Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

Students at USC participating in Demo Day, an event at USC wherein students of Game Design and Interactive Media are able to display their projects and games produced.

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

Currently, I have three different mentors I plan to interview over the course of my senior project. While I've yet to decide which of these mentors I shall speak to for my second formal interview, I know that they are all reliable and excellent options.

Tracy Fullerton is technically my "primary" mentor. She was the one who allowed for Jessica and I to mentor at USC's Game Innovation Lab. Currently, she works as the director of the lab, and is an experienced game designer with many years of work in the industry. She's worked on several projects throughout the years, working as one of the head designers herself or serving as a faculty adviser (for student projects). Furthermore, she's also a professor at USC with her classes and courses, wherein she educates aspiring game designers on game theory and many other essential components of game design.

Sean Bouchard and Elizabeth Swensen were technically my "secondary" mentors. We never directly asked Sean and Elizabeth to mentor under them-- it kind of just happened. But really, "secondary" doesn't quite cut it-- Sean and Elizabeth are really just so much more than that. They've been with Jessica and I during our mentorship since Day 1, doing their best to ensure that we both learn from our activities in the lab/on-campus and enjoy ourselves. Both Sean and Tracy are staff and research associates of the Game Innovation Lab, working both in-lab and teaching their own courses in the university. They have both graduated from USC with MFAs (Masters of Fine Arts), completing the university's game design program. Since then, they've both worked as game designers on projects of their own and projects from outside parties.

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1. Were there any studies or educational experiences you had, in school or out, that were valuable to your career as a game designer?

2. Have any of your interests outside of game design converged with your work in game design?

3. Was there any point in your life where you figured out that a career in video game design was right for you? Was this a specific moment, or a culmination of experiences?

4. Are there any personal characteristics, traits, or qualities you think are necessary to move forward in this industry?

5. Is there any important or helpful advice you have to share for aspiring game designers? Have there been any words, thoughts, or ideas that have pushed you forward or motivated you as a game designer?

Blog 6 - Advisory House Prep

User experience is something that I find important within my topic, so I'm keen to take the time to focus on how to enhance user experience in video games, while still being able to properly tell a great story.

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

Throughout the course of senior project thus far, I've found that taking the time to thoroughly read materials discussing my topic has been rewarding. I've learned quite a bit about other areas of my topic I previously had little knowledge on, so I'm quite glad I've had the opportunity and motivation to delve further into learning more about my topic. 

Expanding my knowledge on my topic has definitely been a positive experience for me, in the form of both research and mentorship. Research has been an excellent way for me to learn theory regarding video game design, while mentorship often provides me with the opportunity to test those theories in motion. So it's a pleasant mixture of text-based learning and hands-on learning. Being able to learn about something and apply it in a real-life scenario is quite rewarding, really.

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

I'm having difficulty brainstorming the content I want to showcase through my independent component. I definitely want to create a game of sorts, something that can visually and audibly deliver the story and experience I want to get across to players. 

I just need to take more time to sit down and really start thinking about what direction I'd like to take my component in. It's not really about waiting for inspiration to hit, but channeling the creativity and skills I have now to make something happen. The only way the situation as it stands can improve is for me to take the time to do that. However, that's really only a personal thing, and not something that really begs for help from the senior team.

However, if I do come up with a concept-- a story, experience, and feelings I want to get across to the player, I'd be more than grateful for feedback on my content. I don't want my component to be something that's just for me-- I want it to be a game that other people can something away from, as well. I want experience to be emphasized, so feedback will be quite important. 

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

During the course of the interview, Elizabeth brought up a great deal of points I had never considered, and many ideas I had never fathomed previously.

The most important thing I've learned from her is that inspiration for video game design is not limited to video games and digital media. Maybe this point is quite obvious, but Elizabeth explained this further in detail.

Game designers can be inspired by a great many deal of things; "from a traffic light to a beautiful vista", in Elizabeth's words. But inspiration is not limited to plot, characters, or certain aspects of gameplay. Anything about a video game can take inspiration from anything, anyone, or anywhere.

One such unique example would be the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles, a museum created with a set user experience in mind. The museum is intentionally mysterious, even a but strange and creepy. But it is created to make visitors feel that way. Even a physical, non-digital experience can inspire a game designers and have significant effects on their game projects.

For other interviews, I would ask the interviewee what kinds of experiences they'be had-- physical or digital--  that inspired something in their work. I was very immersed in Elizabeth's words, but I did not think to ask her about her own inspirational experiences herself, unfortunately.

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

Elizabeth was able to give me several new reading materials to assist me in my research, including books such as Rules of Play by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman and Video Game Workshop by Tracy Fullerton.

Furthermore, she suggested other potential interviewees within the Cinematic Arts school of USC. These people include Dennis Wixon, who previously worked under Microsoft on the Halo series and other projects. According to Elizabeth, he specializes in the user experience side of video game design; essentially, he works to ensure that players are experiencing the game as the creators intended.

Elizabeh also suggested I speak to and interview Richard Lemarchand, another individual with experience in the video game industry. Lemarchand was a lead designer on the Uncharted series during his time with game developer Naughty Dog. Lemarchand has experience in the emotional and experimental aspects of a game.

I've found that Elizabeth's suggestions of potential interviewees was the most helpful of resources. I've found Elizabeth's interview alone incredibly helpful, so I know that interviews with both Dennis Wixon and Richard Lemarchand can potentially be just as helpful.

I'm very much looking forward to speaking with them in the future!

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 

The interviewee, Elizabeth Swensen, is a game designer and research associate at the Game Innovation Lab at University of Southern California. She attended and graduated from USC, undergoing the school's video game design program during her time there. Elizabeth graduated with an M.F.A (Masters of Fine Arts), and has since worked for the university in the Games division. At the Game Innovation Lab, Elizabeth has worked on numerous projects over the years.

Interview #1: Elizabeth Swensen

My first formal interview for my senior project, currently focused on video game design. I asked one of my mentors, Elizabeth Swensen, who works at the Game Innovation Lab at USC, a variety of questions I've been pondering regarding game design for quite some time.

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep

There are a wide variety of jobs and positions in the gaming industry, even beyond being a game designer. In my senior project, I'm able to speak with people who often aren't game designers often, and they give new insight to my research.

1. Write a short explanation of what you are hoping to accomplish through your senior project topic.

Throughout the course of my senior project, I am hoping to be introduced to and learn of the many components that create video game design, as well as grow as potential game designer (or potentially another position) myself. While it is a career field I have been interested in a long time, I'm hoping that my experiences throughout this year will help solidify my decision further; I will feel more at ease knowing that I have some experiences regarding the career field I wish to join.

Beyond just determining if video game design is a field that appeals to me as a career choice, I want to learn and see much more of the time and work that is poured into video game development. As fascinated by the topic as I am, I am by no means an expert; I want to expand my knowledge immensely on the subject over the year. I want to learn and experience more than just what is required of me for project, but to take it a step further, and learn not just for the sake of the project, but also for myself.

Truly, this is something I want to do. From my experiences so far, I can easily see myself enjoying this industry of work. There's still so much more to see, so I'm very much looking forward to learning more and more with each day of research and mentorship.

Blog 3 - First Interview Preparation

A screencap of The Witch, a game written and designed by Elizabeth Swensen. The game is a single-player narrative, wherein the player takes on the role of a young girl labeled as a with. By selecting different options and actions throughout the game, the player can change the way in which the story is told.

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  Why?

For my first interview, I plan to interview Elizabeth Swensen, one of my mentors at the Game Innovation Lab at USC.

Elizabeth is not the head of the lab, but through watching her work and getting to know her a little, I’ve learned that she’s quite the qualified mentor. Aside from being a research associate of the Game Innovation Lab, she also works as an educator at the university and as a game designer. Seeing her work in the lab and having the opportunity to play some of her previous works, Elizabeth proves herself to be quite the knowledgeable and talented designer.

However, aside from her qualifications, another reason I have for choosing to interview Elizabeth is her history before entering the field of game design; prior to becoming a Game Design student at USC and working at the Lab, Elizabeth actually pursued Humanities (specifically ancient languages) in her education. I’m very much interested in learning more about how her path changed, as I feel that my own path has vastly changed over the years, as well.

For some time, I felt that I was lagging behind other aspiring game designers, due to my interest in game design as a career path only arising within recent years, while others had dreamed of pursuing such a path for so much longer. I believe that speaking with someone whose situation is similar will be not only informative to my project, but important to me on a personal level.

2.  Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?

Aside from the required five questions to ask, the following are additional questions I plan to ask Elizabeth:

• How much of a balance of creative and technical skills should an aspiring designer aim for? How do you land on this scale?  
• What are characteristics of a game that is successful in immersing an audience?
• It’s often said that time spent on sharpening core mechanic gameplay is sacrificed to instead focus that time on making visuals more appealing. How do you personally feel about this, and how much time do you believe should be spent on sharpening certain aspects of a game?