by Annie | Aug 1, 2010 | Game Design
As a teacher, I wore many hats every day. Teaching aside, I regularly took on the roles of nurse, psychologist, event planner, secretary, statistician, and fellow kid. Being able to wear many hats is also one of the reasons I love studying game design. As a game designer, I must juggle the demands of budget and schedule with the creative elements of cinematography, storyline, and character and level design. I am by no means an expert, but as you may well know, I always welcome a challenge. This past Friday, I finally went to see the movie Inception. Though it was the third Friday since the movie’s release, the theater was still packed. I won’t spoil the movie for those of you who haven’t yet experienced its intense storyline, but suffice it to say that the movie has a lot in common with game design. Inception explores the possibilities of the human mind, and, in particular, of its dreams. Like game environments, dream worlds must be carefully architected. Though pieces of the dream or game may come from real life inspiration, the ultimate dream or game world is a conglomeration of the best parts of the real world. This weekend, I took on the role of a level designer. Well, kind of. My assignment was to analyze an existing game level and create a level map detailing the environment and obstacles. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, keep in mind that you have to know the level well enough to draw the map (i.e. you have to play the level over and over again). Then, you have to draw the level...
by Annie | Jul 30, 2010 | Illustration Station
The best part of life is without a doubt the people who are there with you along the journey. And that’s definitely true for my experience thus far at VFS. Every class at VFS is given a number, based on the iteration of that program. Our class is Game Design 18, or GD18. Immediately, we took to the brand, creating a Facebook page to share experiences and inside jokes. We haven’t ordered any GD18 t-shirts just yet, but I’m sure we’ll be designing those shortly. This tight-knit group of like-minded individuals was definitely on my mind as I brainstormed ideas for my 2-point vehicle design assignment. The result: Dumb and Dumber meets...
by Annie | Jul 29, 2010 | Game Design
Everyone who knows me knows that I love ketchup. I put it on everything from eggs to sloppy joes, and, occasionally, corn as well. Ketchup can spice up just about anything. And as I found out today during my level design class, so can SketchUp. For those of you who haven’t yet heard of SketchUp, it’s not quite a condiment. SketchUp is Google’s 3D modeling software, and like most other Google-produced tools, it’s quite powerful. Within seconds, you can turn a rectangle into a box and a box into a house with windows and doors. Need a 3D car? No problem. Just create a few boxes and modify the edges. Then add a few cylindrical wheels, and you’ll soon be zooming along. While SketchUp doesn’t allow you to walk around in an environment, the tool is perfect for level design. The shapes, edges, and vertices are all so easy to manipulate, making virtual architecture a snap. Within the next couple of weeks, I will be creating a level in SketchUp, complete with 3D architecture, characters, and obstacles, so stay tuned! In the meantime, here’s a quick look at what you can do with...
by Annie | Jul 28, 2010 | Game Design
There’s no doubt that games will effect change on a global scale and fundamentally transform the way we learn. The question, though, is how. And when. I’ve seen games in which players explore the human body from the inside, games that change players’ nutrition and exercise habits, and games that challenge players to minimize dependence on oil. Games can be fun and serious at the same time. Here’s a closer look at serious games and their potential. Now, seriously, go play some...
by Annie | Jul 27, 2010 | Game Design
Just this week, I’ve written 4 papers, taken 1 midterm, created a detailed perspective drawing, and analyzed numerous games and movie scenes. And this is supposed to be the “easy” term. Now into the 4th week of my first term, I can honestly say that I still love it. I leave the house at 8am each morning and usually get home after 10pm, but most days I end the day with more energy than I have at the beginning of the day. I’ve heard that a year at VFS should be viewed less as school and more as industry experience – an extended interview, if you will. All the assignments are designed to hone specific skills and lead to specific goals. Not one assignment thus far has made me feel like I was wasting my time. Here’s an in-class assignment I did today in my visual storytelling class in which we were discussing visual communication through comics. This comic was created in under 15 minutes, and I think it essentially sums up my expectations for my experience at VFS within the next several months: start out clunky and intimidated, go through several bumps, gain a few bruises, and come out sleek and molded, ready for the next...
