Games Testing

 Game testing is an extremely important part of game developing, and it's best to start testing as early into the process as possible.You should be trying to find all errors or areas needing improvement as soon as you can. However, there are some risks for Game Testing for example:

• If there is no fun factor
• If the Game is not unique, fast-paced or competitive
• If there are broken features or bugs 
• The game doesn’t include a player-centric design

It is important not to become too involved with the testers process, although it's temping to jump in and help if someone is struggling to progress through the game it is crucial to allow them to figure it out alone. This is to make the experience as authentic as possible as future users will not have the designer/developer there to help them. 

The 7 most popular Game Testing techniques are:

1. Functionality Testing - This is done to confirm if the end product works
2. Combinatorial Testing - Using this method you can test the game quickly in the early stages, this can help you find out if the game has any bugs
3. Ad Hoc Testing - Also called "General Testing", this is a much more informal and less structured way of testing. It doesn't follow any process or plan and needs no documentation.There are three different types of Adhoc testing; Pair testing, Buddy testing, and Monkey testing.
4. Compatibility Testing - This tests the compatibility of your game on various different devices and platforms
5. Clean Room and Tree Testing - This is to test the consistency and reliability of the software
6. Regression Testing - This is to recheck if the game is still working correctly and to see if any new bugs have come up with the changes made.
7. Performance Testing- This tests the games overall performance in real time scenarios 

(Image found on pinterest at - https://pin.it/2Yke6Vx)

Thanks for reading :)

Game stories

 A lot of games which are interactive claim to allow you to choose your own story, however from watching the video "Telling stories with systems" -https://youtu.be/NyMndWpihTM we can see that with most games it doesn't really matter which choices you make because the games are designed to play out the same, whether you choose to save one character or the other now, the other will still die later on and they will both die the same way in the same place anyway,. If the game gives you a choice in going somewhere they want to take you, you will probably still end up in that place no matter what decision you make because this is how it has been designed. Like it says in the video it would be too much work and money to make hundreds of versions of a game to give players a unique experience, when each of these outcomes would only be seen by a small number of its users. Whats more important is presenting your players with a conflict and letting them feel as though they're in control and allowing them to rely on their own morals to determine the outcomes. 

The article "What every game developer needs to know about story", tells us just that. From reading this I learned the basics of how I would need to to go about creating my own story narrative for a game. It would need at least three acts (Start, Middle and End). This article tells us how "games aren't movies, just like movies aren't plays" even though yes they do all tell stories but differently. Common misconceptions are that "story is dialogue' and that 'story doesn't matter." Dialogue is/can be part of a story but that is not all it is and in this article and in Mass Effect 2: A Case Study in the design of Game Narrative, we learn how important story is to a game. Conflict is what makes a story, we have our protagonist and they come face to face with some sort of issue they are given many choices that lead them somewhere which will probably have another item of conflict and this will repeat itself again until orderly life has been restored by the heroes risks and choices and this is what builds a story. The choices in the game are more important than that of the outcomes because this is what gives the player a feeling of control in their story. We are told "Do, don't Show", this is how we allow the player to have that control and become immersed in the game because they feel they are doing it, they are a part of it instead of just watching it like a movie.

(Image found at - https://images.app.goo.gl/rQm1DGJdBYF3aevdA)

week 9 Reading and Writing

 Looking back on the reading tasks they weren't something I was particularly excited about at the beginning but rather I thought would be okay for me as English was my best subject in school. I did find them bearable and having a video included as part of it really helped me to understand the topics each week. The academic style papers were a little hard to understand at times because they used a lot of language and terminology I wouldn't have been familiar with up until this point, which is why I found the videos so helpful as they were much more simple and had visuals to support and further explain what they were trying to communicate. These reading tasks become much easier when we started doing them as a group and I thought it was great to get everyone's opinions and interpretations of the topics as they would notice some things that I wouldn't have when I was doing it by myself. I also think these group sessions helped me get better at pulling the most important information out of the readings without having to spend too long on them and to then end up over-analysing them. 

(img from pinterest- https://pin.it/4fmCq2f )

This is my favourite Image I've used in a reading blog so far because I feel like it was really useful in helping me to understand the design process. I have seen a lot of different ways of explaining the design process, some of which go more in depth and include more steps, whereas others simplify this even more and have less steps, but personally I found this one to work best for me and it there was enough in it without overcomplicating each area that needs to be completed. I also found that visually it was good at helping explain, I liked how it had the main headings easy to see, for when I just want to look back over it and remind myself what's to be done but also had the explanations where necessary for a first time viewer. 

Looking forward, I am really excited for what is to come and seeing my own and other peoples games coming together using the things we have learned from these tasks each week. going forward I would like to engage even more in the reading tasks by putting more of my opinion into the group sessions, at first I was a little wary about adding to the document if I wasn't 100% confident in what I was writing but I think the fact that its anonymous and doesn't show on the screen who wrote what it has helped me be more comfortable in engaging with the task. There isn't anything I can think of that could be changed to improve my experience any further other than my own engagement which I will work on. 

I am also super excited for semester 2 and to see what the second half of this module will have to offer, I've already learned and achieved much more here than I ever thought possible for myself so that's really great and speaking in the even nearer future were getting closer to Christmas!!  

Thanks for reading :)

Game Fun

 “Game Fun"

Games can be described by the 3 components Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics (MDA) or otherwise stated as rules – system – “fun”. The three reading selections this week and the synopsis below all address the term “fun” in relation to game design.

There are eight types of Fun outlined by the MDA. These eight are both a source of reference and player experience that blend together in many ways, and essentially what makes a game engaging and enjoyable.

Figure 1: Eight kinds of Fun

Both Oxford and Merrian dictionaries define Fun as an enjoyment, delight but within the context of a game it refers to a form of pleasurable entertainment. MDA papers define the '8 kinds of fun' sensation, fantasy, narrative, challenge, fellowship, discovery, expression, and submission, remain a source of reference and possibly the most popular list of player interactions combining in various forms to attract each player to a particular game.

Nicole Lazzaro presents four types of fun that are involved in defining how fun a game can be for different players.

• Easy Fun:  This is essentially for players who are new to a game who want to satiate their curiosity. 

• Hard Fun: It is essentially for people who love a good challenge.

• People Fun: Amusement from competition and cooperation. Meaning Co-op. 

• Serious Fun: Excitement from changing the player and their world.

Figure 2: From A Theory of Fun 10 Years On: Fun Is Just Another Word for Learning

Flow also has an influence on the feeling of “fun”. The concept of Flow is characterized as a balance between skill-challenge and the individual's enjoyment. When in flow the player is focused on the activity they are participating in. This gives a sense of reward and promotes further engagement in the activity.

Flow theory provides a good framework for analysing motivation in gaming activities, in particular enjoyment, engagement and positive affect.

Figure 3: Graph showing the flow zone, where the game is not too easy where the players abilities are very high (Boredom), but also not too hard that the player is unable to complete the challenge (anxiety).

Fun has everything to do with learning. “Fun is just the dopamine in our brains firing when we are presented with a new situation to learn from” Koster (2005) discussed about this saying that the different patterns that we take in helps our brain especially when it comes to enjoying a video game cause once you understand the many patterns that it offers you your brain has nothing to feed off making it unenjoyable to play anymore. Fun provides the brain with feedback of the game allowing it to observe and learn different patterns/sequences within. 

Games help people to become more imaginative, engaging with their creative side of the brain and creating new ideas/designs that can be implemented in games.

Being more creative when developing your game will help you see what challenges the player may face and what ones will help further improve the progression and also add to the player's determination to complete the story.

Balance is an even proportion or distribution of elements to keep them at a steady rate. When playing chess, we learn about strategy, tic tac toe teaches us about reading people’s mind about their next move and when we play games like civilisation or sim it teaches us resource management. When playing games we should be provided with a balance of fun and challenges. These are called either type 1 or type 2 games and these have their own unique way of being played. The type 1 games involve strategy and thinking to complete these games such as in Chess or Poker whereas type 2 games mainly involve quick reflexes and combo memorization in games such as “Mortal Kombat and Call of Duty”

The GameFlow model shows that the inherent structure of games is associated with the experience of flow and enjoyment during gaming, at least for strategy games.) As stated by Kaye and Byrce (2012) “a large body of research has investigated the negative effects of playing video games” yet “there has been less examination of the psychological experiences associated with the activity”

We come across different types of fun in games that fulfil our amusement. Fun in games is provided in many different ways for example through socialising with friends or exploring the game world. People experience different emotions when driven by gameplay. Gameplay creates opportunities for “Flow”, “balance” and “learning”. 

References:

Velev, A., 2016. Gamification Design: What’S Fun Got To Do With It?. [online] Megamification. Available at:<http://www.megamification.com/727-2//> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

Kaye, L. and Bryce, J., 2012. Putting The “Fun Factor” Into Gaming: The Influence Of Social Contexts On Experiences Of Playing Video Games. Available at: <https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/9632557.pdf/> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

 

The Game Overanalyser., 2020. A Theory of Fun for Game Design | Raph Koster and The Art of Designing Fun Games. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sZJYA06z7Y&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=TheGameOveranalyser/> [Accessed 16 November 2020].

Game Decisions

“In order for the player to be optimally engaged, challenges should be presented at a level equivalent or slightly higher than their current skill. Not too easy, not too hard”(Gigity McD)

The word 'flow state' was coined by Csikszentmihalyi (1975) also known as being “in the zone” This is when the player is fully engaged in the game experience. Csikszentmihalyi put a lot of work into observing and analyzing various groups of people. This theory is focused on the idea of how people should balance their skills and the demands of particular tasks. An example of Flow would be a challenge in a game that interests the player such as a puzzle or a boss battle meant to keep the player interested and not get bored. Csikszentmihalyi also states that flow is related to an ideal psychological condition when a person engages in a challenge-skill activity, often resulting in concentration and a focused emphasis on a task.

A practical technique for improving Flow is to look at what players like and find interesting, it is an invaluable resource as this will give you a better understanding of how to structure your game in a way it flows naturally without affecting the players’ experience and enjoyment. If the player has a high skill set and the game is not a challenge, the player will become disinterested and lose interest in the game. The game must allow the player to grow and learn with each challenge or obstacle so as to stay motivated to continue.

If the player has little to no skill set and the game is too challenging, then the player will become frustrated with anxiety and lose interest in the game as well. A flow chart helps to prevent the game from being too boring or too difficult(create anxiety) which makes the game more successful in terms of achieving Flow. 

The x axis is the player's skill and the y axis is the challenge. When the player starts off, the challenges are easy in order to introduce the player to the game system. Overtime, this will  increase the player's skill. After the player has progressed through the game the challenges get more difficult. This is known as the flow channel and is the ideal place to maintain the player in the flow state. If the challenges are too easy the player will become bored of the game. If the challenges are extremely difficult for the player, the player will get overwhelmed, frustrated or fed up with the game. This is the point where the player reaches the anxiety state of the flow map.

Studies have found Cook (2008) that there are both positive and negative consequences with game flow. The positive representing cognitive flow   “composed of challenge-skill balance, clear goals, and unambiguous feedback,” and a negative element viewed as the emotional flow “composed of action- awareness merging, concentration on the task at hand, sense of control, loss of consciousness, and time transformation.” In the development of computer games, designers must be aware of these two characteristics when developing games.

References

Numinous.productions. Dan Cook 2008. Building A Princess Saving App. Available at: <https://numinous.productions/ttft/assets/Cook2008.pdf> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

McD, Gigity (14th June 2018). What is FLOW THEORY in game design? - The Basics - (Part 1). Game Design with Michael, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H8pQyyXxHg [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Sanjamsai S, Phukao P. 2018 Flow experience in computer game playing among Thai university students. Available at: <shorturl.at/rtvGM> [Accessed 9 November 2020].

Games GDD

What is the GDD for?

A Game Design Document (GDD) is a blueprint for the design and development of a game.

The GDD is a way of being creative and documenting the approach to the development of the game. Gonzale (1999) states that “ the important thing is to have something that describes your game project (or any other project for that matter) before jumping into production.( Gamasutra ) It should help to plan out your game. Though it is recommended that the GDD should be short it needs to be detailed enough so as game developers and artists can coordinate the development of the game independently whilst still keeping to the design. 

The GDD is a blueprint for how the game is going to be designed and built, similar to a mind map. In conclusion, the game design document is vital to making a game and it is important to have in order to describe your game project.

How do we make one?

There are a variety of tools that could be used to create a GDD. These include word processing tools, visual tools like Powerpoint, or new web-based tools such as DunDoc. Each of these tools has their advantages and are a personal choice. Many of the examples shared via the internet are in Microsoft Word format. Romero Games(creators of Doom) favour a more visual tool such as PowerPoint. Whichever tool is used they should support the development of the game in an open and transparent manner.

What should be in it?

The GDD should be simple enough to read through details about your game design and concept. Schubert (2007), who was at the time lead designer for Bioware Austin, gave a GDC talk in about how to create design documentation, some of the most relevant elements include:

1. Know your target.- Have a clear vision and understanding of what you want to make. Make sure your game is suitable and fits your target audience.

2. Keep it short.  Keep it to the point and clear, the shorter they are, the easier it is to read, write, and maintain.

3. Prioritize the design.  - Divide your game in order of importance e.g have a functional game. Concentrate on core mechanics and visuals, and then expand 

4. Illustrate. - Draw sketches of your plans that make it easier to structure and implement. Present what your game would look like as it’s important to have a clear idea of the visuals before you begin creating.

5. Use user stories.- Describing the game through the player’s vision (Similar to what we did in the game vision statement).

Take into account the games users, their ideas may help develop future storylines or ideas.

6. Invest in a good format. Take the time to structure your work so that it is easy to navigate.

7. Use clear terminology. Don’t over-complicate the document. Make sure language is concise and accessible.

8. Kill redundancy.  -Recycle your code - use variables, not hard code). Always reference the new section on your page to have a clean document. Avoid copy and pasting sections.

9. Capture your reasoning - why did you make the choices you made? What led to that thought process?

References

Nachen, Lennart. 2014 Communication and Game Design Documents accessed 02/11/2020 http://acagamic.com/game-design-course/communication-and-game-design-documents/

Ferns, Shaun (2020) Readings Week 06 accessed 02/11/2020 https://cdmonline.ie/multidev1/reading-week-06/ 

 Gonzalez Leandro. 2016 How to Write a Game Design Document accessed 02/11/2020 

https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/LeandroGonzalez/20160726/277928/How_to_Write_a_Game_Design_Document.php

(Image found at - https://images.app.goo.gl/WG9zk778UtYq42Sr8 )

Games MDA

 The first article I read was MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research  This article goes into great detail about the MDA approach to game design, it aims to "attempts to bridge the gap between game design and development, game criticism, and technical game research."MDA means:

Mechanics:"describes the particular components of the game, at the level of data representation and algorithms." In simpler terms, the mechanics of a game are the actions a player takes within the game.

Dynamics:"describes the run-time behaviour of the mechanics acting on player inputs and each others' outputs over time." The dynamics are what happen when the mechanics are put together and put to use.

Aesthetics:"describes the desirable emotional responses evoked in the player, when she interacts with the game system." This is all about getting an emotional response from the player through some of the following things:

1. Sensation Game as sense-pleasure

2. Fantasy Game as make-believe 

3. Narrative Game as drama 

4. Challenge Game as obstacle course

 5. Fellowship Game as social framework

6. Discovery Game as uncharted territory 

7. Expression Game as self-discovery 

8. Submission Game as pastime

The second article I read was Design, Dynamics & Experience (DDE) for Game design, This article covered the MDA framework again however, I found the wording on this one much easier to comprehend and was able to enjoy this article a lot more than the first. This article introduced the DDE framework, although the MDA framework was widely accepted, this one was brought up to overcome weaknesses in MDA. DDE is still said to be a work in progress, it is still evolving and will most likely have more changes in the future but for now is allowing for a better, more accurately "assess and re-assess the value of the story within the overall framework of game development"

Lastly I watched a youtube video, https://youtu.be/NxiGduvDJ8s. The youtube video again discusses the MDA framework, I personally found this to be the most helpful of everything mentioned here in this blog. The visuals in the video really helped me to understand everything I had read previously, he explains how the MDA framework is used to break games down and show what is good about them and he explains each of the categories and sub-categories very clearly, while simultaneously giving very useful examples. 

image found at-https://images.app.goo.gl/Vha3ucEDavFgNhWp6

Thanks for reading :)

Game Elements

 

                                                        Image Info: https://images.app.goo.gl/sAxbRYuYqL5uNfqx9
When I think of games I always think of the end product, the game itself as a whole. That was until I read these articles. In the first article, What are the qualities of Games? we are introduced to the concept of the elements that make up the games. Here we read all about how each game is made up of "atomic elements" such as:

• players
• objectives 
• rules
• resources and resource management 
• game state 
• information
• sequencing 
• player interaction 
• theme
• games as systems 

Each of these individually play a role to make up a good game, They are the essential puzzle pieces that form the entire game. Although there can be many definitions of a game and its elements, these are still involved in all games. 

In the second article, Game design research it goes into great detail about the research process for designing a game. Personally I found this article a little harder to grasp, it felt as though it was not an article for a beginner game designer but rather someone who already has slightly more experience in this area than I myself have. What I was able to take from this article however, was the understanding that

I also watched the video, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzQY1OfDc-I&feature=youtu.be, I found this to be a great insight and it was a very good fresh look at it instead of constantly reading so much it was easier to take in the information. I think from having done this research I now have a better idea and understanding of what processes I need to undertake in order to create my own games. 

Game Design

The first reading,  What is a game Anyway?  tells us the basics of what a game is exactly. From this reading I found that a definition of what a game is can differ depending on different people however the one referred to here is " a play activity with rules that involves conflict". 

This article shows how people can have entirely different perceptions of what a game is and tells us how we can begin creating our own games. It shows how you can create a very basic but playable game with nothing but a pen and paper, although yes this is very simple it allows us to begin thinking creatively about games. It gives us the basis of the process of forming our own ideas, how we can start small and build on it and make something more complicated. 

The second reading, The organic nature of game ideation teaches us more about the process of developing ideas. In this article 23 finnish game designers and professionals were interviewed and gave a great insight into how they come up with their ideas. There are different approaches mentioned in this article for example there are both informal and formal approaches, these can include seeking inspiration, purposeful activities and bouncing ideas or brainstorming. 

In the third reading we are given Four Basic Methods for Generating Ideas. The techniques mentioned in this article are :

• concentration 
• brainstorming
• scamper
• ramsey

Concentration and brainstorming are two things we are generally already very familiar with and do not need much explaining, concentrating is something we all do everyday without even thinking about it and brainstorming is "the most common and well known method in the industry". However, scamper is somewhat more elaborate, and the ramsey method even more so. Each of the letters in Scamper is reference to one of its methods of idea generation. The ramsey method is the most complicated of them all and requires quite a bit of reading to understand, thankfully the article goes into great detail on this. 

I found this image on pinterest of a design process and thought it seemed quite helpful 

(img from pinterest- https://pin.it/4fmCq2f )

Thanks for reading :)

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