Alpha

 Hi,

My game is going good, I have added in the correct obstacles for the bird(cube). Controls are good. I still need to implement the auto move forward script and also starting screen that says "play" and "quit".  

(My own Image)

As usual still struggling with the coding aspect of things, but I will keep getting better as I practice.

Review Week Comments and Feedback

 Hi, 

On a weekly basis throughout the semester we were required to leave comments on fellow class mates blog posts. The comments I received from my fellow were very refreshing to say the least, I enjoyed reading through them and receiving feedback, I feel that constructive feedback like such really motivates me to continue writing my blogs.

The comments I find most useful would have to be the constructive feedback comments. These comments not only motivate me to complete my work to the best of standards but my fellow class mates suggestions also help me understand what different people would like to experience when coming across my work. I feel that constructive feedback really helps one understand how others may perceive ideas which then helps me work around that, further perfecting my work. 

I believe the feedback I leave on other students is constructive and neutral, I like to relate to the writer when commenting on their pieces of work, by doing so I can give simple neutral feedback as well as make the writer comfortable when reading my feedback. Using feedback strategies really helped me build my confidence when giving feedback on pieces of writings written by my classmates. 

In this module my lecturer set tasks where we had to read articles regarding feedback strategies and how we can give good constructive feedback which really helped me achieve good constructive feedback on my class mates posts.

When reading my fellow classmates pieces of writing I like to analyze their writing strategy and or grammar and wording to help improve my own. That is exactly why I am in favor of classmates leaving feedback on each others work as it not only motivates one but also inspires one when doing their next piece of writing. 

When reading others pieces of writing it helps me understand how one minds work and which aspects of a specific topic they like to focus on, taking into account the learning I could be doing from reading a fellow classmates piece of writing.

I am very happy with my introduction blog. I really believe my introduction outlines what type of person I am and what I am interested in. When the introduction is well written and outlines what type of person one is, it allows people to approach each other easily. With my pieces of writing I do not only write with the mindset of getting it done, I like showcase the person I am with my pieces of writing so that people can read the piece with my voice in their head. It is very important for people to write with meaning and passion as writing is a form of art at the end of the day, and if not done correctly it will only get boring and one will want to get it out the way, which results in the person not fully understanding what they have just read.

I find the comments very useful within the blogs. I believe that it is a good motivation tool when a community is established, especially with online learning.

These are some comments that have been left by fellow classmates on my introduction that motivate me!

(My own Image)

 

Week 9 Reading And Writing

 Hi, 

Throughout this semester I have read and analyzed reading set for me and my class mates assigned by my lecturer followed by pieces of writings showcasing what I have learned from each reading. In this blog I will be discussing my experience with the readings and writings and the general knowledge I have gained from them, as well as how these readings and writings have impacted my game design skills.

I do not particularly enjoy the readings, however, they are interesting as they provide me with good knowledge regarding game design and development. I am more of a writer, therefore I enjoy doing my pieces of writing more than I enjoy doing the readings.

My favorite reading is the MDA reading as it outlines the most important aspects of a game in order for the game to be playable and player intractable. The MDA being; 

Mechanics describes the particular components of the game, at the level of data representation and algorithms.  

Dynamics describes the run-time behavior of the mechanics acting on player inputs and each others outputs over time.  

Aesthetics describes the desirable emotional responses evoked in the player, when she interacts with the game system.

When I struggle with something when working on my game I tend to read back on specific parts of the readings just to set me back on track with the purpose of my game. To put it into context, I tend to look back at specific parts of some readings to remind me of what a game needs in order to function which then helps me make the right decisions to further make my game player intractable.

I am very happy with how my game is coming along so far. I am looking forward to further develop my game. I have the main concept down, the game is playable. However, if you have looked at my most recent blog you may know that my character is still not complete, since the game is a flight game my character will be an exotic bird, more specifically, a Jenday Conure Parrot, based on my pet parrot Ganji. In my last blog I recorded a quick video demonstrating how my game functions, I applied grounded basic obstacles provided by unity to show an example of the purpose of my game. Hence, I need to implement the correct obstacles, that being floating rings distributed throughout the map. One major feature I still need to implement is to have the character automatically move forward when the game begins, like a runner game.

My biggest accomplishment so far in this module is my functioning game. Even though it is not yet finished I am extremely proud and happy to say that I have designed a 3D game. If I were to choose another accomplishment, it would be my blog. I feel as if my blog really showcases my journey throughout the module and it is literal proof of my progress through Multimedia Development. 

 

Just like how I started off this module, my motto is JUST DO IT. Going by this motto, it has helped me overcome procrastination and generally helped complete my work with ease. Looking forward I will still go by this motto to further develop my reading and writing skills. 

 

I am looking forward to further develop my game design skills in the upcoming months, I am excited to look back at my progress knowing I gave it my all. 

Image ref

First Playable

 Hi, 

I continued working on my game project. Fortunately I am making good progress considering my game is now actually playable. 

I managed to get all the controls of my character in place, I also applied the 'Follow player' script so the in game camera follows my character as he flies through the obstacles. 

There was something going wrong when I would press 'play' after applying the script but I figured out I needed to set the tag on 'player' in the 'Main camera' option. Which solved my problem.

                                     The view of the game from the player POV. (My own Image)

                                         Video demonstrating my playable game (My own Video)

                                                                 Click here to view video

Hopefully next week I will insert the proper obstacles, the rings. As well as design my in-game character, that being a Jenday Conure parrot.

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 essentially for players who are new to a game who want to satiate their curiosity. 

• Hard Fun: It is essentially 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).

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 about 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 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 mind 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].

Bird Flight Prototype

 Hi, 

I have began creating my game in unity, I was struggling with coding the movement of my player in the game so I watched some Youtube tutorial videos which helped me. 

                                                       My prototype so far (My own image)

I started my track, and I have not yet designed my character so I just placed a cube to represent my character until I have it ready. 

I managed to get the left right controls in place, now I need to implement the flying part which I have not researched how to do yet, but will get on it as it is a vital part of my game. 

I do struggle with coding aspect in unity but hopefully as I practice more I will get better.

Game 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].

Why flow share is in game design?

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.

Game Design Document

HI,

 This is my GDD, my game is inspired by the game 'flappy bird' it is a based on a bird that must fly successfully through rings throughout the map. The game is based in the jungle. It is based on a high score, there is no levels to the game. 

 

                                                                            Flappy Bird!

REF

Read my GDD here!

Unity Tutorial 05

 Hi,

I have just completed Unity Tutorial 05.

I really enjoyed this particular lesson because I have now learned not only how runner games work but also how to design and develop one! 

I found this lesson easy to follow and found it easy enough to navigate through unity, perhaps it is because I am gradually getting used to the program. Although the player animation was sort of confusing, the tutor explained it well and now I know how animation in games work.

I also liked this lesson as it gave me an insight on what I can include in my own game. Features such as obstacles and animation helped build my confidence when thinking of my own game to be created. 

I am getting faster with the coding aspect of unity, I find it easy to follow the tutor when he is coding, I now also have better knowledge when it comes to the code and what each tag means and what it does to the actual game. I am not much of a coding person but I must say, it is not too bad when I know what I am doing. Looking forward to the next lesson!

                                     Was really interesting learning the animation side of Unity!

Games GDD

 What is the GDD for?

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 (1999) 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. 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.

9. 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/

Ferns, 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 07/26/16

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

                       

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