#developmentmethodology

Game and Play Development Methodology - Presentation (Week 6)

So the first class of the semester was an interesting one, this elective paper was combined with Interaction and Play. Hence, resulting in a massive class. 

Part 1: Speed Dating

Our first big activity involved an idea pitching through a speed dating exercise, So, I just realised that I didn’t take a photo of my small postie notes. Let’s just imagine I did. For this exercise, I decided to have some fun, by picking options that contradict one another then try and pitch an idea that could be done. I switched my idea out in round 2, hence there being 2 pitches I made.

Round 1: 

“Tweeting lights“ & “Send nudes“

My first challenge was to make an idea that could be used in Aotea Centre, that wasn’t Rated R. Firstly, I manipulated the terms nudes to refer to something that was naked; an image that wasn’t hidden under anything. Final idea was:

“Use twitter to make to activate lights on a massive led screen, to create a naked piece of art. A photo of your art will be taken and randomly sent to someone who has already taken part or yet to participate.” 

This idea kind of matches something that they would want us to do. It is very “artsy fartsy”, and may work as long as they don’t know the roots of this idea. 

Round 2:

“Trouble in Terrorist Town” and “Yoga”

This one was a lot easy to develop an idea for:

“There is a CGI cartoon animal on a screen, nervous and scared in a town ravaged by terrorists. You have to use Yoga to keep it clam. The project will use a variety of sensors, and can be used to alone or to assess the performance of an entire class. Bad results, will cause the character to panic and set on a landmine *Boom ;)“

This idea gamifies Yoga, which is good for one’s health. Overall, I actually like this idea; however this project would be very co$tly to do. 

Reflection:

To be honest, I barely learnt anything new. Like, I knew that pitching underdeveloped ideas are the fastest way to accelerate their development process. Thus, I decided to pitch my drunken fighter for studio; hoping that the feedback will help me finish the concepting.

The reason I barely learnt anything, was due to this being my third year here. We have done a bunch of activities like these and I’ve actually done the vast amounts of homework we were given throughout that time and put in a lot of effort to learn from them. I could only add some new insight,  if I had wagged class or put minimal effort over the years.

Myers-Briggs and Self Knowledge

Wait.... Before you say anything, I took a photo this time. 

Orange Postie

A year ago I would have said that I was a Starter. However, throughout last semester I learnt my true potential is unlocked when having to finish a project. Last semester, was the first time I was able to finish multiple projects. The creator is pretty obvious, especially with this course.  

Blue Postie

I’m close to the center, but pivot towards the world and interaction. I like to get engrossed into the worlds of a fictional medium and interact with it. The reason I enjoy games, is due to it being an escapism from the real where I can be someone else and being able to temporarily throw my problems aside. This is why I tend to be interested in game AI that makes players feel as though the world is real and reactive to their actions.  

Pink Postie

Nothing much to say here, I just really like these types of characters. E.g. Jason Todd ("Jason Todd | Batman Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia," n.d.). It may be due to their ability to do what’s right regardless of the cost. Basically, I feel that people like this are able to make the tough choices; with the most beneficial answers.  

Purple Postie

Sensation

Games that can do this are able to immerse the player and make them feel like they are someone, they are not. E.g. Metal Gear Rising, makes players feel powerful by making them forcing them to face off against giant monsters. The blade is emphasised by blade mode, where your blade actually feels like a blade that can cut something open. However, they keep players from getting bored by throwing in tough enemies that you cannot cut easily; upon weakening them the ability to cut returns. Thus, maintaining sensation without sacrificing difficulty.      

Fantasy

Going back to the “Blue Postie”, I like fantasy because it allows for escapism and glorifies it. My feelings towards this are also mentioned there.

Challenge

Obstacles that are able to interfere and cause the player to lose. Make the world feel more real and produce a sense of accomplishment on success. It’s pretty much the idea of feeling pain tells someone that they’re still alive. Overcoming, that pain excites us and fills our brain with dopamine.

(Zubek, LeBlanc, & Hunick, n.d.)

Green Postie

Last but not least, the Myers-Briggs test. For starters, I've done this test a lot throughout the last 2 years. Before, uni I was very shy and reserved; but I had never done the test. Hence, i do not know what I evolved from. 

I have always gotten ENTP-T. Yet, a couple of my classmates have experienced changes. So, I did the test again:

Results from April 2016:

The only noticeable changes are that, my perception and extroverted nature have increased.

I really like these tests, because you learn a lot more about yourself and are given guidance and tips for improvement for your weaknesses. Prior to this paper, I had tried to get the Myers-Briggs test results for anyone I have worked with.

References:

Jason Todd | Batman Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia. (n.d.). Retrieved July 25, 2017, from http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Jason_Todd

PlatinumGames, (2013).  Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance [Video Game]. Konami Digital Entertainment

How Games Move Us: Emotion By Design

Finding That Aesthetic

Three Player Playtests 

So we just had our presentation in the Morning. Honestly, I felt it went a lot better than my studio pitch. However, I still feel as though I failed to achieve to display what I wanted.

So first thing’s first, the project has a very interesting acronym ;)

This was a working tile I kept in the back of my mind and used for my Trello board. However, last week Saturday Ryan pointed it out. We actually laughed at it and the fact that it took me over a month to realise. We decided to keep it and use it for just this single presentation, owning was the only solution to avoid the inevitable awkwardness. Currently, I have renamed the project to “Drunken Tavern Brawler”.

What didn’t go well?

The context mapping was very weak. After looking at what others produced, I noticed I took the class activity very literally. I should have looked at overall groups of people that fall under certain stereotypes. Then try and generate data around that. Furthermore, I overlooked the problems and focused too much on the positives.  

We messed up the timing for the slides and had a lot of time gaps. Ideally we should have practiced more.

We were unable to fit the Gantt Chart on our project outline on a slide show. Thus, our timeline is a bit ambiguous to everyone else. 

What did go well?

The overall aesthetic was very pleasant. Where the font and barrel texture managed to convey the art style and setting we are trying to portray.

The methodology pipeline did emphasise the importance of play testing, and how important test driven development will be.

Postie Notes

Week 2 Class

Class Activity 

So this week was a confusing one, more or less. The graphs themselves gave us a lot of insight on the market life and personal behavioural trends of persona’s that would come across the product. This exercise works well in finding potential problems and opportunities for growth. Upon finding said opportunities, one could control them and purposely instigate those events.

Honestly, the exercise made no sense until Ben sat down and showed how to do it.

Group Project: