Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).

I have stable mentors: Tracy Fullerton, Sean Bouchard, and Elizabeth Swensen.  My mentorship with them is held at the University of Southern California Game Innovation Lab.

For this interview, I chose to interview my mentor Sean. I have already completed my interview with him. I need to transcribe it and post it here.

2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons.

Throughout the course of my project, I've been drawn the area of storytelling within video games. This would include worldbuilding, character creation, and plotting of a dramatic arc. World creation is an extensive process with potential for great depth-- for example, J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth (Lord of the Rings) is a broadly developed, complex fictional world that still has limitless potential to keep reader interest.

Upon creating a deep and complex world, creation of characters and the major plotline are large entities to handle, as well. As these three elements are observed in literature everywhere, research and information regarding these specific topics is easily accessible.

Beyond just storytelling, I believe the player experience throughout the game is important, as well. In relation to storytelling, I'd also like to focus on the player experience throughout the storytelling process; I'd like to ensure the story has the intended impact on players of a game. To do this, researching more in-depth on player experience is necessary; thus far, I've found potentially sufficient amounts of research on the topic.

3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?

I believe that while video game design books will definitely help me in the topic of storytelling, I also believe that works and books regarding storytelling in general will be of great use. I know that I can easily obtain these books from the vast amount of resources in the Cal Poly Pomona library, as well as my local libraries.

In terms of player experience, I believe research in more video game design books, especially those focusing on user experience and user interface, will prove helpful. I can access these books at the Cal Poly Library as well, but I can also check them out from my mentorship and the University of Southern California Library.

4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

What areas of focus in storytelling are important to emphasize in order to deliver the best player experience?

How can a game designer create a positive player experience through storytelling techniques?