Games Stories

  To make a game good it must tell a story, having a story in a game is a key feature to having a good game, which will keep the player more interested and want to play more.  There are many aspects that a game creator must consider when thinking about the game  "story" (game idea) The first one is the story or plot of the game what is the purpose of the game? many game creators look at other stories within games and see what has worked and also see what is unique about each game story.  The video, by Mark Brown, shows how many games, already have the story not letting the player having an option or get to make their own story. Video games are becoming more and more popular such as  X-box and PlayStation which have become more lifelike over the years, however, most video games already have their story in the game, which gives the player less of a chance to tell their own story. The player could choose the direction or action that the player does but the main storyline throughout the game is the same. Which not having the effect which the game should have on the player.

There are many times that telling a story in games has gone wrong the reason for this is from these two errors.

1. Story doesn't matter
2. Story is dialog.

Review Week Comments and Feedback

I found having to write comments on people's blog very interesting, I feel that I have found out more about people such as interests favorite module last year and what they have done over the summer from their introduction post. Last year I didn't like the blog or writing about myself nevermind writing on someone else's blog, this year I enjoyed seeing other people's blog design, read and see their game idea and write a comment to see what I thought they could improve on. I thought this was helpful when people commented on my game to see what they thought I could improve on as I think having another person's point of view was important during the process of making my game as they have new ideas that I did not think of as they are only seeing the game for the first time while I had the idea stuck in my head what I'm going to do and didn't think of changing it until I saw peoples comments. I also thought looking at people's blogs was an impact to see the style that they write the reading articles as many people did bullet point form which I thought was good as it was easy to read. From reading other people's blogs I also got it to look at links which they found helpful in making the game such as where to find assets.  I found the blog comments about my game more helpful than the one's that I wrote about the articles as everyone had read them and wrote about after reading peoples I could see that most people had the same type of information and I don't know if it was as beneficial writing on them then the game idea. I also learned how to suggest an idea I had in the correct manner rather than it looking like a negative impact on their game. It was also interesting to see other people's comments on someone's post while I was typing to see their suggestions and their style of writing comments. 

Each week I also had to add an image to every post I would look for an image that I thought related the most to the blog post to make my post more interesting and not just text. 

Overall I'm happy with my blog and the way that it looks. I think people found it easy to read from the comments that people have left. I'm also happy with my introduction as I feel that people got to know me if they didn't before and got to see how I tried to entertain myself over summer with which is something that everyone could agree on that reading other peoples blogs everyone seems to do the same thing by going on walks. Something I could have added to my introduction blog is a picture of me as people know a lot about me from reading my post but may not know what I look like. 

Week 9 Reading and Writing

 I was never a big reader in school or at home reading books, I spend too long reading and I normally give up after the first page. When seeing that I had to read every week was a bit overwhelming. However, the more that I read each week the more I started to scan through and take out the important parts which are what I should have done from the start instead of reading all of the articles. 

The two that stood out to me the most was firstly Game Design as it was about how there are different meanings for games and what classifies as a game, once there is a set of rules, having conflict and making decisions. This was interesting to read as thinking of a game such as rock paper scissors isn't the same as a video game however they are both titles a "game" as all of the rules can be found in both of the games. 

The next article I enjoyed reading was the one on Game Design Document, knowing that I would have to do one after reading it I found it helpful to get some tips on how to use it. It showed what should be in one which was helpful that it was in a bullet-point form which I found easier to go back and look at while making mine.  This was also the week that we are done the reading as a group which was helpful. This is one of the things that I found better was doing the readings as a group, even though my work might have not fit into the blog, It was helpful to see how other people do their readings and I feel that I have learnt a better way to do the readings now that I was doing them at the start on my own. I also enjoyed the readings that had a video and I now know to watch the video first as it will have the most important points that will be needed for the blog and the readings just go into more depth. Looking forward I don't think that there is anything I need for the reading or writing tasks each week as I said previously that I feel that I have improved on the reading and writing tasks from the start I found it difficult to do the writing, now it is something that I enjoy the most out of the module is writing in the blogs. 

My biggest accomplishment for this module is firstly writing the blogs I feel that I have improved a lot since first year as I found it difficult to type about myself even now I'm able to talk about readings game ideas and I don't know when to stop. I also feel that starting to make a game is an accomplishment as at the start of this module it was the task that I was least looking forward to as I didn't have an interest in gaming or playing games now I have started to make my own game. 

I like this image the most as it shows all the different meanings of a game. 

c

Game Fun

 Reading Week 8 “Game Fun"

Games can be described by the 3 components Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics (MDA) or otherwise stated as rules – system – “fun”. The three reading selections this week and the synopsis below all address the term “fun” in relation to game design.

There are eight types of Fun outlined by the MDA. These eight are both a source of reference and player experience that blend together in many ways, and essentially what makes a game engaging and enjoyable.

Figure 1: Eight kinds of Fun

Both Oxford and Merrian dictionaries define Fun as an enjoyment, delight but within the context of a game it refers to a form of pleasurable entertainment. MDA papers define the '8 kinds of fun' sensation, fantasy, narrative, challenge, fellowship, discovery, expression, and submission, remain a source of reference and possibly the most popular list of player interactions combining in various forms to attract each player to a particular game.

Nicole Lazzaro presents four types of fun that are involved in defining how fun a game can be for different players.

• Easy Fun:  This is essential for players who are new to a game who want to satiate their curiosity. 

• Hard Fun: It is essential for people who love a good challenge.

• People Fun: Amusement from competition and cooperation. Meaning Co-op. 

• Serious Fun: Excitement from changing the player and their world.

Figure 2: From A Theory of Fun 10 Years On: Fun Is Just Another Word for Learning

Flow also has an influence on the feeling of “fun”. The concept of Flow is characterized as a balance between skill-challenge and the individual's enjoyment. When in flow the player is focused on the activity they are participating in. This gives a sense of reward and promotes further engagement in the activity.

Flow theory provides a good framework for analyzing motivation in gaming activities, in particular enjoyment, engagement, and positive affect.

Figure 3: Graph showing the flow zone, where the game is not too easy where the players' abilities are very high (Boredom), but also not too hard that the player is unable to complete the challenge (anxiety).

The fun has everything to do with learning. “Fun is just the dopamine in our brains firing when we are presented with a new situation to learn from” Koster (2005) discussed this saying that the different patterns that we take in helps our brain especially when it comes to enjoying a video game cause once you understand the many patterns that it offers you your brain has nothing to feed off making it unenjoyable to play anymore. Fun provides the brain with the feedback of the game allowing it to observe and learn different patterns/sequences within. 

Games help people to become more imaginative, engaging with their creative side of the brain, and creating new ideas/designs that can be implemented in games.

Being more creative when developing your game will help you see what challenges the player may face and what ones will help further improve the progression and also add to the player's determination to complete the story.

Balance is an even proportion or distribution of elements to keep them at a steady rate. When playing chess, we learn about strategy, tic tac toe teaches us about reading people’s minds about their next move and when we play games like civilization or sim it teaches us resource management. When playing games we should be provided with a balance of fun and challenges. These are called either type 1 or type 2 games and these have their own unique way of being played. The type 1 games involve strategy and thinking to complete these games such as in Chess or Poker whereas type 2 games mainly involve quick reflexes and combo memorization in games such as “Mortal Kombat and Call of Duty”

The GameFlow model shows that the inherent structure of games is associated with the experience of flow and enjoyment during gaming, at least for strategy games.) As stated by Kaye and Byrce (2012) “a large body of research has investigated the negative effects of playing video games” yet “there has been less examination of the psychological experiences associated with the activity”

We come across different types of fun in games that fulfill our amusement. Fun in games is provided in many different ways for example through socializing with friends or exploring the game world. People experience different emotions when driven by gameplay. Gameplay creates opportunities for “Flow”, “balance” and “learning”. 

References:

Velev, A., 2016. Gamification Design: What’S Fun Got To Do With It?. [online] Megamification. Available at:<http://www.megamification.com/727-2//> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

Kaye, L. and Bryce, J., 2012. Putting The “Fun Factor” Into Gaming: The Influence Of Social Contexts On Experiences Of Playing Video Games. Available at: <https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/9632557.pdf/> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

 

The Game Overanalyser., 2020. A Theory of Fun for Game Design | Raph Koster and The Art of Designing Fun Games. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sZJYA06z7Y&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=TheGameOveranalyser/> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

Games Decisions

Video

“In order for the player to be optimally engaged, challenges should be presented at a level equivalent or slightly higher than their current skill. Not too easy, not too hard”(Gigity McD)

The word 'flow state' was coined by Csikszentmihalyi (1975) also known as being “in the zone” This is when the player is fully engaged in the game experience. Csikszentmihalyi put a lot of work into observing and analyzing various groups of people. This theory is focused on the idea of how people should balance their skills and the demands of particular tasks. An example of Flow would be a challenge in a game that interests the player such as a puzzle or a boss battle meant to keep the player interested and not get bored. Csikszentmihalyi also states that flow is related to an ideal psychological condition when a person engages in a challenge-skill activity, often resulting in concentration and a focused emphasis on a task.

A practical technique for improving Flow is to look at what players like and find interesting, it is an invaluable resource as this will give you a better understanding of how to structure your game in a way it flows naturally without affecting the players’ experience and enjoyment. If the player has a high skill set and the game is not a challenge, the player will become disinterested and lose interest in the game. The game must allow the player to grow and learn with each challenge or obstacle so as to stay motivated to continue.

If the player has little to no skill set and the game is too challenging, then the player will become frustrated with anxiety and lose interest in the game as well. A flow chart helps to prevent the game from being too boring or too difficult(create anxiety) which makes the game more successful in terms of achieving Flow. 

The x axis is the player's skill and the y axis is the challenge. When the player starts off, the challenges are easy in order to introduce the player to the game system. Overtime, this will  increase the player's skill. After the player has progressed through the game the challenges get more difficult. This is known as the flow channel and is the ideal place to maintain the player in the flow state. If the challenges are too easy the player will become bored of the game. If the challenges are extremely difficult for the player, the player will get overwhelmed, frustrated or fed up with the game. This is the point where the player reaches the anxiety state of the flow map.

Studies have found Cook (2008) that there are both positive and negative consequences with game flow. The positive representing cognitive flow   “composed of challenge-skill balance, clear goals, and unambiguous feedback,” and a negative element viewed as the emotional flow “composed of action- awareness merging, concentration on the task at hand, sense of control, loss of consciousness, and time transformation.” In the development of computer games, designers must be aware of these two characteristics when developing games.

References

Numinous.productions. Dan Cook 2008. Building A Princess Saving App. Available at: <https://numinous.productions/ttft/assets/Cook2008.pdf> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

McD, Gigity (14th June 2018). What is FLOW THEORY in game design? - The Basics - (Part 1). Game Design with Michael, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H8pQyyXxHg

Sanjamsai S, Phukao P. 2018 Flow experience in computer game playing among Thai university students. Available at: <shorturl.at/rtvGM> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

2nd Paper explaining Flow theory and its connections to Learning

(Introduction for Second Paper)

Flow state?

The state in which the player is in full focus to complete a certain task or section.

Flow state can be identified as one’s maximum focus, dedication and immersion of a game. 

A state where the player is actively engaged in the game

Flow state is the emotions experienced when the activity is going favorably.

Flow Map?

The X axis is the player's skill and the Y axis is the challenge. When the player starts off, the challenges are easy in order to introduce the player to the game system. Overtime, this will  increase the player's skill. After the player has progressed through the game the challenges get more difficult. This is known as the flow channel and is the ideal place to maintain the player in the flow state. If the challenges are too easy the player will become bored of the game. If the challenges are extremely difficult for the player, the player will get overwhelmed, frustrated or fed up with the game. This is the point where the player reaches the anxiety state of the flow map.

Ideal Flow State: Challenge the player - Obtain flow state - Maintain flow state.

Boredom: When the player has a high skill set and the challenge is too easy. This causes them to lose interest..

Anxiety: When the challenge is too hard for the player causes them to lose interest..

To challenge the player by not making the game too easy that the player becomes bored but also not making it too difficult to make the player give up.

How can we adapt our game to deal with the two points above?

By making the challenges harder when time goes by and the player gains more skill.

The learning curve for games has a similar path for the flow state curve. 

‐ Remove extra features

‐ Focus only on the task at hand.

Here’s the learning curve for a game. You can pick up a well made game and start enjoying it

in a few minutes. The better games have weeks of learning.

They steadily crank up your skills at a much faster pace than most applications. There is no

dreaded dip where users are struggling to acquire the next level of expertise.

Hacks:

‐ Segmenting features by user skill level,

‐ Layering less commonly used or expert features so they are out of the way.

‐ Creating a unifying UI metaphor that lets users understand new tools more easily.

‐ Elegant information architecture and clean visual design.

‐ Use skills that people already know. Don’t force them to learn anything new!

Academic Paper

This study was based on the flow theory of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. A cross sectional study was performed to examine flow experience in computer game playing among university students and to identify behavior that led to positive consequences and addictive behavior. Multi-stage sampling was conducted to select a sample of 478 university students aged 18- 24 years old who usually play computer games. Data were collected using the assessment instruments of computer game addictive behavior and perception of the consequences from game playing.

Based on exploratory factor analysis, the construct of flow experience could be divided into two dimensions: 1) cognitive flow which was composed of challenge-skill balance, clear goals, and unambiguous feedback, and 2) emotional flow which was composed of action- awareness merging, concentration on the task at hand, sense of control, loss of con-sciousness, and time transformation. 

However, the state of flow in computer game playing was indeed a key factor that could perpetrate positive or negative outcomes.

It’s recommended that youth-related organizations should promote cognitive flow experiences to develop the self-improvement of computer game players rather than emotional flow experiences which can cause contentment, intense concentration, and low

consciousness and physical impacts.

Flow theory has been considered as a comprehensive theory to explain both sides of the impact from computer game playing because the state of flow refers to what happens when children are playing computer games that involve enjoyment, challenging, reacting, active thinking, feeling, and behaving (Voiskounsky, 2010). Flow theory was developed by Mihaly Csikszentmaha-lyi, and describes a state of concentration or complete ab-sorption with the activity at hand and the situation (Csikszentmihalyi,1997). The flow state is an optimal state of intrinsic motivation, where the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing. However, too much involvement In flow by being over absorbed and engaged for example, can harm children, since they might obsess with the state of enjoyment but ignore self-care and interpersonal relationships (Chiang, Lin, Cheng,& Liu, 2011). Therefore, flow is considered as the state leading to either positive or negative consequences in computer game playing.

The flow experience structure in the context of

computer-game-playing behavior was different from the

original theory's structure and could be divided into

Cognitive flow and emotional flow. In particular, if a player had a cognitive flow experience to evaluate, analyze, plan, set a goal, and become aware of self-improvement, he/she would be more likely to have a positive outcome. On the contrary, if a player had emotional flow experience causing contentment, intense concentration, and low

consciousness, it could cause psychological and physical

impacts.

From this study, organizations related to children and adolescents' affairs, science and technology, software in-dustry promotion, education, and public health should encourage children to play a game in a positive way.

This study could be applied in other contexts for social benefit, such as flow experience in work, flow experience in playing sport, orflow experience in playing music.

References

Numinous.productions. Dan Cook 2008. Building A Princess Saving App. Available at: <https://numinous.productions/ttft/assets/Cook2008.pdf> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

McD, Gigity (14th June 2018). What is FLOW THEORY in game design? - The Basics - (Part 1). Game Design with Michael, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H8pQyyXxHg

Sanjamsai S, Phukao P. 2018 Flow experience in computer game playing among Thai university students. Available at: <shorturl.at/rtvGM> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

 

Games GDD

 

What is the GDD for?

(Frontpage of GDD)

A Game Design Document (GDD) is a blueprint for the design and development of a game.

The GDD is a way of being creative and documenting the approach to the development of the game. Gonzale (2016) states that “ the important thing is to have something that describes your game project (or any other project for that matter) before jumping into production.( Gamasutra ) It should help to plan out your game. Though it is recommended that the GDD should be short it needs to be detailed enough so as game developers and artists can coordinate the development of the game independently whilst still keeping to the design. The GDD is a blueprint for how the game is going to be designed and built, similar to a mind map. In conclusion, the game design document is vital to making a game and it is important to have in order to describe your game project.

How do we make one?

There are a variety of tools that could be used to create a GDD. These include word processing tools, visual tools like Powerpoint, or new web-based tools such as DunDoc. Each of these tools has their advantages and are a personal choice. Many of the examples shared via the internet are in Microsoft Word format. Romero Games(creators of Doom) favour a more visual tool such as PowerPoint. Whichever tool is used they should support the development of the game in an open and transparent manner.

What should be in it?

The GDD should be simple enough to read through details about your game design and concept. Schubert (2007), who was at the time lead designer for Bioware Austin, gave a GDC talk in about how to create design documentation, some of the most relevant elements include:

1. Know your target.- Have a clear vision and understanding of what you want to make. Make sure your game is suitable and fits your target audience.

2. Keep it short.  Keep it to the point and clear, the shorter they are, the easier it is to read, write, and maintain.

3. Prioritize the design.  - Divide your game in order of importance e.g have a functional game. Concentrate on core mechanics and visuals, and then expand. 

4. Illustrate. - Draw sketches of your plans that make it easier to structure and implement. Present what your game would look like as it’s important to have a clear idea of the visuals before you begin creating.

5. Use user stories.- Describing the game through the player’s vision (Similar to what we did in the game vision statement).

Take into account the games users, their ideas may help develop future storylines or ideas.

6. Invest in a good format. Take the time to structure your work so that it is easy to navigate.

7. Use clear terminology. Don’t over-complicate the document. Make sure language is concise and accessible.

8. 
   

9. Kill redundancy.  -Recycle your code - use variables, not hard code). Always reference the new section on your page to have a clean document. Avoid copy and pasting sections.

10. Capture your reasoning - why did you make the choices you made? What led to that thought process?

References

Nachen, Lennart. 2014 Communication and Game Design Documents accessed 02/11/2020 http://acagamic.com/game-design-course/communication-and-game-design-documents/

Fern

s, Shaun (2020) Readings Week 06 accessed 02/11/2020 https://cdmonline.ie/multidev1/reading-week-06/ 

 Gonzalez Leandro. 2016 How to Write a Game Design Document accessed 02/11/2020 

https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/LeandroGonzalez/20160726/277928/How_to_Write_a_Game_Design_Document.php

Games MDA

First Reading -The first reading is about game research, design, and, development by using the method MDA. MDA stands for Mechanic, Dynamics, Aesthetics. Here is what each of them does,  Mechanic describes the different sections of the game by looking at data and representation Dynamics express the run time manner of the mechanics acting on the players and each other’s outputs over some time. Aesthetics looks at the response in the player when they interact with the game. The MDA framework looks at 2 different sections, the first is Rules to System to Fun the next Mechanics to Dynamics to Aesthetics. Using these methods helps game designers to look at different techniques for development and improvement. Here is a link to the first reading

Video- The video was similar to the first reading as it was about MDA. The video says that a gamer should see which parts of their game were lacking and could improve on, so the next game that they make they can bring these impacts to it. The video says "the easiest way to do this is going category by category". First by looking at the mechanics to dynamics to aesthetics.

Mechanics

1. walking
2. the backgrounds of the game
3. jumping

Dynamics:

1. Move around the board 
2. Managing money 
3. Interacting with other players 

Aesthetics:

1. Sensation (fear, stress, joy )
2. Fantasy 
3. Narrative 
4. Challenge 
5. Fellowship 
6. Discovery 
7. Expression 
8. Submission 

Second Reading- This reading is about DDE, which is Design Dynamic Experience. This method is to try to improve the previous stage MDA. The reading also looks at the game through the player's perspective and the designer. It looks at what is working and what is not and how to improve in the next game.

(Image is from google of MDA framework)

Game Elements

  Reading 1 -The first reading was called "what are the qualities of gaming?". The article first starts off by describing the different descriptions of a game and how some are  very similar, the article then says how even though the description of the game may be different they all have the same elements. In the next paragraph is it about Atonic Elements these are elements that may help a designer see what other games have and how they can bring these into their new design to be such as engaging. Some of these elements include 

• Players
• Theme ( were is the game based) ( where is the player in the position they are)
• Rules 

Any there is many more, Next is about critical analysis and how this has a impact on designing a game. When hearing the word critical at first it may seem about something negative, however in this situation it is trying to make a game better by adding or removing to the game.  The article says breaking it down  into questions to ask someone who is making the game is the easiest such as what is the purpose of the game? is the game fair for both players and if find that something is wrong or seem incorrect to change it to try and improve the game. The article also says to keep asking "why is the game fun?". 

Reading 2- The next paper is called "game design research", it wen into a lot of detail about reseach and design.  The article discusses how game design could also become game research, as many designers actually do a lot of research in this stage to find useful information such as the target audience. 

Video-  The video is about prototypes. The narrator describes how the hardest part is the prototype stage as seeing if the ideas work or not, if don't have to go back and figure out why not. They discuss "primary aspect of the game" what is the players purpose in the game. They then say how instead of going straight into coding to save time can demo the game by cutting out pieces of paper or drawing it. They also show in the video, the designers trying out different version of the idea to see what one is the best and then start brining it into code. The designer also says "don't need ti think of an idea straight but see where it takes you"

Game Design

Games have been around for many of years as far back as 3100 Bc by Predynastic Egypt which was called Senet. However the question is still the same all these years later what is a game? 

The first article is about the word 'Game' and what is a game? Many different people have different meanings for the word game such as one person may think a game only involves a screen and a controller and a game such as rock, paper scissors isn't a game. These are some of the factors that are in all games having rules, having conflict, making decisions, having goals and the list continues 

In the second article it is about an two interviews, the interviewees talk about  where they get inspiration from to make the games how the ideas does not happen by accident, many companies increase creative for the games buy hiring creative people and being in a creative environment. One   interviewee said the most common sources of where the game idea came from was “reading watching tv shows and playing other games”. This quote shows how inspiration can come from anywhere, one scene in a movie or tv show and leads to an idea of a new game. 

The last reading 'Four Basic Methods of Gaming' was all about different methods that are involved in making a game the techniques include concentration, brainstorm, scamper and ramsey. Most of these can be self-explanatory such as brainstorm, however 'Ramsey' can be questioned what is it?. In the paragraph it describes this method as 'the most difficult' it is taking something and looking at it and exploring it enough to take something new from it, for example looking at a game already and seeing how an aspect could be developed into a new game.  

The most common games now a days are from behinds a screen here is a list of the top 50 games to this day. 

image information: words associated with the word game