Battleships

Today we had a very fun lesson. Firstly we discussed our thoughts on the previous reading 'I Have No Words & I Must Design'. A few of us didn't read it so we paired up to help each other out. I actually thought this worked really well and made you think what your trying to say to help your classmates. After we discussed what Costikyan's definition of a game, in pairs we played the famous 'Battleships' game.

We played it on a bit of paper with grid because that is all you really need to play the game. The task was simply taking a game and performing iterations so that it can be improved. 

I was paired with Elliot who I get along with really well and we started playing. He was the better player, I was useless at destroying his ships. After I lost we discussed how we could improve it. 

• We found destroying the smaller ships till last makes it more difficult.
• Players try to read others for the reaction they make so its important not to give anything away.
• We found the game is fair apart from who goes first. A player could win by having that extra go. 
• The game is re-playable because the player has a choice where to put their ships.

Here are our iteration ideas:

• Get rid of the 2 square ship and replace it with a 2x3 ship
• This gave us the idea of different shapes, like other groups in the task, however we were put off by unusual shapes because it didn't look like a ship. If I were to re-do this I would like to do different shapes because it would make it more fun. 
• Enlarging the grid to make it 12x12.
• After destroying a players ship you are given a choice to capture it and replacing it with another ship that you own. This would either give you more squares for your opponent to destroy or depending on your strategy, harder for your opponent to find a ship. Consequently, exchanging a ship allows your opponent to move one of their own ships. 
• This idea we found difficult to implement on a paper based game, but if it were an actual board game with pieces, it would be easier to move ships. 

There was a good idea from another group which I would use is firing a pulse which detects a ship with in a 3x3 radius, but does not conflict damage. 

Overall it was a good exercise to get us thinking of improvements and play testing over and over to get it right. 

I Have No Words & I Must Design:

Toward a Critical Vocabulary for Games

Greg Costikyan

Really!? I've finished!? Thank  **** for that. That was a long read :P

Costikyan says - 'A game is an interactive structure of endogenous meaning that requires players to struggle towards goals'

Okay where to begin,

So apparently a lot of people are confused over the meaning of the word 'Game'. We'll begin with Chris Crawford, this guy contrasts between 'games' and 'puzzles' in his book 'The Art of Computer Games Design'. He believes that puzzles are static with a logic structure to be solved and that games are not and change with the player's actions. Costikyan goes on in saying that no-one would call a 'crossword' a game however some games have some degree of puzzle solving in them. Regardless  if there digital or non-digital, it is true that a game must be interactive to be a game meaning the player has to make choices to benefit them through-out their play.

So again the interaction from the player is important because it also allows for the game to go a different way, unlike a static puzzle were it can only be completed once. These decisions will change the state of the game and then it's up to the players skill. Structure is needed in all games, sets of rules etc for that game to be played correctly or however the gamemaster wants the player to play, there should be no confusion here.

I found it difficult what he meant by endogenous. He gives a definition - 'caused by factors inside the organism or system'. I don't believe it's the best term he could of used. But what I believe he means is items within a game are useless and invaluable without the game, such as monopoly money. He gives a good point about even though some games you can auction off items for real world cash the item is still invaluable without the game.

A game needs to have a perfect balance of difficulty. It can't be too difficult because the player will be unhappy and get frustrated with getting no-rewards but it also cannot be too easy because the game will have no thrill and the player will be unsatisfied. The player needs that struggle to not only keep them on the edge but to make the player feel like they've achieved something.

Lastly the Goals are what you are struggling towards. Without Goals it wouldn't be a game. I believe that's the most important part in the game but it doesn't define it, think of a puzzle, it to, has a goal.

Games Britannia

Today in our Critical Games Studies lesson we watched a program called 'Dicing with Destiny' which was presented by Benjamin Woolley. Its actually a 3 part series but we only watched the first which took us from 1st century Britain to the Victorian era.

It began with a Roman board game found in Colchester Quarry which was named the Stanway Game. This is quite amazing the fact that people two thousand years ago were still playing games, and that having fun, enjoyment and the need for entertainment when bored are deep in the minds of people.
When the archaeologists actually found the board, the pieces were still in place which i liked Woolley's comment that he made saying something on the lines of "the peices were fixed in time, challenging us to make a move after two thousand years".

Its interest how different religions took a different look on games and how they developed through different eras. For example in the late Middle Ages games began to become less about having fun and imbued with prophetic significance but more associated with gambling which the church disapproved of. I find it funny that they changed children's games by removing the dice and adding another mechanic because dice was thought to be the work of the devil even though the replacement piece still had to use some sort of chance.

Another interesting point was that the simple snakes and ladders game originated from another board game on a Hindu's journey to enlightenment, which seemed quite complex.

I believe games are important because you not only have fun but you can also learn from them. Woolley mentions he didn't know much about the world because he lived in a middle of nowhere but had games to improve his knowledge, small things like how he knew London's Mayfair was a much smarter than Whitechapel Road.

Our First Sprint

Group Projects

Our Group Project is going well and we've actually coded quite a bit in our game.

But firstly a little intro about the game would probably be a good idea.. 

We came up with ideas for a game with the theme 'Love' and then we picked what we thought was the best which turned out to be Date Run!! A guy is late for a romantic dinner with his date and must get to her as quick as possible, similar to how 'Temple Run' plays,  the player will be racing to the restaurant dodging obstacles along the way. 

My tasks, which I've already completed were to code the movement for the player, a timer, obstacle collision and how the player wins by getting to the destination. I'm starting to properly understand the basics of AS3 now, where i was having trouble before with getting a bar to slowly decrease along with the timer because it turns out i wasn't using the classes and instances correctly.

but there is still along way to go with both the artwork and code but i think our group is doing really well and we are well organised. :)

In the Beginning, There Is the Designer (weekly readings)

The Art of Game Design 

A Book of Lenses

Jesse Schell

In the Beginning, There Is the Designer

So, welcome to my first post on my weekly readings, hopefully it will stay weekly. At first I was a little bit wary thinking "oh great, another English lesson that i have to find a way to bunk." but in fact what i was reading was so inspiring. 

Jesse puts it straight out there from the word go saying that 'would-be designers' get stuck in a catch-22 debating on whether they have what it takes to be a Games Designer and that many have confidence issues. I can so relate to that and I believe others can as well. Because it is quite scary and i do have confidence issues which i do need to rise above.

I very much like how it is written as if she was speaking to you in the same room giving you comforting advice and saying that there is nothing wrong with failure and that it brings you closer to your goals and dreams. 

She doesn't shy away to assure you that you can't become a game designer just like that. It takes a lot of work, and involves many sets of skills such as Animation, Architecture, Brainstorming, Creative Writing, Engineering and Management just to name a few. But no one can master all of these and no one is expected to. These are skills you pick up along the way and are a part of the whole learning process. 

There is another skill, an important one. Listening. Not just listening but actually listening, feeling how they feel, putting yourself where they are and observing everything around you, 'Thoughtful listening'.

She expresses it in 5 Kinds of Listening. Listening to your Team which is crucial for making important game decisions,  Audience because they will be the ones playing the game, the Game itself, your Client and yourself. The last one hit me the most, I think that's very true how it's important to listen to yourself which helps towards releasing your inner creativity and to build upon. 

The paragraph 'The Secret of the Gifted' was the most inspiring. "How can love of using a skill be more important than the skill itself? It is for this simple reason: If you have the major gift, the love of designing games, you will design games using whatever limited skills you have. And you will keep doing it." These words are powerful and true. I've had experiences in all sorts of working environments, Hospitality, Metal works, web design, which I've learned skills and become good at but I never had the Love or Passion for it to keep it going. It's the love of the work which opens you up and shines your creativeness. 

Soo, how to wrap this up.. I should probably read more often because this was very inspiring and has personally helped me with fears and pressure from wanting to do so well, not just now but what my future lies before me. I love Jesse's writing style it really immerses the reader and I personally like an informal kind of read. 

Thanks for reading, time for some Family Guy i think! :)

Interview Questions

The other day I had a little group session to get to know others on the course, we paired up and received a few questions to interview our partners. And at the end we swapped our results.

so the first question...

"What is the title of the book (fiction) you are currently reading (or the last fiction book you read)?"

Well this one was a little tricky for me because the last book i read was around 5-6 years ago, no joke! However i do read a lot of stuff online and on apps. Things like 'reddit', 'flipboard' and many news apps so i believe that counts :P.

second question...

"What is the title/topic of the book (non-fiction) you are currently reading (or the last non-fiction book you read)?"

Again, a very tricky question!

third...

"What is the last live performance (music, drama or dance) you attended?"

I love music. I love all types of music. Okay maybe not all types but i have a wide variety! I've been lucky enough to go to a few concerts. My first around 3 years ago was at Hyde Park where The Killers played along with other bands like the kooks. I've also been to see Korn and Kings of Leon which were amazing. But the latest I've attended was at the new Apex in Bury St Edmunds which Mumford & Sons were playing at. Unfortunately i didn't have indoor tickets but it was worth it in the freezing cold! I'm more into electronic, melodic dubstep and home grown music nowadays.

fourth...

"What is the title of the last film you saw at the cinema/online or watched on DVD?"

'The Book of Eli' one of the best films I've ever seen. Set in post-apocalyptic times starring Denzel Washington. Many years after the Apocalypse people are not educated from all the books being destroyed. God guides a man to one special book for him to look after and take on a quest to find a rightful place for it, and he is told that a path will be laid out for him. A must see!

I'll also mention one other film which I've watched between the interviews and creating this post called 'Devil' which is fucked up! A few people get stuck in an elevator which has happened because of the choices they've made in their life and one by one they get brutally killed every time the lights go out. Naturally assuming there is a murderer in the elevator, but they're wrong.... (if the title of the film didn't give it away). The acting could be better however.

fifth...

"How often do you read the newspaper?"

I read a lot of news apps but no i don't read any newspapers, actually, maybe the buryfreepress now and again.

sixth...

"which art gallery / museum / exhibition did you last visit?"

Got to be Eurogamer! had a brilliant time there!! Bunch of geeks sitting about playing games all day, not bad!  I actually went with my University course as part of our 'get to know each other' induction thing, which i thought worked really well and gave us a good start for our course. The games i enjoyed the most on there was 'Black Ops 2', 'Halo 4' and most of all 'Crysis 3'. I had an embarrassing moment on Tomb Raider, at the start of the demo (baring in mind i don't play tomb raider or games like that) i got lost straight away and then fell down a cliff, just as i heard some people behind me snigger :( that put me off  :p .

seventh...

"How many hours a week do you spend playing video games?"

This changes upon weeks. Sometimes between 10-15 hours, sometimes alot more.

last question...

"How many hours a week do you spend playing games other than video games?"

This question is also tricky. But if it doesn't involve human interaction then i guess i can say i play about with my dog Marley, and maybe some card games. Come to think of it i'm pritty good at playing texas hold 'em!

Well done if your still reading, hope you enjoyed :)

Hello World!

This is my new blog which will be devoted to my University studies at Ipswich UCS.

I'm studying Computer Games Design which so far i have found the course to be brilliant!

So stay tuned for some interesting posts on what i'm getting up to :)