Reading 5

Accurate Representation of the requirements for writing
Source: WikiMedia


This week I aimed to get my headings and a paragraph done for at least one topic. As I have the most research done on Internal Economy, I started by trying to determine the similarities between the papers I had read. I tried not to overthink it, and just see what each of them, or most of them had in common. The headings I decided on are:

  • Economy Mechanics 
  • Player Motivation 
  • Player Choices 
  • Effect on Gameplay 
    • Emergence 
    • Progression 
These may change, but for now I think it is a good start. These are based on the five papers I have currently entered into my Matrix on this topic. Adding any more at this moment in time will stall my progress. While I am aware that I will need to add more content and research to my Matrix, I think I need to progress to the next stage to understand what I need to look for in my future research.

Writing the paragraphs is proving challenging. I have taken the first heading to start: Economy Mechanics. The aim for this is to state what economy mechanics are according to several resources. What is universally agreed upon and generally required when it comes to economy mechanics? What are the variables, and what mechanics are reusable between games?

The main challenge at the minute is to not go completely off on my own and make assumptions. I want to write factually and not include opinions or assumptions. At the same time, I do not want to directly quote from the source material, and prove unable to write my own synopsis on the heading. 

Making sure that I am using the source material in a referential way without directly plagiarising is the most difficult element at the moment, and is slowing down my work. I hope to gain more confidence as I write, and as I become more familiar with the process of academic writing in a practical setting.

- Ultan

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