Week 7 - The Rock/Paper/Scissors of Design

I've drawn the classic Spy vs Spy characters to illustrate my rock/paper/scissors point.  Explains why there are normally only two spys, since one seems very blue :D  :P

Lecture 7

The lecture ended with a short game development cycle by looking at changing the game of Paper/Scissors/Rock. But I'll mention it first. We looked at how if you increase the number of variables in the game, it greatly increases the complexity. The episode of the Big Bang Theory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory) was mentioned, where Sheldon expands the game to Rock/Paper/Scissors/Lizard/Spock. That becomes complex enough, but adding more variables makes it almost impossible to remember all the inter-relationships for winning conditions without some kind of visual aid (which follows a simple formula). The beauty of computer games of course, is that you can have staggering complexity, yet still have relatively simple player input. But without a computer, I rather do the opposite as the cartoon kind of alludes to, and exclude a variable to the classic game. But oh drat... now it becomes 'Heads or Tails' :P

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Group Project 1 Feedback

The lecture started with feed back on our first group project. I felt comfortable with what I did. I did not use Prezi, since someone else in the group had that task assigned to them. While it would have been nice if all of us had a hand in every facet of the project, that unfortunately would not have worked with our team.

Design Process and Iterative Design

We then when over the design process again, which I will not repeat.

Participatory Design

Participatory design was then discussed. Essentially, this is designing from the bottom up, which is to say that advice from the end user is a vital part of this design process. As I've commented before, the makers of Half Life 2 (a very popular game) were strongly focused on the end user. Even last weeks lecture about interfaces, focused on designing for the concerns of the user. So the message is clear, end users should be actively involved in the design process as much as is possible in order to obtain the best results.

However, in terms of games as art, I will not say that every aspect should be fuelled by what the end user wants. Artists tend to do things primarily for their own interests. So while in terms of accessing the experience, the user's needs should be heavily weighed, the story/experience itself may be another matter. In general, people want to experience something new or innovative; and that is likely going to be outside of their experience and known desires. Even for movies, Hollywood follows audience derived formulas that they know does sell, but that is not necessarily an ideal to emulate if quality is desired. Game design need not be the same as tool design, which some other kinds of design can be.

Game Design (in particular)

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Image from (http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2013/04/17). Bill Watterson's cartoons are one of my inspirations. The lecturer implied that 'Design' is the top over arching profession. Made me think of this.  :D

It was discussed how computer game design brings in many different facets of design, since there are the designing of stories, locations, characters, music, puzzles, game mechanics, networking, and many more. A game designer potentially has many designing hats to wear. A game designer may be like a producer or director. Or they may just take care of a specific domain.

Some topics from another unit (Computer Game Studies) were touched upon. I must say that I don't see the need to differentiate between toys and games. I see sandbox games like Minecraft (https://minecraft.net) as being every bit as much a game, even if it is used more freely like a toy.  A Maserati can be seen as a toy, but that doesn't stop it from being a beautifuly designed car. As I said back in week 1 when discussing the game Dear Ester, it's all just interactive entertainment to me, which is what I see computer games being all about. I have very strong issues with a number of things to do with the psychology/philosophy of games. Yet while those considerations are of importance for design, I will not go into it with this blog/journal.

Material Looked Up

• Meaningful Play - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meaningful_play) Essentially, play that serves some purpose, such as learning life skills, rehabilitation, research, obtaining goals. The play in computer games has designed meaning, where individual actions work towards some larger purpose. While most often this may be just a purpose that exists only within the game; in simulation games for example, it can be educational. Salen and Zimmerman put forth that the goal of game design was 'Meaningful Play'.
• Gamasutra -  (http://www.gamasutra.com) A resource for Game Developers. I was not aware of it before, but I will monitor it now. Although I'll have to watch out for information overload.

Group Project 2 - Future Echo's (Week 1 of 4)

This second project was introduced in the lectures last week. The project requirement is to come up with some kind of 4min video narrative that examines how things might be 20 years from now. We would be in the same groups as last time, meaning my group has four members.

One of my ideas for the 2nd group project :P

This time, I started thinking of things straight away, before this weeks first group tutorial. Of course, I knew that we would be group brainstorming in the first class, and fully formed ideas were not necessary, but I couldn't wait. I came up with two ideas as follows:

Idea 1 - Lai of the Lizards - Twenty years from now the world has improved it's recycling and waste management. Less waste, no more landfills. This would be a comic story of the adverse effects this has on the rubbish bin ecology. The lizards don't eat the rubbish, but they do eat what is attracted to the rubbish. It could be done largely with a camera/phone, and doesn't require 'acting' (Maybe some voice acting only). Drawing is minimal (or just uses photo's of the animal characters). Now knowing my group better from the first project, I thought something like this would be the most realistic to achieve.

(http://xinying4882a.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/)

Idea 2 - "Welcome to Toola" - Twenty years from now, VR technology had finally improved to provide a world not unlike that shown in the anime 'Dennou Coil' (which I gave reference to back in week 2). I see Google Glass (http://www.google.com/glass/start/what-it-does/) as being a current precursor to what may exist in 20 years, where a virtual world could be super-imposed on the real world, creating a combined world. This VR/AR tech area is actually what I would like to be involved in, on a professional basis, in the future. "Welcome to Toola" would be a black comedy (with gore) that flies face first into the negative criticism that such a combined world may provoke. The title coming from: "La La Land" = "Two La Land" = "Welcome to Toola". However, while this would make for a potentially high impact and relevant short story, I think if I pursued something like this, I would end up doing most of the heavy lifting within the group. It would require a lot of drawing to achieve the effect I envision. All the team would need to be highly motivated, which is a lot to ask.

But of course, these were just my independent thoughts. We must perform as a group. Prior to the first tutorial on this project, I also spoke with one of the team members that I thought could have done more in the first project. It became clear they were in survival mode, passing being their only concern. I can indeed understand that, dramas in life can take their toll (I have been there). Yet while I may understand, I myself would not be happy with just a 'pass' as my grade. So those who want more have to give and do more.

First Tutorial for Project 2

I didn't reveal the depth of my above ideas to the group or class (except to mention Dennou Coil). With the first project, I wondered if I may have unintentionally 'taken over'. So this time I decided to sit back and spectate more. I still shared general undeveloped thoughts, but I was more interested in what the others in my group had to say. I wanted to know what inspires each of them, what motivates them. I would prefer it if we end up using another group members ideas. I want to act more as a team, and there may be more investment from some others if it is their idea.

Page from my sketchbook with thoughts on 'Future Echo's"

After the previous project, I said that I would use four pages to explore ideas, with a corner of each page being a hub. Yet while I may have started with that premise, one page is all that was done. The first project was very abstract, it truly needed the exploration of many basic ideas. And from that brainstorming, the Lava design that our group used was born. This second project is not so abstract, and requires more developed concepts. Not to mention that I wanted to hear (and encouraged) the deeper thoughts of others. So the ideas were fewer, but with more depth. I didn't consider that a bad thing, although the topics from the page above a just mere 'reminders' of all that was said about each point.

I didn't take pictures of the other members brainstorming pages like I did the first time. But I certainly did examine them. Like last time, one person was all linked words, one had mostly just pictures, and one had not much. There was nothing drawn or written by others that stood out as far as I could see, beyond that which was already replicated on my own page above. However, there was one idea that was put forward by one other group member that I thought had great potential, but I'm leaving it alone for now and hoping that they will develop it a bit further. In general, I didn't feel that the others were sticking to 20 years into the future. A lot seemed much further into the future than that. I don't mind exaggeration, but it should still fit within that scope. Yes, I know, even the 'Perfect Recycling within 20 Years' idea I had is expecting too much :P  (But only because it's not a priority). But I guess todays trash tip is tomorrows archeological delight :P

My group is meeting up on Monday 22nd, since we know that we need a few strong concepts presented as a story board before the next tutorial. At that point, after the others give their ideas, I will let them know about my above two ideas. So far, of the ideas that were discussed in the group (excluding my own), the five most prominent for me are:

• Big-Brother/Propaganda - an untold wealth of inspiration here. I'm surprised no-one else in the group mentioned the Truman Show (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truman_Show) as an inspiration.
• Enhancement - the movie Gattaca (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gattaca) comes to mind as a genetic example. The movie Limitless (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limitless) is drug enhancement. We discussed many more within the group.
• Mind Control - quite distinct from Big-Brother. One group member mentioned the serial Doll House (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollhouse_(TV_series)) as an inspiration. But once again, there are many sources of inspiration. I was surprised that we had all seen the movie Gamer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamer_(film)). Although I probably should not have been that surprised given the course I'm studying.
• Space Exploration - do I really need to list any of the untold themes in this area :P
• Apocalypse - The comedic video that the tutors showed about 'The Event' was entertaining. But I put such ideas like that last, since an apocalypse of any kind is not the kind of future that I'm striving for, even if it does make great subject matter.

However, what was not discussed by my team members in the tutorial session, was how to turn any of the wonderful ideas into something practical that we can do. In our meeting on Monday, I hope that the others will have given that some thought.

Just to finish, I'll mention some themes that other groups came up with:

• Profession Hats - essentially 'hats' that give you the skills of the professions encoded in them.
• Underground Religion - religion being outlawed and going underground (USSR style).
• One Currency - the world only has one united currency. A tutor said "like the Euro" :)
• Limited Resources - with increasing population and declining resources like oil, many options here. "Do you want cricket fries with your grubs?" (Although that's already the menu in some places).