A game design workshop to support the elaboration of game ideas
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1. The document describes a game design workshop to support the development of location-based mobile games. 2. The workshop involved designing a location-based game set in Pompeii to understand common design patterns. Participants produced 32 game designs across several workshops. 3. An example game called "Pompeii Total War" was described, which involved capturing flags by solving puzzles from non-player characters at different locations around Pompeii.
A game design workshop to support the elaboration of game ideas
- 1. 1/ A game design workshop to support the elaboration of game ideas Christos Sintoris, N. Yiannoutsou, N. Avouris Human-Computer Interaction Group University of Patras HCI International – Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Interactions Heraklion, Greece, June 22-27 2014
- 2. 2/ Location-based mobile games Location-based mobile games ...are games that are facilitated by mobile devices in such a way that the game activity evolves according to player's location the place often immerses the players in a situated context where details of history, culture and the available physical affordances provide opportunities and influence the choice of actions and interactions
- 3. 3/ Location-based mobile games Play is affected by the players' location Location-specific contextual information is embedded in the play Ivisible City Benaki MS MuseumScrabble CityScrabble
- 4. 4/ How can we support the design of such games?
- 5. 5/ Game design workshops They are focused, low cost activities that may involve many participants. They produce rich data, easy to study. They can be used for generating design ideas, design patterns and study the design process
- 6. 6/ The Pompeii game design activity (1/3) Workshop Framework: Modalities for interacting with the real world Game mechanics as “actions, behaviors and control mechanisms” within a given game context” The learning dimension of acting in an information-rich space The role of technology in mediating the cultural experience
- 7. 7/ Single Task workshop: to design of a location-based game for a specific site The Pompeii game design activity (2/3) The task is to design a game for the archaeological site of Pompeii, given design material and a design framework Objective is to observe design activity of different design groups and deduce common design patterns for this class of games
- 8. 8/ The Pompeii game design activity (3/3)
- 9. 9/ Workshop material Map Interesting places WorksheetConcept cards
- 10. 10/ Workshop material Map Interesting places WorksheetConcept cards
- 11. 11/ Game design events 32 game designs were produced in 6 workshops in 4 different countries 2013 Summer School on Technologies for Cultural Heritage Zakynthos, GR
- 12. 12/ Game design events Erasmus IP on cultural heritage management, Pecs, HU, 2013
- 13. 13/ Game design events Game-based Learning Summer School in Autrans, FR, 2011
- 15. 15/ An example: “Pompeii Total War” ●The aim: Conquer and protect flag of/from every team (other players). Your devices assist you: You can see buildings and NPCs through it. It also features a dynamic map of your camp flags and conquered flags. NPCs will give you hints and help you to solve puzzles and enigmas through a dialogue interface.
- 16. 16/ ●The rules. –You must protect and conquer flags by answering puzzles:a foreign flag can be captured when resolving the puzzle that an NPC guard gave to the team. –You can recapture your own captured flags by answering a new enigma to the NPC guardian - you can recapture a lost flag by answering again to the guard (another enigma of course). –You have 2 hours for the contest. An example: “Pompeii Total War”
- 17. 17/ An example: “Pompeii Total War” Game mechanics. RTS capture the flags - several located enigmas - time challenge (capture the most flags) - collaborative resolution (ubiquitous problems for teams) - building strategies with several roles in the team - communication with legendary known NPCs (gods, generals, famous). Some enigmas: on the same flags there are several possible enigmas. They are asked in a progressive way: the easier first, the harder last. Puzzle: the mosaic with Alexander and find the place where the mosaic is.
- 18. 18/ ●Use of means and tools. Tablets/smartphones with GPS (location), camera (augmented reality) dynamic map of Pompeii with list of team flags (conquered) network connection to a ?? (– unintelligible) (Real time changes on the world). An example: “Pompeii Total War”
- 19. 19/ A non playing character asks the players to find a picture in the pool. But to see the picture, the pool must be full. So they have to split into 2 groups. One must stay near the pool, the other has to find the valve. Once the valve is found, they open it and tell the others to look at the pool. Then all players have to go back to the NPC and explain who is on the pic and his role in mythology (Dionysos, god of wine). If they are wrong, the NPC tells them, but they loose the flag. An example: “Pompeii Total War”
- 20. 20/ Player behaviour and aesthetic result: Competition and pressure - discovery of amazing places-people (NPCs) - self efficacy improvement when a cooperative problem is solved - fun! - Learning a lot about past Pompeii. An example: “Pompeii Total War”
- 21. 21/ Open Design Patterns Similar to: Pervasive Games Design Patterns Davidsson, Peitz, & Björk, 2004, Björk &Peitz, 2007 Game Ontology Project (Hochhalter, Lichti, & Zagal, 2005)
- 22. 22/ Deriving design patterns By applying methods from content analysis and grounded theory we identified codes in the design documents and used these codes to extract what patterns and strategies the designers followed
- 23. 23/ Design Patterns http://hci.ece.upatras.gr/l-bags/ (soon in English)
- 24. 24/ Design patterns graph The cooperation and competition between players/groups is adjusted by controlling information provided to them. Information Awareness regulates competition. In a same- place game, there is the possibility of information because the players are close (e.g. see and hear the opponent ) . Information can flow accidentally (eg a sound from the device other players may reveal some information ) . Wrong information may be deliberately delivered (see patterns bluff, sabotage). If the mobile devices are personal telephones of players, they can be used as phones for coordination and information exchange, bypassing or expanding information channels of the game. Information awareness concerns management of the information that is known to the players, it may concern actions of other players or teams or information about them (such as their score, position in space, etc.). One example is the fog of war , where the actions of the opponent is hiding behind a veil . Can be combined with diversification of players (two players Information awareness Cooperation Competition Control Players diversificationFog of war sabotage bluffing Co-located players
- 25. 25/ Experimental use of design patterns
- 26. 26/ Using design patterns - Using it as a checklist - Getting new ideas - Refining an initial idea - Checking old solutions to new problems - Relating structure of the game to game elements
- 27. 27/ The Open Design Patterns Repository An open repository of design knowledge for location-based games hci.ece.upatras.gr/pompeii game/ Sintoris et al. (2014) on Design patterns
- 28. 28/ Thank you A game design workshop to support the elaboration of game ideas Christos Sintoris, N. Yiannoutsou, N. Avouris Human-Computer Interaction Group, University of Patras HCI International – Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Interactions Heraklion, Greece, June 22-27 2014