Journal entry container

9/17/2022

Medium -

This reading went deep into all the techniques games use to convey a narrative.  For starters it referenced Pac-man being ground-breaking for naming all the characters in its game and using music to make players feel certain emotions about game events like eating the pellets to dying. It spoke about the ultima series from how it evolved its character interaction system by showing character motivations. And finally Myst with having the player's actions lead to different outcomes that the story can take. These were some of the ways games conveyed narrative techniques 

Hamlet Hit Points-

The chapter goes into how the creation of D&D storytelling was a freak accident. This was due to the simple fact that your character grew stronger due to how you handled the problems you faced in the game. If you were killing enemies up close and personal you were playing as someone who enjoyed combat and worked to improve these traits from leveling up or gear you found.  If you preferred sneaking and dealing with problems indirectly you built your character around that.  In essence, how you played the game told the story of the character you were in a very rudimentary matter.  

9/19/2022

Theory of Fun for GameDesign- 

The first chapter makes a lot of points that I generally agree with mostly with difficulty. Games that are fun for me are typically the ones that reach the sweet spot between easy and hard.  Also, I agree with tic tac toe being a garbage game. Chapter 2 mostly deals with how our brain deals with stuff on a day-to-day basis.  By repeatedly practicing something you reach the point where you don't have to really think about the task anymore. And that's something I can actually say is true because of the fact that I have been cooking a lot to the point where I don't really need to time things anymore I just have a rough idea of when the food is done. 

Lenses-

This chapter really broke down the simple things something needs in order to be a  good game. A play area like a game world or a board. Objects with different attributes or states like characters or real-world objects.  Actions that you or the objects can perform like running or attacking you. Clear rules that are followed by all objects in the game. There are ways to improve yourself at the game like having better reaction times or just knowing the enemy attack patterns. There should be an element of chance to add an uncontrollable variable to keep you on your toes. And looking back some of my favorite games like Xcom 2 and Skyrim follow these basic Ideas.

9/24/2022 

Level Up-

This chapter was really helpful in broadening my understanding of level design. It firstly broke down the different terms for levels like waves when you are in typically the same area for the most part but you face various enemies in increments to stages which are typical parts of a whole like how bosses act as a fight progresses or a level is broken down into various self-contained areas.  It also talked about various game themes and how you should for the most part when you design levels you should not make the theme feel out of place like, for instance, an old western game having  AK-47 pickups unless there is a definitive reason that this happens in your game. Have your Game Project level names be functional and the in-game names be stylish and functional. Ultimately good level design should make a player be excited about playing and not frustrated while playing.  

11/7/2022    

Theory Of Fun  

The overall message I got from this chapter is that games are more than just mechanics. How the game is presented can dictate if the player loves a game or not even if the 2 games being compared have similar mechanics.  An example of this is gta5 and just cause 3 being both third-person shooters where mass violence is taken place. Yet on gta5 received criticism for how it glorified the criminal lifestyle while just cause 3 did not due to you being a rebel fighting against obsessive dictators.  It also in my opinion touched on the fact that programmers are not the solo carry-on if a game is good or not. The entire team like level designers, story writers, and musicians contribute to making a game feel fun for the player.  

Lenses   

The main point of this chapter is that games are more than just a set of rules to complete a task. They are an experience where all the parts that go into making it must be given around the same level of care and attention. Heck, an example of this being proof is the game Undertale. The art, gameplay, and story are all amazing. But what makes this game god-tier is that all three are connected making the experience that much more incredible. The gameplay of kill or friendship adds to the core moral storytelling of the game with the art making you see that the monsters are not evil with the character designs to the music adding to the hype of the battles.