WEEK 1
Research a Games Developer:
Lukas Pope’s Papers please was inspired by boarder control when he traveled between the USA, Singapore and Japan. He was deeply interested in how boarder control worked and found it a fun challenge to make a mundane job interesting.
MAKE A GAME OUT OF A MEMORY:
l. Ant Escape: based off of a video that Duck saw of an ant nest being filled in with concrete. The game involves escaping the maze-like nest before it is fully flooded with concrete.
2. Learn to Love Again: a game about navigating a new relationship in which one of the parties has experienced trauma. The game is based on choices, very much like The Walking Dead game. Each choice leads to gaining or losing trust. The focus of the game is trying to compromise and keep both parties' trust and needs equal.
3. Chicken Wrangling: based off of both of our experiences on having to catch chickens and the frustration it causes. During the game the player runs after chickens and has to catch them. Tools - such as: a net, a cane, an axe, etc.- are scattered around the map with different abilities to aid the player in catching chickens.
4. Seagull sling: A game based off of Duck visiting a pond to feed the ducks and pesky seagulls stealing all of the bread. The player switches between regular and stale bread. Feeding the ducks the regular bread and throwing the stale bread at the seagulls.
5. Angry Horses : based on my experience of almost being rolled on by the horse I was riding and being thrown off one too many times. The game is a bunch of minigames in which you are trying to care for/ ride a horse but the horse hates you and will make your life hell!
In class I paired up with Duck to come up with 5 game ideas based on memories. We came up with the following:
Oh dear.. the humans have really clucked up this time! In an attempt to solve world hunger, chickens were genetically modified to multiply and mature at an alarmingly fast rate. Things now seem to have gotten out of hand as there are chickens everywhere! It’s got to the point where the government is asking citizens to aid in “clean up” (a mass attempt to control the chicken population). being a farmer, you are no stranger to capturing a chicken. There are rumours that some chickens have developed sentience! The question is will you spare them or will you destroy them? The government is letting you decide the chicken’s fate, for now.
Chicken wrangling.
EVERYBODY’S GONE TO THE RAPTURE
PLAY:
Confusion with no guidance..
Rage from missing crucial parts and had to (slowly) find them.
Sad and disturbed after ending.
Playing Everybody Goes to the Rapture was an interesting experience for me, having never played a walking simulation game before. The walking part of the game was a bit slow for my taste. I get that it’s about taking your time, soaking in the stories and beautiful world. However I kept missing important areas and it took me forever to loop back around the map to find them. It was quite hard to understand what to do in the beginning of the game due to lack of instruction. Because of this I missed a lot of the storyline. Luckily I figured it out in the second location of the game. In the end I got stuck on the farmers level and resorted to watching the rest of the gameplay on YouTube. I feel as though I missed out a bit on the emotional side of things due to my confusion. However towards the end when I was watching the gameplay (and could skip past the long boring parts) I felt a stronger connection to the characters and their stories and was able to piece things together more. (It also helped to watch an explanation video after the gameplay for everything that I had missed). The game to me is about the memory of someone living on after death. In being able to witness the characters final moments as some sort of echo, it’s almost as though they are still there. The game did trigger the feeling of curiosity as well as the whole idea of it is to search for the reason why everyone is gone.
DEAR ESTHER
Annoyed at how slow it is.
Watched video to understand what’s is going on.
Oh well that was depressing..
After having played/watched Everybody Goes to the Rapture, I decided that I would like to watch my boyfriend play Dear Esther. This way I was not alone in suffering the extremely slow progression of the game. However I found it a lot more annoying to watch him play as he insisted on looking at every surrounding. I really struggled to follow along with the story, so naturally I decided to watch it on youtube again. After watching the video, I still didn't get it so I opened yet another video for an explanation. After finally getting it, I understand now why the game is so slow and confusing. It is a man's last walk of the island he and his late wife loved dearly, before he commits suicide. It is a tragic story about remembering the book that first brought them to the island and the memory of Esther (the man’s wife’s) death. It is a real shame I wasn't able to focus on the story as I would have been way more immersed in the sadness it provokes.
WEEK 2
GAME DEVELOPMENT JOBS NEAR ME:
C++ SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Guilford Games Studio
65k-80k/yr
-Strong c++ experience
-Thorough knowledge of computer science
2D CONCEPT ARTIST
BlockGames (Indie game dev and publishing studio)
23k/yr (work from home)
-4+ years of experience in an art role
-Ability to animate
-Familiarity with making games
3D ARTIST
Netspeak
games mobile development company
30k-40k/yr
-Excellent 2D Texturing & 3D Modelling skills
-Proficiency with Photoshop & Maya (or industry equivalent)
LEVEL DESIGNER
Submissive Games (game studio in Guilford)
33K-5lk
-Confidence in unreal enagine
-Experience in collaborative projects
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER
the Pokemon Company International London
60k-90k
-5-7 years of professional experience
-BA degree
-3+ years of developing backend applications using java 8
SOUND DESIGNER
skill search (recruitment company Guilford)
30-45K
-No specific requirements listed
QA TESTER
technNET IT Recruitment LTD
22-26k
-Knowledge of jira
-Experienced in testing video games across various platforms
In class we had a look at the gaming industry, it was actually a lot more difficult than I expected. A lot of job listings that I looked through didn’t name the company or what the salary was. The thought of working independently appeals to me more than working for a big studio. I feel as though I can focus on multiple aspects of a project instead of being assigned to just one department. I have people around me that already specialise in the areas where I would be lacking, such as sound design and programming. So it would be nice to work on something that is my vision instead of someone else's. An independent designer I’ve always been in awe of is Eric Barone, the creator of Stardew Valley. I did some research into how he created stardew valley and even though the task seems daunting, I would love to create my own game this way. Again I would collaborate in areas where I lack experience. I’ve been wanting to learn how to program for a while now and I think this would be a good way to learn. Even Mr. Barone started a step at a time with Stardew Valley and gradually expanded the game before having the whole thing figured out. He learned as he created.
WEEK 3
Today was PechaKucha day. A PechaKucha is a style of presentation of about 10-20 slides, in which each slide moves automatically after 20 seconds. I wasn’t feeling particularly on par today, so I made a presentation on why I was grumpy. Here is a recreation of my presentation:
I actually found it quite fun to present this way, it made me think fast on my feet and try to maximise the information that I give since there is so little time.
WEEK 4
I wasn’t able to attend class this week so I did my best to understand what was done in class by asking a few classmates and I tried my best to make a game with a magic system.
Coming up with a card game with a magic system seemed daunting at first, so I scribbled down my idea first with some drawings. My idea was to make a 2 player game where one player is a ghost and the other a human. The ghost's goal is to possess the human and the human's goal is to exorcise the ghost.
After having drawn up a few notes and trying to figure out how to add a magic system, I got a bit overwhelmed. I figured that I needed some help from someone that knows more than I do about card games. Luckily my boyfriend, Jacob, is a board and card game connoisseur. We sat down together and had a brainstorm together and came up with a really cool way to make the game work. The game is inspired by Dungeon Mayhem, Radlands and Inish.
I wanted the game to be two players that attack and damage each other, each having their own strengths and weaknesses like Dungeon Mayhem. The idea for a currency system came from radlands and the idea of having special cards came from Inish.
WEEK 5
From what I understand, semiotics is the study of signs. Words, images and actions can constitute as signs. In modern semiotics, signs consist of two elements: the signifier and the signified. The signifier is the thing that is used in place of what is being signified. The signified is the object or feeling that is trying to be explained.
Signifiers can be represented as icons, indexes and symbols.
An icon something with a physical resemblance of the idea being conveyed. An index is something that is directly linked to the signified like a puddle being caused by rain. Symbols have no direct relations to what's being conveyed other than it being agreed upon by a group that the symbol signifies the signified. Words can be seen as symbols as they don’t mean anything unless it has been agreed upon what the word stands for.
My reflection on semiotics:
After establishing what semiotics were, we spoke about their relevance in the gaming industry. I found it particularly interesting when it was brought up that it is very important to research icons and symbols before using them. The reasoning for this is because there are different cultural meanings to some symbols. An example that was made was a tv show that was cancelled due to a contestant having the number ‘88’ tattooed on his cheek which is code for “Hiel Hitler.” Because the producers didn’t know the cultural meaning for this tattoo and the contestant was in most of the show's scenes they had to cancel the season after complaints about the contestants tattoos. Before this example was given I wouldn't have thought of making sure that any symbols that I use in my artwork or games weren’t offensive in other cultures. I now see why it is important to have the opinions and feedback of as many people from different cultures as possible on what is being put into a game.
At the end of the lesson we had a look at sections of the games Bastion, Last Of Us and Mass Effect to have a ;look at what symbols, icons and indexes may be in use to tell a story and give context.
WEEK 6
This week we had our formatives and I got advice from Reke about my website and class so far. We spoke about my struggles of getting myself motivated to do things and how if I try to do small things every day that I can keep myself on track.
Instead of making a video game for the light and dark game jam, I decided to work further on the board game that I created with Jacob in week 4. We sat down and thought of special cards to make the game more interesting. Then we cut up a bunch of paper and made the game in order to test it. We worked on balancing the regular deck first to have a functioning and balanced base for the game. At this point the game is fun to play, but we now need to look into balancing the special magic cards.
While Jacob is mostly in charge of balancing things at the moment and I work on the story and art, I have been learning a lot about game mechanics and how they work with and against each other. We expanded on the document I made for magic systems last week and now have a good outline on the games mechanics and rules.
It’s actually so interesting to have started my own project inspired by a class. I feel as though we can make a really cool game out of this. The next steps would be to work on making sure the game works and creating a more structured prototype to get others to test out. I have a few sketches of what I would like the characters to look like at the moment and will try to make more in depth sketches once the game has been tested by others. I’ve also looked into printing companies and what the design requirements would be for printing the cards further down the line.
WEEK 7
In class today we made a board game based off of a sport. We formed a group and decided to base our game off of chess boxing, which believe it or not is an actual sport!
Chessboxing takes place in a boxing ring, just like regular boxing, except this time there is a chess board in the middle of the ring. The two players alternate between playing chess and boxing for 11 rounds until there is a knockout, check mate, no time left or a judicial decision.
For our board game version we kept the chess part and incorporated the boxing part with cards. In the centre of the chess board there is a 4x4 “ring” just like in boxing. There is one deck between both players from which they both draw one card at the start of their turn and play at the same time like snap. The deck of cards consist of regular battle cards, such as attack, defence, healing; as well as a few special cards with special abilities. When a player enters a chess piece in the 4x4 ring, they are vulnerable to certain cards that when played can eat that chess piece. This mechanic is meant to add more strategy around avoiding the middle of the board. However when we were assessed it was brought up that we could add a reason to want to risk going into the ring to add the enticement of risking a chess piece. We also found out that we had put a time limit on placing down the cards as each player would take too long to decide what card to play.
I couldn’t believe how quickly we were able to make a working prototype for this game. By working in a team and dividing up tasks, we were able to make a massive deck of cards, a rules document, the chessboard and the chess pieces. Being able to bounce ideas off of eachother definitely speeds up the process. I think the most useful part though was play testing our game. In doing so we could see what areas needed to be tweaked. I think the best part was how much fun we had playing our own game.
Here are the rules of the game that Duck wrote up in class:
WEEK 8
Cas Holman is a toy designer that creates toys with kids' imaginations in mind. Instead of designing a toy with a specific purpose and set of rules, she keeps her designs open with no right or wrong way to play with them. An example of one of such designs being Geemo. Geemo is a flexible magnetic toy that is inspired by the shapes of bones. There is no indication on the magnets for which is positive or negative which allows the child to decide how they would like to play with the toy. Keeping a design open ended allows for play to be so much more interesting and stimulating as well as prolongs the time of engagement.
In the session we were asked to come up with an idea for a playground for children to interact with based on Cas Holmans idea on meaningful play.
The idea that my group and I had for our playground was a cube, big enough to have two floors inside. Each wall of the cube has a different function. One side has a grid of what look to be bricks, some of which can be pulled like drawers to form a climbing wall. Another side formed of shapes that can be slotted in and out of the wall to form a door and circular windows. The removable parts can then be used to make something else; for instance, the bits pulled out from the windows could be made into wheels or a table. Here are some sketches to demonstrate what other ideas I came up with.
Abstract: The Art of Design’s episode on Cas Holman opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about design. As an illustrator/ painter I always felt as though I fell short when it came to the execution of a painting or the meaning behind what I create. I always strive for perfection when it comes to art and I’ve found that approach completely sucks the joy and passion out of me. Watching Cas’s process of creating things around the idea of meaningful play introduced me to the idea that there is no wrong and right way to do something if you enjoy it.
WEEK 9
I wasn't able to make it to class this session. I was told that it was about meaningful play and that board games were played with the ideas of discernibility and integration in mind. I tried to understand these concepts to the best of my ability by watching the video on aula.
From what I understand, meaningful play is the relationship between player action and game action. To have a meaningful game is to have a meaningful connection between what the player does and how that affects the game. If the game is meaningless, then the player will feel as though it was a waste of time. An example being, playing a strategy game makes the player in control of the conditions of how the game proceeds. There is a required level of engagement the player needs to have to play a strategy based game. Whereas a luck based game does not require too much from the player causing a lack of sense of achievement after playing.
The two requirements a game needs to be seen as meaningful: Discernibility and integration
Discernibility is where a player's actions have an effect on the game. There are elements, like sound, animation or movement, that can help the player to feel as though they are doing something to affect the game that allow the player to know that what they are doing is changing something within the game.
Integration is when what the player chooses to do in the game affects how the rest of the game works. This will make the player feel as though their interaction means something and is not pointless.
I think that the concept of meaningful play would help a lot in the context of the card game that I am working on. Jacob and I did discuss how different strategies can be applied when playing our game. An example being, one player might have a lot of cards to give them gold and go for a strategy of buying as many special magic cards as they can to build up strength. In retaliation the other player might try to attack the other as much as possible before they can build up too much gold. We try to keep in mind how to make the game as interesting as possible and we have found that the special magic cards can really change up the way that the game is played.
WEEK 10
Games accessibility is not something that has crossed my mind before today and I am very glad that it was discussed. I never really thought of how social gaming can be, since I mainly play single player games. But for people that find it hard to fit into a community or for people with disabilities, gaming can be a great way of social interaction. This is why it is important to make sure that games are inclusive to people that may function differently.
What ways can a game be made accessible?
Adding remapping for the controls.
One handed controls
Adding readable subtitles with contrast to background. For some people with dyslexia there are certain fonts and contrast background colours that can be used to aid with reading.
A feature that uses audio to communicate what is on the screen for people with visual impairment.
Taking into account people that are colour blind and colours may need to be tweaked by them in order to have better contrast.
Thinking about my favourite game at the moment, Stardew Valley, I have noticed a few accessibility features.
In the beginning of the game you are able to select the size of UI elements and how zoomed in on the main character you are.
It is possible to turn on auto run, allowing for less buttons to be pressed.
The audio settings allow you to turn the music up or down as well as other sounds in the game.
Flash effects can be turned off, for people sensitive to flashes.
The controls can be reconfigured, which can make it possible to play one handed.
