On Friday, we got to playtest two games. One was a beta of a video game and the other that was a prototype for a game. The video game was called Shady Sam and was about loans. Shady Sam was very fun and addicting. In the game, you are a loan shark trying to get the most money you can from your clients. At the end of the game, you would get a rank like Slimy or Callous, which made you want to play again to get different ranks. I think that in Shady Sam, the clients need to come with a variety of difficulty. You would get one client many times, where you just had to charge her, so that was a little too easy to get the money. The prototype was for a game about credit scores, which at first was very confusing with all the rules, but very fun to watch. But as we kept playing, it became clearer. In that game, you are trying to either get to a credit of around 830 or get your opponent to around 320. I feel that the credit game will be easier if it is online because then you can have the rules right in front of you and you don’t have to keep track of your own points and number of rounds. I feel that both of these playtesting experiences provided me with a sense of how much work actually goes into making successful games. When we made games and playtested them, we didn’t really utilize the info that we got to revise our games. I think that when you playtest both prototypes and betas, you get more helpful info that will help you determine what platform will be better and how the player will feel playing your game.
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Last week and today, we pitched our game ideas to the rest of the class. Then we had to choose one to reflect on. I chose Hurricane Rescue Simulator, because I feel that it is most relevant to whats happening in the nation. Hurricane Rescue Simulator is a VR game to teach hurricane rescue. It teaches the player how to navigate a rescue boat, tie ropes, rescue victims, locate victims, and first aid.
The game teaches through the use of tutorials. I think that this game could be created by students, only if they knew how to make a VR game. I do think that they would have problems figuring how to design the rope typing part. I feel that it needs a better name. It needs something catchy to get people’s attention. I was impressed by how every part of the game can be used in real life. Everything you learn can actually be applied. Hurricanes could affect the whole US, so this game could be very beneficial. I felt that the pitch was very good because the purpose of the game was very clear. I didn’t have any questions after the game was pitched, because I think the pitch went over everything I have questions about. I think that hurricane rescue simulator could be marketable We would need to do more market research; however, it is hard to find data on simulation games. It will have little to no competition, which is good for the company. It sounds like a good game; however, I don’t know if people would pay more than 99cs for the game.
While working on the project, we had to complete this assignment where we had to categorize our game. One of those categories was edutainment. I had no idea how to even pronounce it or what it was. To find out more, I researched edutainment.
An article on Techopedia defines edutainment as products that combine entertainment with education. Creators of those products are trying to aim towards younger people as their audience for their products. Edutainment can be in different forms such as an auto dashboard, projection screen, or mobile phone. According to Dinner Table MBA, there are five benefits to edutainment. The first benefit is that kids stay engaged which means that they consume more information. The second is that edutainment gives kids the opportunity to have freedom in their learning. The third benefit is that you can learn anywhere at any time. The fourth is that you can learn perseverance through edutainment. The fifth and final benefit is that this type of learning engages and excites kids. Edutainment is exactly what it sounds like. Education and entertainment at the same time. You can have fun while learning and possibly not even be aware that your learning. Edutainment Facts:
“What Is Edutainment and Why Kids Learn Better This Way.” Dinner Table MBA, 3 Sept. 2018, dinnertablemba.com/edutainment/. “What Is Edutainment? - Definition from Techopedia.” Techopedia.com, www.techopedia.com/definition/5506/edutainment. So this week we are creating a serious game on a topic that we choose, but it occurred to me that I don’t fully understand what a serious game is, which may be why I’m having a hard time pitching it. Serious games are important to know about because I may end up at a game company making one. To get a full understanding of what serious games are, I researched what are serious games.
I found a very informative article called What are Serious Games on Growth Engineering. According to the article, a serious game is “a game designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment.” Games are engaging because of six reasons: game mechanics/interactivity, story, rules, competition/challenge, consequences/risks, and an immersive graphical environment. When used in serious games, each of those six reasons increases learning in a captivating way. I found examples of serious games on Game Learn. Dragon Box Elements is a game created to educate kids in math, while Pulse!! was produced to give nurses real-life nursing experiences. VICE, The Virtual Interactive Combat Environment is a 3d simulator used by military personnel. Other games include Our City, Food Force, and Merchants. Serious games have multiple purposes that serve the greater good. According to Game Accessibility, there are three purposes of serious games. The three purposes are education, persuasion, and health. Under those three purposes fall ten types of serious games. These types are exergames, simulation, game-based learning, productivity game, game for health, news game, advergame, art games, persuasive games, organizational- dynamic games, and edutainment. Serious Games:
Works Cited “Eight Examples That Explain All You Need to Know about Serious Games and Game-Based Learning.” Gamelearn: Game-Based Learning Courses for Soft Skills Training, 4 July 2017, www.game-learn.com/all-you-need-to-know-serious-games-game-based-learning-examples/. “Serious Game Types and Their Importance.” Game Accessibility, game-accessibility.com/documentation/serious-game-types/. “What Are Serious Games?” Growth Engineering, 4 Sept. 2018, www.growthengineering.co.uk/what-are-serious-games/. |
AuthorI'm a student at Durham School of the Arts, and currently in the Game Art Design pathway. I like playing the Sims 4, playing with dogs, and riding horses. This blog will reflect my learning and discoveries. Archives
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