Game Development (this blog did not form part of the assessment criteria)

The Game Development module is assessed by an academic essay and practical prototype found here. This blog contains a list of unassorted notes and challenges that I plan to tidy in the future.

  • Shipping
    For this week’s challenge, create a plan for how to finish and publish your game. Following Brush and career coach Rick Davidson 5 tips on the mindset needed to finish a game. Visualisation Stay organised Accountability friend Keep it simple Prioritise all remaining features, content and bugs – ruthlessly cut all but the most important … Continue reading Shipping
  • Playtesting Phorkys
    For this week’s challenge, run a QA test and playtest of your game: Test your game extensively and log all bugs you find. Prioritise bugs and fix any that will interfere with a playtest. Distribute your game to playtesters, along with a survey to record their experiences. Advice on creating a survey can be found … Continue reading Playtesting Phorkys
  • Sound Design
    Jotun How does the audio aesthetic support the visual aesthetic? My favourite audio aesthetic in Jotun is the icelandic voice-overs. The words immerse you into a norse-fantasy world and surrounds you with magic and drama. Pixel Audio discuss in detail how originally they were inspired by norse mythology but then found the game suited a … Continue reading Sound Design
  • Level Design
    Inspiration Level Design Heavens Vault Are levels open and nonlinear, or tightly controlled and scripted? The levels are open and non-linear, you act as a detective and archeologist finding out pieces of information and then returning with that information for more of the story. “And what we have now is this system where you’re walking … Continue reading Level Design
  • Week 7: Challenge Activity – Key Animations WIP
    For this week’s challenge, please create at least two key animations for your game project, and integrate them into your game engine. You can create more if you have time. The kinds of animation you make will depend on your gameplay and art style, but could include a character run cycle, jump or attack, a … Continue reading Week 7: Challenge Activity – Key Animations WIP
  • Week 7: Spark Forum
    For this week’s warm-up activity, we analyse how animation is used in our favourite games. Please choose a game you feel has impactful animation, and analyse it in relation to the following criteria: Luna and the Shadow Dust, a hand-drawn traditionally animated point and click adventure Methods of animation used (2D bones, 3D motion capture … Continue reading Week 7: Spark Forum
  • Week 5 Art Direction
    An art direction document is a visual guide to the look and feel of a game, made to establish a common vision during production. Create an art direction document for your game, using mood boards, original concept art and mocked-up screenshots. Illustrate the environments and characters defined in your narrative design document, and plan the … Continue reading Week 5 Art Direction
  • Week 5 Spark Forum
    To get this week started, we would like you to tell us about two games – one of which might require a bit of research. Firstly, what is the most visually interesting game you have seen or played? Explain how the art direction (character and environment design, colour palette, post-processing, etc) supports the gameplay and … Continue reading Week 5 Spark Forum
  • Narrative Design Document WIP
    Challenge Brief Narrative Design Document Feel free to add illustrations, diagrams and samples of dialogue, quest design, or anything else you feel would play an important part in the storytelling. In a professional context, this would make up part of the game design document (GDD). Setting: What kind of world does the game take place … Continue reading Narrative Design Document WIP
  • Narrative Design in Gorogoa
    Gorogoa has no dialogue, incredibly simple controls and unique gameplay but it tells a deep story through illustration and gameplay. I’m hoping to design my narrative in my illustration so chose to think about Gorogoa. The player has no influence over the linear story, except that Gorogoa is a game that inspires our own imagination. … Continue reading Narrative Design in Gorogoa
  • Week 3 Programming my Game
    Programming my game has forced me to think about the game mechanics and how fun the game is to play without any narrative, art, animation or sound! A narrative, music or art direction might make a game what it is, but it’s worth bearing in mind what the bare bones of your concept are. You … Continue reading Week 3 Programming my Game
  • Inclusive Character Design
    “Queer Cyborg Mystic, Honey P. Rosenbloom (they/them) infuses love into their works, be it organizing events with Friendship Garden Game Developers, unionizing their workplace with Alphabet Workers United, or developing games to build intimacy and connection. Advocate for inclusivity, deep listening, and magic, their mission is to build inclusive, caring communities that can withstand the unforeseen changes … Continue reading Inclusive Character Design
  • Game Development Timeline
    SPRINT 1 Game Design Weeks 1 to 2, SPRINT 2 Programming Weeks 3 Rapid Ideation 1 Programming (4 days) SPRINT 3 Narrative Design Weeks 4 SPRINT 4 Art Direction Weeks 5 Rapid Ideation 2 ‘Juice it or lose it’ (4 days) SPRINT 5 Animation Weeks 6 SPRINT 6 Sound Desgin Weeks 7 Rapid Ideation 3 … Continue reading Game Development Timeline
  • Week 2 Game Design
    To start the challenge brief I ran through several ideas. Mindful that the materials discussed the pitfalls of starting a game design document with a linear story I brainstormed ideas with replayability and begun with the mechanics.”Starting from the story is an approach with some pitfalls –perhaps most importantly, that games are fundamentally an interactive … Continue reading Week 2 Game Design
  • Week 1 Skills Audit
    Challege Activity Do not feel you have to share all your answers with the group, although you can if you like. Instead please share a reflection on the experience, and your overall assessment of your current skills, along with an action plan of how you intend to grow your skills. Also please share any good … Continue reading Week 1 Skills Audit
  • Week 2 Spark Forum
    Spark Forum Your game analysis using the game criteria Your thoughts on what you think make the game special. Reading the criteria for the Week 2 Game Design Spark Forum activity, filled me with a sudden panic. Which game could I possibly choose, from the many, to analyse? I started to write up different games, … Continue reading Week 2 Spark Forum
  • Week 1 Game Development
    Getting organised Following on from my SMART goals in Development Practice I have set up a resource (reading) list and course list for Indie Games Development. Notion can track what I have studied, along with my notes and I can plan out what I will study in the future. This way I can keep on … Continue reading Week 1 Game Development