what are we doing here? To understand how to use emapps.com game engine: As teachers administrator /content creation and gameplay definition As children user As game designer To play a game and see what is ok and what is missing

what result do we expect to achieve You imagine a game Defining the way it works Describing the elements that make up the game ( conceptual, functional, artistic and others) Transmitting that information to the team that will build the game You know all about emapps.com game engine

The Anatomy of the game design No magic formula each game is different So no set of instructions and process that you can follow But we can give you some practical information about how to structure the game And we give you; the game engine that enables you 2 things, play the game and create the game.

The ABC of a game We are not making a video game neither a pure ARG game so in our case many areas are merged due the integration we do while we design the game.

The Storytelling All games tell a story So we need an story but in our case the story need to fit the CV curricula because the purpose of your game is to make the children to learn whilst they play the game. The complexity and depth of the story depends on the game. No story? no interest from the player side You have to embbed the player into a story to make a disbilief of the reality, you have to immerse them in a new world of adventures that is very attractibe for them.

Narrative Means that part of the story that is told by you to the player. Narrative is the noninteractive, presentational part of the story Playing games is an active process and listening to a narrative is a passive one. There are some tensions between interactivity and narrative we will see it later.

Interactivity Is the way that the player sees, hears and acts within the game world, in other words is the “ way the player plays the game” That covers lot of diverse topics, maps, pre-set scenarios, video, audio, photos, texts but also in our case the “user interface” and how this interface works with the content. We do not have a joystick or a mouse, we have mobile digital devices of many kind, we integrate different networks, we integrate different web technologies. In most of the games the player fullfill tasks, kill dragons, collect points, but do not create anything. In our game the player creates content and link that content to a wider resource such as the WWW and at the same time they make public their results with ou tno need of being an MMO.

documenting always documenting the design You as game designer will produce a series of documents to tell others about your game design. Simply you can’t design a game by “lets try it an see” approach. Hercules Poirot; Order and Method!!!! To organize your ideas. Don’t worry you are lucky today we have some documents for you, but you have to fill in.

Begin with this The High Concept – Level 1 - Your draft, your imagination Express the fundamental spirit of the game, is a resumé no more than two to four pages long including: The premise of the game CONTENT The audience ( just define your children profile + people involved if is ARG ) Its genre ( normally Adventure, Discover and some touches of strategy) The overall story line It must also describe the game play what the gamer supposed to do and the technology s/he uses and for what purposes. Define your game team ( the visionary, the techie, the writer, the content creator and the supporters) Talk about teh whole universe of digital devices and capabilities understand that concept Understand the concept of ARG games and their philosphy

eMapps.com Game Desgin Worksheet Level 2 and includes: 1.Team Creation and role distribution 2.Primary Game play mode (playing field, interaction model, challenges, actions 3.Mechanics of the game (game internal economy, victory and loss conditions 4.Writer’s role ( CV curricula + story + players + deliverables) 5.Technical interface ( digital devices + networks) Give a look on the sheet and distribute it now.

THE PITCH We will use this document to sell the idea to somebody else for example The Project Coordinator and Mr. Rob Davies Hey!!!! Look at what nice game I have developed!!!!!!!!!

SOME GAME CONCEPTS I Getting a game idea based in your School CV in games the universe is artificial but in your game is not. elements of the Game are Rules, they frame the challenges or obstacles players must overcome to win/content creation. Challenges together with the actions the players can take to meet them, make up the game play. Puzzles, enigmas normally worked by one person, it requires problem solving skills and the ability to think ahead. Victory or not Victory, that is the question!!!!

SOME GAME CONCEPTS II Perpectives is the way how the player sees the world, on emapps.com game engine this is different from video games. Players role In Monopoly you are a tycoon, in Goldeneye you are James Bond, the player’s role also helps the player to understand what he is trying to achieve and what rules he’s playing by. Hablar de preset scenarios, vector ortophoto y la inter connection con el contenido y como se puede modificar los pre-set.

SOME GAME CONCEPTS III Understanding your audience requires Know about your children what they like some of them might be core gamers and other casual gamers and that make a diference in the way oyu develop your game and to whom you assign the roles. . Your game is Adventure game based on puzzle solving and conceptual challenge.

SOME GAME CONCEPTS IV what is the nature of the gameplay? That is, what challenges will the player face, what actions will the player take to overcome them? what is the victory condition for the game if any? what is the player trying to achieve. what is the player’s role? Is the player pretending to be someone or something, and if so, what?. How does the player’s role help to define the gameplay. what is the game’s setting? Where does it take place( vector/orto/pre-set/territory) and that is related to the Physical dimension of the game.

SOME GAME CONCEPTS V What is the player’s interaction model (Omnipresent, some combination? What is the game’s primary perspective? What is the general structure of the game, What is going on each level and what function does each mode fulfill? Is the game competitive. Cooperatime, team based or single player? Does the game have a narrative or story as it goes along? Summarize the plot in a setence or two. Does the game fall into an existing genre, if so wich one? Why would anyone want to play this game? What sort of people would be attracted to this game?

Immersiveness and Suspension of Disbelief Suspension of the Disbelief is a mental state in which you choose, for a period of time, to believe that this pack of lies, this fiction, is reality. When you go inside the game world and temporarily make it your reality, you suspend your disbelief. But we also integrate pervasive technologies that contributes. And ARG game concept blurring reality and game.

Dimensions of the game world Physical dimension, limits of your territory and connection between maps/orto/pre-set scenarios. Temporal dimension But in the sense how we control the time for the game, teachers can give a specific period of time for playing the game and that need to be pre defined. Human dimension Are you going to involve external people in your game? Ethical dimension Define what is right and what is wrong, fix your standards. Hablar de los controles y mostralos

THE SAVE CONTENT ISSUE Allowing the player to leave the game and return to it later. Letting the player recover from disastrous mistakes. Encouraging the player to explore alternate strategies. You save the content not the game be aware of that if you want some how to stop the gameplay time then that is different concept.

Storytelling and Narrative Remember we use the story and narrative to drive knowledge based on CV content. No Story…increasing importance of the story……… Story-Based Gameplay Arcade strategy games First person shooting Aventure games Increasing game complexity LETS SEE A WAY TO STRUCTURE THE STORY

Possible way 1.The ordinary World is used to set up the story using a prologue to give to the player an explanations of the event but make them to work a bit to put the pieces together. The player will enter in this world so is important how you tell the facts. 2.Call for adventure Is the catalyst or the trigger that initiates the storyline it can takes many forms and it becomes the task of the player to prioritize these calls. Any idea how to start? SMS, MMS, emails, voice call, etc.

Possible way The Refuse of the call You as designer can give multiple options that the player can refuse without penalties. The player’s actions determine which call he has refused. Meeting the Mentor (Teacher) Provides further tips and helpful suggestions until the player is more familiar with the game, all set of rules applied here see emapps.com engine how deals with this.

Possible way Crossing the first Threshold Often the player express misgivings, concerns and fears but makes the crossing anyway. It is important to prepare them properly, so clear goals!!! The Approach ot the Innermost Cave This is the core of the story where the player finds the reward he seeks mostly toward the end of the game, if that is the case then there is not much attention paid to the journey back, BUT…

Possible way But if the reward is in the middle of the game then pays special attention ot the journey back. That is our case!!!! On the journey the player creates content and get rewards but only at the end of the journey – when the whole content is created s/he is able to deliver a final result and get the final a real reward. See the mechanics of the game engine on emapps.com. The final Reward giving by the teachers approving game levels.

Balancing gameplay and narrative 1.too much narrative and too little gameplay, no good. 2.too much narrative the game looks very linear. “We cannot choose the times in which we live. All what we can decide is what to do with the time that is given to us” Players cannot decide the world in which he plays; that is for you, the designer but he must be allow to decide what to do within that world.

And now the questions 1.Can the story begin at the beginning of the game, or would the game benefit from a backstory as well. 2.Will the story have a three act structure. 3.How the plot will be placed? Graph out of the major points of crisis, climax or along the game. 4.Will the game include narrative is the narrative essential for the player to understand and play the game. 5.Will the narrative material be integrated seamlessly into the gameplay or it will be a separate interface element. What form will the narrative material take? Pages in the manual, Introductory text in the program?, Movies, Podcast?

What is the user experience The interface very different from games, pervassive is the point The visual element for playing the game “The Desk” concept, let’s explaining it!! The Media element, audio, video, photo But the teacher Experience is?

The GAMEPLAY One or more casally linked series of challenges (tasks, activities) in a simulated or real environment. What kind of challenges? 1.Logic and inference test the ability of the player to assimilate information and use that information to decide upon the best course of action. 2.Lateral –Thinking Challenges The player to draw on her previous exprience and knowledge and combine them in a new and unexpected way. For example to solve a math puzzle to move ahead in the game. 3.Memory challenges tax player’s memory of recent game events some exmaples of this done in chimer.org 4.Intelligent Based Challenges rely pure on the intelligence quotient of the player. 5.Knowledge –Based Challenges rely on the knowledge of the player for example Trivial pursuit. 6. Pattern Recognition based in the human brain

THE GAMEPLAY 7.Coordination Challenges, the ability to perform many simultaneous actions. Applied challenges such as Puzzle when solved opens another part of the game. Exploration, in adventure games is a key element players enjoy moving into new areas and seeing new things. Doors, Maze and trap are examples of this. Conflict , how to defeat the others, and Strategy is a mental planning

SOME QUESTIONS What types of challenges do oyu want to include in your game? Do you want to challenge the player’s physical abilities, his mental abilities or both? Does the game include implicit challenges? Given that not all players enjoy the same kinds of challenges, how does the game’s target audience influence the challenges it includes? Will the player be required to face more than one challenge at the time? Which one?

A now!!!!!!!! A BREAK for questions