Category Archives: Project 15

project15-final project

Week 16 Milestone: Final Project

 

To better inform the design of your games, it is useful to play completed games and critically analyze their components. Select a game that interests you from the Games For Change web site (http://www.gamesforchange.org/play/). Play the game to completion or, if there is no ending, until you have mastered the system. Use the worksheet below to guide your critical analysis, but feel free to add to this template as needed. Not all areas will apply to every game, and the questions listed below are only meant as a guide. Consult your text for terms you don’t understand. Publish your analysis in expository form to your ePortfolio as a critical game review. Submit a copy of your worksheet to the appropriate link in Blackboard.

 

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 Health Genie by Cristina Martinez
URL where the game can be found  
LEARNING ELEMENTS  
Learning objective – What is the game trying to teach? What learning experience is the game attempting to create for the player? It is trying to teach people about the gene mutation MTHFR and for those who may have it already, how to maintain a healthy diet.
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? It is a board game, players have to pick the healthiest foods from a pack of cards before the timer and whoever has the most wins, the game does enforce the learning objective because you learn which foods are gluten free. It begins to be easy to remember because you look at the name, picture, and player may say the food out loud and that becomes a better chance of it staying in the players mind.
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? All are used; you need to think about what foods are healthy for the child. When the child is ill, that may affect the player’s behavior and make them feel frustrated. I plan to affect the system by having a lot of foods surrounding the baby and the player has to quickly choose which foods are good. If they choose wrong, the baby’s health decreases. There will be a pop up doctor that will show up giving tips and suggestions.

 

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)? 2 ore more players can play this game or as many the cards can allow
Game objective – What is the primary objective of the game? Does the game objective reinforce the learning objective? The player needs to keep the baby’s health up by feeding the baby healthy food.
Rules and procedures – What are the rules of the game? How do these complement or conflict with the game and learning objectives? The rules are in the amount of time given; feed the baby the correct foods. You cannot trade cards unless you get a special blue card. You may get a free pass if you get that in your stack of food cards. This may conflict because the player can simply throw down any card and not really learn the whole point of the game. There are specialty cards. Cards that can add extra time, give free passes for more points, or trade cards with a player. There is a card that guides the player on what to do each level. The players have to look at it before they begin the level so that they know which food stack to use.

 

Resources – What items are accrued during the game? What resources are spent? What governs the exchange of resources? There are specialty cards. Cards that can add extra time, give free passes for more points, or trade cards with a player. Depending on the level and what foods are used determines the factor of the cards.

 

Conflict – How is conflict between players or game elements introduced, maintained, and resolved? There is a card that guides the player on what to do each level. The players have to look at it before they begin the level so that they know which food stack to use.

 

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? You can only use what is given to win the game. You must pick the right card or else you lose. You have to think quickly and another person is challenging you.
Outcome – How does the game end? Does the outcome conflict with the objectives? The game ends with one of the player’s winning by having the most correct foods.

 

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 baby. Everything is centered on it; the health of the baby is how you win the game so that is the motivation. The player needs to figure the baby out to win so they have to work together in a sense.
Challenge – What challenges are presented to the player/character? What skills must the character/player learn or master? The challenge is to beat the next person at passing the correct foods into the baby’s mouth. They must master moving fast as possible and understanding what food is healthiest.
World building – In what fictional world does the game take place? It takes place in this time in a regular family home kitchen.
Premise – What is the general premise of the story? The background story is about a child being diagnosed with the gene mutation MTHFR and the parents need to change the babies diet. This game would be more appealing to killers and achievers.

 

Story – Does the story use a linear, branching, or emergent narrative? How do player interactions relate to the narrative? Linear
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? Killers and achievers because they are the most competitive and would want to beat the game.
Dramatic arc – How are tension and resolution controlled in the story? How does the story create conflict in the game? Depending on what the child is fed, controls what consequences are to follow
SYSTEM DYNAMICS  
Objects – What objects are used to build game systems (e.g., houses in Monopoly)? Different types of food
Properties – What object properties are required for the game systems (e.g., house values)? Gluten free food
Behaviors – What object behaviors are required for the game system (e.g., buying)? Eating healthy fresh foods
Relationships – What are the basic relationships between system elements? What controls the dynamics of the system? Everything is connected, the baby relies of the player (aka the parent) and depending on what the parent chooses to feed the child will affect the baby’s overall health.
Economies – Does the game system exist as an economy (e.g., Monopoly or SimCity)? If so, how does the economy change over time? N/A
Emergent systems – What new systems emerge from game play? Are there procedurally generated systems? As the game progresses new factors may pop up. For example, alcohol and cigarettes and be mixed in the deck.
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? Everything for the most part is exposed. Players just need to follow the cards and depending on what specialty cards are in their deck they can have more control than their opponent.
FUNCTIONALITY, COMPLETENESS, & BALANCE  
Functionality – Is the game fully functional?  

Yes

Completeness – Is the game complete? Is there a voice not being represented? The game is complete. You see the react ion of the player and the baby through out the game. Such as the health of the baby can decrease or the player is becoming more stressed at figuring out what to feed the baby.

 

Balance – Is the game balanced? Is there a dominant strategy? Is the game symmetrical? If not, is the imbalance intentionally part of the design? Yes it is there are rules set and game pieces
FUN AND ACCESSIBILITY  
Fun – Is the game engaging? How do elements that support engagement promote or obscure learning? Yes you have to actively participate and by how fast paced and competitive it is, it helps increase learning.
Player choice – What choices are meaningful in the game? How do these relate to the objective? It is important to choose the right foods.
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? The only fun killer is that it is very easy to play the game. There are not that many situations or obstacles to make the player think of other ways to win the game.

 

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 only fun killer is that it is very easy to play the game. There are not that many situations or obstacles to make the player think of other ways to win the game.

 

 

project15-week15

Health Genie:

Conclusion-  I made a mistake…. Sad-face

My thesis originally, “It is predicted that the gene
mutation is associated with migraines and
depression which leads individuals to become
alcohol dependent”. I had to change this because I
have no data proving this. My game was about
educating young adults to the gene mutation
MTHFR. My thesis now is, it is predicted that the

gene mutation is associated with causing health issues; educating people about it can help prevent bad health. The people who randomly played my game had no idea about it. When they played the game, they chose the wrong foods and lost points. After playing the game I let them know how common this is and the symptoms that some of them were interested in knowing more about it. My thesis is not solving anything. It is just informing people on another type of deficiency. Letting people know about other health defects is always beneficial because if they have it or someone they know does, they can start changing their diet to feel better. The studies I looked to were trying to find a connection between the gene mutation and depression or having a migraine with an aura. There was data proving these ideas. I stopped looking at what exactly my old thesis was about and trying to create a simple game. 

project15-week12

Health Genie 

Updated Data- image 3

MethodsThere were 5 subjects used. The subjects were given the same baby with the gene mutation and they needed to beat the other to win the game. The subjects were male and female and a mixture of all races. Some were African American,Hispanic, and Asian. I wrote down the results from each time they played. I collected how many foods were placed in the right spot and the health of the baby. The game was aboard/card game combined. I would change the time of when everything needed to be completed. I would also change the foods and make it more complicated by just placing names of food companies that are gluten free. The players need to determine the difference and figure out how to feed the baby. I gave out a card that had all of the directions onIt and I wrote down all the data. 

Results– The players thought the game was fun. I realized when I would just use pictures of foods, the player caught on quickly gluten free products. But during the next round when changing just to food labels and company names, the health of the baby decreased. It was better to keep a steady longer time to play the game and add more material to the game.

 

 

project15-week11

Health GenieBaby 1

Learning elements:

Learning objectives– The game is trying to teach players about the gene mutation MTHFR. To help them understand what is a healthy diet.

Primary game mechanic– It is a card game that you need to think fast which food is healthy for the baby. It is a competitive game that you can play with two or more people.

Processes– Physiological/cognitive/social/behavior processes of processes are all used. The player is given the material of just foods and maybe other external factors like smoking or alcohol, and the player needs to decide what passes through to the baby. Adding more material and playing against others makes it more interesting.

Formal Elements:

# of players– 2 ore more (as much as the cards can let)

Game objective– Have to pick the healthiest foods from a pack of cards before the timer and whoever has the most wins, The game does enforce the learning objective because you learn which foods are gluten free. It begins to be easy to remember because you look at the name, picture, and may say the food out loud and that becomes a better chance of it staying in the players mind.

Rules and Procedures– The rules are in the amount of time given; feed the baby the correct foods. You cannot trade cards unless you get a special blue card. You may get a free pass if you get that in your stack of food cards. This may conflict because the player can simply through down any card and not really learn the whole point of the game.

Resources– There are specialty cards. Cards that can add extra time, give free passes for more points, or trade cards with a player.

Conflict– There is a card that guides the player on what to do each level. The players have to look at it before they begin the level so that they know which food stack to use.

Boundaries– You can only use what is given to win the game. You must pick the right card or else you lose. You have to think quickly and you are being challenged by another person which can make it interesting.

Outcome– The game ends with one of the player’s winning by having the most correct foods.

Dramatic Elements– The background story is about a child being diagnosed with the gene mutation MTHFR and the parents need to change the babies diet. This game would be more appealing to killers and achievers.

Systems Dynamics– You use playing cards with different types of food.

Functionality, Completeness, & Balance– The game is complete. You see the react ion of the player and the baby through out the game. Such as the health of the baby can decrease or the player is becoming more stressed at figuring out what to feed the baby.

Fun and Accessibility: Baby 2The game is fun you need to actively participate, it is important to choose the right foods for the baby if not, you lose the game. The only fun killer is that it is very easy to play the game. There are not that many situations or obstacles to make the player think of other ways to win the game. It is very easy to play the game. No more than 5 mins to learn. You learn by reading the directions before playing the game.

 

project15-week10

Health Genie

image 3

Subjects: 

5 subjects were used and they were  recruited by random. I approached them and ask if they would like to participate in an experiment. They have no health conditions and unfamiliar with the gene mutation MTHFR. 

Apparatus:

Data was collected by writing the information down on a piece of paper. The game is a card game. There is a major game board, food cards, specialty cards, and a timer. Responses are measured by days and the health of the baby.

Procedures:

The results of each player’s baby’s health I compared.The subjects were asked to maintain/ improve the health of the baby. The players were given direction cards to begin and play. I did not want to over shadow and explain because I wanted to see if my game was functional.

Results:

The game is functional however; it can still be more challenging. The game still is too easy. The first round the players did not do so well with understanding which foods were gluten free. But by the next rounds they had a better understanding and became more competitive. It was a success because they were learning about it and wanting to know more information.health baby

Project15-Week9

Game: Health Genie

Learning Elements:

The game is trying to teach players about the gene mutation MTHFR. To help them understand what is a healthy diet. It is a card game that you need to think fast which food is healthy for the baby. It is a competitive game that you can play with two or more people. Physiological/cognitive/social/behavior processes are all used when playing this game. The player is given the material of just foods and maybe other external factors like smoking or alcohol, and the player needs to decide what passes through to the baby. Being timed and playing against others makes it more interesting.

Formal Elements:

2 ore more players can play this game. As many as the cards can allow. Players have to pick the healthiest foods from a pack of cards before the timer and whoever has the most wins, The game does enforce the learning objective because you learn which foods are  gluten free. It begins to be easy to remember because you look at the name, picture, and player may say the food out loud and that becomes a better chance of it staying in the players mind. The player’s have a lot of freedom during this game. The only things that they can not control are the food that they are given. And the other external factors like drugs and alcohol if that pops up in a food stack. This makes it fun because you have to work with what you got to make it. Using the specialty cards can health if the odds are not in your favor and you get a bad food deck.

Rules:

The rules are in the amount of time given; feed the baby the correct foods. You cannot trade cards unless you get a special blue card. You may get a free pass if you get that in your stack of food cards. This may conflict because the player can simply throw down any card and not really learn the whole point of the game. There are specialty cards. Cards that can add extra time, give free passes for more points, or trade cards with a player. There is a card that guides the player on what to do each level. The players have to look at it before they begin the level so that they know which food stack to use.

 

Project15-Week8

Game Title: Health Genie

Methods:image 3

There were 5 subjects used. Two of them were friends who were interested in my game. They just wanted to help me and told their friends to try it out also. It’s a two player game so I had people play against each other. Since I did not have a sand timer, I used my phone and set it to 30 secs and shortened the time to make it more interesting. I had to figure out scenarios and change the food options for each level which made it a little difficult for me. I realized he more detailed I make the game, the better it will be. To collect data, I wrote it down on a piece of paper. I wrote down their name, age, ethnic background, male or female, and who won or lost.image 4

They were given playing cards of different foods. They were told to give the baby gluten free products and they needed to think fast on which foods are gluten free. The time is limited and they need to sort through the cards before the other player. I explained to them in person the rules to make sure they fully understand my game. I need to make a card that has the directions.

Results:

2 out of the 5 had a better idea of what foods were best for the baby. Some had a little trouble but got better at it as they kept playing, They learned by copying the other player in a way. I need to make the game more interesting by figuring out a way to add more factors or situations. I should have created a survey for the players to fill out to know what I need to work on to fix the game and what they learned from the game.

Project15-Week7

All about my Game:

My game is called Health Genie

This game is trying to teach players how to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle while having the gene mutation. It is a video game that you can use a keyboard or mouse to pass the food into the baby’s mouth.

 

Physiological/cognitive/social/behavior processes:

 

All are used; you need to think about what foods are healthy for the child. When the child is ill, that may affect the player’s behavior and make them feel frustrated.

I plan to affect the system by having a lot of foods surrounding the baby and the player has to quickly choose which foods are good. If they choose wrong, the baby’s health decreases. There will be a pop up doctor that will show up giving tips and suggestions.

 

How is works:

 

This is a one player game. The objective of the game is to keep the baby healthy. This reinforces the learning objective because figuring out what is healthy for the baby stays in the player’s mind, so they are learning without knowing it. The rules are that you need to feed the baby the correct food in a limited amount of time. The age of the child, changes the types of food and other toxins that can be exposed in the game. When harmful foods or toxins like cigarettes or alcohol are exposed. It can be resolved given the right medicine or foods. Everything is given to the player so the player has limited choices. It can be fun because they have to work with the resources they get to fix the issue. This game does not end it can be played over and over.

 

The baby and the baby’s health is their motivation because that is what takes them to the next level. The baby is the player’s child. The challenges are to know what is healthy for the child to eat in every situation. For example, when at a mall what foods are okay to eat. It takes place in many places. The background changes every level. It starts in a kitchen and can change to the park or the mall depending on the level. The types of food depends on the setting of the level.

 

What’s the story?

 

You find out that the baby has a gene mutation and throughout the child’s life the player finds out how to keep the baby healthy. Throughout everyday situations you go through, you find out how to keep the baby healthy.

Project15-Week6

Week 6 Milestone: Methods for Affects of Gene Mutation Game

Intro: This game is to help mid adolescence and early adulthood students understand the gene mutation MTHFR and still be able to be healthy. This game is supposed to be simple to understand and to show the effects when you do not keep up with the diets. images 3

Subjects:

  1. Mid adolescence, early adulthood college/high school, all ethnicities with the gene mutation MTHFR
  2. Upper high school grades 11-12 (ages 16-18), college students (ages 18-24). Recruited through research pools, flyers posted up in schools. Children from urban areas. Public colleges with gene mutation and without.
  3. Control group: without the gene mutation

Experimental group: have the gene mutation

  1. People included- with and without gene mutation
  2. People excluded- with gene mutation MTHFR and other health issues
  3. 19, males and females, all ethnicities, college, and high school

Apparatus

I feel a video game will be more effective for the idea I have. I was thinking to have the baby grow up and for the child to continue going through health issues and problems. Have the child-teenager make bad decisions and see how the player guides the child throughout.   Baby 1

  1. Food is the stimuli, it causes a reaction depending on if you have the gene mutation, as the child gets older, alcohol and drugs can pop up as well to see how that may effect the health of the child
  2. Food pieces are created in the game and it will be circling aroung the child and you need to click the right foods to give the baby. The levels will get harder as you continue playing. And drugs and alcohol will be added to the game pieces.
  3. There is a health bar and the baby’s face changes depending on what the child eats to keep track of the responses.

Procedures

  1. The babies with the sensitivity to gluten’s results and the healthy baby’s results are going to be compared. Baby 2
  2. the subjects in each condition need to feed the baby the right food. There will be food circling the baby and they have to think fast what foods are good.
  3. The directions are floating on top of the screen.
  4. Points and health of the baby is recorded throughout each level.