Game Jam: An Initial Test of the Exploration
Genre
Game Design Framework
Rationale
Using a practical game
development exercise (game jam), test the effectiveness of suggested game
elements within a design framework, based upon the research carried out into popular
Exploration game titles and from the Practitioner Research conducted earlier in
the project (DE4201). Within the research that has been carried out, various
commonly used game elements have been identified. I have used a combination of established
game design theory, my own practical knowledge and the collective opinions of
the practitioners interviewed during DE4201, to suggest why these elements are
frequently used by designers within the Exploration genre. This body of
research will be compared and critically analysed against the opinions of the
participants, both before and after the game jam exercise has taken place. The
participants understanding and opinions of the Exploration genre- and
ultimately the framework itself- will also be compared before and after the
exercise to ascertain if the framework is effective in influencing developers’
practice.
Date of event - 24th- 25th
April 2015, 11am-6pm.
Location - Futureworks, Riverside, New Bailey Street, Manchester, UK.
Participants
The participants that
have been invited to undertake the exercise are as follows:
1.
Game
Development Diploma Students.
2.
3rd
Year BA(Hons) Game Design Students.
3.
Diploma in
Game Audio students.
As a result of their
current levels of education, both groups of students will have varying
practical skills and theoretical knowledge of game design and game development.
This will help to test the design framework’s flexibility and usability across
a greater range of developers. However, after consultation with the Game
Development Diploma’s teaching staff it was recommended that slightly more
guidance be provided to these participants in order to ensure the best possible
outcomes (prototypes). Therefore, the exercise will be modified slightly for
these participants (see below for details). The Diploma in Game Audio
participants will be given the option of which team they wish to join, given
their specialist area of expertise.
Schedule
1. Participants
will be welcomed and asked to fill in a pre-exercise questionnaire. This
questionnaire will also set out the nature of the exercise and the research
project linked to it.
2.
Depending
on their level of expertise, participants will be either:
a.
Provided
with a basic game concept theme (based upon an Exploration game), and will be
provided with and asked to work within, the suggested game elements. This condition will be provided to those
participants undertaking the Diploma in Game Development.
b.
Provided
and asked to work within with the suggested game elements, and be asked to
create an “Exploration” game. This
condition will be provided to those participants undertaking a BA(Hons) in Game
Design.
3. Participants
will be organised into groups – preferably ones with an evenly spread skill set
(progammers, designers, artists, audio etc.)
4.
Each team
of participants will have between 11am-6pm on Saturday 25th April
and Sunday 26th April to use the suggested game elements to create a
small-scope prototype video game. Members of the Futureworks tutor team will be
on hand to provide any additional guidance required as well as ensuring that
the suggested game elements are adhered to.
5.
At the end
of the game jam, participants will be invited to fill in a reflective
questionnaire based on the practical research exercise, as well as gathering
their thoughts on the wider scope of the research that is taking place.
6. The
responses from participants will be analysed and will aid my overall
conclusions in regards to further refinement of the Design Framework.
7.
The final
game prototype builds will be analysed in terms of how closely they met with
the recommended game elements guidelines. Responses from the reflective
questionnaires will be considered when analysing the prototypes to inform
design decisions made by the participants.
Possible Issues / Problems
Attendance – While approximately 30 participants have
been invited to the Game Jam, and initial indications are that the majority of
these will attend, attendance is voluntary. A low number of participants may
not provide a true indication of the effectiveness of the Design Framework, and
may hinder the development of the prototypes that are created. All possible
measures to ensure the confirmation of attendance have been made.
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