Expectations from next module

In January, I will begin study on the Game Development module.

The module documentation outlines a course that is focused on both management and development, with the latter places in the context of both technical and artistic disciplines (Falmouth University 2020). I speculate that I will have the opportunity to take time and focus on separate elements such as graphics, code quality, level design etc. in more depth, one at a time. This would be in contrast with the rapid ideation sessions, where I had to apply a surface-level understanding of the concepts to produce “all-in-one ” prototypes quickly.

Challenge activity – persona generation

My artifact: Seven Skies game concept, in mobile game format.
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(Karras et al. and Nvidia 2018)

Connor Philips Hobbyist board game player 30, male, British, white, married, Bachelor’s degree (H. 2016)

“I play board games with friends regularly, so I’m used to complex rules and long set up times. But that requires planning a whole evening in advance. I wouldn’t mind something simpler I could just drop in and out of on my phone, when I’m out and about; to get that quick board game fix.”

Participation observation – the Game Dev League

The Game Dev League is a Discord server for anyone interested in game development. It is open to the public, and currently hosts a few thousand members who describe themselves as coders, artists, game designers, sound designers, or simply students. Membership is free and open to anyone after a simple account verification, and the server is supported by optional donations and profit from associate web links.

Outpost – game submission

The player takes control of the only healthy survivor following a meteor crash at a remote bunker underneath an Antarctic research base.

The meteor impact has affected the rest of the research team and making them critically ill and need of urgent evacuation. The impact has also damaged the bunker AI systems, causing all of the doors to lock and seal and shut down the oxygen supply…

Their objective is simple, keep everyone alive by performing First Aid/CPR and escape the Airlock by hacking the door before the air runs out!

Play on itch.io

View on GitHub

Rapid Ideation 2 – progress pictures

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Seven Skies – map generation demo

You enter the tavern with nothing but a small sachet of gold and a taste for adventure.

There is word of mysterious towers hidden within the clouds of the Seven Skies. The merchants here would pay a fine price for treasures from the Old World. You know your trusty old ship can take you there, if only you could arrange a few upgrades.

Play on itch.io

Skill domains and SMART goals

Rapid ideation sprint – midpoint

This Wednesday, the theme for out two-week jam was revealed.

A prototyping exercise using Super Mario Bros. 35

In this exercise, I take a look at the recently released Super Mario Bros. 35 and attempt to deconstruct the game and build a prototypical representation of it. The goal is to try out ideation and prototyping techniques presented in this week’s course materials.

Opposite thinking – from easter eggs to airplanes

This Monday I reviewed a number of techniques helpful for idea generation: brainstorming, mind maps, collages, mash-ups, round robin, opposite thinking, crazy eights and SCAMPER. As part of an activity for my studies, I was asked to pick a creation developed by someone else, and use one of the techniques in an attempt to transform the piece into something new.