From Beginning To...

  One article that I have read this week is " Into the Woods: A Practical Guide to the Hero's Journey " by Bob Bates. He explains that the hero's journey is important because myths are important. They are tales that teach us we should act in day to day life, and the morals that we should adhere to. Myths actively guide our actions, whether we are aware of it or not.   Myths influence our: Personal Identity Communities Moral Values Mysteries of Life and Death   Humans have survived by their communication of dangers to their kin and tribes. When they learned of danger, they would avoid the danger where possible, but also make others close to them aware of the danger, and they would live longer as a result. Myths and parables do the same. They spread awareness of dangers, and teach people how to avoid them. Even personal dangers such as greed, jealousy, wrath, gluttony, pride, lust and sloth are often warned against - more commonly known as the Seven Deadly S...

  Over the past 8 weeks, I have read several articles and publications on Game Design and Development. Some have been difficult to digest, and others were a joy to read. All of them were informative, and contained valuable insight into game design. Writing about them in an academic manner has occasionally been a challenge, but has been as important as the reading itself. Academic writing is not always my strong point, as I am very expressive, and like to add opinion and personal touches to my writings. However, it is a skill that I will need in the future, and now is a good time to get some practice in.   I have learned and / or refreshed a great deal from the weekly readings. There are an awful lot of elements that seem quite obvious when reading about them. But when it is time to implement them myself, they are easily forgotten. For me, they stressed the importance of planning the game first, before even opening a game engine. This was very useful in my own design. I would...

  " Natural Funativity " is an article by Noah Falstein where he explores the reasons why we find games fun. Falstein's previous boss, Steve Arnold, began working in the games industry after years as a child psychologist. He understood the minds of the target audience for games, and would often ask, "What is the Funativity Quotient?" This question implied that fun could be "categorized, defined, perhaps even measured."   Games are a specialised form of play, and play is an activity that all species use to practice survival skills. It is an instinct. Education and entertainment are very closely linked, and even when it isn't obviously apparent, often times entertainment is, at the same time, educational. We see this in children - a lot of their play involves imitating adults and the tasks that they do. Play can keep skills sharp in a safe, controlled and relaxed environment.   Physical, Social and Mental fun are all parts or what makes games en...

  An article that I read this week is " Building a Princess Saving App ", by Daniel Cook. It is a transcript of a talk aimed at Interaction Designers, but contains a lot of useful information and draws comparisons between game and app design. Fun is one of the core concepts of Game Design Source: Article   The author writes that game players learn new skills, and they have fun doing so. He uses the iconic video game staple of "Rescuing Princesses", to compare games and apps. While this theme is usually associated with video games, Cook attempts to make a princess rescuing application. He creates three different types of application: Basic Web App Simple Web 2.0 App Complex Web App   The learning curve on the basic and complex web apps are slow, but there is much more learning involved. The positive thing about this is that there are many more features than the other applications, but learning them all can be daunting, frustrating and time consuming. ...

Various coloured pieces from Settlers of Catan Source:  PxHere   An interesting article that I have read this week is “ Design Considerations ”, by Greg Aleknevicus. In this article he discusses the factors of games that he really enjoys. These all fall under the category of physical presentation in board games. He states that he limits himself to “ideas and concerns that do not (for the most part) require extra expense beyond time”. He separates his views into categories; Components, The Box, Cards, Theme, and Rules. - Components   The design of the components of a game can drastically increase the enjoyability and functionality of a game. Aleknevicus suggests making game tiles “smaller than the spaces they’re placed upon”. This leaves room for movement of the tiles without disturbing the other tiles around it. Making the player pieces easily distinguishable is another suggestion, albeit somewhat more difficult. Many people suffer from colour blindness, of whi...

  All games have several formal elements, meaning that they can be defined. While some games will contain elements that are not necessary for functionality, there are core elements that are needed for a medium to become a game. A chess board set up for play. Source:  WikiMedia Players :   Without at least one player, a game cannot be played. It must be defined how many players are needed for play. Chess needs exactly two players, and it cannot function properly without both players. Solitaire needs exactly one player. and they play versus the system of the game. There are many games that do not need an exact amount of players. Many first person shooters do not need an exact amount, and the game can be played with either odd or even numbers. Once the game establishes how the players interact, the play is in motion. eg One v One v One - Free for All, Team Competition, Head to Head etc. Objectives :   For a game to be completed, there must be a scenario th...

Pieces from a board game. Image Source:  PHere What is a game?   A game has many definitions. One such definition used by Ian Schreiber is "a play activity with rules that involves conflict." Each game has a set of fundamentals that make it a game. They have ends and means; objectives, outcomes and rules defining how to get there. Decisions are made by a player, who seek objectives within the space given.   Schreiber states that there are six properties in a game: It is "Free". Playing is optional. It is "Separate", here meaning fixed in space and time in advance. It has an uncertain outcome. It is "Unproductive". It does not create real life goods or wealth. It is governed by rules. It is make believe.   These properties lend structure to a game, and help to distinguish the border between the game world and the real world. It is not necessary to play a game, therefore it is optional; the first decision made by the player is to...