York College Poster Project Final

I’ve completed a final version of Cloud Nine this week. The learning objective in this game is to help inform and teach people about marijuana.The dominant form of interaction that the player has with the game is guessing the object on the cards. This supports the learning objective because the teammates will help the player guess the noun. And each card has definitions of these key objects.The system that affects the game design is the physiological aspect of the game. The design affects this system because things that they learn from this game will influence their actions after the game. This also affects their behavioral process and also their cognitive because players are retaining and learning new information.

A total of 8 to 10 players can engage in the game. The players interact with the each other and the game in both a competitive and cooperative way. Players compete with each other because they are all trying to win the game and lose all of their chips. Players are cooperative because they are trying to help each other guess the answers.The primary game objective of the game is to teach people about marijuana. The game objective reinforces the learning objective because players are helping each other learn and they are able to learn by helping one another.There are no items accrued in the game. No resources are spent. Conflict between players are introduced with the chip system initially everyone starts off on the same level but as the game progresses and people begin to loose or gain chips the conflict is maintained. This is only resolved once there is a winner.The player only prevents the players from knowing the information of the game. This limitation is fun because players try to guess the answers, or guess “who” or “what” they are. This contributes the game objective because players are learning while playing. They’ll be able to learn key facts about whom and what they are.The game ends when one player has managed to lose all of their chips. But if the game has been going on for an extended period of time the game ends with the person who has the least amount of chips.

The rules of Cloud Nine :
• Players cannot see their cards.
• Players can ask questions to obtain the answers
• Players cannot ask questions which gives away too much hints. This includes questions which spell out the answers.
• The game begins with the person who has guessed the least number between 1 and 10.
• Players start with 3 chips.
• Each player has 60 seconds to guess an answer.
• Each player must witch their cards after their turn has gone, whether it was guessed correctly or not.
• If a player is unable to guess their card right they must switch their cards. After two rounds of guessing their cards incorrect the player will gain one chip. A player with a total of 6 chips is disqualified from the game.
• The player with the least amount of chips, or the player that loses all of their chips wins!

There is no main character in this game. Players are only motivated to loose chips. The challenge presented to the character is both losing their chips and guessing the item on the index card. The skills that players must master are which questions to as that will help them obtain the correct answers before time runs out. This game does not take place in a fictional world. There is no story line so there is no general premise to this story. There is no player interaction with the narratives and there is no narrative in this game. The game is playful because like the game of charades players must guess who or what they are. It’s playful because teammates are able to interact with each other and help them all while trying to win on their own. According to Bartle’s Taxonomy, achievers, explorers and socialize-rs. Tension and resolution are controlled in the game when players are disqualified but it is controlled because players have another opportunity of rejoining the game once it is over. Initially everyone might not perform well but once they become accustomed to playing the game and understanding the rules and mechanics they may do better. The only objects used to build this game are headbands with a little slot; index cards an hour glass and clear plastic green chips.The objects required for the game system are the index cards the green chips, the headbands and the hour glass. There are no behaviors required only asking questions and guessing.The thing that controls the dynamics of the game is the questions players ask. These questions may either be beneficial or harmful to the player. In other words it may help them guess the answer or it will not help thin in no way.This game does not exist in an economy and no new systems emerge from this game. Players know that they need to ask questions but the index card with their item is hidden from them. They are allowed to see their teammate’s cards but they cannot see their own. This generally helps the players help one another. Players receive feedback from the system through their peers. They also receive feedback when they gain or lose chips for guessing the correct or incorrect responses.

Cloud Nine is a fully functional game. All voices in this game are represented and the game is complete. The game is imbalanced but this is done to promote player interaction and the learning objective. The game is engaging players help one another and are able to interact with one another. This supports the leaning objective because players help each other learn the material. The choices that are meaningful in the game are the questions players ask. This relates to the objective because players ask questions in order to obtain the answer on the card. The cards contain facts form both the NIDA and the NIH, both websites which contain information about marijuana. The only fun killer in the game will be if players were playing the game for an extended period of time. Another fun killer can potentially be the coin system if a player constantly loses they may not be motivated to play. It takes roughly about 10 minutes for players to familiarize themselves with the rules of the game before they actually play this game the correct way. Players are given a sheet which thoroughly explains the rules of the game. This game is a fair game.

This week we outlined a draft of our game project. I created an outline and a draft of my whole project using guidelines from the first week.

The name of the game I designed is called Cloud Nine. The purpose of this game is to teach preteens and adults about marijuana. The game enforces learning through repetition. The players are allowed to learn different fun facts from the NIDA which is the National Institute for Drug Addictions and also the NIH, National Institute of Health. The game challenges the players and teaches them through repetition because players are constantly being exposed to the different facts and each card enlist different facts about the current word which can be any noun. I believe that this game challenges the cognitive and physiological aspects of each individual because it deals with retention and focuses on how the individual interacts with the games mechanic.

Cloud Nine, has similar game designs as another game called Headbands. In our version which solely focuses on marijuana a group of about 6 to 8 individuals can be used to play in each round. The game allows each individual to get an equal opportunity of winning. The game is both challenging and fun. Players are allowed to help each other, similar to charades the persons whose turn it is, is able to ask their playmates questions which will ultimately help them achieve their goal. However, the game also allows for competition because although players are helping each other win, they are also ensuring their own advancement in the game. Players begin the game with three chips, they are able to loose chips for every correct answer and for every 2 failed guesses a player may gain one chip. A total of 6 chips disqualifies one player from the game. Although disqualified players are still given the opportunity to learn through observation. Players are able to ask questions which will help them create guesses which will lead to their progression or their demise in the game. Before players were un allowed to ask certain questions that would give away answers. Instead now players are able to ask many questions except for questions that relate to the answer. Initially each player is only given 60 seconds to guess the correct answer. Throughout the course, the game has been modified, this component remained the same to prevent the game from occurring for long periods.

The rules of the game are simple. Players are given three chips in the beginning of each game. Each player must wear a headband with a slot for their designated card. Players are not allowed to look at their cards, and must place the cards into the slots where their item is facing the other players. This is done so that the other players can help the other player by providing helpful hints only obtained through questions. After this is done players decide who will start the game by deciding a number between 1 and 10, the player who guesses the least number will start. The player is allowed to ask questions pertaining to the different categories in the game, they are not allowed questions that basically spell out the words for them. After the players turn has gone, if they guessed the question wrong the player is given the opportunity to switch their card, but the game continues to go on to the next person. After everyone has gone the game will continue in the same manner. Players who guess their cards correctly will lose one chip out of their initial three. If a player fails to guess their card correctly after two rounds the player gains another chip. A person with 6 chips is disqualified from the game, but a person who loses all of their chips is deemed the winner of the game.

Cloud Nine is a fully functional, fun and interactive game. It helps to promote learning by allowing players to learn not only from repeated exposure but through fun facts and through interaction with the other players. This game also adapts an asymmetric game design although the rules are the same for all players, the type of questions a player decides to ask will ultimately result in gaining the answer or will do the opposite. According to Bartle’s Taxonomy this game will most suit those who are explorers, achievers and the socialize-rs. Cloud Nine utilizes emergent game play to help player evolve over the course of the game. Throughout the course of the semester organizing this game was challenging. Cloud Nine has undergone many changes in order to perfect it into what it is today. The game works to both challenge a person’s knowledge about marijuana all while teaching them about things they may or may have not known. This game was tested twice once in class and once outside of class and since then some of the games mechanics including the title has been altered to make it deem fit for others to play.

This week we focused on the discussion for preparing our final presentation for our game.

Discussion
Cognitive impairments of marijuana may be identified as an indication of more impulse behaviors. Research conveyed that marijuana may cause an increase and a decrease in impulsivity. Users in the game Cloud Nine were able to learn more about the drug they use. They were able to be interactive in the game despite the effects of the high. Results supports the thesis because it shows that marijuana may be used to help stimulate cognitive activity. Those under the effects of the drug were still able to retain some form of information and they were able to interact with the others in the game without being detached. The experiment solves a major problem in the field because now using this game people of all age groups are able to inform themselves about marijuana. They are able to use this game to create further studies on ways a high may be controlled. This relates to the study done by Simons and Carey (2002) because it conveys that people are able to control the effects of being high through self-restraint and control. Using the game Cloud Nine, this gave users and non-users something to focus on the games challenge and an innovate way of engaging interaction, competition and play helped to encourage this type of control. And this overall resulted in their success in the posttest session where they were able to learn more from the game alone rather than simple fact sheets or information sessions.Solving this problem further advances the field because now this can be seen as another way in which marijuana may be viewed as a positive image. It can also be used as a way to stimulate thinking. Now researchers and marijuana experts now have another way of further studying the effects of marijuana on brain activity and impulsivity. Some problems within this study may be regression to the mean, because players were playing this game for more than one day they could have gotten used to games mechanics. Another issue in this study was could have been how well the behaviors were measured and operationalized. Over the course of the study the focus did shift from how impulsivity may increase or decrease to more so if the game will help them to learn. Compared to other studies maybe a correlational research design would be preferred as opposed to an experimental design. This is so because this way experimenters could be able to determine if there’s a relationship between impulsivity and marijuana as opposed to causation. Another problem in this study could have been the age group allowing smokers to continue to use marijuana may not have benefited their addiction so putting a restriction to the amount of marijuana smoked or if marijuana can be utilized in the study could have impacted the outcome of the results. The issue of whether marijuana can cause consistent sustained attention and impulse control can be an area that can be further studied. Researchers may look to see if it can be effectively trained through conditioning techniques whether operant or classical conditioning.

This week we analyzed the results for Cloud Nine.
Subject:
A total of 160 subjects were used. Subjects were recruited from schools; they were told that they would take part in an informative study about marijuana. Inclusion criteria were history of smoking and smoker or non-smoker. Also those who have cigarette addictions where excluded. Subjects who smoked weed only were used, however subjects with any other addictions were also excluded from the study. Subjects were mixed in both the experimental and control groups where participants in the experimental groups played a game to test their knowledge.

Apparatus
In order to collect the data, I used tallies of correct answers before the game was played and after. Responses were measured in tallies and also by the number of chips a person had at the end of the game. Initially game-rs were given 3 chips, if the individual guessed the answer correctly they lost one chip. If the individual was unable to guess the correct answer of their cards two consecutive times of the game going around they gain another chip. The person with the less number of chips wins the game. Players were also provided a sheet which thoroughly and clearly stated the rules of the game.

Procedures
The game was presented to marijuana users and non marijuana users in order to test their knowledge of marijuana. In the non-experimental condition they were given a questionnaire. In the experimental condition the subjects were asked to play the Cloud Nine. The whole process of the study will use between subject research design w but in a pretest- post-test manner, which will measure the effect of the game on increasing knowledge of marijuana. This is done in order to compare results from both conditions. Subjects were given a post assessment in order to assess the effectiveness of the game. This assessment for both pretest and post-test consisted of 20 questions. Data was collected by research assistants who recorded the correct number of answers. Subjects were explained how to play the game through given game instructions, which explained the rules of the game and how to play the game

Results
Participants in the experimental group played Cloud Nine for about a week for roughly an hour. Each participant had an average of about 4 to 5 correct answers per game. There were 80 participants for the experimental group, with a mean of 4.45 correct answers in the pretest and an average of 17.39 correct answers in the post-test. In the pretest the control group had a total average of roughly on average 4.48 in the pretest. In the post-test scores significantly increased by an average of 15.44 questions out of 20. For the experimental group scores were lower in the pretest by about .03 but in the post-test scores were significantly better than the control group. So the game and the control group both effectively worked to inform and teach subjects about marijuana.

In this week we focused on the Beta Play test. For this game Cloud Nine subjects were recruited from schools; they were told that they would take part in an informative study about marijuana. Inclusion criteria were history of smoking and smoker or non-smoker. Also those who have cigarette addictions where excluded. Subjects who smoked weed only were used, however subjects with any other addictions were also excluded from the study. Subjects were mixed in both the experimental and control groups where participants in the experimental groups played a game to test their knowledge. In order to collect the data, I used tallies of correct answers before the game was played and after. Responses were measured in tallies and also by the number of chips a person had at the end of the game. Initially game-rs were given 3 chips, if the individual guessed the answer correctly they lost one chip. If the individual was unable to guess the correct answer of their cards two consecutive times of the game going around they gain another chip. The person with the less number of chips wins the game.

The game was presented to substance and non substance users in order to test their knowledge of marijuana. In the non-experimental condition they were given a questionnaire. In the experimental condition the subjects were asked to play the Cloud Nine. The whole process of the study will use within game subject design which will basically utilize the same subjects but in a pretest post-test manner, which will measure the effect of the game on increasing knowledge of marijuana. Subjects were given a pre-assessment in order to test their initial knowledge. They were then given a posttest to assess the effectiveness of the game. Data was collected by research assistants who recorded the correct number of answers. Subjects were explained how to play the game through given game instructions, which explained the rules of the game and how to play the game.

Data conveyed that there was a difference in the control and experimental groups. The game was effective at being an informative strategy for teaching others about weed. However, it was difficult for others to guess the answers due to some lack of knowledge. Despite this the difference in scores In the experimental and control group ( game vs. no game), showed a small difference, but Cloud Nine may be used to teach others about weed. Some things that need to be further examined are reasons why there was no significant difference in scores for both groups.

This week we recreated our games and made significant changes to them. In the Alpha of cloud nine the learning objective of this game is to try to inform people (smokers and non-smokers) about marijuana. The primary interaction that the player has with the game is guessing correct answers using cards that the player himself can’t see but the other teammates can. The player can ask questions to help find the answer, but they can only be yes or no questions. This supports the learning objective because the repetition of these actions will help them memorize and learn about the key facts.The cognitive behavior process will probably be most affected by the game design. The game attempts to affect this system because players will be able to learn and must use critical thinking skills to find answers. The physiological process will also be affected by this game when players take longer to answer the game or if they’re doing good this will affect the way they behave in the game; it will also affect their perception of the game.

The game can be played using a total of 6 to 8 players each round. This game is both cooperative and competitive because your depending on other players to help obtain the correct answer. However, it is also competitive because although the teammates are helping you obtain the correct answers, players are also trying to lose all of their plastic chips. So the person who is able to guess all of their cards correctly and has the least amount of plastic chips will be deemed the winner of the game.The primary game objective of this game is to teach others about marijuana, using key facts and terms. The game will reinforce the learning objective through repetition and also definitions are provided at the bottom of the cards, under the bold words. Each player begins the game with 3 clear plastic chips. They must place a head band on their heads which has a small slot for them to insert their cards. Players are not allowed to look at their own cards, only the teammates can see the cards. Each player has a total of 60 seconds to try to guess the information on the card. Players can only as questions which will only be answered as yes or no questions and only one hint can be allowed. Questions such as it is a person? Place? Or thing is acceptable. Questions such as does it start with an M or what does it rhyme with are not permitted. As the game after 1 round is completed players who are unable to guess the correct answers for their card switches to a different card. If a player is unable to guess the answer for their card after they’ve gone twice (2 attempts to guess. 2x 60seconds.), the player will gain another chip. This helps the learning objective because it motivates players to continue to play and guess the answers. This also conflicts with the learning objective because it makes it a little harder to actually win the game, so players might be more focused on trying to win the game rather than learning. In the game, conflict between the players occur when they gain chips for not guessing the correct answer after two rounds. Its only resolved when they begin to get correct answers this will help them loose chips and hopefully win the game. This game, Cloud Nine has no boundaries as far as behavior wise. This game only prevents players from seeing their designated card/ the noun that they must guess. The game ends when a player loses all of their plastic chips or if prolonged for an extended period of time, the game will end, having the person with the least amount of chips be deemed as the winner of the game.

There is no main character in this game. The players are motivated to play because they’re getting paid and some are earning credit. But what overall gets them to continue to play is the thought of winning the game and losing all of their chips.The player must learn to master the art of guessing the correct answers. As time passes guessing the answer should become easy when they’re asking the right questions. there is no fictional world in cloud nine, it also does not include a general premise to the story, nor does it include a narrative and also no items are accrued during this game. The game is playful because players are competing to get rid of the chips all while trying to guess the correct answers. According Bartle’s Taxonomy this game will probably appeal to the achievers, because they’re able to learn about marijuana and try to achieve the goal of the game by playing to learn and loose chips. the game systems dynamics include the head bands, index cards with the noun on it, plastic chips and the hour glass. these are the objects that make up the game and are used in the game. No general systems emerge within the game.In the game the noun on the card is hidden to the player and the teammates. Players will receive feedback when they guess a card incorrectly or unable to guess what it is they are able to read the definitions on the cards. The game is a fully functional game and it is also interactive and fun. I think that this game is imbalanced because players are unable to know the item on their card , but, this is intentionally done to make the game challenging and fun. The game is engaging players are motivated to play when they try to win and get less chips. The game will promote obscure learning by allowing players to get choices right and learn about different marijuana facts.The player’s decisions and question choices are vital for the game objective and outcome.The fun Killers of the game could be that the game was going on for too long, so the game feel like its dragging along. It’s easy to play the game, the game takes about 2 to 5 minutes to get players familiarized on how to play the game. But it takes about another 5 to 10 minutes for them to actually get the hang of the game as far as switching the cards after every turn and gaining chips after ever two consecutive fail attempts.

This week i also had to focus on week 9 tutorial which was Space Shump. In this tutorial i had to create a ship with about 5 enemies which will attack my ship. The primary objective of this game will basically be to kill off the enemy ships. In this week i was more successful than i was in the first two weeks, i still faced challenges in the coding but it was interesting.

Subjects were recruited from schools; they were told that they would take part in an informative study about marijuana. While those who smoke weed, they were recruited in the experimental and control group. Inclusion criteria were history of smoking and smoker or non-smoker. Also those who have cigarette addictions where excluded. Subjects who smoked weed only were used, however, subjects with any other addictions were also excluded from the study. In order to collect the data, I used tallies of correct answers before the game was played and after.

Responses were measured in tallies and also by the number of chips a person had at the end of the game. Initially gamers were given 3 chips, if the individual guessed the answer correctly they lost one chip. If the individual had the same card after two times of the game going around they gain another chip. The person with the less number of chips wins the game. The game was presented to substance users in order to test their knowledge of marijuana. In the non-experimental condition they were given a questionnaire. In the experimental condition the smokers were asked to smoke weed and play the game. The whole process of the study will use within game subject design which will basically utilize the same subjects but in a pretest- posttest manner, which will measure the effect of the game on increasing knowledge of marijuana.

Data was collected by research assistants who recorded the correct number of answers. Subjects were explained how to play the game through given game instructions, which explained the rules of the game and how to play the game. Data conveyed that there was no relationship in the number of correct answers in both the experimental and control groups. So results were inconclusive of whether the game Cloud Nine, helped as a better informant of marijuana. There was no real difference in the means in the control and experimental conditions. Due to repeated exposure there was a regression to the mean in both conditions.

This week I designed my game.The name of my game is called Cloud Nine. The learning objective of this game is to try to inform people (smokers and non-smokers) about marijuana. The primary interaction that the player has with the game is guessing correct answers using cards that the player himself can’t see but the other teammates can. The player can ask questions to help find the answer, but they can only be yes or no questions. This supports the learning objective because the repetition of these actions will help them memorize and learn about the key facts about marijuana. The cognitive behavior process will probably be most affected by the game design. The game attempts to affect this system because players will be able to learn and must use critical thinking skills to find answers. In this there can be a total of 6 to 8 players who can be engaged in the game each round. This game is both cooperative and competitive because as the player you’re depending on other players to help obtain the correct answer. However, it is also competitive because although the teammates are helping you obtain the correct answers, you’re also trying to lose all of the chips so the person who is able to guess all of their cards correctly and has the least amount of chips will be deemed the winner of the game. The primary game objective of this game is to teach others about marijuana, using key facts and terms. The game will reinforce the learning objective through repetition.

The rules of this game are pretty simple. Each player begins the game with 3 clear chips. They must place a head band on their heads which has a clear slot for them to insert their cards. Players are not allowed to look at their own cards, only the teammates can see the cards. Each player has a total of 60 seconds to try to guess the information on the card. Players can only ask questions which will only be answered as yes or no questions and only one hint can be allowed. Questions such as it is a person? Place? Or thing is acceptable. Questions such as does it start with an M or what does it rhyme with are not permitted. As the game after 1 round is completed players who are unable to guess the correct answers for their card switches to a different card. If a player is unable to guess the answer for their card after they’ve gone twice (2 attempts to guess. 2x 60seconds.), the player will gain another chip. This helps the learning objective because it motivates players to continue to play and guess the answers. This also conflicts with the learning objective because it makes it a little harder to actually win the game, so players might be more focused on trying to win the game rather than learning. Conflict between the players occur when they gain chips for not guessing the correct answer after two rounds. It’s only resolved when they begin to get correct answers this will help them loose chips and hopefully win the game. The only boundaries that this game has are that it will prevent players from asking certain questions which will eventually give the answers away. This will contribute to the objective because these way players are learning and are not being spoon fed the answers by their teammates. The game ends when one person has no chips left. But if the game continues for an extended period of time the player with the fewer chips is the winner. Also, after the game players will be tested on their knowledge to see if they really learned from the game.

The players must learn to master the cards to help them learn the key facts of marijuana. The game is playful because players are competing to get rid of the chips all while trying to guess the correct answers. According Bartle’s Taxonomy this game will probably appeal to the achievers, because they’re able to learn about marijuana and try to achieve the goal of the game by playing to learn and loose chips. Only index cards, facts about marijuana, head bands to hold the index cards and a small hour glass. The only properties required for the game system are the clear plastic chips. The basic relationships between system elements and is guessing the right answer and losing a chip or not guessing the right answer for two rounds straight and gaining a chip. The player’s decision ultimately controls the dynamic of the system. The item on the card is hidden from the player. Players receive feedback from the game when they take a questionnaire which will test the knowledge gained from the game. This game is functional. This game is complete all voices and aspects are represented in the game. I think the game is a little imbalanced but it’s imbalanced to help make the game more interesting and more fun for players. This way the player will be learning. This game is engaging it helps promote learning through guessing and basic repetition. Also cards will have little definitions and key points on the cards which will help players learn. There are no choices that are meaningful to the game. But the way questions the players ask will help them when trying to decipher the correct answer. I think it’s fairly easy to play this game. It shouldn’t take more than about 15 to 30 minutes’ maximum to learn the game. A sheet with rules was given to players in order to inform them of the game mechanics and rules of the game.

In this week I also worked on the apple picking tutorial in this tutorial I had to create a game where the apple falls from a tree and a basket will catch the apples. Creating the game objects and material was easy to create i didn’t get far in the tutorial. I successfully created some C scripts for the apple tree, and the the basket. I didn’t get too far because of problems in the c scripts.