Describing+Practices,+To+Make+an+Analytic+Point

__**Playing //Heavy Rain// at RPI**__ In order to help with the meaning of the on-screen icons, the student who organized the event stood next to the screen and offered helpful advice as to what the various action icons appearing on the screen represented. It was during this first attempt at playing //Heavy Rain// that some unexpected problems began showing up. The first player to tackle the game experienced difficulties managing the interface and the gamepad. This player fumbled with the gamepad buttons, which necessitated a shift of the gaze from the screen to the gamepad. Because of this divided attention, the portions of the game play where a series of buttons had to be pressed in a particular sequence to produce a certain pattern were difficult to negotiate. For this player, learning to play the game involved learning how to use the physical gamepad as much as it involved learning the rules that governed the game space. After this initial period, the difficulties were not as acute but were still present. The player did manage to slowly guide Ethan around his bedroom, carefully exploring the various options that were available. Under this player's guidance, Ethan walked onto his porch to admire the scenery, opened his closet before deciding that it was not the right moment to get dressed, and found a letter from his wife that had been slipped underneath the bedroom door. After this brief excursion, the gamepad was passed on to someone else.  This second player did not experience the same gamepad-related problems as the first one. This player had previous experience of video games and of //Heavy Rain//   and so knew what to expect. This second player was quite adept at controlling the game character and the only hesitations came when deciding which actions the game design would allow to be performed. It was under this player's guidance that Ethan finally exited his bedroom. Ethan was guided to his shower before bringing him downstairs for dinner with his children and wife.