ACTION DESIGN PRINCIPLES 2 NOTEBOOK
KRIS VAN GEEL, GAR1B, DESIGN, MICAH HREHOVCSIK, TIM BOSJE 30/05/2015
INHOUDSOPGAVE GAME PATTERNS (TIM BOSJE)…………………………………………………………………… 3
STIMULATED PLANNING……………………………………………………….. 4 STEALTH……………………………………………………………………….. 4 COMBAT………………………………………………………………………. 4 CRITICAL HITS…………………………………………………………………. 5 BETRAYAL……………………………………………………………………... 5 CRAFTING……………………………………………………………………... 5 GAME INSTANCE STORIES……………………………………………………… 5 BOSSMONSTERS……………………………………………………………….. 6 COMPANIONS…………………………………………………………………. 6 DEATH CONCEQUENCES………………………………………………………… 6 FRIENDLY FIRE………………………………………………………………… 7 FUBAR ENJOYMENT……………………………………………………………. 7 EASTER EGGS (EXTENDED CONTENT)……………………………………………. 7 INVENTORIES………………………………………………………………….. 7 CROSSMEDIA GAMEPLAY………………………………………………………. 7 TEAM STRATEGY IDENTIFICATION………………………………………………. 8 DIALOGUES……………………………………………………………………. 8 INVULNERABILITIES…………………………………………………………… 8 ACHILLES’ HEELS………………………………………………………………. 8 CAMPING……………………………………………………………………... 8 ACHIEVEMENTS……………………………………………………………….. 8
CHALLENGES (MICAH HREHOVCSIK)…………………………………………………………… 10
GAME DESIGN HISTORY……………………………………………………… 11 GAME PARADIGMS………………………………………………………….. 13 APPLIED GAME DESIGN……………………………………………………… 18 GAMIFICATION AND PLAYFULNESS……………………………………………22 GAME DESIGN TOOLS…………………………………………………………26 SCOPE MODEL METHOD……………………………………………………….28
GAME PATTERNS LESSEN TIM BOSJE
In dit blok hebben we gekeken naar diverse game patterns en hoe deze zijn toegepast in games. Doormiddel van het kijken naar losse onderdelen van games hebben wij als het ware inzicht gekregen in de mogelijkheden die wij eigenlijk hebben als designers en artists, om de speler mee te nemen in ons verhaal en onze ervaring. In dit Notebook staan een aantal veel voorkomende game patterns, met voorbeelden van games die gebruik maken hiervan. Ook probeer ik kort toe te lichten waarom deze patronen interessant zijn.
STIMULATED PLANNING (PRESENTATIE NEALL JACOB, 20/02/2015) Deze Mechanic laat de speler als het ware vooruit plannen in zijn speelwijze. Stimulated planning is eigenlijk een patroon waarin de speler ‘voorspellend’ speelt. Door bepaalde beperkingen opgelegd te krijgen vanuit het spel zelf (bijvoorbeeld: tijdsdruk, beperkte inventaris, beperkte vaardigheden en wapens) moet de speler zo efficiënt mogelijk een plan proberen op te stellen om tóch het doel en/of level te kunnen behalen. Een goed voorbeeld van een game die hier gebruik van maakt is de online RPG Runescape. In dit spel kun je bepaalde vaardigheden ontwikkelen om jezelf bijvoorbeeld te voorzien van armor, om vervolgens weer beter bepakt de strijd in te kunnen. Zo zie je dus dat er strategisch moet worden nagedacht, voordat een speler een doel kan behalen. De speler moet zijn of haar doel van te voren inplannen om het überhaupt te kunnen behalen.
STEALTH (PRESENTATIE TOM DUIJM, 20/02/2015) Stealth houdt eigenlijk in dat je taken uitvoert zonder dat je wordt gezien. Er is dus bijna altijd spraken van iets in de richting van een bewaker, die jou probeert te ontmaskeren. Door dit gegeven wordt er eigenlijk van de speler geëist om op bepaalde manieren te plannen, voordat hij of zij actie kan ondernemen. In stealth wordt er over het algemeen gebruik gemaakt van strategisch plannen (welke mogelijkheden heb ik?), tactisch plannen (plan A is mislukt, hoe kan ik dit oplossen in de huidige situatie?) en deze twee gecombineerd: ‘Stimulated planning’ (Hoe ga ik om met willekeur?). Een game die zich erg vormt rondom dit patroon is Assasins Creed. In deze game ben je eigenlijk een sluipmoordenaar, die mensen moet vermoorden zonder gezien te worden door wachten. Hierdoor wordt er dus van de speler geëist dat hij of zij zo stil en efficiënt mogelijk zijn of haar queesten weet te vervullen; en dat vergt dus planning.
COMBAT (PRESENTATIE DIEDERIK VAN DE HEG, 20/02/2015) Combat houdt in dat jij als speler je tegenstander probeert te verslaan. De grote drijfveer bij dit patroon is dan ook meestal macht en overwinning. Er zijn diverse manieren om combat toe te passen in een game. Zo heb je ‘turnbased-combat’, wat inhoud dat spelers om de beurt een aanval plegen. In de meeste games is er sprake van ‘real-time-combat’, waarbij snelheid en efficiëntie dus een rol spelen. Er kan wel gesteld worden dat dit één van de populairste game patterns is. Een goed voorbeeld van een game waarin combat (real-time) de boventoon voert is Super Smash Bros Brawl. Ondanks het ongelooflijk chaotische karakter van de game, illustreert het wel perfect hoe real-time combat in zijn werking gaat. In deze game moet de speler zo snel en efficiënt mogelijk de andere speler proberen te verslaan (aangezien de tegenspeler net zo snel als jij kan reageren). Het draait dus allemaal om aanval, incassatie en overwinning.
CRITICAL HITS (PRESENTATIE EMMELIE HOBERG, 20/02/2015) Een ‘critical hit’ is een aanval die gepaard gaat met een andere aanval die meer schade doet. Meestal zijn deze aanvallen gebaseerd op willekeur, wat de spanning in een spel aanzienlijk doet opvoeren. Dit gaat vaak met de redenatie van het vinden van een zwakke plek bij je tegenstander. Een game waarin ‘critical hits’ van toepassing zijn is Fall out 3. Als je goed op iemand richt met je geweer heb je de kans iemand ‘critical’ te raken, waar je als speler dan ook op hoopt. Zoals al eerder gezegd zorgt de willekeurigheid van dit gegeven dus dat het spel een heel stuk spannender is dan als je van te voren al weet hoeveel schade je wapen ongeveer doet. Je gaat voor dat ene momentje van geluk.
BETRAYAL (PRESENTATIE RICK KAMP, 20/02/2015) Bij deze mechanic wordt je als het ware eigenlijk continu voor sociale dilemma’s gesteld. Het is dan ook een over het algemeen zeer frustrerende maar ook spannende mechanic waarbij je continu waant in wantrouwen naar de andere. Je krijgt de keuze voor gelegd om elkaar dwars te zitten en te saboteren doormiddel van kleine beperkingen die je elkaar kan opleggen. Een spel dat dit perfect illustreert is het Weerwolven van Wakkerdam kaartspel. In dit spel is het mogelijk om twee rollen opgelegd te krijgen (bijvoorbeeld: Weerwolf en Burgemeester). De andere spelers zijn continu wantrouwend naar elkaar terwijl zij uit proberen te vogelen wie de boosdoener is (de weerwolf dus), terwijl de weerwolf zich dus voor kan doen als een compleet ander persoon, waardoor die gene zijn medespelers verraadt.
CRAFTING (PRESENTATIE EMIEL BOVEN, 26/02/2015) Crafting is als het ware dat je een nieuw game-object maakt vanuit een ander game-object. Dit is een ideale manier om context toe te voegen aan de wereld waarin je je bevindt. Over het algemeen maak je hierbij gebruik van zogenaamde ‘Recipes’ (Hoe je de bestandsdelen bij elkaar moet voegen). Daarnaast maak je hierbij gebruik van ‘Resources’, oftewel dingen die je verzameld om iets van te maken. Deze resources kun je vinden of kopen van mensen uit het spel zelf (medespelers of personages in de game) Een game waarin dit gegeven terug komt is Oblivion. In dit spel krijgt de speler de mogelijkheid om ‘potions’ te maken vanuit plantjes en dingetjes die je op je reis vindt. Voor een ontwerper is het toepassen van een pattern als dit vrij lastig, aangezien het grote complexiteit met zich meebrengt. Alles moet verband met elkaar houden en daarnaast loop je het risico dat een speler te snel te veel of te weinig moet doen om zijn doel te behalen.
GAME INSTANCE STORIES (PRESENTATIE ANNELIEKE HENZEN, 26/02/2015) Game instance stories zijn verhalen die gebaseerd zijn op de gebeurtenissen en keuzes die plaatsvinden in een game. Alles wat je onderneemt als speler, heeft directe consequenties voor het verloop van het verdere verhaal. Een game waarin dit patroon sterk waarneembaar is, is de Japanse game Corps Party. In dit spel kom je vast te zitten in een school met een klas. Door keuzes te maken krijg je een gigantisch spectrum aan verschillende einden van het spel. Zo kunnen je keuzes ervoor zorgen dat jullie je weg naar buiten weten te vinden, maar net zo goed dat al je klasgenoten stuk voor stuk het loodje leggen.
Game instance stories kunnen interessant zijn voor ontwerpers, aangezien je ze ook kunt toepassen op RPG’s en bord- en kaartspellen. Dit vooral omdat je direct feedback op je keuzes kunt ontvangen van je mede spelers. Het zou een groot spanningselement kunnen vormen.
BOSSMONSTERS (PRESENTATIE STEPHAN RUMPING, 26/02/2015) In principe zijn bossmonsters heel specifieke vijanden. Ze komen vaak aan het einde van een level voor en beschikken over bijzondere vaardigheden en zwaktes, in tegenstelling tot de meeste vijanden die je in een spel tegen het lijf loopt. Veel ontwerpers spelen met de diepgang van deze eindbazen. Zo zijn er games waar zelfs achtergrondverhalen om deze wezens heen worden gemaakt om meer diepgang toe te voegen. Voor veel spelers zijn de bossmonsters eigenlijk de meest interessante onderdelen van het spel dat ze spelen. Een typische game serie die gebruik maakt van dit patroon is Mario natuurlijk. Mario wordt in vrijwel elke wereld die hij betreed uiteindelijk voor een Bossmonster gezet, waarvan Bowser natuurlijk de ultieme is. Je kan misschien wel stellen dat Nintendo heeft gekozen voor diverse lagen wat betreft eindbazen, dit is omdat de échte Bowser meestal pas aan het einde van het spel verschijnt en je dus kleinere bossmonsters aan het einde van één wereld telkens verslaat.
COMPANIONS (PRESENTATIE NICOLE ABRAMCZUK, 26/02/2015) Een companion is een NPC die ontworpen is om jou te ondersteunen tijdens het spelen van een spel. Een companion heeft meestal de vorm van een personage met vaardigheden die jij niet hebt, waardoor hij of zij dus bedoelt is om jou aan te vullen in jouw gebreken. Niet altijd zullen ze je fysiek kunnen helpen, maar zullen ze je wel een degelijk advies kunnen verstrekken. Veel game-designers kiezen ervoor op deze NPC’s ook daadwerkelijk een karakter aan te meten, waardoor een speler ook wat meer emotioneel betrokken raakt in het spel. Een game die op een hele interessante en vooral emotionele wijze dit patroon heeft verwerkt, is de Canadees/Braziliaanse game Papo&Yo (vertaald: Papa en Ik). Hierin speel je als een jongetje dat thuis wordt mishandeld door zijn vader en in een eigen droomwereld vlucht samen met zijn speelgoed robot ‘Lula’. Lula heb je continu aan je zijde en kan speciale poorten voor je openen. Omdat zij deze companion hebben vormgeven als iets heel kinderlijks en sentimenteels, raakt de speler enorm gehecht aan het dingetje, dat verder overigens slechts gekke geluidjes maakt.
DEATH CONCEQUENCES (PRESENTATIE KRIS VAN GEEL, 06/03/2015) Death concequences hebben betrekking tot wat er gebeurt met de speler zodra deze dood gaat. De meest voorkomende, die vooral terug te zien is in oudere games, is permadeath (dat je dus helemaal opnieuw moet beginnen). Tegenwoordig zijn gamedesigners veel meer gaan experimenteren met consequenties van het doodgaan in een spel. Zo heb je dat je verschillende abillities kunt verliezen, maar ook dat je (deels) je inventory verliest. Eigenaardig aan dit patroon is dat het vaak slecht werkt met save-load files, omdat de speler de death concequences daarmee voor kan zijn. Een game waarin je een hele interessante death concequence hebt is Dark Souls. In dit spel is het de bedoeling dat je ‘souls’ verzameld, die je dus ook weer kunt verliezen als je doodgaat. Nu krijg je wel de kans om deze souls weer terug te vinden, zodra je opnieuw spawned op je laatste checkpoint. Desondanks, als je dood gaat tijdens je zoektocht naar je souls, ben je ze wel definitief kwijt.
FRIENDLY FIRE (PRESENTATIE BRITTA AMONS, 06/03/2015) Friendly fire houdt in dat je het vuur opent op je team genoten in multiplayer en combat games. Deze game pattern is ideaal om de spanning op te voeren in je game en om je spelers veel secuurder te werk te laten gaan. In sommige games kun je gestraft worden als je schiet op je teamgenoten. Dit is vooral om te zorgen dat je niet zomaar iedereen uitmoord in je game. Een voorbeeld van een game met dit principe is Dota 2. Gelukkig wordt het niet heel veel gedaan door de community, maar de mogelijkheid is er.
FUBAR ENJOYMENT (PRESENTATIE RIAN GOOSSENS, 13/03/2015) Spectacular failure enjoyment. Geeft de speler een gevoel van game mastery. Doordat je heel ver komt door continu dingen te ontwijken of door dingen dood te maken en dan op het laatste moment zelf het loodje legt, voelt het als een spectaculaire dood. Daardoor raakt de speler gefrustreerd maar ook gemotiveerd om verder te gaan met het spel. Een game waarin dit terug komt is bijvoorbeeld Grand Theft Auto. Hierin kun je op de meest gruwelijke wijzen om het leven komen, wat voor veel spelers ook de reden blijkt te zijn dat ze het spelen.
EASTER EGGS/EXTENDED CONTENT (PRESENTATIE LIAM EDERZEEL, 13/03/2015) Deze term is ontstaan ergens in de jaren tachtig en refereert naar ‘grapjes’ in het spel van de maker. Soms word het ook wel ingezet als reclame middel, als een game afkomstig is van dezelfde studio (Cross-promotie). De uitgebreidheid van easter eggs kan verschillen. Easter eggs zijn als het ware inside-jokes voor de fan community of de game designers zelf. Ook kunnen het referenties zijn naar eerdere spellen van dezelfde makers. Een game waarbij dat het geval is, is Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Tijdens de intro scène zit je in de metro met de vertrouwde ‘Rover’ (een karaktertje uit het spel). Op het einde van je gesprek met hem zegt hij: ‘Haven’t done this much travelling by train since 2002 or so, … Man that’s weird.’ – Hiermee verwijst hij naar de begin scène van de originele animal crossing uit 2002, die erg lijkt op deze begin scène.
INVENTORIES (PRESENTATIE LIZZY BRUINSMA, 13/03/2015) Een inventory is een klein menu waar je al je items kunt vinden. Je hebt een aantal verschillende soorten inventories; Zo heb je weight-based (wat dus gaat op het gewicht van wat je bij je draagt), Shared inventory (dit zie je veel in multiplayergames, waarbij je soms spullen deelt met je teamgenoten), Keybinding (Dat zijn shortcuts naar veel gebruikte items), Utility belt (een set aan belangrijke items), etc. Een game met een weight-based inventory is Skyrim, wat zo nu en dan voor best hilarische momenten zorgt. (Pluk je een bloemetje, kan je opeens niet meer lopen omdat je te zwaar beladen bent.)
CROSS MEDIA GAMEPLAY (PRESENTATIE AKIRA BOTTENBLEIJ, 13/03/2015) Cross media Gameplay houdt in date r gebruik wordt gemaakt van meerdere platformen, waardoor er dus sprake is van een ‘shared game world’. Dit verschijnsel hoeft zich niet perse voor te doen tussen games, maar kan ook toegepast worden tussen een game en een andere vorm van media. Ik vond het heel lastig om een goed voorbeeld te noemen dat gebruik maakt van dit patroon, maar ik ben tot de conclusie gekomen dat de app De slimste mens dit gegeven in principe ook doorvoert. In de app kun je zowel meespelen met de televisie serie (twee media dus) en heb je ook de mogelijkheid om tegen andere app gebruikers te spelen.
TEAM STRATEGY IDENTIFICATION (PRESENTATIE LOREN DE BONT, 20/03/2015) Dit gamepattern is opgebouwd uit een aantal onderdelen: meerdere spelers, guilds/parties/teams, een gezamenlijk doel en een dreiging van buitenaf (monsters of eindbazen). Doormiddel van samenwerking tussen de verschillende spelers, is het de bedoeling om het overwinnen/verliezen binnen de game te beperken. Daarnaast kan dit pattern ook zorgen voor een balans van de negatieve effecten. Een game waarin dit vrij belangrijk is, is World of Warcraft. Hierin kun je doormiddel van samenwerken moeilijke tegenspelers en monsters verslaan. Ook is het mogelijk om mensen te healen, waardoor je dus een gezamenlijk front vormt met je teamgenoten.
DIALOGUES (PRESENTATIE FLORIEN BORN, 20/03/2015) Het doel van dialogues is meestal informatievoorziening, maar ook betrekt het de speler en versterkt het de spel ervaring. In principe is het gewoon een gesprek tussen twee personen, maar meestal tussen de speler en de computer. Je hebt verschillende systemen: click dialogue, cutscene, quicktime event, multiple choice, multiple choice met scores, parser (interactive fiction). Ook heb je verschillende categorieën: niet vertakkende dialogen, vertakkende dialogen (zonder return, met return). Een voorbeeld van een game waarin dit eigenlijk de core mechanic vormt is Façade. Hierbij is het eigenlijk de bedoeling dat je, doormiddel van gesprekken voeren met twee CPU’s, je een relatie tussen twee mensen herstelt. Persoonlijk één van mijn favoriete games, om dat je ook daadwerkelijk álles tegen ze kan zeggen.
INVULNERABILITIES (PRESENTATIE BOBBIE GOEDE, 20/03/2015) Kort gezegd betekent dit dat je permanent of tijdelijk onkwetsbaarheid ervaart. Vaak worden dit soort dingen verstopt in collectibles, cheats, power-ups of nieuwe vaardigheid. De makers van The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth hebben dit goed weten toe te passen in de game, omdat je ook hier een kort moment van invulnerability ervaart. Een risico wat vast zit aan dit gamepattern, is dat het de balans van je game kan verstoren en de moeilijkheidsgraad enorm afneemt (Niemand kan je tenslotte schaden.)
ACHILLES’ HEELS (PRESENTATIE COLIN DE CONINCK, 20/03/2015) Een speciale zwakte van een character in een game, waarop je diegene kunt vermoorden. Voordelen zijn dat het een opgave is om iemand te vermoorden, het is bevredigend om zo onverslaanbaar te zijn. Nadelen zijn dat het verwarrend kan zijn als het niet goed toegelicht is, daarnaast is het vervelend als je zelf underpowered bent om te dealen met zo’n boss met een achilles heel. Een game serie die gebruik maakt van dit pattern is Pokémon. Elk pokémon type heeft een tegen-type waar hij of zij geheid niet tegen kan (voorbeeld: elektriciteit tegenover water of vuur tegenover gras).
CAMPING (PRESENTATIE JANE BERGKOTTE, 20/03/2015) Camping houdt in dat een speller ervoor kiest om zich te verschuilen achter een object, wachtend op momenten om toe te slaan (in plaats van actief deelnemen aan wat er buiten deze schuilplaats om gebeurd.) Dit is het meest voorkomend bij first-person shooters, waardoor Call of Duty een goed voorbeeld is voor een game waarin dit gebeurt. Vaak zijn campers een ergernis voor andere spelers, omdat ze wel telkens mensen afslachten, maar niet heel actief aan het spel meedoen. Desondanks, zijn er game designers die dit gedrag aansporen, doordat ze hun ‘maps’ zo inrichten dat deze handeling mogelijk wordt.
ACHIEVEMENTS (PRESENTATIE CLAUDIA BRONNEBERG, 20/03/2015) Dit zijn eigenlijk speciale doelen in een game. Achievements zie je eigenlijk nauwelijks binnen alleen een game, maar hebben veel meer betrekking tot de account van de speler op de console waar hij of
zij op speelt. Er zijn enorm veel verschillende soorten Achievements, zoals: Testing, Goal, Ragequit, Grind en Handicap Achievements. Dit patroon wordt vooral gebruikt als een beloningssysteem voor de speler en verhoogt het de replay-value van een game. Enig nadeel is wel dat het afleidend kan zijn en de immersie tegen gaat van een game.
CHALLENGES LESSEN MICAH HREHOVCSIK
GAME DESIGN HISTORY (14/04/2015) CHALLENGE 1-1 - Why is game history important to the game designer? To improve his products by not making the same mistakes others have made in the past, by studying those. - For what purpose were games created? To educate people in the most playful way possible, since that’s a very effective way to teach people. - What do you think is the oldest game? Probably some kind of stick and rock games from the ancient days. *REFLECTION - For what purpose were games created? For military training mainly. (For example the Olympic Games) - What do you think is the oldest game? Probably something that involved throwing, because humans are quite unique with their ability to throw in a controlled manner. CHALLENGE 1-2 - What was the common purpose of games in society thus far? To educate people in one way or another. - What technology would be the first big change for games? Probably something that changed our way to communicate through games. - Who was the first credited game designer? I’m not sure, since I’m not sure which kind of games we’re discussing, but I believe the guy who came up with the idea of the Olympic Games is the first ‘game designer’ to be credited for the work he’s done. *REFLECTION - What technology would be the first big change for games? The invention of printing, since this invention was necessary to print the game rules, in order to have everybody play a game in the same way. This made games (which involved a set of rules) a lot more accessible for a bigger group of people. - Who was the first credited game designer? John Jefferys, the creator of the game ‘A Journey through Europe’. CHALLENGE 1-3 - What do you think was the first videogame around? I think pong would be the first videogame that would pop on my mind. - Why did the videogame industry experience two major crashes in the beginning? I think it crashed because games weren’t available for everyone and you needed to know a lot about computer systems before you would even be capable to play the games that were around. - Why is this directly related to you as a game artist or designer? Because these are things you should take into account whilst designing a game, to make sure it doesn’t happen again. *REFLECTION - What do you think was the first videogame around? Tennis for two (1958) - Why did the videogame industry experience two major crashes in the beginning? During the rise of the videogame industry and console market, a lot of creators forgot that there
was a serious lack of different games on the market. Therefore, every game you’d play in an arcade or on your own console would’ve probably been Pong. The second crash was probably caused by the release of E.T (1982) – In this case, the high pressure of production was absolutely ruining the products made by the designers. Because they had to produce so much, in so little time, with such little people and terrible equipment (compared to the possibilities we have now), things weren’t finished and looked absolutely terrible. Because the game was based on the hyper successful movie E.T, expectations we’re really high, which is why the release of this game was an even bigger disappointment. - CIRCLE THE PC GAMES YOU’VE PLAYED
READ&REFLECT *Victorian Parlor Games for Today – Patrick Beaver (REFLECTION) Basically, the evolution of play and game is explained in this text. It distinguishes different kinds of play, from animals to games without strict rules, to games with strict rules, like chess. It also discusses the social status of gaming and the way it is perceived by different classes in society. Some games weren’t played by higher classes and the other way around (lower classes didn’t play the games of the higher classes.’ Everything in this text sounded really logical, but I never really took the time to think about it. It kind of felt like a ‘aha-erlebnis’. Besides that, I never really knew how old certain games were until now. It’s nice to see how old habits die hard and how certain games have evolved throughout time. I think
that by looking at the evolution of games, designers and developers actually get the opportunity to predict future changes and the possibility to get inspired by the things that already have been done. *Half Real – Jesper Juul (REFLECTION) This text basically discusses video games being a new cultural phenomenon. It changes perspective on games as a new media form, and states that videogames are more than that. They are a new chapter in the book of gaming in a whole. It is possible to see old, maybe even ancient, game mechanics through modern day videogames. Videogames are just a new way of handling older concepts. I never really took the time to even think about videogames as a new form of media, to be honest. This text kind of had a reversed effect on me, since I always saw and played videogames as a modern extension to board- or physical games. I think that games being in the same list as television and press is actually something really interesting to think about. Mainly because videogames are cause of a lot of discussions lately (sexism, violence, addiction, etc.) *The Oxford History of Board games – David Parlett (REFLECTION) This article is a summary of the types of board games and how they are played. David Parlett distinguishes 3 different types of classification of board games. I think this text is very useful because of a couple of reasons. First, it is really interesting to see all the different kinds of board games. I kind of knew about all the different kinds of board games, but I never knew what they were called and how they really distinguish themselves from all the other kinds. Something I also find really interesting, was that I never really knew that there were so many different ways to categorize something (I’m talking about the three different types of classification of board games) Normally I tend to use one way to research something, which is, now I’m thinking about it and now I’ve read this text, actually quite naïve. Things aren’t as simple as they seem and categorizing them won’t explain much either. You have to change perspective to find out about new things or to look at old things in a new way.
GAME PARADIGMS (23/04/2015) CHALLENGE 2-1 - What is a game paradigm? I have no idea to be honest… I don’t know what a paradigm is. - Why are game design paradigms important? I have no clue. - How can they help the game designer? Same story… *REFLECTION - What is a game paradigm? A basic set of rules for a game. They’re ideal for communication and they’re used to create genres etc. - Why are game paradigms important? To give a global idea of the game and to have something to support your game in a certain kind of way. They’re ideal to create structure and guidelines. - How can they help the game designer? A game designer can use paradigms as a way of communicating his idea and they provide some kind of guidelines. CHALLENGE 2-2 Use 10 different game patterns to analyze the following games: - RTS (Real-time strategy) – Age of Empires (online) About: This game is basically a Real time strategy game in which you’re supposed to build up a society through the ages and wage war with other civilizations in nearby areas. The game I’m going to discuss in this series (Age of Empires had multiple iterations) is the online version. Area Control: Area control is one of the most important patterns in this game, since you (as the player with some kind of divine power, since you’re able to operate everything within your area) can control everything that happens within your designated area. You can give your civilians the assignment to build new facilities, buildings or armies. Therefore we can speak of a form of area control in this game. Exploration: You’re working with a black map when you start this game and you have to explore the area to see more of the map. This one also involves the inaccessible areas I also will be discussing in this thing. Chat Channels: In this version (the online one), it is possible to have so called ‘LAN-parties’ where you’re able to talk with each other over a chat channel. This can be really important, because if you’re collaborating with someone, you can discuss strategies. Construction: This game is pretty much all about construction and destruction. You’re supposed to build up an entire civilization and to keep improving it. I think we’re allowed to say that this is one of the coremechanics of this game. Game Servers: Since this is an online game, game servers are necessary to keep the game going. Age of Empires uses different servers for different players, to organize their online players and to realize the multiplayer. Game Worlds: The game world is one of the most important things in this game since this game is all about capturing areas and developing a society. You’re basically in a developing game world, which is why
this game is really interesting according to this game pattern, since game world aren’t necessarily developing. Inaccessible Areas: In this game, it takes a little time and some progress before you can expand your controlled area. Inaccessible areas we speak of places a player can’t access temporary or ever. This game doesn’t have places you’re never going to be able to access, but some parts of land are inaccessible for a certain amount of time. Maneuvering: Since this game is a strategy game and area control is an important aspect of this game, maneuvering is used to go into battle with other civilizations. By being able to move your parties, you’re capable of finding the best way to attack the opponent. Multiplayer Games: Since I’m discussing the online multiplayer version of this game, multiplayer can also be a game pattern that is characterizing this game. Due to the multiplayer you can have live battles with other empires or choose to work together. Due to this mechanic the game became a lot more interesting in my opinion. - RPG (Role-playing Game) – World of Warcraft About: In this game you adapt the personality and abilities of a fictional character in a magical world. Main goal in this game is to become the most powerful player through quests and battles. This game is an Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). Functional Roles: In World of Warcraft it is possible to have different roles, especially if you’re co-operating with different players. Something you often see in this game, is players collaborating with each other and carrying different roles, to have a higher chance of success during battle. For example: Assigning someone as the healer in your team, so when someone is injured, they can help each other out. Pay to Play: Sadly this game works with some kind of subscription, where you have to pay to access the game world. Besides that they also have a system where you can make in game payments, for certain abilities or weapons. Parties: Parties are quite important in this game. By having a party for certain quest, you’ll be able to enhance your chance of success during battle or doing other tasks. This is a game pattern that’s closely connected to the functional roles. Combat: Combat is an important game pattern in this game, since this is the main way to level-up and to complete certain quests. The player upgrades itself due to combat and battle. Stimulated planning: Since this is an online multiplayer role playing game, stimulated planning is essential to achieve whatever you’re trying to achieve. Due to the fact that you’re continuously in contact with other players, you’re supposed to collaborate or fight with them. These two action bring a certain amount of planning into perspective, since you really need to talk thoroughly about what you’re trying to do with your team and how you’re planning on doing so. Weapons: Because of the fact that this game has a wide ranging assortment of weapons, are Weapons indeed a characteristic of this game. By being very carefully in your choice of weapons, you can do certain kinds of damage, which you can’t achieve with other weapons. This pattern is also closely connected to the stimulated planning, because you’re pushed to find a way to kill an enemy in the most efficient way possible (for example by weapon choice). Third person view: Because you’re playing in a huge world with a lot thing you need to observe, watching the world
from a third persons perspective is quite useful. Because of this, you can keep track of everything more easily and you’re not startled as quickly as you would be in a first persons perspective. Quests: As I mentioned earlier, this game is literally oozing quests. This is one of the core mechanics of World of Warcraft. You’re able to upgrade your account or character by successfully completing all kinds of quests. Gain Competence Since this game is based on a level-up structure for its players, there is a high rate of Gain Competence. By leveling up or upgrading, you’ll be able to achieve new and more difficult things. Besides that, you’ll get access to new abilities, weapons and armor. This is the greatest motivation for the player to become stronger and better at this game. Avatars: Avatars are absolutely unavoidable in any roleplaying game, mainly because an avatar is the actual character you’re adapting to as a player. World of War craft got very famous for its fantasy characters like dwarves, elves and mages. - FPS (First person shooter) – Call of Duty: Black Ops About: This is a warfare game that puts the player in a soldiers role. Being based on shooting and killing, this is an excellent game to use as a stereotype for first person shooters. First Person View: I know this is kind of an obvious pattern, but it had to be mentioned, since it’s a very important aspect of the game. The tension levels in Call of Duty are basically regulated due to its first person perspective. Because you can never really see everything that’s happening around you, you have to be extra focused. Armor: By having different armor options, you can protect yourself from different attacks, or have more protection from the same attacks. Even though this game isn’t armor based, it is an frequently discussed and used aspect of the game. Aim and Shoot: Also an extremely obvious pattern, but it is basically the core mechanic of the game, which is why I’m discussing it. This is a shooter, what do you think you do in this game? Betrayal: Even though it is probably not really what you’re supposed to do when you’re playing this game in multiplayer, but it frequently happens, since the possibility exists. It is possible to betray the people you’re playing with and to be a total backstabber. Getting shot by a team member you trusted, that’s something traumatizing. Damage: This is a damage based game, since this game evolves around killing each other in the quickest and quickest way possible. Due to damage you get a feeling of invulnerability, which demands from the player to be extra careful with its actions. Cooperating: Because this game has a multiplayer function (and is also most played as a multiplayer game), you get the opportunity to work together with other players in a team structure. To be able to achieve certain goals, you have to cooperate with each other in a very careful way. Early Elimination: Whilst working in a team setting, you still have personal things going on. Which involves dying. Even though you’re trying to complete a mission with your entire team, most often, half of your team will be dead halfway through the game. This makes the game more exciting and more strategic, because you’ll try to keep your entire team alive. So if you thought you kept dying because of your team existing out of idiots, you’re wrong. Blame the designer.
Camping: Camping is a very often used strategy in games like call of duty. The player chooses to hide in a certain place and waits for its time to attack its opponent. A lot of gamers get annoyed by these people, since campers often wait until everyone killed everyone and they can kill the last man standing without having a great risk of getting killed themselves during the process. Achievements: Since call of duty is an console based games, achievements are very obviously used. By doing certain things in the game, which don’t necessarily have to do anything with the game itself, the player can collect achievements for its gamers account. Health: Since this game is basically about living and dying, health plays a very important role. You need to not die to achieve your goals, besides that it’s an important element for the early elimination pattern. Without health in this game, early elimination wouldn’t be possible. - Monopoly (boardgame) About: This is a board game that probably every person in the western world has played with family or friends. It is the most capitalistic game you can imagine, where you have to buy and invest in land to become the richest person. Randomness: Due to the use of dices in this game, randomness is a very important aspect of the game. You cannot predict on which street or thing your character is going to land, which is basically also the fun part of the game. You have to decide what you’re going to do with the random events that occur during this game. Increasing rewards: During this game, and during the development of the land you bought, it is possible to increase your rewards. Since people have to do deposits when they land on your property, you can count this as a reward for the build-decisions you’ve made. So if you improve your land, the more people have to pay you, the richer you become, the higher the chance of you winning the game. Last man standing: This game evolves around you playing others out of the game. You want others to become bankrupt, which makes you the last man standing. Once the last man standing is decided, the game is over and you’ve won (well, if you’re the last man standing). Safe Havens: Because you can buy property in this game, this becomes automatically a safe haven for you’re character. You don’t have to pay and no other player can steal from you. Tile laying: In this game pattern positioning is important; By buying property AND the positioning of your character, you affect the further gameplay experience and the entire game. For yourself, as well as for other players. Visits: This game pattern is instantiated by the Tile laying pattern. Since people buy certain parts of the gameworld/board, the situation occurs where other players accidentally visit your property or you visit theirs. These visits affect your money (trust me). Turn based: Monopoly is obviously a turn based game. It isn’t possible for two or more players to act at the same moment. Analysis Paralysis: When it’s a players turn and they’ve thrown the dice, they get the opportunity to decide what they’re going to do with their property. Some players are really slow in this decision process, which is why we speak of analysis paralysis. Due to the possibilities they have, with all kind of different outcomes, it takes ages for them to decide what they’re going to do.
Capture: This is also quite an important part of the game, because you can influence your rewards by ‘capturing’ (buying in this context) other players’ property. Therefore a player can influence the gameplay by capturing other players’ properties. Dice Because this game is based on randomness and chance, dice are essential for this game. By throwing dices the future of the players are determined.
APPLIED GAME DESIGN (29/04/2015) CHALLENGE 3-1 - How would you define an applied game? Does this differ from serious games? How? I believe that applied games, are games with a purpose beyond entertainment. These games are used for education but can also be to achieve a certain reaction from their players (for example the game that visualizes the fight against cancer, which we discussed.) I also think that is differs from serious games, because these are, in my opinion, games with training purposes (simulators for pilots or cops, etc.) - Why do you think games can be applied to real-world problems? People are excellent learners through play and game, which is why this is an incredible method to teach people new things. Besides that, it makes things often a little bit more interesting due to the playful and relaxed character of gaming. You’re not actively aware that you’re being trained or learning new things, which causes a different mindset for most people. - To which fields/domains can games be applied? I think using games in the pedagogic and ortho-pedagogic field would be really interesting. It would be an incredible way to teach children new things and skills for real life, through a medium which is for most kids familiar: Play. *REFLECTION - How would you define an applied game? Does this differ from serious games? How? Serious games are broader than applied games. Applied games are designed to solve a (fictional) ‘problem’, whilst serious games are more likely to make a statement or cross over an opinion. DEFINITION APPLIED GAME: Any game designed with a purpose other than entertainment. Where application refers to the tactical use and usefulness of the knowledge and skills acquired during the game activity outside the domain of the game itself. CHALLENGE 3-2 - What do you think is the most challenging aspect of designing an applied game? I think that keeping a game playful and fun would be really difficult, if your main goal in designing a game like this is education. Designers tend to put too much information or rules in, which makes a game no longer ‘fun’ to play, because it gets really challenging and difficult to process. - What kind of pitfalls do you think designers fall into during the design and development of an applied game? I think game designers have trouble with the organizations or the people they work for. These people have little to no experience with the game design process, which is why they tend to have unrealistic expectations of what the serious game should look like. They have an educational perspective and just want to be sure that all the information is going to be put into the game, without even considering the consequences this might have for the actual gameplay. Besides that, I also believe that game designers themselves underestimate the research that has to be done before you can even start producing a game like this.
- Draw a schema (timeline) of the applied game design process.
*REFLECTION - What do you think is the most challenging aspect of designing an applied game? Coming up with a mechanic that covers the subject in just the right way is probably a huge challenge. Besides that, determining your market would be quite difficult, because applied games are often made for very exclusive and small groups of people (with disabilities, or illnesses) CHALLENGE 3-3 So basically we had to come up with a game concept that will teach children from the age of 10 – 14 how to speak, write and hear English through a simple game. FLICK! A fun and quick card game, that can be played in a school environment, alone or in groups. Core Mechanics The player(s) will have two stacks of cards. One stack will involve a randomized order of the words ‘write, tell’. The other stack will have a randomized order of sentences that have nothing to do with each other, but are capable to form a story together. The players will have to pull one card from each stack and have to do what the activity card (the one with write or tell) says, with the card from the other stack. After 20 different sentences have been pulled (40 cards total), the Player(s) have to try and make a story with it. The story will probably make no sense at all, even though the sentences are right, but that’s what the fun part is about the game. Progressive Mechanics The slowly developing story will be the progressive mechanic in this game. Gameplay experience The gameplay experience will probably be a little chaotic, but it is fitting for the mechanics of the game, which is why this will be a good thing. Besides that, it will give a sense of playing together, which is something that isn’t often introduced in the educational system for this target audience. Theme The sentences are based on daily activities, that are necessary for this target audience to learn. For example: Getting groceries, going to the pool, hanging out with friends, going to school, etc. Besides that, it’ll be a little bizarre, since the story is going to be a hot mess when the game is finished.
Technology This game won’t involve any type of digital technology. Two decks of cards and player(s), that’s all that is going to be needed to experience this game. Why will this educate? Because it is an extremely relaxed way of learning. You’ll be so focused on the moment it self and the bizarreness of it all that you won’t even be bothered to stress about all the things you’re learning. The activity itself and the people you’re playing with is all that you’re focused on during the game. Besides that, it’ll be teaching kids necessary sentences that can be used in everyday life. There won’t be huge gap between the words that are actually used in English speaking countries and the things they’re being taught through the cards. READ AND REFLECT (CHALLENGE 3-4) * (There was no name of the book in the reader, so I’m not sure which book this is) I couldn’t agree more with what this chapter is saying. They’re stating that gaming is probably going to be the new way of communicating. It also states that the future is going to be more abstract and unpredictable than ever before, which is why we’re also going to need a medium like this to conquer the problems (what kind of problems are still unknown) we’re going to face in the future. Personally I’m very interested in applied gaming, because I have seen what it can do for people. It is an excellent way to teach people new things, or to have them experience new things, they couldn’t experience otherwise. Besides that, during my seminar this year, our teachers (two Interaction Design Master’s students) showed us that someone actually designed a special pillow for people with Alzheimer, so they could have some kind of ‘touch’ conversation with their families, since they were so deteriorated that even the simple act of talking was almost impossible. I find these things highly inspiring and maybe even hopeful; to know that it is possible to create things to solve these kind of problems. *Serious Games – Clark C. Abt This text basically explains why serious gaming is ideal for educational purposes. As I said earlier, and also what this text states, serious gaming is highly effective due to its playful, but also realistic appearance. I think that serious gaming may even be the future of education in a whole. Because, as discussed in this text, people tend to achieve better results when they’ve been trained through serious gaming (for example: soldiers, dentists and doctors). I couldn’t agree more with this text, since this is also something I discovered during the time I worked as a guidance counselor for children with behavior issues. Just telling them what they should or shouldn’t do has hardly any effect on these children, for it is the way people always treated them. If you let them experience certain things through a game (I personally always preferred physical games, since they’re really similar to everyday situations these kids have to deal with) there is a higher chance they’ll remember what to do. This is also why I really liked that Micah showed us some projects he worked on (The game with the octopus or the one with the emotion robot for depressed people). These games give the opportunity to trigger certain emotions, reactions or situations that are really valuable for later in life. To have the opportunity to train real reactions in a safe environment through gaming is probably the future for therapy (at least partly). *What videogames have to teach us about learning and literacy – James Paul This text gives us insight in how videogames can be used learning, but more hów they teach people things. James Paul made a list of 36 learning principles that apply to the relationship between the participant and the game. It shows how a player identifies himself with a game, and how the learning process of the player is activated and on what levels the player learns through a game.
I personally believe that these 36 principles are excellent as a reference for designers whilst developing a serious or applied game. I believe that if you ‘live’ by those principles, you’ll be able to design a very effective game for a certain audience. Besides that, I think that it is extremely important to invest a lot of research in learning as whole, whilst designing a game with an educational purpose. I don’t think you would be able to create an effective game otherwise. I also wished I had access to this reader earlier, since I’m developing a ‘serious game’ as my ISAproject right now with Tiago (also a first year student). We invested a lot of time in our research and had the opportunity to observe at five different primary schools to make sure our game would fit for our audience. We created our own little list of things we thought were important for the learning process and funny enough some things are on this principle list as well (e.g Active, critical learning principle) This list is a lot more extensive as our list, which is why I’m a bit sad I’m reading this now and not earlier.
GAMIFICATION AND PLAYFULNESS (13/05/2015) CHALLENGE 4-1 - What is gamification? I believe that gamification is the introduction of playful design in everyday life and other disciplines (like education, training systems, product design.) - Why is gamification interesting? Because the way we’re treating things is changing, because of this. Besides that, I think it’s also changing society’s state of mind (everyone is getting more and more playful) - How does gamification relate to you as a game designer? It creates endless possibilities for us. I also believe that the concept of ‘gaming’ is a lot more flexible these days, because of this phenomenon. Game mechanics and playfulness are a lot more adaptable to different things in life. That’s why it’s interesting for us. CHALLENGE 4-2 - Define the difference between gamification and applied games. I think that gamification has more to do with the way people treat certain things. Gamification makes everyday life interesting by adding playful elements to it. (for example foursquare, as discussed in class.) Besides that it has more to do with an interface, like google glass or Samsung (whom are also developing a similar product right now). They digitalize everyday life and try to design a cross over between the digital world and the real world. Kind of like a virtual reality. Applied gaming is heavily focused on the educational aspect (training, therapy, etc.), which isn’t really necessary with gamification. It’s designed to teach people anything, it’s designed to bring structure or to lock people into your system. (For example Google, with google + and their renewed Play store with a point mechanic.) *REFLECTION - Define the difference between gamification and applied games. Gamification is less complete in comparison to Applied gaming. The design is mainly for small aspects of devices or products, whilst applied gaming is something on its own. CHALLENGE 4-3 - What is playful design? I think that playful design is a way of design to make things look more attractive. I think it’s best to use for very serious things that people tend to avoid, since they look boring and are a must to do. For example the glass banks we saw during class, are an excellent example of making a boring task a lot of fun. - Find 5 more gamification examples 1. A couple of months ago, google chrome introduced their T-rex game when your computer fails to connect to the internet. Normally you would just get an error, but they found a playful way to deal with the annoying and terrible situation of having no internet connection. 2. Last week, I went to a tattoo and piercing store to get my nose pierced and I got a special kind of collection card to get a fourth piercing for free. I know this isn’t really that playful, but collectibles are officially acknowledged as a game mechanic, which is why I think it’s okay to say this is gamification. 3. Albert Heijn, the grocery store has every three months or so some kind of campaign, where you can also get different rewards for buying certain groceries or, a certain amount of groceries. (for example ‘de boerderij mini’s’ – People got to collect different kind of cardboard animals and farm equipment. This is an excellent way to use gamification to bind your costumers to your business.
4. In Berlin (not everywhere, but certain traffic lights have this), it is possible to play pong on the traffic lights for pedestrians. Whilst you’re waiting for the light to turn green, you get to play pong on the pole with a pedestrian waiting across the road. 5. There is also something I believe is an example of gamification. I also think that it would be interesting to discuss if this is a just example of gamification because it’s used really frequently by all different kind of people. The thing I’m talking about is basically a To Do list. You make a list of all the things you need to do during a day or week and when you’ve finished them, you cross them out. I personally think that this is a playful way of dealing with boring and basic tasks. CHALLENGE 4-4 - Find 5 examples of playful-design 1. Daan Roosegaarde designed a dancefloor which lights up when someone dances on it. Quite useless, but a lot of fun to do. (see picture)
2. This lamp is also something I would call playful design. Due to the chosen materials and the way it looks, it is very inviting to play with it and to change its position. I believe it was designed by a Japanese interior designer.
3. A store that is very known for its somewhat strange designs, is the Danish franchise of Flying Tiger. One of their products especially got my attention, which is this old phone plug for your smartphone. It is really useless, (well, you can actually call with it, but who would want to walk around with a thing like this.) but it does bring a smirk to your face when you see it because it looks kind of ridiculous.
4. Another example of playful design, is something from my childhood. Growing up in the city of Rotterdam, I was always surrounded by industrial and grey design. Adriaan Geuze, a dutch architect, wanted to give his own interpretation to industrial design and created some special humongous streetlights on Schouwburgplein (located in the city center). These streetlights can be operated by everyone, since there’s a little control panel also stationed on the square. Sadly, a couple of years ago, due to vandalism, they removed the control panel. But the streetlights are still there.
5. The last example is also at a place in Rotterdam, Worm. This is a place I visit very often, which is why I know how it works (Nobody has written anything about it and I also have no clue who came up with this). In this cinema/club/bar/library/restaurant/something they have a smokers area and some staff guy came up with the idea to create a cigarette shooter. You basically throw in 20 cents, and the machine gets activated. You have to stand on a spot on the floor and a tiny camera decides how far away you are and throws a cigarette in your face. Sadly, when I tried it, it threw it right out of the window. CHALLENGE 4-5 - How would you get the user to learn and to use all the functions on the microwave? I’d probably create something really childish but fun to do. I would build a screen in the microwave which draws different drawings, by using the different functions on the microwave. When the user had used all the options available, there will be a beautiful picture or something. During this process of a couple of months (because I don’t really know many people who use the microwave 6.000 times a day) the user will know about all the different functions on the microwave. Mainly because it is quite appealing to see what the entire picture is.
GAME DESIGN TOOLS (20/05/2015) CHALLENGE 5-1 - What techniques, methods or practices do game designers use? I think they use the same methods and techniques as we get taught at this school. The use their own special way of brainstorming and use different types of playtests and are mainly discussing different concepts and idea’s with their team. Besides that, research is also an excellent game design tool. -Define game design tool. A game design tool is something that is used by a game designer to improve the game design process in an effective and efficient way. An example of a game design tool would be playtesting or brainstorming. - How could you categorize the different use or purpose of game design tools? I think that perspective would be an excellent method of categorization. I think that we should distinguish two categories: Designers perspective and audience perspective. This has mainly to do with the changes you make during the design process. Some are from a designers perspective, some are from a users perspective. *REFLECTION - Define game design tool. Game design tools are tools that provide structure and guidance for a designer during the process of designing a game. DEFINITION GAME DESIGN TOOL: A game design tool is any repeatable action a designer may take because ideas, thoughts, and visions cannot be conveyed or created directly; they require the aid of ‘tools’, ‘instruments’, or ‘media’. CHALLENGES 5-2 - Can you name 5 game design tools/methods that could be used for generating new ideas or solutions to design problems? Brainstorming is ideal for generating new ideas. You can also use fieldtrips to museums or other expositions as a method of generating new ideas. Prototyping is also excellent to solve design problems since you get the opportunity to actually execute your concept. Playtesting old ideas is also a great way to come up with solutions for design problems, as suggested by the way people act around your concept. Lastly, one could use mind mapping as a way to guide their thoughts. CHALLEGE 5-3 - Can you name 5 game design tool/methods that could be used for creating an artifact that communicates the design of the game? Storyboard, paper prototype, design document, player scenario and moodboard. CHALLENGE 5-4 Can you name 5 game design tool/methods that could be used for evaluating: 1) a game’s mechanics, play mechanics, or game-play experience; 2) or a game designer’s lessons learned? Playtesting is ideal for the first three things. A evaluation session with the entire team after release of a game is nice for point 2. Surveying your audience about your game is a nice way to get feedback about your game. PMI is also a nice way for a game designer to reflect on their game design process.
CHALLENGE 5-5 Find or create an ideation game design tool Going outside with the team for an entire day and visit the most basic places you can imagine (squares, parks, basic streets) and give everybody the task to think of something bizarre that would change the way these places look. For example: You’re in the middle of the square and you imagine a massive pig-race going on, and it would be possible for people to bet on the fastest pig. Everybody gets one minute at most to come up with an idea, no more, no less. This exercise is to get people in a creative state of mind without excessive pressure to perform. Besides that, going outside is NEVER a bad idea to get inspired by the things around you. Find or create an creation game design tool I think software could count as an creation game design tool. Simply because it is used to produce digital games. That’s also why I don’t think this covers the entire subject. Because you don’t use something like Unity for a board game. Well, you can use it as a prototype tool, but that won’t necessarily make it a creation tool. Long story short: This IS a creation tool but only for certain types of games. Find or create an evaluation game design tool After the launch of a game, I think it would be a good idea to come together with the team again and have an evaluation session using post-its and categories. There will be a huge whiteboard with different categories involving the game design process and teamwork. Everyone gets a bunch of post-its in two colors: one for the things that went well and one for the things that didn’t go so well. People get the opportunity to speak their mind and you’ll get a nice overview of the entire experience of the game design process.
SCOPE MODEL METHOD (27/05/2015) CHALLENGE 6-1 Inspiration: Rayman (Entertainmentgame) Concept name: Manray Core mechanics: Platform, collect and fight. Progressive mechanics: Reaching the end of the level by collecting things. (collectible meter) Game goal: Reach the end of the level as quickly as possible (quickest time) CHALLENGE 6-2 Come up with 3 game concepts for teaching students about law. First concept Name: Crash-course This is a carried simulator that will teach youth about driver-laws in the Netherlands. Core mechanics: Riding a route with questions Progressive Mechanics: By answering the questions right, you’ll go to the next level and your car will upgrade everytime. Game goal: Getting your drivers-license Second concept Name: Gemeente tycoon In this game you’ll be the mayor of a small village and you’ll have to learn about all kinds of things that are important for managing a village. Core mechanics: Building a village and managing Progressive mechanics: If you’re making the right decisions, your town will be growing and expanding. Game goal: becoming the best village of the year. Third concept Name: Justice NOW! This game involves you being a judge in a court judging ‘criminals’. Core mechanics: Selecting punishment Progressive mechanics: You’re cases will get harder and you’ll get superpowers to see if someone is guilty or not. Game Goal: Getting into supreme court. (promotion) THE GAME WE PICKED: Justice NOW! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------BACKGROUND INFORMATION (CHALLENGE 6-3?) CONTEXT: 60% female students, some want to be lawyers, some don’t know what to do with their lives, Erasmus University, Has to be played in the classroom (this means no computers, just one beamer/smartboard. CONTENT: You want to get some kind of professionalism out of the students. They have to take on the role of the lawyer. Communication should be important, just like the business-side to the craft.
They also have to deal with several cases. Teach them how to prioritize. Finally: they have to be creative with the law system, and have to experiment with team play. TRANSFER: They have to find a way to solve a problem. FIRAC (this is a system lawyers use in real life for solving problem, involve this) They have to learn how to examine documents, FIRAC can help with that. Why are they gonna play the game? Use hot stories, they’ll love it. Let them work. CHALLENGE 6-4 Come up with 1 game concept for teaching students about law Fourth concept Name: Op kantoor Core mechanics: Solve twelve cases with your own Lawyers agency on a time basis (existing out of 10 different people) Progressive mechanics: Earning money by solving cases within time span in the most efficient way. Game Goal: Not going bankrupt. CHALLENGE 6-5 Use a scope model to value your game concepts CRASH-COURSE 2CaT – ANALYSIS Colin Professional midset Y Take on role of lawyer N Communication N Involves business-side N Involves several cases N Prioritization N Creativity with law system N Teamplay N FIRAC N Document analysation N Exciting cases N
Tom Y N N N N N N N N N N
Britta Y N N N N N N N N N N
Claudia Y N N N N Y N N N N N
Kris Y N N N N Y N N N N N
Score total GEMEENTE TYCOON 2CaT – ANALYSIS Colin Professional midset Y Take on role of lawyer N Communication Y Involves business-side N Involves several cases N Prioritization Y Creativity with law system N Teamplay N FIRAC N Document analysation N Exciting cases N
5 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 7
Tom Y N N Y Y N N N N N N
Britta Y N Y Y Y Y N N N N N
Claudia Y N N Y Y Y N N N N N
Kris Y N N Y N Y/N N N N Y N
5 0 2 4 3 3.5 0 0 0 1 0
Score total
17.5
JUSTICE NOW! 2CaT – ANALYSIS Colin Professional midset Y Take on role of lawyer N Communication N Involves business-side N Involves several cases Y Prioritization N Creativity with law system N Teamplay N FIRAC N Document analysation Y Exciting cases Y
Tom Y N N N Y N N N N Y Y
Britta Y N N N Y N Y N N Y Y
Claudia Y N N N Y N N N N N Y
Kris Y N N N Y Y/N Y/N N N Y Y
Score total
5 0 0 0 5 0.5 1.5 0 0 3 5 20
OP KANTOOR 2CaT - ANALYSIS Professional mindset Take on role of lawyer Communication Involves business-side Involves several cases Prioritization Creativity with law system Teamplay FIRAC Document analysation Exciting cases Score total
Colin Y Y Y Y Y Y N Y N Y N
Tom Y Y Y Y/N Y Y N Y N Y/N N
Britta Y Y Y N Y Y N Y N Y N
Claudia Y Y Y Y/N Y Y N Y N Y N
Kris Y Y Y Y Y Y N Y N Y N
5 5 5 3 5 5 0 5 0 4.5 0 37.5
CHALLENGE 6-5 According to our analysis, our last concept turned out to be our best concept. There are still a lot of flaws, which we found quite difficult to redesign. Personally I believe that it is quite obvious that our last game concept was our best concept. Due to the access we gained to the context, the transfer and the public, we knew what we were dealing with. I’m not saying that having this information is automatically a key to success, but it illustrates very nicely how important research is before you create an applied game concept.
