Mood Boards and Colour Palette
<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/16b6ea10-4b61-4aa5-92c2-bc19694dcc7d/download.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/16b6ea10-4b61-4aa5-92c2-bc19694dcc7d/download.png" width="40px" /> In our first semester of Games Design Year 3, we were tasked to create a project proposal that consists of 4 separate phases. The first phase was to research 4 themes of our choosing. The second phase was narrowing down our 4 themes to a single theme that would be the basis of our game idea. After researching our themes and choosing one, we were then tasked to create 3 game ideas and present them to the class. At this stage, it was ideal for us to be very knowledgeable in our specific topic area. After presenting the 3 game ideas and receiving feedback from the class, we decided which game idea would work best. Each phase was progressively working towards the end goal of a final game idea which we could take into our second semester and create.
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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/f45e376c-ec8b-4a0c-a4cc-3af14cfa8fbb/download.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/f45e376c-ec8b-4a0c-a4cc-3af14cfa8fbb/download.png" width="40px" /> This phase consisted of mostly research. After deciding on 4 different themes of our own choice, we were tasked to do in-depth research so that we were knowledgeable in our chosen areas. These themes were chosen by completing tasks such as; brainstorming, sketching, case studies, visual research. We also listed activities that produced certain emotions, Examples of this would be, what excites us, what makes us feel bored, what makes us joyful, and what scares us. After brainstorming, we were able to pinpoint our interests as well as subjects that may be distressing to us. After researching our topics, we were then tasked to present our themes to the class in a short 8-minute presentation. By presenting to the class we were able to receive live feedback which helped us understand where to next take our research and provided me with questions and perspectives that I would not have known about previously. By clicking on the link below, you will be able to see all the research methods and information gathered for my four themes, as well as the processes used for idea creation.
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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/d96f16e1-8a43-402e-a84a-8856a59b6cfd/download.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/d96f16e1-8a43-402e-a84a-8856a59b6cfd/download.png" width="40px" /> The theme I have chosen is ‘Exploration’ as it is versatile in terms of how it can be incorporated within games. Additionally, Exploration is also a fundamental behaviour that most humans exhibit in the early stages of their lives when learning and discovering things about the world. During this phase, I will be taking a deeper look into exploration and the effect that it has on the brain, through research methods used in the previous phase. These research methods include; case studies, brainstorms, visual research and discussion. After learning more about ‘Exploration’, we were tasked to create a presentation to display the information in a format that would be easy to understand by the class, who provided feedback. By clicking on the link below, you will find all research methods and information gathered for the theme ‘Exploration’, as well as the presentation.
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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/1c528236-11f8-488f-bba1-37ef614133e9/download.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/1c528236-11f8-488f-bba1-37ef614133e9/download.png" width="40px" /> This phase consisted of the generation of 3 game ideas, to do this, we first needed to brainstorm mechanics that would work alongside the chosen theme of ‘Exploration’. After doing so, it was important to carry out simple paper prototypes to ensure that the underlying mechanic works how it was intended to. After thinking of 3 unique game ideas, it was time to present them to the class. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do this and instead peer-assessed the game ideas with my friends and family. Receiving feedback on these game ideas was important to see what worked well and what didn’t. The prototyping was also useful in being able to visually display how the game would work and whether it would be fun.
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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/c6671197-887e-4f5e-a700-bbb9d6c0e358/download.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/c6671197-887e-4f5e-a700-bbb9d6c0e358/download.png" width="40px" /> Phase 4 consisted of expanding further the game idea chosen during Phase 3. This phase also consisted of consolidating and further brainstorming to try and pin down the core mechanics and gameplay. This was important as I was able to summarise every aspect of the game and create a simplified version ready to be presented to the class for feedback and further suggestions. Above, you will be able to find the final Project Proposal which is in a Games Design Document format, and by clicking the link below you can see the base game idea and also some extra prototyping.
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