Blog 24: Last Presentation Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

In the entirety of my senior project, I'm so, so immensely proud of all that I've been able to learn throughout the course of the year. I feel that without the constant presence of the senior project in my life, my final year at I-Poly would have been completely different; and there's a great chance that my future would be entirely different, as well. I'm very proud of the skills I honed throughout the year, and the knowledge I gained in regards to video game design. I feel that in my presentation, I was very well-versed and showcased the insight and knowledge I gained throughout the year, all of which I can attribute to hours of research, game-making, and time spent at my mentorship. I'm very proud and happy to be able to share copious information about something that I'm truly passionate about to my fellow classmates, and proud in that I felt I did it well. 
(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation?  Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

AE. I think I did a good job in that I met time, captured audience attention, I was very clear and understandable, and help the audience better understand my topic as a whole. One Junior even approached me to tell me that I helped him immensely in deciding what topic he should pursue for his senior project-- he's looking forward to pursuing game design now. 

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project? Use the component contract to defend that assessment.

I feel that I did a good job on the senior project overall-- but I think I deserve a P. I did all that the senior project ever asked of me, but I never did anything that I believe to be spectacular. I had a wonderful time in my mentorship and project, but I don't think that means I should get a higher grade. 

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

Firstly, I'm about 99% sure my project got me into college, and into the major I wanted to pursue so badly. Having a mentorship at my dream school was amazing, and I'm so glad the project gave me the opportunity to learn more about my topic from experts and other students.

The requirements of the project worked very well for me. What was expected of me, including research checks, the working bibliography, and more was very helpful in allowing me to learn more about my topic.
 
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project?

If anything, I wish I had started my Independent Components more immediately. I feel that I did a good job on them, but I really think I could've done an amazing job (especially in creating a video game itself in my second component) if I had spent more time working on it. I understand that at the time, I was very busy, but I feel I could've made more time on my part somehow. That is one thing I wish I could re-do.
 
(5) Finding Value

I know I've said it already, but I'm very positive that my senior project and mentorship is one of the main reasons I've been accepted to my dream college, USC. I was lucky enough to be accepted into the School of Cinematic Arts for Interactive Entertainment. In other words, I'll be spending my next four years of education knee-deep in creating video games. And I can't be happier with the result. I'm so immensely grateful to have done this project and completed all the opportunities associated with it. My project has been very meaningful to me, and changed my future for the better. 

Blog 23 - Exit Interview Prep

There are many elements of game design that comprise the player experience, and many influences that effect how positive that experience is as a whole. 

1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

My essential question is: "How can a video game be designed to enhance the player's experience?"

My first answer is character design. Characters are the agents through which a story is told-- in order for players to best experience and understand the digital world happening around them, it's vital that these agents are well-designed. 

My second answer is frequent and continuous playtesting. Playtesting is a key time in development in which outside parties can test the functionality and state of the mechanics of the game. 

My third answer is well-defined and functioning rules. Rules constitute the inner, formal structure of the game. They don't create the player experience, but they constitute an experience. 

My best answer is my second answer: playtesting. Playtesting is a key time in the development cycle of a game, as it's when designers learn what is and isn't working within their game. In playtesting, designers gather data and information regarding the functionality of their game's mechanics. From this data, they can arrive at new ways to resolve the issues within their game. 

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

Aside from my regular research on the importance of playtesting in assessing the balance and functionality in a game, I also got to see firsthand just how important playtesting is in the design process. 

For the last few months in my mentorship at USC, I've taken a class under game designer Michael Annetta revolving around the creation of board games. In this class, I observed students brainstorm and create their board games, many of which started off as scribbles on paper and cardboard. However, with these prototypes, myself and the other students had the regular responsibility of playtesting these games to assess their functionality and enjoyability.

Firsthand experiencing a playtest and being on the receiving end of designers' questions made it very clear to me just how important the gathered data from playtests are to the improvement of a game. After giving my feedback and watching other playtesters give their critiques to the designers, the designers were able to significantly improve or change their games. 

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

For me personally, it felt very much like the process of arriving at each of our answers was very rushed. A lot of first semester composed of just finding and looking at research on the general concepts of my topic-- however, down the line, this information I found wasn't helpful in supporting my answers. I did learn a lot from my research, and it was very helpful in gaining a better understanding of the foundation of my topic, but I really wish I had spent more time researching about my answers, specifically. The information I found in the first semester was great, but I know I won't be able to use a good chunk of it in my final presentation, as much of it isn't necessary in supporting my answers.

Because everything was so rushed, it felt that my reasoning formulated behind why I chose each answer was also rushed. There wasn't really a way to solve this issue-- just ways to get around it. I knew once we hit the second answer things would really start picking up speed, so I focused efforts to complete core class work at a faster pace to get ready for the new load of senior project work. 

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman

Rules of Play is a textbook on three core fundamentals of game design, specifically: rules, play, and culture of games. This book was most helpful in understanding how the activity of play is heavily influenced by the rules and formal systems within games. This book was a great teacher in the impact rules have on games, and how vital it is to have well-structured, defined, and specific rules-- it is these things that directly influence how the players experience the gameplay. 

Better Game Characters by Design: A Psychological Approach by Katherine Isbister

Better Game Characters by Design is another textbook, but focuses instead on how to create game characters that more appealing to an audience. The book insists that instead of relying on overused "relatable" tropes and cliches, the best kinds of characters are those who can be understood by an audience on a psychological level. This book excellently explained how and why characters developed in this way create more impact on players, are more memorable, and can help craft a better overall player experience. 

Blog 22 - Independent Component 2

Some examples, interface and in-game, of what RPG Maker looks like and can create. 

(Game pictured is not of my creation.)

Play my Independent Component 2, Ad Infinitum, here!

LITERAL

(a) I, Clerisse Cornejo, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 33.5 hours of work.”
(b) Cite your source regarding who or what article or book helped you complete the independent component.

• Isbister, Katherine. Better Game Characters By Design: A Psychological Approach. San Francisco: Elsevier Inc., 2006.
• Schell, Jesse. The Art of Game Design. Burlington: Elsevier Inc., 2008. Print.
• "Tutorials." RPG Maker MV, RPG Maker, n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2016. 

(c) Update your Independent Component 2 Log (which should be under your Senior Project Hours link)

Updated the log. My hours can be found here. 

(d) Explain what you completed. 

Over the course of 33.5 hours, I created what I consider my first lengthy digital game. Throughout the process of crafting this game, I dabbled heavily in both the creative side of game design, as well as the technical side. I created the storyline(s), characters, settings, dialogue, character-relations, and more; on the other hand, I also created a great deal of "events", or key occurrences, that activate throughout the game, all of which serve to keep the game pushing forward towards its conclusion. 

(e) Defend your work and explain the component's significance and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work.   Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.   

What I've learned from multiple interviews and my mentorship at USC is that the best way to learn how to make games is through doing-- simply start making games, of any given variety. Game design is a very experimental subject of study-- as it is a creative art form, there is never typically a right or wrong way to about doing things-- it's all very subjective and up to the minds and decisions of the designers. 

My component is vital to my beginnings as a budding game designer. The best thing I can do for myself as an aspiring designer is to start working now-- start designing games now, even if they are far from artistic masterpieces, even if they're far from reaching the ultimate player experience goals I want my future games to reach. My games that I make today, including my Independent Component 2, don't necessarily reach those standards. I've yet to form and hone the skills and abilities necessary to create more advanced games-- games with more potential to become the meaningful, personal experiences I want them to for players.

In my second Independent Component, I very much focused on telling a story. As a writer, I'm a bit self-conscious, so I can't say if my story is ground-breaking or amazing-- because I don't think it is. Rather, I think it's a story that is interesting; maybe not unique or fresh, but definitely not boring. The process of creating a game takes many hours of creative thought, of course, but takes much more time actually digitally crafting. Scripting, coding, and more take time-- it's easy to make mistakes when creating a game, so I had to be very careful in my work. 

Regardless, I like my end result. It isn't perfect (far from it), but I'm satisfied at the point I'm at for now.

Title screen of the game. 

Opening screen, where the player first dives into the game. 

Example of the interface I was working with to create the game. 

RPG Maker MV simultaneously looks both simple and difficult, but is 

quite manageable once you get the hang of it. It's quite the powerful tool. 

An example of a map in-game. 

The interface through which I enter any actions I want to have happen

within my game, at any given space on a map I choose. Each black circle indicates a new

action of sorts, ranging from dialogue, character animation, choice indicators, and more.

A close-up example of some of the coding/scripting I do to make sure

the game works the way I want it to. 

In-game interaction between the main character, Ezra, and his mother. 

In-game interaction between main character, Ezra, and his friend Leo. 

Multiple signs can be found throughout the game, but not all

are quite as meaningful as this one. 

One of the mazes I built for the game. This one functions quite simply. 

One of the mazes I built for the game. This one is more complicated than the others,

but is rather simple overall. 

An in-game event that occurs as soon as a player steps near a specified

square on the map. 

(f)How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped. 

One of my three answers to my EQ, "How can a video game be designed to enhance the player's experience?" is rules. 

Rules are not typically outlined in digital games explicitly-- in fact, most rules within digital games are considered to be implicit, as they're not usually mentioned at all. Rules within digital games are finicky, because it's all within the programming. Rules in digital games aren't spelled out for you, but they have to be placed somewhere; therefore, they get placed in the coding of games. Rules are the limitations and affordances of a digital game-- things you can and cannot do as your character. 

For example, I can't tell my players in my game that they can't engage in battle with just any other character-- the only way for battles to occur is if I program the battle to happen at a specific point in the game. The player's inability to engage in battle with any character at any moment is but one of many limitations of my game-- it's an implicit rule that I utilized to have my game focus more on narrative, and less on combat. 

Interview 4- Michael Annetta

https://soundcloud.com/jongin94/interview-4-michael-annetta

Blog 21 - Fourth Interview Reflection

(VR and stereoscopic 3D is Michael's specialty in game design.)

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  

I believe the most important thing I've learned from this interview is that the best game designers are those who can and know to draw from their experiences from different kinds of media. It's vital that as a designer, I don't just pursue playing other video games to become a better designer, but instead work to include many different kinds of experiences in my design. That will create a design of more variety, and won't be a simple rehashing of currently-existing games. 

2.  How will what I learned affect my final lesson?

I think I'll put emphasis on that point for audience members-- the best way to design is to design from pulling in all of your personal experiences, as opposed to experiences with just other games and interactive medias. Games are a field open to great potential, and this is one of those potentials-- games can be designed with hyper-realistic experiences and that can make them all the better and all the more real to players. It's an interesting take on design I've never heard of or thought about in-depth before, so I'm interesting in taking some time to talk about it in my final presentation. 

Blog 20 - Interview 4 Prep

A screenshot of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, one of the games Richard Lemarchand was a lead designer on.

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  What is this person's area of expertise?

For my fourth and final interview, I plan to once again interview game designer and USC professor Richard Lemarchand. Richard's area of expertise lies in forming and enhancing the players' experience of a game; through much of his career, he's focused on how gameplay, narrative, and mechanics come together to create a positive experience for players. Richard has worked as one of the lead designers on the popular Uncharted games series.

Richard was immensely helpful in my last interview-- insightful, really. It was all very inspiring. I'm very much looking forward to interviewing him again, if opportunity allows for me to do so!

2.  Post 20 open-ended questions you want to ask an expert in the field concerning your senior project. Your focus should be finding answers to your EQ.

1. What is your approach to beginning a new project? How does this approach differ when working in a team, as opposed to working alone?

2. What's a game you're interested in creating that you haven't had the opportunity to yet? Any ideas or concepts you're interested on focusing on?

3. How do you know if your ideas have value or merit?

4. How does the platform you're designing for change your design? Do you find that you tend to design to fit the platform, or find a platform that fits the design?

5. How drastically has the advancements in technology changed the design process?

6. What role do rules play in crafting the player experience?

7. What role does playtesting play in crafting the player experience?

8. What role do the characters play in crafting the player experience?

9. How do designers approach formulating stories and narratives that appear in games?

10. How do designers go about creating the characters that features in these stories and narratives?

11. What design processes need to happen in order to create a good character?

12. How often do you find yourself stuck in a creative block? What do you do to escape this issue?

13. Non-game inspirations? Non-art inspirations?

14. Any inspirations that have stuck with you over time you'd like to share?

15. Have there been any moments throughout your career that made you realize how vital game design is to you?

16. What important lessons have you learned throughout your career in game development?

17. What's the best attitude/mindset a game designer can go into a project with?

18. Are there any specific design experiences you've dealt with that bettered you as a designer?

19. What pitfalls do new designers often fall into?

20. What do you believe makes a "good" game?

Blog 19 - Third Answer

The rules of any game-- digital or physical-- serve as the formal structure of the game. They're a set of guidelines that describe how a game functions.

What is your EQ?

My Essential Question is, "How can a video game be designed to enhance the player's experience?"

Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)

Rules that are well-defined, functioning, and balanced attribute to creating a more positive player experience.

List 3 details to support the answer.

• Rules constitute the inner, formal structure of a game. While they do not create the player experience as a whole, they work to constitute the experience. Rules of any given game (physical or digital) share a few set characteristics:
• Rules limit player action
• Rules are explicit and unambiguous
• Rules are shared by all players
• Rules are binding
• Rules are repeatable

• The rules of a game exist on three levels: constituative, operational, and implicit. The relationship of the three levels creates a formal identity for the game, or an identity that allows players to distinguish a game as formally unique and distinct from other games.

• Rules are directly concerned with players' actions and the outcomes from those actions. The rules of a game manifest in many different ways: through game logic, visuals, audio, player input, game output, and more. Games are multi-layered and complex, but better understanding the abstract formal system of rules can attribute to creating a meaningful player experience. 

List the research source(s) to support your details and answer.

• Salen, Katie and Eric Zimmerman. Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2004. Print.
• Fullerton, Tracy. Game Design Workshop. Burlington: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2008. 151-156.

Concluding Sentence

Rules of a game are a vital piece of a game's design: they provide the structure out of which play emerges. Meaningful play, or positive play experience, can emerge from a game with a defined set of balanced, functioning, and cohesive rules.