by Annie | Other
In order to bring effective educational games to the classroom, those classrooms must first have sufficient technology necessary to access those games. Increasingly, schools and colleges are putting handheld devices such as clickers into the hands of students, providing an instantaneous method of feedback that teachers can use to adjust their teaching while actually teaching. So far, such devices have been used for such purposes as taking attendance, responding to class quiz/poll questions, and signaling confusion over a concept. As such technology becomes more widespread and sophisticated, the ideal of each student receiving a personally tailored education suited to his/her own learning style and pace becomes more and more...
by Annie | Game Design
3am the night before our latest UDK level was due, half the class was still in the classroom. Most would stay overnight, camping out at school from 9am Monday through midnight the next night. Five weeks may sound like a long time to complete a 5-10 minute single player experience, but when you have to create everything from the concept and layout to mechanics and scripting from scratch, even ten weeks sounds like a tight squeeze. My Factory Frenzy level has certainly come a long way, from the original puzzle idea when I was first learning kismet, to the tentative cell diagram, and finally, to the finished level, complete with cinematics, sound effects, enemies, and a boss puzzle. You start the level by taking a helicopter ride from an island to a nearby factory. You’re prompted to shoot the colored panels to get through the factory. You soon encounter enemies, lit up with red lights. As you shoot them, you neutralize them, turning them green. Eventually, you make your way to the main assembly line area, where you start in on the first puzzle. You must stand on the moving platforms of the conveyor belts to shoot the panels of the same color, all while dodging enemy fire. Be careful though – the enemies in this area don’t stay permanently neutralized; after a certain period, their green lights blink, and then they reactivate and turn red again. After shooting all the colored panels in the required sequence, you progress to the boss puzzle, a Simon Says game of sorts. You must remember the codes you’re given in order to...
by Annie | Game Design
Very few great games are created by single individuals, so even the most genius game designers must learn to work in a team. Just like public speaking, teamwork is a skill that must be practiced. In our team management class last week, we worked in teams to create level mockups using Legos, but with a few stipulations. Lego Starcraft Level – 10 minutes – No talking – Only 1 person could gather Legos – If more than 1 Lego block fell on the floor, the team would be disqualified – Additional stipulation halfway through: no blue pieces could be used Lego God of War Level – Everyone could talk – Every team had one leader, who could order everyone else around. – All other team members could only say “Yes, sir!” and do only what the leader commanded. Many laughs later, we definitely got the message that communication and shared vision are key to successful...
by Annie | Game Design
How does virtuality differ from reality? In reality, we may or may not remember everything that happens. In the virtual world, we can track, record, and measure every single action, choice, and event and thus reward players appropriately to effectively manipulate future actions, choices, and events. In his TED talk, Tom Chatfield outlines 7 ways games engage the brain, which can be applied to every field from education to the business world. Take a...
by Annie | Game Design
The first time I heard of a game designer working on enemy AI, I thought, pfft, how hard could it be? Throw some enemies in, make them go places, and have them shoot things. However, in reality, the process is turning out to be much more complex than I’d originally anticipated. It turns out that enemies are pretty dumb. Essentially, they’re pieces of furniture in a game that can move around and do stuff. Only, they don’t inherently know how to do anything. Without a brain, they need every action, every behavior, every simulated choice to be explicitly programmed into them. Want an enemy to move around? Well, where should they start? Where exactly should they go? How fast should they move? What if they run into something or someone along the way? Should they continue running in the same loop, or should some action cause them to change their movement? The more questions that are asked and answered about an enemy, the more seemingly sophisticated he’ll be. Here are some of the enemy AI components I’ve been fiddling around with in my latest level: Movement This involves placing specific path nodes to tell each enemy exactly where to go, when to go there, how quickly to get there, in what order to move to the path nodes, and how long to continue in this pattern. Basically, path nodes serve as enemy bait, meaning each enemy needs several path nodes to keep them busy and make them appear like they have half a brain. Firing patterns Each enemy needs a weapon and specific directions on how to use it....
by Annie | Game Design
The Entertainment Software Association of Canada recently released a report of trends in the Canadian game industry and habits of Canadian gamers in 2010. Here are some facts worth noting: Over 95% of Canadian households own a computer, and nearly half of all Canadian households own at least one video game console. This makes for quite a large market of people eager for fun and innovative game experiences, opening up opportunities for both large companies and small startups. The split between male and female gamers is roughly 60:40, about the same as in the U.S. The report shows that female gamers enjoy puzzle, arcade, and word games and play games primarily using computers. With my 2+ decades of experience as a female and a gamer, I mostly agree, though more research needs to be done to tap into the specific gaming habits of the growing female gaming population. The number of gamers who use a mobile device most often to play games has almost doubled since 2009. As someone who has my iPhone on my person at all times, I definitely count myself in this category and predict that this number will continue to grow rampantly in the coming years. After all, who needs a video game console when you can carry dozens of games in your pocket? Canada is the third most successful video game industry in the world and grew by 30% in 2009. The gaming industry contributes billions of dollars annually to the Canadian economy, meaning games are serious business here, so it seems that I’m in the right place. Take a look at the report...
by Annie | Game Design
It’s a fairly common sight these days to see a toddler with an iPhone or iPad learning basic math and sight words with the latest edutainment titles available in the App Store. The increasing availability of intuitive touch technologies has made gaming more accessible to the youngest minds and fingers. Warner Bros. recently launched two Sesame Street-themed titles – Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure for the Wii and Cookie’s Counting Carnival for the DS, and SouthPeak Games announced plans Wednesday to introduce a new line of interactive education games. So while edutainment might not seem like the most popular or exciting genre, the opportunities are certainly...
by Annie | Game Design
Looking for an online resource to network with other gamers who want to change the world through games? Look no further than Gameful, the online “Secret HQ” launching today, 10/28/10, at 10:28:10am. Gameful is a free resource for gamers and game developers interested in world-changing games to find collaborators, jobs, funding, and more. Here are some of the things you can do through Gameful: – Set up a profile sharing your expertise, skills, abilities, and interests – Search the network for collaborators and talent – Spread the word about your new projects – Meet journalists who want to write about interesting games or research like yours – Find new and cutting-edge game projects to inspire you – Join a Gameful book club and discuss big ideas – Join a Gameful game club and play big ideas – Brainstorm and submit conference panels or sessions together – Plan Gameful meet-ups at conferences and festivals – Nominate your own work, or work you love, for the annual Gameful Awards (in the categories of Reality-Changing, Life-Changing, and World-Changing) So what are you waiting for? Hop on over to gameful.org and join...
by Annie | Game Design
Term 3 starts today. [Cue scary music.] Ever since starting at VFS, I’ve been told how incredibly heavy the workload would be for term 3. Between a 50+ page detailed design doc, large level design project, and a bevy of smaller but equally challenging assignments, I’ve certainly got my work cut out for me. I foresee many coffee runs, late night pun attempts, and a chat status permanently set on “busy.” With Vancouver’s imminent winter rains approaching though, at least I won’t miss much good weather. I’m as ready as I’m going to be, so come on, Term 3, let’s see what you’ve got. Can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and dig...
by Annie | Game Design
Bored of scrolling through your Twitter feed? Check out Super Twario, a side scrolling platformer that turns tweeting into a game. I must admit, I’m not big into Twitter, but with more games like this, I might soon be tweeting...
by Annie | Game Design
Looking for a new game? Or a cool widget? Look no further than the App Store on your iOS device. And soon, also on your Mac. Apple announced yesterday that it is bringing the App Store to the Mac. Yeah, so what? For developers, it means easy centralized distribution. The App Store provides a greater market for distribution, especially for small development companies or individual developers with little or no marketing budget. For consumers, the Mac App Store will bring more competition for casual games, reducing the average price while increasing the quality and choice, not to mention the ease of installing and updating applications. Consumer reviews and ratings will drive otherwise unheard of developers and games into the App Store’s featured or top apps lists, which in turn leads to more exposure and downloads. Matt Rix, developer of Trainyard, showed just what landing in Apple’s featured apps can do for exposure and sales. Half a million downloads since September 30th. Pretty phenomenal for one guy with an idea. Soon, similar stories will become more commonplace as the App Store comes to the Mac, bringing with it infinite possibilities for developers and exciting new apps for consumers. Buckle your seatbelt. The App Store is coming to Mac OS within 90...
by Annie | Game Design
These days, you’ll rarely catch me without my handy black notebook of notes, thoughts, sketches, ideas, and plans. Now nearing a third of the way through the school year, my notebook is just about filled. Before I store the notebook away, I thought I’d provide some behind-the-scenes peeks at the rough concepts behind some of the projects I’ve worked on these past four months. Enjoy! Behind the scenes of LINK Early spider web tile concepts: Combining the spider web tiles with factors and multiples: Logo sketches: Behind the scenes of Tree Initial storyboard: Behind the scenes of Attack of the Alien Slugs Initial paper layout: Behind the scenes of Split Personalities Initial concept sketch: Behind the scenes of Cubic Clash Paper layout: Behind the Scenes of Rooftop Rumble Initial concept sketches: Paper layout: Behind the Scenes of Factory Frenzy Initial concept sketches: Initial cell diagram: Updated cell diagram: Needless to say, a lot of work goes into each of these projects, from planning to building to multiple iterations to testing. As I’ve been saying all along, game design is hard work. But of course, it’s also immeasurably fun. It seems that it’s time to shelve my first notebook of the year. Thanks for always being there for me, dear friend. Now, on to volume...
by Annie | Game Design
Oh no! The clone factory has gone crazy, and the clones are becoming aggressive. Take a helicopter to the factory and shut it down as quickly as possible. Use colored lights to guide you through the various rooms of the factory, and shoot different colored panels to shut down the main conveyor belts. Then, test your memory by inputting a series of color-based codes to shut down power to the entire factory. Think you’re up for the challenge? The final level will be done in a few short weeks. In the meantime, here’s a look at the level overview and...
by Annie | Game Design
Not too long ago, kismet was a daunting word to me. In Turkish and Urdu, kismet refers to destiny. As if that’s not scary enough, kismet also refers to the scripting tool for the Unreal Engine. Scripting? For a first person shooter? Not exactly my cup of tea. Kismet is a visual scripting tool, so in a sense, it’s somewhat simpler than, say, C++. The logic is similar, but instead of typing out commands, you can just summon the command boxes you need and link them together to create a series of instructions. Here’s a glimpse at some of the kismet behind the puzzle I blogged about last week. (Note: It’s not as clean as I’d like, but I’m working on that!) As we’ve delved further into kismet, the infinite possibilities are becoming clearer and more exciting. Shooting endlessly at enemies? Not so exciting. Solving puzzles while you’re shooting at enemies who do different things? Much more appealing. And for those of you who know me well, you know that I’d rather remove the enemies altogether and just have puzzles. First person sudoku, interactive simon says, top-down memory shooter… Like I said, the possibilities are endless. Kismet is fast becoming part of my...
by Annie | Game Design
As more and more people realize the potential that games and technology have in changing the face of education, funds are increasing and opportunities are expanding. Just yesterday, the Gates Foundation announced a $20 million project to fund educational technology ventures. It may not seem like a sum large enough to fix America’s education crisis, but if it can change just one student’s life through improved education, it will have been a huge...
by Annie | Game Design
Incredibly busy is an understatement these days. Lots of big projects, not so much time. One of said projects is a slice of a single player level with a puzzle and boss fight. Below is a sneak peek at the puzzle element of my level. Of course, you’ll have to imagine the walls, ceilings, and all the pretty things I’ll add later. This is the main assembly line area of my factory-themed level. You will enter from the bottom level. You will need to activate two triggers in succession, indicated by different colored lights that come on at different times. The second trigger will activate the elevator, which will take you to the top floor. There, you will have a similar task but with six triggers this time. The last trigger will stop the assembly line, cut off all the lights in the factory, attach a light to you (essentially a flashlight), and activate a trigger that will allow you to summon a platform that will lead you to the final boss fight. In the dark. Just you and your flashlight. Stay tuned for the final version, coming...
by Annie | Game Design
I’ve never thought of myself as a programmer. In high school, I took a programming class and only got so far before the complicated code started frustrating me. Nowadays, perhaps due to my infinitely more sophisticated mind power or the application of games to code, but I’m developing a fascination with scripting. To me, scripting feels like working on the Word Jumble or Sudoku puzzle in the Sunday Times. There’s exactly one solution, creative ways to get there, and a logical process that will carry you through. I may not know much about scripting right now, but I have definitely fallen in love with the logic behind...
by Annie | Game Design
It’s my birthday. When I think back to a year ago today, I can’t believe just how different my life is. For one, I now live in Canada. CANADA. And I’m studying game design. How crazy is that? A year ago, I had just finished working with Clairvoyant Technologies to develop Pi’s Kingdom, a game targeting basic math facts for elementary school students. A year ago, I was preparing to start working with ARTSEDGE (AE) at the Kennedy Center to develop resources to help educators bring the arts into the classroom. It was from my AE cubicle that all this craziness started. At AE, I worked on a variety of projects, from writing and revising lesson plans to creating interactive materials to supplement lessons and Kennedy Center events. But my favorite projects were easily the games. I was tasked with creating a game to teach basic elementary music knowledge. What came from that challenge was Step Right Up, two carnival-themed games to teach basic rhythm and how to read notes on the staff. For these two games, I created the high concept and designed the mechanics, interface, and theme/art. Need to brush up on your music theory? Take a look at Quackin’ Rhythms and Whack-A-Note. Through these experiences, I realized the incredible potential of games in education. And, well, the rest is history. One year later, I’m here in Vancouver living my dream, and I’m excited about all that’s yet to...
