. In Canada it is not as easy to get the crazy deals you can get in the States. I do however try to be smart about points systems and getting the best bang for your buck. My husband and I recently upgraded our credit cards to a card where I will get double the credit card points for every dollar spent.

I use my credit card for almost everything (maybe why I am in debt currently) groceries, paying cable bills, cell phone bills and any major purchases. I would like to note that I do budget in to pay the above noted from the credit card every pay cheque. The points system we use allows us to cash in for various gift cards. I have gotten quite a bit of free gas, I bought a baby shower gift from them.

My plan (who knows if it will work) is to cash in the points before Christmas and buy peoples Christmas gifts with the gift cards I get.  My credit card also has a built in travel insurance so I save some money there and if I buy something on my card and the price of the product goes down within 60 days they will reimburse me for difference.

First I want you to read this snippet from a well written game design article:

Points have always been an important part of games. They can serve as a tangible way to measure competition, as in, say, a game of marbles. They can provide incentive and encourage replayability when playing solo.

Most interesting to me when designing and reviewing children’s interactive games, points can provide performance feedback and game clarification. Points can let children know if they are playing the game correctly, if they are improving. Sometimes, especially in the case of new and struggling readers, points can provide information that the text cannot. There’s only one catch: children need to understand the point system. Even a non-reader knows that getting three stars is better than getting one. A complex system and a bottomless pit of numbers, such as those seen in pinball games, may be great for alerting users of their high score, or placing them in a hall of fame, but it may rob children from the implicit language behind points.

So, what’s the point? I recommend, the next time you find yourself designing a points system:

-Making sure that the points provide a clear incentive. The awarding of points should be easily understood and the points themselves should be clearly visible on screen.

-Encouraging replayability. Points should be simple enough for children to understand, while leaving room for the child to strive for improvement.

-Using math for the point system that is age-appropriate. If the game is for preschoolers, one-to-one correspondence, if applicable, will be easiest for children to understand.

-Using the points to provide performance feedback and gameplay clarification. Children should be able to use their points, or lack of points, as cues to what they are doing right, and what they are doing wrong. In the case of new or struggling readers, using points as a secondary means to communicate with the user may scaffold the curriculum.

Read more: http://kidscreen.com/2012/09/17/getting-to-the-point-of-points-in-games/#ixzz28Qpc99Po