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?

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.