1. Game Design Workshop Lynne Hall Marc Hall

2. Session Overview Introduction ORIENT using games to make learning fun changing the way we play games Game design process Your turn

3. Games Design Introduction

4. Digital World Complex digital world Digital natives and the digitally eloquent Input from cinema Cuts, montage, flashbacks Input from interaction Engagement, entertainment, persistence Evolving literacy Being able to read and write in emerging forms of media Digital life Production as well as consumption Learning, extending, sharing

5. Game Environments Lots of video games in contemporary society Realism-based simulations Contemporary car racing games Business simulations Sports, combat and civilization development Abstract simulations Adventure and fantasy – Role playing games Space battle games Puzzles Tetris Traditional table top games (e.g. Scrabble, Cards)

6. What do you like about your favourite games? Reward Immersion Competition Escape Challenge Relaxation Excitement Intellectual stimulation Accomplishment Variety Entertainment Control Humour Role playing Social interaction Discovery Aesthetics Creation Advancement

7. What do you dislike about games? Punishment Tedium Inconsistency Presentation glitches Boredom Frustration Interruption Crashes Eyestrain Wrist fatigue Poor acting/plot

8. Characteristics of a Good Game Easy to start, tough to master Intuitive controls – easy to do it Balanced difficulty ramping Gradual learning curve If it isn’t fun, it won’t be played…

9. Educational Computer Games 1,000s of educational software titles Cater for specific age groups Usually follow the main stages of the curriculum Can be not fun at all! Some games that are fun and can help learning Zoombinis Some examples of fun games that can be used for learning

10. Using games to learn Business simulations Combat training Wargaming scenarios MarineDoom Learning to fly / drive Flight simulation Maclaren practice using F1 driving games

11. Zoombini’s Logical Journey Teaching maths to 4-8 year olds Puzzles within a games world Effective learning whilst having fun Makes maths accessible and understandable Fun to play Doesn’t feel like learning

12. Simulation The Sims (EA) Simulation of life Manipulation of characters, events and culture Allows exploration of alternative approaches Social creativity

13. Strategy Age of Empires (Microsoft) Decision making Responding to diverse conditions Use of resources Defence & attack Building empires

14. Story / Quest The Settlers 4 (Bluebyte) Identifying resources needed for survival, subsistence and success Understanding of basic building blocks of societal development

15. Puzzle Rollercoaster Tycoon (Atari) Design Aesthetics Resourcing Issues Finance versus fun Marketing

16. RPG / Action World of Warcraft (Blizzard) Active participation in stories Problem solving involving complex puzzles Collaboration Goal-oriented activity

17. Case Study: Runescape Games can be good for you! 3 year study Positive results Teaches valuable skills Requires collaboration Mirrors real world aspects Work-related learning Prof. David Buckingham, of London University's Institute for Education: “computer games should be taught at school, because they are as much a part of modern literacy as reading and writing”

18. Games as a career? Many jobs Huge sector Many different skills Writer Programmer Graphic designer Animator Many opportunities

19. Games Design ORIENT

20. Overcoming Refugee Integration Empathic Novel Technology

21. ORIENT Meant to make learning about friendship fun… Issue: How to use a game to learn about PSHE and citizenship To help teenagers learn and use friendship strategies for aiding refugee and immigrant children into becoming part of the class / school Uses 3D characters and sets

22. What’s it for? Purpose of Game: It’s to teach children ways to help people fit in to a group. Audience: It is for teenagers about your age. What you’re doing Looking for bugs Report as on board

23. Let’s have a look osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/~cs0jri Trailer Indicative games

24. Games Design Games design process

25. Ideas Very first ideas about what the game will be. Action? Strategy? Life-like? Sports …

26. Concept Design Ideas turned into pictures “Concept Art”

27. Modelling Levels and Characters modelled in 3D

28. Texturing Pictures put on the models to make them more detailed.

29. Animation Allowing characters to move Motion capture Back flip Matrix Jump

30. Programming Programmers (coders) write the software to make the graphics work together

31. Testing Testers play the game Look for problems (bugs) Make sure the game isn’t too easy or too hard

32. Designing a mini game for ORIENT

33. Learning to design games Getting going: Making a mindmap Initial designs Outline Storyboard Scripts Concept art Models

34. Game Outline What mini-game will involve What will the users have to do What will the characters do in the game What is meant to happen What is the point of what the user is doing? How will they succeed? What are the fail conditions? What sets do you need? What props?

35. Useful design technique: Storyboards Just like a comic strip Frames depicting How you will interact with the game What is the activity and purpose in the application What can the children do with the application Add notes if you need to

36. Creating storyboards A4 paper is your screen – you can draw and stick But it can become “alive” if you want Role-play Acting out what the user would be doing Becoming part of the game

37. Sprites and Seeds Culture: Sprites Getting seeds Could be any sort of game Role playing Shooter Creating

38. Sprites

39. Close to nature Live in the country Love partying Life is about making things fun Most of what they do relates to simple pleasures like eating

40. Your task What do the seeds look like? How do the sprites “catch them”? What happens when they’re caught? How does the user join in? Do other sprites and users join in?

41. Mind Map & Concepts What your ideas are… What do the seeds look like?

42. Storyboard What will happen in the game…

43. Games design How did you think games were designed? Did you enjoy these approaches? Have you learnt anything? What did you enjoy most?

44. Summary Games here to stay Games can have serious as well as fun purposes Games design involves lots of skills Plenty of opportunities for careers in the games industry Enjoyable and interesting career