MiniProject_03
Game Your World Think outside the box… and the screen.
Active engagement and participation is a critical part of any social media solution. Many of the underlying principles of game design can be effectively used to create broader frameworks for participation. How can we intentionally use these principles in our designs? We might first ask...whatʼs in a game? Game designers and researchers alike have written their own definitions of games - many of them wordy, some of them vague, all of them challengeable. What are the elements of a game? What motivates an individual to become a game player? This week, we will explore games: the definitions, the motivations, the design.
THE GOAL(s)
This project has four goals: 1) Generate game design principles that encourage participation 2) Gain experience applying principles of game design and motivation using the design process 3) Gain experience testing prototypes with users 4) Learn to collaborate quickly and effectively with your classmates
THE ASSIGNMENT th
For Thursday April 16 : 1) Read / Watch: a. Watch Saving the World Through Game Design: Jane McGonigal talks with Daniel Zalewski about alternate-reality gaming. From “Stories from the Near Future,” the 2008 New Yorker Conference b. Read the handout you were given in class: (it will be 1 of the following 4) i. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi; Chapters 3 & 4 ii. A Theory of Fun for Game Design, Raph Koster; Chapters 2&3 iii. Rules of Play, Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman; Chapters 5 &7 iv. Intrinsic Motivation in Education, Mark Lepper et al; pgs 12-27 2) Come to class prepared to share your insights about game design in a visual way (e.g. a 2x2 matrix (like we did in class with classic board games), mind map, or another form of rapid visual representation). Your insights should be thoughtful and considered. The visual implementation can be rough and quick.
For Tuesday April 21
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1) Design a game! Choose from one of the project options below. (PLEASE NOTE: you will be assigned teams. We will have 4 teams of 4) 2) Build at least two iterations of your game based on feedback from testing with real users. 3) Be prepared to share with the class: a. An overview of your game including the underlying game design principles in use b. Your gameʼs successes, failures and surprises…ideally the class can learn from all three! c. Weʼd like to see your game in use. Be creative in how you share this. If possible, let us play it in class. You could also show the class a very brief video of the game in action. If the game is online and remote then assemble a series of screenshots. Project Options Select one of the following assignments: 1) Find a game Look out into the world with your game goggles. a. Where is there a game lacking? (e.g. chores, writing qualifying papers, changing diapers, etc.) Identify an area of users' lives that lacks motivation. Game it. -ORb. Where is there a hidden “game” – an activity or object that functions as a game but is not typically recognized as a game? Take a look at how the Prius dashboard interface turned fuel conservation into a game: http://printmag.coverleaf.com/printmag/200810/?pg=28 Using insights found in the underlying principles of game design, look for "games" in the real world. Make an explicit game inspired by the implicit game you found out in the world. 2) Street Overlay Choose a new reality to map onto the real world. Think anything from hop scotch to World Without Oil.
ADVICE FOR SUCCESS Have fun as a team! Collaboration can be challenging, but that ʻs part of what makes it fun! Build off of each otherʼs ideas, avoid attachment to one solution, add humor, do your best to keep up the team energy… Lean on your design process. Always feel free to return to different phases of the design process to get inspiration or clarify your point of view: Saturate, Synthesize, Realize. PLAY! Why not play a game when you meet as a team? Not only will this generate team rapport, it may inspire game principles or prototyping ideas. Prototype quick and dirty. Stay on your feet, build and draw more than you think and talk. Making physical artifacts as soon as possible will help you generate ideas and keep up the project momentum. Ask for help. The teaching team loves to help. Just ask!