Here is a poster of my work for this past semester. It has all you need to know about my game in its current state.
Monthly Archives: May 2016
PROJECT-11 FINAL PROJECT
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For the past 5 months I have been tasked with creating a game for learning purposes. This game was supposed to be about a topic of interest to me that is currently a hot topic in the Psych community. The topic I chose was Microaggression and this critical analysis that follows is based upon the game I came up with.
The Game: “Black In America” by Najahwan Goode/ CUNY York College
Learning Elements
This game is trying to teach the player about microaggression and its different forms. The game is trying to create a world that the player can relate to and an experience they can use in their rea life in the future. The main form of interaction the player has is through conversation with a NPC. This supports the learning objective because it is the closest one can get to talking to another person without actually talking to them. This game affects social and behavioral processes the most. The game attempts to socialize individuals to respond appropriately when faced with microaggressions. It essentially tries to shape social behavior.
Formal Elements
This game is single player and non-competitive. The game objective is to lead the most successful life possible within the parameters of the games environment. This supports the learning objective because this game is trying to improve real world outcomes, and if one can—to some extent—replicate their success in game in real life they would be achieving the learning objective. The rules of the game is that you must interact with the NPC and you must choose the most appropriate response to become successful in the game. This repetitive non-optional exposure to microaggressions can help shape the player’s behavior in actual situations which supports the learning objective. There are no resources that are acquired in the game that can be exchanged, although interactions in the game do determine the outcome.
Conflict in game is introduced with each new scenario the player is placed in. It is resolved at the conclusion of each scenario. It can escalate or deescalate depending on the responses of the player throughout each scenario. The game limits the player’s ability to act in unacceptable ways by limiting the player to generated answer choices instead of allowing the player to make up their own responses to the conversations they are in. this limits the fun for some player’s because they are not allowed to create their own choices, but this is made up for by how imaginative some of the choices available are and the different outcomes that are possible within the game. This limitations does however support the learning objective because it helps give the player a basis in which to reply in some situations. This kind of guideline makes it easier for an individual to understand the confines of microaggression. The game ends very similar to the game of life, when the player is an adult, with/without a family, a career, and a set plan for retirement.
Dramatic Elements
The main character is an African American male/female avatar, created by the player. Their motivation is the fact that they are forced to grow up in a world of microaggressions, and they are given a choice. They choose to thrive or fail at life. The avatar is the player’s window into a world that is either foreign, or all too familiar. They are tasked with doing the same thing they have to do in real life, decide who they want to become. The player is faced with scenarios with varying levels of microaggressive content. The player must develop and master the ability to recognize and respond to microaggressions in an appropriate manner. The fictional world is modern day America, 2016.
The premise is that the player is supposed to grow up and decide what they want to do with their life in a world propelled by microaggression. The story is a branching narrative guided by the player’s choices. Players choose how to react in situations and their reactions lead to different tracks for the story to follow. This game is playful in the same way Tell Your Own Story books are playful. The player can experiment with all kinds of responses to lead them in different imaginative outcomes, but at the heart of the dialogue the player can really learn how to grow as a person that deals with microaggressions on a regular basis.
The story provides opportunities for conflict by using different realistic microaggression comments/ attitudes. The player can choose to escalate or deescalate these situations how they see fit, but it is very possible for the player to play through the game without much tension at all. The game creates conflict in this same manner as well. It provides the space for issues to brew but waits for the player to decide whether any specific situation is an issue or not.
System Dynamics
The game has no physical objects that can be manipulated besides speech choices but it does include backgrounds of different locations like school, various work places, avatar homes’, precincts, etc. all the places one interacts with within their life within the states. The only behavior is communication through dialogue; a scenario occurs, player reacts, consequences unfold.
The aesthetics are there for visual effect entirely. The only dynamic aspect is the conversation, which drives the locations, and characters a player interacts with. The system informs the player that they are about to embark on a journey that can be aggressive and offensive at times. The player is informed of what microaggressions are, the different types of microaggressions, what domains the responses to the microaggressions are associated with, but the player is never informed about the origin, or the reason for these microaggressions. Their feedback from the system is in the form of the consequences of their choices. Good choices end with positive outcomes and possibilities. Bad choices have negative outcomes and limits the possibilities for the player to progress in a positive fashion—good job, happy family, etc.
Functionality, Completeness, & Balance
This game is not fully functional. The openness of the game is very limited and the array of choices are not the best as of yet. The game is complete. It has a clear message and tells a story a deliberate story.
The game is balanced. There is not one way to be successful, rather a specific tone of what to be done is key. The player has to learn when to react intensely to a situation and when to make light of what could have been a potentially serious situation. When the player learns the types of responses to make to different forms of microaggression they will do well, regardless of the specific paths they choose.
Fun and Accessibility
The game is engaging when one understands what the game represents. The elements of the game support the learning objective by not adding too much to that game that it distracts the player from what is most important. The game makes it feel as though any choice can be meaningful or frivolous and therefore the player should put thought into every choice they make. Given this nature all choices made in each scenario are meaningful. At times some of the scenarios are boring and do not resonate because of how covert the microaggression is. This artful display is important for the learning objective but takes away from the fun of the game sometimes.
This game is very easy to play. To figure out how to play does not take long. Players learn to play through in-game tutorials.
Hope you have enjoyed the last 14 or so weeks reading my blogs and following my progression learning how to program and design my own game. Thank you for your interest!
Project 5: Final Project
Game Title: McKinley High’s Home Coming
The game is trying to teach the player that the music they choose to listen has a major effect on their emotional health. The dominant form of interaction is player versus player. The cognitive process is affected the most by the game design. It teaches the player to make better decisions when it comes to music. There are 4 players involved in the game. They interact competitively. The objective of the game is to get to the party first and win the game. The rules of the game are to roll the dice and get a six in order to be able to come out your room. Once you are born you are able to make your way around the board in order to attend the party. Once all four of your pieces make it to the party, you win the game. The board is filled with songs from all types of artist. If you land on a song from Future, you become depressed and you have to go back to your room. If you get a double your able to roll again. The conflict is introduced from the beginning of the game. The player who rolls a six first obviously has the upper hand. The conflict is maintained by one player doing better than the others. It is resolved by a player winning. The game only allows the players to move one way on the board. It prevents more of a fun challenge for the players. The game ends by the players getting all four of their pieces to the party. The main characters in the game are Future, Migos, Kevin Gates, Desiigner, and Young Thug. You never want to land on any of their songs. The challenge that is presented is to stay clear of any song by Future, Migos, Kevin Gates, Desiigner, and Young Thug. Their songs cause people to become depressed and they can’t socialize with others. Therefore they have they go back to their room. The fictional world is called McKinley High School. The general premise of the game is The music that we listen to can affect our emotional health. The game is playful because it is competitive. The player that gets all of their pieces to the party first wins. Tensions are controlled by rolling the dice. The dice determines what piece you move to. Every player has an equal chance to win and is represented equally. The elements promote the players to choose better music. Music greatly influences our emotions. The wrong ones can cause us to become greatly depressed. Rolling a six or a double. A six brings you out the room and a double allows you to roll again. The game is fairly easy to learn. It only takes about two minutes to fully understand the game.
Project 17_Final Poster
Final Poster_project Final Poster_Project 17
Project 17-Final Project
Final Project
RUBRIC
| Needs Improvement | Satisfactory | Excellent | Points | Comments | |
| Responded to all the relevant categories in the worksheet in a substantive manner | Needed to address several categories in the Worksheet. | Addressed most of the relevant categories, but did not demonstrate mastery of the concepts. | Addressed all of the relevant categories in the worksheet, and demonstrated mastery of key concepts as they relate to the game. | 30/30 | |
| Published critical review to the ePortfolio | Did not publish a critical review for the public. | Published a review in expository form, but the article was not accessible by novices and experts alike. | Translated all the content from the worksheet into expository form. Wrote an accessible article that could be appreciated by novices and experts. | 10/10 | |
| APA formatting, writing style, grammar, spelling, and punctuation | Article not formatted in APA style. Many issues with grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Does not include citations and references when appropriate. | Article formatted in APA style, but there are errors. Some errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Inaccurate citations and references. | Article formatted in APA style. No errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Includes appropriate citations and references when needed. | 10/10 | |
| TOTAL | 50/50 |
WORKSHEET
| GAME ELEMENTS | ANALYSIS |
| Game title and authors/company | Happy Feet by Project 17 |
| URL where the game can be found | N/A |
| LEARNING ELEMENTS | |
| Learning objective – What is the game trying to teach? What learning experience is the game attempting to create for the player? | The game is trying to teach players how to overcome social anxiety. The learning experience that this game creates is having the knowledge to associate in conversation and learning how to break out of isolation. |
| Primary game mechanic – What is the dominant form of interaction the player has with the game? How does this support or obscure the learning objective? | The dominate form of interaction players have with the game is one to one. This means that players actually interact with other players based on the group dancing. This supports the learning object because players will be allowed to participate in group dances while also breaking free from their social anxieties. |
| Physiological/cognitive/social/behavior processes – Which of these systems is most affected by the game design? How does the design attempt to affect this system? | Social process is affected by the game design because the game player will be put in a social environment while learning how to feel comfortable in a group dance. Behavior process is also affected because it will alter the game players feeling of being isolated into becoming for open. |
| FORMAL ELEMENTS | |
| Number of players – How many players are engaged in the game? How do players interact with each other and the game (e.g., competitive or coorperative)? | 20 players can be engaged in this game. Players interact by participating in group dances. |
| Game objective – What is the primary objective of the game? Does the game objective reinforce the learning objective? | The objective of the game is to benefit from the overall experience of dancing and learning how to break out of social anxieties. The game objective does reinforce the learning objective. |
| Rules and procedures – What are the rules of the game? How do these complement or conflict with the game and learning objectives? | The rules of the game are simple, dance until the music stops and rotate partners. This does not create conflict with the game objective. |
| Resources – What items are accrued during the game? What resources are spent? What governs the exchange of resources? | No items are accrued during the game, perhaps an exchange of numbers at most. No resources are spent. There is no exchange of resources. |
| Conflict – How is conflict between players or game elements introduced, maintained, and resolved? | Only conflict between players there might be is if the other person is not intrigued with the game player’s conversation. This can be resolved by continuing to play the game and learning how to build more interesting conversations. |
| Boundaries – How does the game prevent players from behaving in a certain way? How might this limitation be fun? How might it contribute to the objectives? | Players may behave the way they choose to. Because it is an interaction game it will help the game player see how other people behave and therefore help them make decision of whether or not to continue the conversation. |
| Outcome – How does the game end? Does the outcome conflict with the objectives? | The game ends when the last two players are left on the dance floor. The outcome does not conflict with the objective. |
| DRAMATIC ELEMENTS | |
| Character – Who is the main character? What is their motivation? What is the relationship between the character/avatar and the player? | The main character is the game player himself. |
| Challenge – What challenges are presented to the player/character? What skills must the character/player learn or master? | The challenge the game player faces is learning how to bring up a spontaneous conversation. The game player must master the skill of becoming socially interesting. |
| World building – In what fictional world does the game take place? | N/A |
| Premise – What is the general premise of the story? | There is not storyline, but just group dancing and learning how to break out of social anxiety. |
| Story – Does the story use a linear, branching, or emergent narrative? How do player interactions relate to the narrative? | N/A |
| Play – In what way is the game playful? Of the many types of play, which is most prevalent? Which of the players in Bartle’s Taxonomy is most likely to enjoy this game? | The game is playful because there are many forms of dancing therefore it is versatile and allows the game player and others to have a good time and workout. Those of which are Socializers will enjoy this game. |
| Dramatic arc – How are tension and resolution controlled in the story? How does the story create conflict in the game? | Tensions can increase if the person says something unnecessary. |
| SYSTEM DYNAMICS | |
| Objects – What objects are used to build game systems (e.g., houses in Monopoly)? | N/A |
| Properties – What object properties are required for the game systems (e.g., house values)? | N/A |
| Behaviors – What object behaviors are required for the game system (e.g., buying)? | Broom or stick |
| Relationships – What are the basic relationships between system elements? What controls the dynamics of the system? | N/A |
| Economies – Does the game system exist as an economy (e.g., Monopoly or SimCity)? If so, how does the economy change over time? | The game is based upon a group dance. |
| Emergent systems – What new systems emerge from game play? Are there procedurally generated systems? | N/A |
| Interacting with systems – What information about the system is exposed to the player and what is hidden? How do players interact with the system, control the system, and received feedback from the system? | Nothing crazy, music, dance floor, your feet, and courage is all it takes to play this game. |
| FUNCTIONALITY, COMPLETENESS, & BALANCE | |
| Functionality – Is the game fully functional? | Yes, the game is fully functional. Anybody can move to the rhythm of music. |
| Completeness – Is the game complete? Is there a voice not being represented? | Yes, the game is complete. If there is a voice that isn’t heard, it may be those that don’t know how to dance. |
| Balance – Is the game balanced? Is there a dominant strategy? Is the game symmetrical? If not, is the imbalance intentionally part of the design? | The game is perfectly balanced and symmetrical. The only strategy you need is to be swift and confident. |
| FUN AND ACCESSIBILITY | |
| Fun – Is the game engaging? How do elements that support engagement promote or obscure learning? | Yes, the game is very engaging, it helps promote learning for those that don’t know how to dance will now learn. They will also learn how to be sociable and not shy. |
| Player choice – What choices are meaningful in the game? How do these relate to the objective? | Choices are meaningful in this game especially when pairing up with a dance partner. This relates to the objective by using your social skills to know what type of people your around therefore making the right choice to hang around that circle. |
| Fun killers – Are there parts of the game that are broken? What parts feel like micromanaging? What parts of the game are stagnant or boring? Are there insurmountable obstacles, arbitrary windfalls/calamities, or inconsequential choices? | No this game is fully functional, all you really need is music and a group of people (20). The only way this game is boring is if the music playing has no sass. |
| Accessibility – How easy is it to play the game? How long does it take to learn the game? How do players learn how to play? | The game is very easy to learn; it does not take much time at all to learn. The players will learn to play the game based on the directions given. |
Project 4 – Week 14
RESULTS
Hey Guys, Just going to keep it brief this week and share the play test results with you guys.
MED-RACES
A total of 9 subjects were used when play testing my game. The conditions of the game were participants who played the Game and participants who did not play the game. Subjects were assigned conditions randomly. The demographics of the subjects were all pre-college freshmen selected from my church. The average ages of the participants were around the age of 18.
The materials that were used to collect data were the question cards themselves. Data was collected based on how many cards it took till the participant reached the desired goal for the level they are in. The Game was presented in a form of a Board Game.
Project 4 – Week 15
Poster Draft
MED-RACES
Thesis: It is predicted that freshmen of the various colleges will no longer enter fields that they will change when they become seniors, they will now be educated and equipped to enter the field that they will enjoy for a lifetime.
Problem : My experiment solves the problem of indecisiveness in College freshman. I centered the experiment on Nursing students as in my college that is a field that most freshmen enter into. There are many tests that are enforced to tell what a person’s interest may be, but they do not combat the issue of securing the interest in the person.
project 6 week 15
Motivating students in mathematics through a process of different steps that will lead them to better outcomes in the subject. The results support the thesis because the students are learning different information about geometry to help them excel in the game and get to the end on the game board. It helps to build your understand how to recognize different shapes and angles that you would see everyday.
It will give students a better understanding about geometry which will further there knowledge on understanding how to use geometry in everyday life. The only real problem was getting the students to try and identify the angles that were given in the experiment.
Project 6 Week 14
Geo-Trivia
Three subjects were used the trial of the game. They were recruited based on their knowledge of geometry. The conditions were set in a room where they had the game set in front of them to see how they would play the game without nay instructions. The demographics of the subjects had to be teenagers of any age.
I used a graph with trials of the three different players. The game was presented as a regular board game. The responses were measured based on the amount of questions they would get right, wrong or the questions that they passed on.
I didn’t really base the experiment off of a certain condition.
Playing the game with the players each player had their turn and I would record if they got the question right, wrong or if they passed on a question. I also recorded which player knew more information on the subject from the other players. The average person got about 20-25 of the questions right being that there were 30 questions total in the round.
Within the different groups the teens that were in high school and understood these questions were the ones that knew ore information about what the questions were asking and also the teens that knew just some information about the subject at least got about 30% of the questions right.
Project 6 Week 9
The game was trying to show the teens how much information did they really retain about geometry. The interaction in the game was among the people that were playing the game. It was in a playful setting even though it was a learning experience on its own. Social and cognitive are the most affective by the game design. It worked out that they became a little competitive due to the fact that you had to reach a certain ending point in the game. The design plays the role of giving the players the thrill of a board game but also allowing them to something school related. Three players play in the game at a time. The players interact competitively in the game. The objective of the game is to answer as many questions right as you can so that you can move your game piece to the end of the game board, completing the trial. The game objective does enforce the learning objective because it helps the players reach to a certain point in the game.
There aren’t really that many rules to the game. The only rule may be that you have to pick one card up at a time before you can move your game piece. It complements the game because you cannot cheat by moving your piece ahead of another person without answering the question right. The items in the game are the game pieces and the cards that you have to coincide with each other. Answering the question right are wrong exchanges whether your piece will move or not.
There may not be any conflict only of there if conflict between the questions that are being answered. It creates a place where the other person cannot cheat unless they figure out a way to move the piece without answering the question right. The game ends when the first person reaches the end block on the game board. There is no main character, but instead there are players that compete against each other.
