Dadaab Wiki - User contributions [en]

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T02:12:36Z

Saarah: /* Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game Gorogoa */

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game ''Gorogoa''==
[[File:Gorogoa1.gif|800px|center]]

===Introduction===
''Gorogoa'' is a game that intricately weaves together a deeply layered narrative, detailed visual design, complex puzzles, and interesting gesture-based interaction. These aspects create a highly immersive player experience, that hinges on curiosity and imaginative play. This game is unique not only in the way that gestures and puzzles are used in the game mechanics, but also due to its extreme reliance on the visual form: there is no written text, no explanations at all. The elegant integration of visual elements and gameplay shows the “aesthetic importance of games and how the play experience [is] intertwined with aesthetics” (Flanagan, 65). It is up to the player to explore the world of the game, and figure out how the puzzles work. The game also plays with the frustration of the player, as some levels and introduced mechanics are very hard to understand. Overall, the game is an interesting balance of ludic play and imaginative play, and it is this combination that makes it such an immersive and interesting game to play.

The mechanics and rules of this game are deceptively simple, and are based on a simple tile puzzle mechanic to create visual “tricks” that become important moments of interaction to advance the story and solve levels. The entirety of the game consists of four panels or tiles arranged in a two by two grid. These panels depict scenes which change, often with animated sequences, in interesting ways as the player changes their position and the pieces click together, or are taken apart, in different ways. Each panel is almost like a “a virtual window” (Schrank, 27). As puzzles are solved, the character and objects move in and out of the frame (using animation), often breaking perspective, and then “freeze” in place. The player is then left to rearrange the tiles into new compositions that solve the visual puzzles, so that the images can animate and change into new settings once again, to advance the story. Each level is denoted by a new part of the story, and a new theme, and throughout the “sub-levels,” the same settings are revisited again and again, and the player has to fully explore and solve the puzzles hidden throughout, before they can move onto the next stage.

[[File:Gorogoa2.gif|left|400px]]
===Gesture and Interaction===
The gestures and interactions of ''Gorogoa'' are designed to intertwine seamlessly with the mechanics, narrative, and visuals. The simple movements of the tiles mimics the physical movements of cards or tiles. The interactions within the puzzles, such as a rotating gear in a tile that must match up with the next tile, are also very instinctual and natural. There is no gap between what the player is thinking, and the way they manipulate the elements, as well as the resulting actions in the game. There are also several moments of imitation that create a more immersive story — such as flipping through a book, using a compass to find direction, heating up a stove to create steam that enters another panel — handling objects in the scenes to solve the puzzle using their characteristics. The most interesting aspect of this type of interaction is that the player does not control the character, but rather the arrangement of panels, which then dictates how the boy is able to move from one scene to the next. This “experience of movement” is the founding element of the gameplay in ''Gorogoa'', both in the sense of the player’s interaction and manipulation through gesture, and in the sense of the character’s and the game elements’ movements which further the narrative (Bogost 15). Being highly authorial, it is definitely an art game that is a “game for game’s sake,” in many cases breaking the flow by being “simultaneously too hard and too easy” (Schrank, 40).

[[File:Gorogoa5.gif|left|400px]]
===Aesthetics & Design===
At its core, this game is about visual arrangement and composition. Scenes are composed and recomposed through the ways a player manipulates the panels. The puzzle piece mechanic works through the use of layered compositions, that line up in different ways depending on the scale, position, and arrangement. Some of these rearrangements break the scene, while others create new scenes. Once they are lined up correctly, the scene shuffles and changes to reveal a new visual puzzle to explore. The intriguing aspect of the game is the use of perspective and angles, which plays with the element of disorientation of ilinx, as the player has to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works, and instead focus on the visual elements and how they match up, even if that means putting together a closeup of a map with a far shot of a clock tower. The detailed illustrations are full of clues that can guide the player in finding hidden connections and arranging these intriguing compositions.

[[File:Gorogoa3.gif|400px|left]]
The use of perspective is especially interesting and plays into Schrank’s description of “radical formal” strategies. Like naturalistic painting, which was dominated by a linear perspective, was disrupted by impressionism and cubism which “revealed alternate ways of looking at and making paintings”, Gorogoa’s use of perspective in such an ambiguous manner reveals alternate ways of looking at and making games (Schrank, 23).

As a cultural artifact, the visual design of the game draws on architectural forms and art history. In particular, the idea of intricate drawings which can be zoomed into endlessly, comes from the detailed carving work of the Alhambra palace (Sandovar, 183). Similarly, the narrative puzzles were inspired by Chris Ware’s book, ''Maze'' (Sandovar 180).

===Narrative===
The whole game advances the narrative, there are no other objectives other than uncovering the story and past of the main character, in the dreamlike world of the game. ''Gorogoa''’s story unfolds across time and space, and we catch glimpses of the boy from childhood to an adult. Instead of cut scenes, there are moments at the end of each level which are longer animated scenes, ending with the boy/character emerging in a new landscape of the next level. The visuals are highly detailed, full to the brim with references to an imagined history, art, and culture of this surreal world. In a way, the game introduces its own mythology of this imagined world, and like Huizinga writes, this activates mimicry and imaginative play (100). The character himself is absorbed into various rituals that are present in the world, and the likewise, the player has to decode some of these rituals as part of the game.

[[File:Gorogoa4.gif|400px|right]]
The narrative itself speaks to social issues related to war and the results of war. The boy’s quest, as he searches for answers through his memories, is to collect objects that he has seen depicted the old art around the city, as a means to peace. He collects these objects as the old mythic artwork suggests that this will bring a hopeful, peaceful time. There are certain levels where a farmer tills the land, or the boy has to climb a mountain in extreme heat. These images are followed by old black and white photos, echoing wartime photography, of soldiers and deteriorating buildings. There are also levels in which there are maps, denoting different geographical regions and their differing cultures. One puzzle shows a student reading books as bombs fall outside his window. These aspects explore some of the conditions which cause civil unrest, as well as the outcome of politics and war. By playing as the young boy whose journey takes him in and through war and dark times, the player is able to experience this as well, in a kind of incidental learning (Nolan and McBride 597).

[[File:Gorogoa6.gif|left|400px]]
The layered and complex narrative, which spans across time and space, in addition to the challenging puzzles, means that it is difficult to understand in just one gameplay. In my own experience of playing the game, I found that in some levels I focused more on the puzzles than the story, and I think that in playing it again, I will notice more of the hidden pieces scattered throughout which form the bigger narrative.

Like several other games I have analyzed, Gorogoa combines highly imaginative play (in which there is an entire imagined world that plays with mimicry and disorientation) with highly ludic game mechanics (mainly in the form of logic puzzles). The absence of agon/competitive play or chance/alea creates a gameplay in which the sense of achievement or satisfaction comes from the moment that the delightful interaction, and the moment that the panels align to create a new scene to further the narrative. This creates a highly unique and interesting game to play.

.

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T02:12:00Z

Saarah: /* Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game Gorogoa */

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game ''Gorogoa''==
[[File:Gorogoa1.gif|400px]]

===Introduction===
''Gorogoa'' is a game that intricately weaves together a deeply layered narrative, detailed visual design, complex puzzles, and interesting gesture-based interaction. These aspects create a highly immersive player experience, that hinges on curiosity and imaginative play. This game is unique not only in the way that gestures and puzzles are used in the game mechanics, but also due to its extreme reliance on the visual form: there is no written text, no explanations at all. The elegant integration of visual elements and gameplay shows the “aesthetic importance of games and how the play experience [is] intertwined with aesthetics” (Flanagan, 65). It is up to the player to explore the world of the game, and figure out how the puzzles work. The game also plays with the frustration of the player, as some levels and introduced mechanics are very hard to understand. Overall, the game is an interesting balance of ludic play and imaginative play, and it is this combination that makes it such an immersive and interesting game to play.

The mechanics and rules of this game are deceptively simple, and are based on a simple tile puzzle mechanic to create visual “tricks” that become important moments of interaction to advance the story and solve levels. The entirety of the game consists of four panels or tiles arranged in a two by two grid. These panels depict scenes which change, often with animated sequences, in interesting ways as the player changes their position and the pieces click together, or are taken apart, in different ways. Each panel is almost like a “a virtual window” (Schrank, 27). As puzzles are solved, the character and objects move in and out of the frame (using animation), often breaking perspective, and then “freeze” in place. The player is then left to rearrange the tiles into new compositions that solve the visual puzzles, so that the images can animate and change into new settings once again, to advance the story. Each level is denoted by a new part of the story, and a new theme, and throughout the “sub-levels,” the same settings are revisited again and again, and the player has to fully explore and solve the puzzles hidden throughout, before they can move onto the next stage.

[[File:Gorogoa2.gif|left|400px]]
===Gesture and Interaction===
The gestures and interactions of ''Gorogoa'' are designed to intertwine seamlessly with the mechanics, narrative, and visuals. The simple movements of the tiles mimics the physical movements of cards or tiles. The interactions within the puzzles, such as a rotating gear in a tile that must match up with the next tile, are also very instinctual and natural. There is no gap between what the player is thinking, and the way they manipulate the elements, as well as the resulting actions in the game. There are also several moments of imitation that create a more immersive story — such as flipping through a book, using a compass to find direction, heating up a stove to create steam that enters another panel — handling objects in the scenes to solve the puzzle using their characteristics. The most interesting aspect of this type of interaction is that the player does not control the character, but rather the arrangement of panels, which then dictates how the boy is able to move from one scene to the next. This “experience of movement” is the founding element of the gameplay in ''Gorogoa'', both in the sense of the player’s interaction and manipulation through gesture, and in the sense of the character’s and the game elements’ movements which further the narrative (Bogost 15). Being highly authorial, it is definitely an art game that is a “game for game’s sake,” in many cases breaking the flow by being “simultaneously too hard and too easy” (Schrank, 40).

[[File:Gorogoa5.gif|right|400px]]
===Aesthetics & Design===
At its core, this game is about visual arrangement and composition. Scenes are composed and recomposed through the ways a player manipulates the panels. The puzzle piece mechanic works through the use of layered compositions, that line up in different ways depending on the scale, position, and arrangement. Some of these rearrangements break the scene, while others create new scenes. Once they are lined up correctly, the scene shuffles and changes to reveal a new visual puzzle to explore. The intriguing aspect of the game is the use of perspective and angles, which plays with the element of disorientation of ilinx, as the player has to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works, and instead focus on the visual elements and how they match up, even if that means putting together a closeup of a map with a far shot of a clock tower. The detailed illustrations are full of clues that can guide the player in finding hidden connections and arranging these intriguing compositions.

[[File:Gorogoa3.gif|400px|left]]
The use of perspective is especially interesting and plays into Schrank’s description of “radical formal” strategies. Like naturalistic painting, which was dominated by a linear perspective, was disrupted by impressionism and cubism which “revealed alternate ways of looking at and making paintings”, Gorogoa’s use of perspective in such an ambiguous manner reveals alternate ways of looking at and making games (Schrank, 23).

As a cultural artifact, the visual design of the game draws on architectural forms and art history. In particular, the idea of intricate drawings which can be zoomed into endlessly, comes from the detailed carving work of the Alhambra palace (Sandovar, 183). Similarly, the narrative puzzles were inspired by Chris Ware’s book, ''Maze'' (Sandovar 180).

===Narrative===
The whole game advances the narrative, there are no other objectives other than uncovering the story and past of the main character, in the dreamlike world of the game. ''Gorogoa''’s story unfolds across time and space, and we catch glimpses of the boy from childhood to an adult. Instead of cut scenes, there are moments at the end of each level which are longer animated scenes, ending with the boy/character emerging in a new landscape of the next level. The visuals are highly detailed, full to the brim with references to an imagined history, art, and culture of this surreal world. In a way, the game introduces its own mythology of this imagined world, and like Huizinga writes, this activates mimicry and imaginative play (100). The character himself is absorbed into various rituals that are present in the world, and the likewise, the player has to decode some of these rituals as part of the game.

[[File:Gorogoa4.gif|400px|right]]
The narrative itself speaks to social issues related to war and the results of war. The boy’s quest, as he searches for answers through his memories, is to collect objects that he has seen depicted the old art around the city, as a means to peace. He collects these objects as the old mythic artwork suggests that this will bring a hopeful, peaceful time. There are certain levels where a farmer tills the land, or the boy has to climb a mountain in extreme heat. These images are followed by old black and white photos, echoing wartime photography, of soldiers and deteriorating buildings. There are also levels in which there are maps, denoting different geographical regions and their differing cultures. One puzzle shows a student reading books as bombs fall outside his window. These aspects explore some of the conditions which cause civil unrest, as well as the outcome of politics and war. By playing as the young boy whose journey takes him in and through war and dark times, the player is able to experience this as well, in a kind of incidental learning (Nolan and McBride 597).

[[File:Gorogoa6.gif|left|400px]]
The layered and complex narrative, which spans across time and space, in addition to the challenging puzzles, means that it is difficult to understand in just one gameplay. In my own experience of playing the game, I found that in some levels I focused more on the puzzles than the story, and I think that in playing it again, I will notice more of the hidden pieces scattered throughout which form the bigger narrative.

Like several other games I have analyzed, Gorogoa combines highly imaginative play (in which there is an entire imagined world that plays with mimicry and disorientation) with highly ludic game mechanics (mainly in the form of logic puzzles). The absence of agon/competitive play or chance/alea creates a gameplay in which the sense of achievement or satisfaction comes from the moment that the delightful interaction, and the moment that the panels align to create a new scene to further the narrative. This creates a highly unique and interesting game to play.

.

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T02:11:10Z

Saarah: /* Narrative */

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game ''Gorogoa''==
[[File:Gorogoa1.gif|700px]]

===Introduction===
''Gorogoa'' is a game that intricately weaves together a deeply layered narrative, detailed visual design, complex puzzles, and interesting gesture-based interaction. These aspects create a highly immersive player experience, that hinges on curiosity and imaginative play. This game is unique not only in the way that gestures and puzzles are used in the game mechanics, but also due to its extreme reliance on the visual form: there is no written text, no explanations at all. The elegant integration of visual elements and gameplay shows the “aesthetic importance of games and how the play experience [is] intertwined with aesthetics” (Flanagan, 65). It is up to the player to explore the world of the game, and figure out how the puzzles work. The game also plays with the frustration of the player, as some levels and introduced mechanics are very hard to understand. Overall, the game is an interesting balance of ludic play and imaginative play, and it is this combination that makes it such an immersive and interesting game to play.

The mechanics and rules of this game are deceptively simple, and are based on a simple tile puzzle mechanic to create visual “tricks” that become important moments of interaction to advance the story and solve levels. The entirety of the game consists of four panels or tiles arranged in a two by two grid. These panels depict scenes which change, often with animated sequences, in interesting ways as the player changes their position and the pieces click together, or are taken apart, in different ways. Each panel is almost like a “a virtual window” (Schrank, 27). As puzzles are solved, the character and objects move in and out of the frame (using animation), often breaking perspective, and then “freeze” in place. The player is then left to rearrange the tiles into new compositions that solve the visual puzzles, so that the images can animate and change into new settings once again, to advance the story. Each level is denoted by a new part of the story, and a new theme, and throughout the “sub-levels,” the same settings are revisited again and again, and the player has to fully explore and solve the puzzles hidden throughout, before they can move onto the next stage.

[[File:Gorogoa2.gif|left|200px]]
===Gesture and Interaction===
The gestures and interactions of ''Gorogoa'' are designed to intertwine seamlessly with the mechanics, narrative, and visuals. The simple movements of the tiles mimics the physical movements of cards or tiles. The interactions within the puzzles, such as a rotating gear in a tile that must match up with the next tile, are also very instinctual and natural. There is no gap between what the player is thinking, and the way they manipulate the elements, as well as the resulting actions in the game. There are also several moments of imitation that create a more immersive story — such as flipping through a book, using a compass to find direction, heating up a stove to create steam that enters another panel — handling objects in the scenes to solve the puzzle using their characteristics. The most interesting aspect of this type of interaction is that the player does not control the character, but rather the arrangement of panels, which then dictates how the boy is able to move from one scene to the next. This “experience of movement” is the founding element of the gameplay in ''Gorogoa'', both in the sense of the player’s interaction and manipulation through gesture, and in the sense of the character’s and the game elements’ movements which further the narrative (Bogost 15). Being highly authorial, it is definitely an art game that is a “game for game’s sake,” in many cases breaking the flow by being “simultaneously too hard and too easy” (Schrank, 40).

[[File:Gorogoa5.gif|right|200px]]
===Aesthetics & Design===
At its core, this game is about visual arrangement and composition. Scenes are composed and recomposed through the ways a player manipulates the panels. The puzzle piece mechanic works through the use of layered compositions, that line up in different ways depending on the scale, position, and arrangement. Some of these rearrangements break the scene, while others create new scenes. Once they are lined up correctly, the scene shuffles and changes to reveal a new visual puzzle to explore. The intriguing aspect of the game is the use of perspective and angles, which plays with the element of disorientation of ilinx, as the player has to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works, and instead focus on the visual elements and how they match up, even if that means putting together a closeup of a map with a far shot of a clock tower. The detailed illustrations are full of clues that can guide the player in finding hidden connections and arranging these intriguing compositions.

[[File:Gorogoa3.gif|400px|left]]
The use of perspective is especially interesting and plays into Schrank’s description of “radical formal” strategies. Like naturalistic painting, which was dominated by a linear perspective, was disrupted by impressionism and cubism which “revealed alternate ways of looking at and making paintings”, Gorogoa’s use of perspective in such an ambiguous manner reveals alternate ways of looking at and making games (Schrank, 23).

As a cultural artifact, the visual design of the game draws on architectural forms and art history. In particular, the idea of intricate drawings which can be zoomed into endlessly, comes from the detailed carving work of the Alhambra palace (Sandovar, 183). Similarly, the narrative puzzles were inspired by Chris Ware’s book, ''Maze'' (Sandovar 180).

===Narrative===
The whole game advances the narrative, there are no other objectives other than uncovering the story and past of the main character, in the dreamlike world of the game. ''Gorogoa''’s story unfolds across time and space, and we catch glimpses of the boy from childhood to an adult. Instead of cut scenes, there are moments at the end of each level which are longer animated scenes, ending with the boy/character emerging in a new landscape of the next level. The visuals are highly detailed, full to the brim with references to an imagined history, art, and culture of this surreal world. In a way, the game introduces its own mythology of this imagined world, and like Huizinga writes, this activates mimicry and imaginative play (100). The character himself is absorbed into various rituals that are present in the world, and the likewise, the player has to decode some of these rituals as part of the game.

[[File:Gorogoa4.gif|400px|right]]
The narrative itself speaks to social issues related to war and the results of war. The boy’s quest, as he searches for answers through his memories, is to collect objects that he has seen depicted the old art around the city, as a means to peace. He collects these objects as the old mythic artwork suggests that this will bring a hopeful, peaceful time. There are certain levels where a farmer tills the land, or the boy has to climb a mountain in extreme heat. These images are followed by old black and white photos, echoing wartime photography, of soldiers and deteriorating buildings. There are also levels in which there are maps, denoting different geographical regions and their differing cultures. One puzzle shows a student reading books as bombs fall outside his window. These aspects explore some of the conditions which cause civil unrest, as well as the outcome of politics and war. By playing as the young boy whose journey takes him in and through war and dark times, the player is able to experience this as well, in a kind of incidental learning (Nolan and McBride 597).

[[File:Gorogoa6.gif|left|400px]]
The layered and complex narrative, which spans across time and space, in addition to the challenging puzzles, means that it is difficult to understand in just one gameplay. In my own experience of playing the game, I found that in some levels I focused more on the puzzles than the story, and I think that in playing it again, I will notice more of the hidden pieces scattered throughout which form the bigger narrative.

Like several other games I have analyzed, Gorogoa combines highly imaginative play (in which there is an entire imagined world that plays with mimicry and disorientation) with highly ludic game mechanics (mainly in the form of logic puzzles). The absence of agon/competitive play or chance/alea creates a gameplay in which the sense of achievement or satisfaction comes from the moment that the delightful interaction, and the moment that the panels align to create a new scene to further the narrative. This creates a highly unique and interesting game to play.

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T02:10:10Z

Saarah: /* Aesthetics & Design */

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game ''Gorogoa''==
[[File:Gorogoa1.gif|700px]]

===Introduction===
''Gorogoa'' is a game that intricately weaves together a deeply layered narrative, detailed visual design, complex puzzles, and interesting gesture-based interaction. These aspects create a highly immersive player experience, that hinges on curiosity and imaginative play. This game is unique not only in the way that gestures and puzzles are used in the game mechanics, but also due to its extreme reliance on the visual form: there is no written text, no explanations at all. The elegant integration of visual elements and gameplay shows the “aesthetic importance of games and how the play experience [is] intertwined with aesthetics” (Flanagan, 65). It is up to the player to explore the world of the game, and figure out how the puzzles work. The game also plays with the frustration of the player, as some levels and introduced mechanics are very hard to understand. Overall, the game is an interesting balance of ludic play and imaginative play, and it is this combination that makes it such an immersive and interesting game to play.

The mechanics and rules of this game are deceptively simple, and are based on a simple tile puzzle mechanic to create visual “tricks” that become important moments of interaction to advance the story and solve levels. The entirety of the game consists of four panels or tiles arranged in a two by two grid. These panels depict scenes which change, often with animated sequences, in interesting ways as the player changes their position and the pieces click together, or are taken apart, in different ways. Each panel is almost like a “a virtual window” (Schrank, 27). As puzzles are solved, the character and objects move in and out of the frame (using animation), often breaking perspective, and then “freeze” in place. The player is then left to rearrange the tiles into new compositions that solve the visual puzzles, so that the images can animate and change into new settings once again, to advance the story. Each level is denoted by a new part of the story, and a new theme, and throughout the “sub-levels,” the same settings are revisited again and again, and the player has to fully explore and solve the puzzles hidden throughout, before they can move onto the next stage.

[[File:Gorogoa2.gif|left|200px]]
===Gesture and Interaction===
The gestures and interactions of ''Gorogoa'' are designed to intertwine seamlessly with the mechanics, narrative, and visuals. The simple movements of the tiles mimics the physical movements of cards or tiles. The interactions within the puzzles, such as a rotating gear in a tile that must match up with the next tile, are also very instinctual and natural. There is no gap between what the player is thinking, and the way they manipulate the elements, as well as the resulting actions in the game. There are also several moments of imitation that create a more immersive story — such as flipping through a book, using a compass to find direction, heating up a stove to create steam that enters another panel — handling objects in the scenes to solve the puzzle using their characteristics. The most interesting aspect of this type of interaction is that the player does not control the character, but rather the arrangement of panels, which then dictates how the boy is able to move from one scene to the next. This “experience of movement” is the founding element of the gameplay in ''Gorogoa'', both in the sense of the player’s interaction and manipulation through gesture, and in the sense of the character’s and the game elements’ movements which further the narrative (Bogost 15). Being highly authorial, it is definitely an art game that is a “game for game’s sake,” in many cases breaking the flow by being “simultaneously too hard and too easy” (Schrank, 40).

[[File:Gorogoa5.gif|right|200px]]
===Aesthetics & Design===
At its core, this game is about visual arrangement and composition. Scenes are composed and recomposed through the ways a player manipulates the panels. The puzzle piece mechanic works through the use of layered compositions, that line up in different ways depending on the scale, position, and arrangement. Some of these rearrangements break the scene, while others create new scenes. Once they are lined up correctly, the scene shuffles and changes to reveal a new visual puzzle to explore. The intriguing aspect of the game is the use of perspective and angles, which plays with the element of disorientation of ilinx, as the player has to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works, and instead focus on the visual elements and how they match up, even if that means putting together a closeup of a map with a far shot of a clock tower. The detailed illustrations are full of clues that can guide the player in finding hidden connections and arranging these intriguing compositions.

[[File:Gorogoa3.gif|400px|left]]
The use of perspective is especially interesting and plays into Schrank’s description of “radical formal” strategies. Like naturalistic painting, which was dominated by a linear perspective, was disrupted by impressionism and cubism which “revealed alternate ways of looking at and making paintings”, Gorogoa’s use of perspective in such an ambiguous manner reveals alternate ways of looking at and making games (Schrank, 23).

As a cultural artifact, the visual design of the game draws on architectural forms and art history. In particular, the idea of intricate drawings which can be zoomed into endlessly, comes from the detailed carving work of the Alhambra palace (Sandovar, 183). Similarly, the narrative puzzles were inspired by Chris Ware’s book, ''Maze'' (Sandovar 180).

===Narrative===
The whole game advances the narrative, there are no other objectives other than uncovering the story and past of the main character, in the dreamlike world of the game. ''Gorogoa''’s story unfolds across time and space, and we catch glimpses of the boy from childhood to an adult. Instead of cut scenes, there are moments at the end of each level which are longer animated scenes, ending with the boy/character emerging in a new landscape of the next level. The visuals are highly detailed, full to the brim with references to an imagined history, art, and culture of this surreal world. In a way, the game introduces its own mythology of this imagined world, and like Huizinga writes, this activates mimicry and imaginative play (100). The character himself is absorbed into various rituals that are present in the world, and the likewise, the player has to decode some of these rituals as part of the game.

[[File:Gorogoa4.gif]]
The narrative itself speaks to social issues related to war and the results of war. The boy’s quest, as he searches for answers through his memories, is to collect objects that he has seen depicted the old art around the city, as a means to peace. He collects these objects as the old mythic artwork suggests that this will bring a hopeful, peaceful time. There are certain levels where a farmer tills the land, or the boy has to climb a mountain in extreme heat. These images are followed by old black and white photos, echoing wartime photography, of soldiers and deteriorating buildings. There are also levels in which there are maps, denoting different geographical regions and their differing cultures. One puzzle shows a student reading books as bombs fall outside his window. These aspects explore some of the conditions which cause civil unrest, as well as the outcome of politics and war. By playing as the young boy whose journey takes him in and through war and dark times, the player is able to experience this as well, in a kind of incidental learning (Nolan and McBride 597).

The layered and complex narrative, which spans across time and space, in addition to the challenging puzzles, means that it is difficult to understand in just one gameplay. In my own experience of playing the game, I found that in some levels I focused more on the puzzles than the story, and I think that in playing it again, I will notice more of the hidden pieces scattered throughout which form the bigger narrative.

Like several other games I have analyzed, Gorogoa combines highly imaginative play (in which there is an entire imagined world that plays with mimicry and disorientation) with highly ludic game mechanics (mainly in the form of logic puzzles). The absence of agon/competitive play or chance/alea creates a gameplay in which the sense of achievement or satisfaction comes from the moment that the delightful interaction, and the moment that the panels align to create a new scene to further the narrative. This creates a highly unique and interesting game to play.
[[File:Gorogoa6.gif|center|300px]]

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T02:09:30Z

Saarah: /* Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game Gorogoa */

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game ''Gorogoa''==
[[File:Gorogoa1.gif|700px]]

===Introduction===
''Gorogoa'' is a game that intricately weaves together a deeply layered narrative, detailed visual design, complex puzzles, and interesting gesture-based interaction. These aspects create a highly immersive player experience, that hinges on curiosity and imaginative play. This game is unique not only in the way that gestures and puzzles are used in the game mechanics, but also due to its extreme reliance on the visual form: there is no written text, no explanations at all. The elegant integration of visual elements and gameplay shows the “aesthetic importance of games and how the play experience [is] intertwined with aesthetics” (Flanagan, 65). It is up to the player to explore the world of the game, and figure out how the puzzles work. The game also plays with the frustration of the player, as some levels and introduced mechanics are very hard to understand. Overall, the game is an interesting balance of ludic play and imaginative play, and it is this combination that makes it such an immersive and interesting game to play.

The mechanics and rules of this game are deceptively simple, and are based on a simple tile puzzle mechanic to create visual “tricks” that become important moments of interaction to advance the story and solve levels. The entirety of the game consists of four panels or tiles arranged in a two by two grid. These panels depict scenes which change, often with animated sequences, in interesting ways as the player changes their position and the pieces click together, or are taken apart, in different ways. Each panel is almost like a “a virtual window” (Schrank, 27). As puzzles are solved, the character and objects move in and out of the frame (using animation), often breaking perspective, and then “freeze” in place. The player is then left to rearrange the tiles into new compositions that solve the visual puzzles, so that the images can animate and change into new settings once again, to advance the story. Each level is denoted by a new part of the story, and a new theme, and throughout the “sub-levels,” the same settings are revisited again and again, and the player has to fully explore and solve the puzzles hidden throughout, before they can move onto the next stage.

[[File:Gorogoa2.gif|left|200px]]
===Gesture and Interaction===
The gestures and interactions of ''Gorogoa'' are designed to intertwine seamlessly with the mechanics, narrative, and visuals. The simple movements of the tiles mimics the physical movements of cards or tiles. The interactions within the puzzles, such as a rotating gear in a tile that must match up with the next tile, are also very instinctual and natural. There is no gap between what the player is thinking, and the way they manipulate the elements, as well as the resulting actions in the game. There are also several moments of imitation that create a more immersive story — such as flipping through a book, using a compass to find direction, heating up a stove to create steam that enters another panel — handling objects in the scenes to solve the puzzle using their characteristics. The most interesting aspect of this type of interaction is that the player does not control the character, but rather the arrangement of panels, which then dictates how the boy is able to move from one scene to the next. This “experience of movement” is the founding element of the gameplay in ''Gorogoa'', both in the sense of the player’s interaction and manipulation through gesture, and in the sense of the character’s and the game elements’ movements which further the narrative (Bogost 15). Being highly authorial, it is definitely an art game that is a “game for game’s sake,” in many cases breaking the flow by being “simultaneously too hard and too easy” (Schrank, 40).

[[File:Gorogoa5.gif|right|200px]]
===Aesthetics & Design===
At its core, this game is about visual arrangement and composition. Scenes are composed and recomposed through the ways a player manipulates the panels. The puzzle piece mechanic works through the use of layered compositions, that line up in different ways depending on the scale, position, and arrangement. Some of these rearrangements break the scene, while others create new scenes. Once they are lined up correctly, the scene shuffles and changes to reveal a new visual puzzle to explore. The intriguing aspect of the game is the use of perspective and angles, which plays with the element of disorientation of ilinx, as the player has to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works, and instead focus on the visual elements and how they match up, even if that means putting together a closeup of a map with a far shot of a clock tower. The detailed illustrations are full of clues that can guide the player in finding hidden connections and arranging these intriguing compositions.

[[File:Gorogoa3.gif|left|300px]]
The use of perspective is especially interesting and plays into Schrank’s description of “radical formal” strategies. Like naturalistic painting, which was dominated by a linear perspective, was disrupted by impressionism and cubism which “revealed alternate ways of looking at and making paintings”, Gorogoa’s use of perspective in such an ambiguous manner reveals alternate ways of looking at and making games (Schrank, 23).

As a cultural artifact, the visual design of the game draws on architectural forms and art history. In particular, the idea of intricate drawings which can be zoomed into endlessly, comes from the detailed carving work of the Alhambra palace (Sandovar, 183). Similarly, the narrative puzzles were inspired by Chris Ware’s book, ''Maze'' (Sandovar 180).

===Narrative===
The whole game advances the narrative, there are no other objectives other than uncovering the story and past of the main character, in the dreamlike world of the game. ''Gorogoa''’s story unfolds across time and space, and we catch glimpses of the boy from childhood to an adult. Instead of cut scenes, there are moments at the end of each level which are longer animated scenes, ending with the boy/character emerging in a new landscape of the next level. The visuals are highly detailed, full to the brim with references to an imagined history, art, and culture of this surreal world. In a way, the game introduces its own mythology of this imagined world, and like Huizinga writes, this activates mimicry and imaginative play (100). The character himself is absorbed into various rituals that are present in the world, and the likewise, the player has to decode some of these rituals as part of the game.

[[File:Gorogoa4.gif]]
The narrative itself speaks to social issues related to war and the results of war. The boy’s quest, as he searches for answers through his memories, is to collect objects that he has seen depicted the old art around the city, as a means to peace. He collects these objects as the old mythic artwork suggests that this will bring a hopeful, peaceful time. There are certain levels where a farmer tills the land, or the boy has to climb a mountain in extreme heat. These images are followed by old black and white photos, echoing wartime photography, of soldiers and deteriorating buildings. There are also levels in which there are maps, denoting different geographical regions and their differing cultures. One puzzle shows a student reading books as bombs fall outside his window. These aspects explore some of the conditions which cause civil unrest, as well as the outcome of politics and war. By playing as the young boy whose journey takes him in and through war and dark times, the player is able to experience this as well, in a kind of incidental learning (Nolan and McBride 597).

The layered and complex narrative, which spans across time and space, in addition to the challenging puzzles, means that it is difficult to understand in just one gameplay. In my own experience of playing the game, I found that in some levels I focused more on the puzzles than the story, and I think that in playing it again, I will notice more of the hidden pieces scattered throughout which form the bigger narrative.

Like several other games I have analyzed, Gorogoa combines highly imaginative play (in which there is an entire imagined world that plays with mimicry and disorientation) with highly ludic game mechanics (mainly in the form of logic puzzles). The absence of agon/competitive play or chance/alea creates a gameplay in which the sense of achievement or satisfaction comes from the moment that the delightful interaction, and the moment that the panels align to create a new scene to further the narrative. This creates a highly unique and interesting game to play.
[[File:Gorogoa6.gif|center|300px]]

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T02:06:20Z

Saarah: /* Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game Gorogoa */

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game ''Gorogoa''==
[[File:Gorogoa1.gif|center|300px]]

===Introduction===
''Gorogoa'' is a game that intricately weaves together a deeply layered narrative, detailed visual design, complex puzzles, and interesting gesture-based interaction. These aspects create a highly immersive player experience, that hinges on curiosity and imaginative play. This game is unique not only in the way that gestures and puzzles are used in the game mechanics, but also due to its extreme reliance on the visual form: there is no written text, no explanations at all. The elegant integration of visual elements and gameplay shows the “aesthetic importance of games and how the play experience [is] intertwined with aesthetics” (Flanagan, 65). It is up to the player to explore the world of the game, and figure out how the puzzles work. The game also plays with the frustration of the player, as some levels and introduced mechanics are very hard to understand. Overall, the game is an interesting balance of ludic play and imaginative play, and it is this combination that makes it such an immersive and interesting game to play.

The mechanics and rules of this game are deceptively simple, and are based on a simple tile puzzle mechanic to create visual “tricks” that become important moments of interaction to advance the story and solve levels. The entirety of the game consists of four panels or tiles arranged in a two by two grid. These panels depict scenes which change, often with animated sequences, in interesting ways as the player changes their position and the pieces click together, or are taken apart, in different ways. Each panel is almost like a “a virtual window” (Schrank, 27). As puzzles are solved, the character and objects move in and out of the frame (using animation), often breaking perspective, and then “freeze” in place. The player is then left to rearrange the tiles into new compositions that solve the visual puzzles, so that the images can animate and change into new settings once again, to advance the story. Each level is denoted by a new part of the story, and a new theme, and throughout the “sub-levels,” the same settings are revisited again and again, and the player has to fully explore and solve the puzzles hidden throughout, before they can move onto the next stage.

[[File:Gorogoa2.gif|left|200px]]
===Gesture and Interaction===
The gestures and interactions of ''Gorogoa'' are designed to intertwine seamlessly with the mechanics, narrative, and visuals. The simple movements of the tiles mimics the physical movements of cards or tiles. The interactions within the puzzles, such as a rotating gear in a tile that must match up with the next tile, are also very instinctual and natural. There is no gap between what the player is thinking, and the way they manipulate the elements, as well as the resulting actions in the game. There are also several moments of imitation that create a more immersive story — such as flipping through a book, using a compass to find direction, heating up a stove to create steam that enters another panel — handling objects in the scenes to solve the puzzle using their characteristics. The most interesting aspect of this type of interaction is that the player does not control the character, but rather the arrangement of panels, which then dictates how the boy is able to move from one scene to the next. This “experience of movement” is the founding element of the gameplay in ''Gorogoa'', both in the sense of the player’s interaction and manipulation through gesture, and in the sense of the character’s and the game elements’ movements which further the narrative (Bogost 15). Being highly authorial, it is definitely an art game that is a “game for game’s sake,” in many cases breaking the flow by being “simultaneously too hard and too easy” (Schrank, 40).

[[File:Gorogoa5.gif|right|200px]]
===Aesthetics & Design===
At its core, this game is about visual arrangement and composition. Scenes are composed and recomposed through the ways a player manipulates the panels. The puzzle piece mechanic works through the use of layered compositions, that line up in different ways depending on the scale, position, and arrangement. Some of these rearrangements break the scene, while others create new scenes. Once they are lined up correctly, the scene shuffles and changes to reveal a new visual puzzle to explore. The intriguing aspect of the game is the use of perspective and angles, which plays with the element of disorientation of ilinx, as the player has to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works, and instead focus on the visual elements and how they match up, even if that means putting together a closeup of a map with a far shot of a clock tower. The detailed illustrations are full of clues that can guide the player in finding hidden connections and arranging these intriguing compositions.

[[File:Gorogoa3.gif|left|300px]]
The use of perspective is especially interesting and plays into Schrank’s description of “radical formal” strategies. Like naturalistic painting, which was dominated by a linear perspective, was disrupted by impressionism and cubism which “revealed alternate ways of looking at and making paintings”, Gorogoa’s use of perspective in such an ambiguous manner reveals alternate ways of looking at and making games (Schrank, 23).

As a cultural artifact, the visual design of the game draws on architectural forms and art history. In particular, the idea of intricate drawings which can be zoomed into endlessly, comes from the detailed carving work of the Alhambra palace (Sandovar, 183). Similarly, the narrative puzzles were inspired by Chris Ware’s book, ''Maze'' (Sandovar 180).

===Narrative===
The whole game advances the narrative, there are no other objectives other than uncovering the story and past of the main character, in the dreamlike world of the game. ''Gorogoa''’s story unfolds across time and space, and we catch glimpses of the boy from childhood to an adult. Instead of cut scenes, there are moments at the end of each level which are longer animated scenes, ending with the boy/character emerging in a new landscape of the next level. The visuals are highly detailed, full to the brim with references to an imagined history, art, and culture of this surreal world. In a way, the game introduces its own mythology of this imagined world, and like Huizinga writes, this activates mimicry and imaginative play (100). The character himself is absorbed into various rituals that are present in the world, and the likewise, the player has to decode some of these rituals as part of the game.

[[File:Gorogoa4.gif|right|300px]]
The narrative itself speaks to social issues related to war and the results of war. The boy’s quest, as he searches for answers through his memories, is to collect objects that he has seen depicted the old art around the city, as a means to peace. He collects these objects as the old mythic artwork suggests that this will bring a hopeful, peaceful time. There are certain levels where a farmer tills the land, or the boy has to climb a mountain in extreme heat. These images are followed by old black and white photos, echoing wartime photography, of soldiers and deteriorating buildings. There are also levels in which there are maps, denoting different geographical regions and their differing cultures. One puzzle shows a student reading books as bombs fall outside his window. These aspects explore some of the conditions which cause civil unrest, as well as the outcome of politics and war. By playing as the young boy whose journey takes him in and through war and dark times, the player is able to experience this as well, in a kind of incidental learning (Nolan and McBride 597).

The layered and complex narrative, which spans across time and space, in addition to the challenging puzzles, means that it is difficult to understand in just one gameplay. In my own experience of playing the game, I found that in some levels I focused more on the puzzles than the story, and I think that in playing it again, I will notice more of the hidden pieces scattered throughout which form the bigger narrative.

Like several other games I have analyzed, Gorogoa combines highly imaginative play (in which there is an entire imagined world that plays with mimicry and disorientation) with highly ludic game mechanics (mainly in the form of logic puzzles). The absence of agon/competitive play or chance/alea creates a gameplay in which the sense of achievement or satisfaction comes from the moment that the delightful interaction, and the moment that the panels align to create a new scene to further the narrative. This creates a highly unique and interesting game to play.
[[File:Gorogoa6.gif|center|300px]]

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T02:03:52Z

Saarah: /* Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game Gorogoa */

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game ''Gorogoa''==
[[File:Gorogoa1.gif]]

===Introduction===
''Gorogoa'' is a game that intricately weaves together a deeply layered narrative, detailed visual design, complex puzzles, and interesting gesture-based interaction. These aspects create a highly immersive player experience, that hinges on curiosity and imaginative play. This game is unique not only in the way that gestures and puzzles are used in the game mechanics, but also due to its extreme reliance on the visual form: there is no written text, no explanations at all. The elegant integration of visual elements and gameplay shows the “aesthetic importance of games and how the play experience [is] intertwined with aesthetics” (Flanagan, 65). It is up to the player to explore the world of the game, and figure out how the puzzles work. The game also plays with the frustration of the player, as some levels and introduced mechanics are very hard to understand. Overall, the game is an interesting balance of ludic play and imaginative play, and it is this combination that makes it such an immersive and interesting game to play.

The mechanics and rules of this game are deceptively simple, and are based on a simple tile puzzle mechanic to create visual “tricks” that become important moments of interaction to advance the story and solve levels. The entirety of the game consists of four panels or tiles arranged in a two by two grid. These panels depict scenes which change, often with animated sequences, in interesting ways as the player changes their position and the pieces click together, or are taken apart, in different ways. Each panel is almost like a “a virtual window” (Schrank, 27). As puzzles are solved, the character and objects move in and out of the frame (using animation), often breaking perspective, and then “freeze” in place. The player is then left to rearrange the tiles into new compositions that solve the visual puzzles, so that the images can animate and change into new settings once again, to advance the story. Each level is denoted by a new part of the story, and a new theme, and throughout the “sub-levels,” the same settings are revisited again and again, and the player has to fully explore and solve the puzzles hidden throughout, before they can move onto the next stage.

[[File:Gorogoa2.gif]]
===Gesture and Interaction===
The gestures and interactions of ''Gorogoa'' are designed to intertwine seamlessly with the mechanics, narrative, and visuals. The simple movements of the tiles mimics the physical movements of cards or tiles. The interactions within the puzzles, such as a rotating gear in a tile that must match up with the next tile, are also very instinctual and natural. There is no gap between what the player is thinking, and the way they manipulate the elements, as well as the resulting actions in the game. There are also several moments of imitation that create a more immersive story — such as flipping through a book, using a compass to find direction, heating up a stove to create steam that enters another panel — handling objects in the scenes to solve the puzzle using their characteristics. The most interesting aspect of this type of interaction is that the player does not control the character, but rather the arrangement of panels, which then dictates how the boy is able to move from one scene to the next. This “experience of movement” is the founding element of the gameplay in ''Gorogoa'', both in the sense of the player’s interaction and manipulation through gesture, and in the sense of the character’s and the game elements’ movements which further the narrative (Bogost 15). Being highly authorial, it is definitely an art game that is a “game for game’s sake,” in many cases breaking the flow by being “simultaneously too hard and too easy” (Schrank, 40).

[[File:Gorogoa5.gif]]
===Aesthetics & Design===
At its core, this game is about visual arrangement and composition. Scenes are composed and recomposed through the ways a player manipulates the panels. The puzzle piece mechanic works through the use of layered compositions, that line up in different ways depending on the scale, position, and arrangement. Some of these rearrangements break the scene, while others create new scenes. Once they are lined up correctly, the scene shuffles and changes to reveal a new visual puzzle to explore. The intriguing aspect of the game is the use of perspective and angles, which plays with the element of disorientation of ilinx, as the player has to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works, and instead focus on the visual elements and how they match up, even if that means putting together a closeup of a map with a far shot of a clock tower. The detailed illustrations are full of clues that can guide the player in finding hidden connections and arranging these intriguing compositions.

[[File:Gorogoa3.gif]]
The use of perspective is especially interesting and plays into Schrank’s description of “radical formal” strategies. Like naturalistic painting, which was dominated by a linear perspective, was disrupted by impressionism and cubism which “revealed alternate ways of looking at and making paintings”, Gorogoa’s use of perspective in such an ambiguous manner reveals alternate ways of looking at and making games (Schrank, 23).

As a cultural artifact, the visual design of the game draws on architectural forms and art history. In particular, the idea of intricate drawings which can be zoomed into endlessly, comes from the detailed carving work of the Alhambra palace (Sandovar, 183). Similarly, the narrative puzzles were inspired by Chris Ware’s book, ''Maze'' (Sandovar 180).

===Narrative===
The whole game advances the narrative, there are no other objectives other than uncovering the story and past of the main character, in the dreamlike world of the game. ''Gorogoa''’s story unfolds across time and space, and we catch glimpses of the boy from childhood to an adult. Instead of cut scenes, there are moments at the end of each level which are longer animated scenes, ending with the boy/character emerging in a new landscape of the next level. The visuals are highly detailed, full to the brim with references to an imagined history, art, and culture of this surreal world. In a way, the game introduces its own mythology of this imagined world, and like Huizinga writes, this activates mimicry and imaginative play (100). The character himself is absorbed into various rituals that are present in the world, and the likewise, the player has to decode some of these rituals as part of the game.

[[File:Gorogoa4.gif]]
The narrative itself speaks to social issues related to war and the results of war. The boy’s quest, as he searches for answers through his memories, is to collect objects that he has seen depicted the old art around the city, as a means to peace. He collects these objects as the old mythic artwork suggests that this will bring a hopeful, peaceful time. There are certain levels where a farmer tills the land, or the boy has to climb a mountain in extreme heat. These images are followed by old black and white photos, echoing wartime photography, of soldiers and deteriorating buildings. There are also levels in which there are maps, denoting different geographical regions and their differing cultures. One puzzle shows a student reading books as bombs fall outside his window. These aspects explore some of the conditions which cause civil unrest, as well as the outcome of politics and war. By playing as the young boy whose journey takes him in and through war and dark times, the player is able to experience this as well, in a kind of incidental learning (Nolan and McBride 597).

The layered and complex narrative, which spans across time and space, in addition to the challenging puzzles, means that it is difficult to understand in just one gameplay. In my own experience of playing the game, I found that in some levels I focused more on the puzzles than the story, and I think that in playing it again, I will notice more of the hidden pieces scattered throughout which form the bigger narrative.

Like several other games I have analyzed, Gorogoa combines highly imaginative play (in which there is an entire imagined world that plays with mimicry and disorientation) with highly ludic game mechanics (mainly in the form of logic puzzles). The absence of agon/competitive play or chance/alea creates a gameplay in which the sense of achievement or satisfaction comes from the moment that the delightful interaction, and the moment that the panels align to create a new scene to further the narrative. This creates a highly unique and interesting game to play.
[[File:Gorogoa6.gif]]

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

File:Gorogoa6.gif

2019-04-09T02:01:09Z

Saarah:

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2019-04-09T02:01:00Z

Saarah:

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2019-04-09T02:00:48Z

Saarah:

File:Gorogoa3.gif

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Saarah:

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Saarah:

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Saarah:

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T01:51:47Z

Saarah: /* Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game Gorogoa */

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game ''Gorogoa''==
[[File:https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--trbTs7sN--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_1600/gykrsxlpa3jgajup4sj9.gif]]

===Introduction===
''Gorogoa'' is a game that intricately weaves together a deeply layered narrative, detailed visual design, complex puzzles, and interesting gesture-based interaction. These aspects create a highly immersive player experience, that hinges on curiosity and imaginative play. This game is unique not only in the way that gestures and puzzles are used in the game mechanics, but also due to its extreme reliance on the visual form: there is no written text, no explanations at all. The elegant integration of visual elements and gameplay shows the “aesthetic importance of games and how the play experience [is] intertwined with aesthetics” (Flanagan, 65). It is up to the player to explore the world of the game, and figure out how the puzzles work. The game also plays with the frustration of the player, as some levels and introduced mechanics are very hard to understand. Overall, the game is an interesting balance of ludic play and imaginative play, and it is this combination that makes it such an immersive and interesting game to play.

The mechanics and rules of this game are deceptively simple, and are based on a simple tile puzzle mechanic to create visual “tricks” that become important moments of interaction to advance the story and solve levels. The entirety of the game consists of four panels or tiles arranged in a two by two grid. These panels depict scenes which change, often with animated sequences, in interesting ways as the player changes their position and the pieces click together, or are taken apart, in different ways. Each panel is almost like a “a virtual window” (Schrank, 27). As puzzles are solved, the character and objects move in and out of the frame (using animation), often breaking perspective, and then “freeze” in place. The player is then left to rearrange the tiles into new compositions that solve the visual puzzles, so that the images can animate and change into new settings once again, to advance the story. Each level is denoted by a new part of the story, and a new theme, and throughout the “sub-levels,” the same settings are revisited again and again, and the player has to fully explore and solve the puzzles hidden throughout, before they can move onto the next stage.

===Gesture and Interaction===
The gestures and interactions of ''Gorogoa'' are designed to intertwine seamlessly with the mechanics, narrative, and visuals. The simple movements of the tiles mimics the physical movements of cards or tiles. The interactions within the puzzles, such as a rotating gear in a tile that must match up with the next tile, are also very instinctual and natural. There is no gap between what the player is thinking, and the way they manipulate the elements, as well as the resulting actions in the game. There are also several moments of imitation that create a more immersive story — such as flipping through a book, using a compass to find direction, heating up a stove to create steam that enters another panel — handling objects in the scenes to solve the puzzle using their characteristics. The most interesting aspect of this type of interaction is that the player does not control the character, but rather the arrangement of panels, which then dictates how the boy is able to move from one scene to the next. This “experience of movement” is the founding element of the gameplay in ''Gorogoa'', both in the sense of the player’s interaction and manipulation through gesture, and in the sense of the character’s and the game elements’ movements which further the narrative (Bogost 15). Being highly authorial, it is definitely an art game that is a “game for game’s sake,” in many cases breaking the flow by being “simultaneously too hard and too easy” (Schrank, 40).

===Aesthetics & Design===
At its core, this game is about visual arrangement and composition. Scenes are composed and recomposed through the ways a player manipulates the panels. The puzzle piece mechanic works through the use of layered compositions, that line up in different ways depending on the scale, position, and arrangement. Some of these rearrangements break the scene, while others create new scenes. Once they are lined up correctly, the scene shuffles and changes to reveal a new visual puzzle to explore. The intriguing aspect of the game is the use of perspective and angles, which plays with the element of disorientation of ilinx, as the player has to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works, and instead focus on the visual elements and how they match up, even if that means putting together a closeup of a map with a far shot of a clock tower. The detailed illustrations are full of clues that can guide the player in finding hidden connections and arranging these intriguing compositions.

The use of perspective is especially interesting and plays into Schrank’s description of “radical formal” strategies. Like naturalistic painting, which was dominated by a linear perspective, was disrupted by impressionism and cubism which “revealed alternate ways of looking at and making paintings”, Gorogoa’s use of perspective in such an ambiguous manner reveals alternate ways of looking at and making games (Schrank, 23).

As a cultural artifact, the visual design of the game draws on architectural forms and art history. In particular, the idea of intricate drawings which can be zoomed into endlessly, comes from the detailed carving work of the Alhambra palace (Sandovar, 183). Similarly, the narrative puzzles were inspired by Chris Ware’s book, ''Maze'' (Sandovar 180).

===Narrative===
The whole game advances the narrative, there are no other objectives other than uncovering the story and past of the main character, in the dreamlike world of the game. ''Gorogoa''’s story unfolds across time and space, and we catch glimpses of the boy from childhood to an adult. Instead of cut scenes, there are moments at the end of each level which are longer animated scenes, ending with the boy/character emerging in a new landscape of the next level. The visuals are highly detailed, full to the brim with references to an imagined history, art, and culture of this surreal world. In a way, the game introduces its own mythology of this imagined world, and like Huizinga writes, this activates mimicry and imaginative play (100). The character himself is absorbed into various rituals that are present in the world, and the likewise, the player has to decode some of these rituals as part of the game.

The narrative itself speaks to social issues related to war and the results of war. The boy’s quest, as he searches for answers through his memories, is to collect objects that he has seen depicted the old art around the city, as a means to peace. He collects these objects as the old mythic artwork suggests that this will bring a hopeful, peaceful time. There are certain levels where a farmer tills the land, or the boy has to climb a mountain in extreme heat. These images are followed by old black and white photos, echoing wartime photography, of soldiers and deteriorating buildings. There are also levels in which there are maps, denoting different geographical regions and their differing cultures. One puzzle shows a student reading books as bombs fall outside his window. These aspects explore some of the conditions which cause civil unrest, as well as the outcome of politics and war. By playing as the young boy whose journey takes him in and through war and dark times, the player is able to experience this as well, in a kind of incidental learning (Nolan and McBride 597).

The layered and complex narrative, which spans across time and space, in addition to the challenging puzzles, means that it is difficult to understand in just one gameplay. In my own experience of playing the game, I found that in some levels I focused more on the puzzles than the story, and I think that in playing it again, I will notice more of the hidden pieces scattered throughout which form the bigger narrative.

Like several other games I have analyzed, Gorogoa combines highly imaginative play (in which there is an entire imagined world that plays with mimicry and disorientation) with highly ludic game mechanics (mainly in the form of logic puzzles). The absence of agon/competitive play or chance/alea creates a gameplay in which the sense of achievement or satisfaction comes from the moment that the delightful interaction, and the moment that the panels align to create a new scene to further the narrative. This creates a highly unique and interesting game to play.

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T01:49:29Z

Saarah: /* Production 7 */

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7: Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game ''Gorogoa''==

===Introduction===
''Gorogoa'' is a game that intricately weaves together a deeply layered narrative, detailed visual design, complex puzzles, and interesting gesture-based interaction. These aspects create a highly immersive player experience, that hinges on curiosity and imaginative play. This game is unique not only in the way that gestures and puzzles are used in the game mechanics, but also due to its extreme reliance on the visual form: there is no written text, no explanations at all. The elegant integration of visual elements and gameplay shows the “aesthetic importance of games and how the play experience [is] intertwined with aesthetics” (Flanagan, 65). It is up to the player to explore the world of the game, and figure out how the puzzles work. The game also plays with the frustration of the player, as some levels and introduced mechanics are very hard to understand. Overall, the game is an interesting balance of ludic play and imaginative play, and it is this combination that makes it such an immersive and interesting game to play.

The mechanics and rules of this game are deceptively simple, and are based on a simple tile puzzle mechanic to create visual “tricks” that become important moments of interaction to advance the story and solve levels. The entirety of the game consists of four panels or tiles arranged in a two by two grid. These panels depict scenes which change, often with animated sequences, in interesting ways as the player changes their position and the pieces click together, or are taken apart, in different ways. Each panel is almost like a “a virtual window” (Schrank, 27). As puzzles are solved, the character and objects move in and out of the frame (using animation), often breaking perspective, and then “freeze” in place. The player is then left to rearrange the tiles into new compositions that solve the visual puzzles, so that the images can animate and change into new settings once again, to advance the story. Each level is denoted by a new part of the story, and a new theme, and throughout the “sub-levels,” the same settings are revisited again and again, and the player has to fully explore and solve the puzzles hidden throughout, before they can move onto the next stage.

===Gesture and Interaction===
The gestures and interactions of ''Gorogoa'' are designed to intertwine seamlessly with the mechanics, narrative, and visuals. The simple movements of the tiles mimics the physical movements of cards or tiles. The interactions within the puzzles, such as a rotating gear in a tile that must match up with the next tile, are also very instinctual and natural. There is no gap between what the player is thinking, and the way they manipulate the elements, as well as the resulting actions in the game. There are also several moments of imitation that create a more immersive story — such as flipping through a book, using a compass to find direction, heating up a stove to create steam that enters another panel — handling objects in the scenes to solve the puzzle using their characteristics. The most interesting aspect of this type of interaction is that the player does not control the character, but rather the arrangement of panels, which then dictates how the boy is able to move from one scene to the next. This “experience of movement” is the founding element of the gameplay in ''Gorogoa'', both in the sense of the player’s interaction and manipulation through gesture, and in the sense of the character’s and the game elements’ movements which further the narrative (Bogost 15). Being highly authorial, it is definitely an art game that is a “game for game’s sake,” in many cases breaking the flow by being “simultaneously too hard and too easy” (Schrank, 40).

===Aesthetics & Design===
At its core, this game is about visual arrangement and composition. Scenes are composed and recomposed through the ways a player manipulates the panels. The puzzle piece mechanic works through the use of layered compositions, that line up in different ways depending on the scale, position, and arrangement. Some of these rearrangements break the scene, while others create new scenes. Once they are lined up correctly, the scene shuffles and changes to reveal a new visual puzzle to explore. The intriguing aspect of the game is the use of perspective and angles, which plays with the element of disorientation of ilinx, as the player has to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works, and instead focus on the visual elements and how they match up, even if that means putting together a closeup of a map with a far shot of a clock tower. The detailed illustrations are full of clues that can guide the player in finding hidden connections and arranging these intriguing compositions.

The use of perspective is especially interesting and plays into Schrank’s description of “radical formal” strategies. Like naturalistic painting, which was dominated by a linear perspective, was disrupted by impressionism and cubism which “revealed alternate ways of looking at and making paintings”, Gorogoa’s use of perspective in such an ambiguous manner reveals alternate ways of looking at and making games (Schrank, 23).

As a cultural artifact, the visual design of the game draws on architectural forms and art history. In particular, the idea of intricate drawings which can be zoomed into endlessly, comes from the detailed carving work of the Alhambra palace (Sandovar, 183). Similarly, the narrative puzzles were inspired by Chris Ware’s book, ''Maze'' (Sandovar 180).

===Narrative===
The whole game advances the narrative, there are no other objectives other than uncovering the story and past of the main character, in the dreamlike world of the game. ''Gorogoa''’s story unfolds across time and space, and we catch glimpses of the boy from childhood to an adult. Instead of cut scenes, there are moments at the end of each level which are longer animated scenes, ending with the boy/character emerging in a new landscape of the next level. The visuals are highly detailed, full to the brim with references to an imagined history, art, and culture of this surreal world. In a way, the game introduces its own mythology of this imagined world, and like Huizinga writes, this activates mimicry and imaginative play (100). The character himself is absorbed into various rituals that are present in the world, and the likewise, the player has to decode some of these rituals as part of the game.

The narrative itself speaks to social issues related to war and the results of war. The boy’s quest, as he searches for answers through his memories, is to collect objects that he has seen depicted the old art around the city, as a means to peace. He collects these objects as the old mythic artwork suggests that this will bring a hopeful, peaceful time. There are certain levels where a farmer tills the land, or the boy has to climb a mountain in extreme heat. These images are followed by old black and white photos, echoing wartime photography, of soldiers and deteriorating buildings. There are also levels in which there are maps, denoting different geographical regions and their differing cultures. One puzzle shows a student reading books as bombs fall outside his window. These aspects explore some of the conditions which cause civil unrest, as well as the outcome of politics and war. By playing as the young boy whose journey takes him in and through war and dark times, the player is able to experience this as well, in a kind of incidental learning (Nolan and McBride 597).

The layered and complex narrative, which spans across time and space, in addition to the challenging puzzles, means that it is difficult to understand in just one gameplay. In my own experience of playing the game, I found that in some levels I focused more on the puzzles than the story, and I think that in playing it again, I will notice more of the hidden pieces scattered throughout which form the bigger narrative.

Like several other games I have analyzed, Gorogoa combines highly imaginative play (in which there is an entire imagined world that plays with mimicry and disorientation) with highly ludic game mechanics (mainly in the form of logic puzzles). The absence of agon/competitive play or chance/alea creates a gameplay in which the sense of achievement or satisfaction comes from the moment that the delightful interaction, and the moment that the panels align to create a new scene to further the narrative. This creates a highly unique and interesting game to play.

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T01:47:44Z

Saarah: /* Production 7 */

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7 ==
Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game ''Gorogoa''

===Introduction===
''Gorogoa'' is a game that intricately weaves together a deeply layered narrative, detailed visual design, complex puzzles, and interesting gesture-based interaction. These aspects create a highly immersive player experience, that hinges on curiosity and imaginative play. This game is unique not only in the way that gestures and puzzles are used in the game mechanics, but also due to its extreme reliance on the visual form: there is no written text, no explanations at all. The elegant integration of visual elements and gameplay shows the “aesthetic importance of games and how the play experience [is] intertwined with aesthetics” (Flanagan, 65). It is up to the player to explore the world of the game, and figure out how the puzzles work. The game also plays with the frustration of the player, as some levels and introduced mechanics are very hard to understand. Overall, the game is an interesting balance of ludic play and imaginative play, and it is this combination that makes it such an immersive and interesting game to play.

The mechanics and rules of this game are deceptively simple, and are based on a simple tile puzzle mechanic to create visual “tricks” that become important moments of interaction to advance the story and solve levels. The entirety of the game consists of four panels or tiles arranged in a two by two grid. These panels depict scenes which change, often with animated sequences, in interesting ways as the player changes their position and the pieces click together, or are taken apart, in different ways. Each panel is almost like a “a virtual window” (Schrank, 27). As puzzles are solved, the character and objects move in and out of the frame (using animation), often breaking perspective, and then “freeze” in place. The player is then left to rearrange the tiles into new compositions that solve the visual puzzles, so that the images can animate and change into new settings once again, to advance the story. Each level is denoted by a new part of the story, and a new theme, and throughout the “sub-levels,” the same settings are revisited again and again, and the player has to fully explore and solve the puzzles hidden throughout, before they can move onto the next stage.

===Gesture and Interaction===
The gestures and interactions of ''Gorogoa'' are designed to intertwine seamlessly with the mechanics, narrative, and visuals. The simple movements of the tiles mimics the physical movements of cards or tiles. The interactions within the puzzles, such as a rotating gear in a tile that must match up with the next tile, are also very instinctual and natural. There is no gap between what the player is thinking, and the way they manipulate the elements, as well as the resulting actions in the game. There are also several moments of imitation that create a more immersive story — such as flipping through a book, using a compass to find direction, heating up a stove to create steam that enters another panel — handling objects in the scenes to solve the puzzle using their characteristics. The most interesting aspect of this type of interaction is that the player does not control the character, but rather the arrangement of panels, which then dictates how the boy is able to move from one scene to the next. This “experience of movement” is the founding element of the gameplay in ''Gorogoa'', both in the sense of the player’s interaction and manipulation through gesture, and in the sense of the character’s and the game elements’ movements which further the narrative (Bogost 15). Being highly authorial, it is definitely an art game that is a “game for game’s sake,” in many cases breaking the flow by being “simultaneously too hard and too easy” (Schrank, 40).

===Aesthetics & Design===
At its core, this game is about visual arrangement and composition. Scenes are composed and recomposed through the ways a player manipulates the panels. The puzzle piece mechanic works through the use of layered compositions, that line up in different ways depending on the scale, position, and arrangement. Some of these rearrangements break the scene, while others create new scenes. Once they are lined up correctly, the scene shuffles and changes to reveal a new visual puzzle to explore. The intriguing aspect of the game is the use of perspective and angles, which plays with the element of disorientation of ilinx, as the player has to let go of preconceived notions of how the world works, and instead focus on the visual elements and how they match up, even if that means putting together a closeup of a map with a far shot of a clock tower. The detailed illustrations are full of clues that can guide the player in finding hidden connections and arranging these intriguing compositions.

The use of perspective is especially interesting and plays into Schrank’s description of “radical formal” strategies. Like naturalistic painting, which was dominated by a linear perspective, was disrupted by impressionism and cubism which “revealed alternate ways of looking at and making paintings”, Gorogoa’s use of perspective in such an ambiguous manner reveals alternate ways of looking at and making games (Schrank, 23).

As a cultural artifact, the visual design of the game draws on architectural forms and art history. In particular, the idea of intricate drawings which can be zoomed into endlessly, comes from the detailed carving work of the Alhambra palace (Sandovar, 183). Similarly, the narrative puzzles were inspired by Chris Ware’s book, ''Maze'' (Sandovar 180).

===Narrative===
The whole game advances the narrative, there are no other objectives other than uncovering the story and past of the main character, in the dreamlike world of the game. ''Gorogoa''’s story unfolds across time and space, and we catch glimpses of the boy from childhood to an adult. Instead of cut scenes, there are moments at the end of each level which are longer animated scenes, ending with the boy/character emerging in a new landscape of the next level. The visuals are highly detailed, full to the brim with references to an imagined history, art, and culture of this surreal world. In a way, the game introduces its own mythology of this imagined world, and like Huizinga writes, this activates mimicry and imaginative play (100). The character himself is absorbed into various rituals that are present in the world, and the likewise, the player has to decode some of these rituals as part of the game.

The narrative itself speaks to social issues related to war and the results of war. The boy’s quest, as he searches for answers through his memories, is to collect objects that he has seen depicted the old art around the city, as a means to peace. He collects these objects as the old mythic artwork suggests that this will bring a hopeful, peaceful time. There are certain levels where a farmer tills the land, or the boy has to climb a mountain in extreme heat. These images are followed by old black and white photos, echoing wartime photography, of soldiers and deteriorating buildings. There are also levels in which there are maps, denoting different geographical regions and their differing cultures. One puzzle shows a student reading books as bombs fall outside his window. These aspects explore some of the conditions which cause civil unrest, as well as the outcome of politics and war. By playing as the young boy whose journey takes him in and through war and dark times, the player is able to experience this as well, in a kind of incidental learning (Nolan and McBride 597).

The layered and complex narrative, which spans across time and space, in addition to the challenging puzzles, means that it is difficult to understand in just one gameplay. In my own experience of playing the game, I found that in some levels I focused more on the puzzles than the story, and I think that in playing it again, I will notice more of the hidden pieces scattered throughout which form the bigger narrative.

Like several other games I have analyzed, Gorogoa combines highly imaginative play (in which there is an entire imagined world that plays with mimicry and disorientation) with highly ludic game mechanics (mainly in the form of logic puzzles). The absence of agon/competitive play or chance/alea creates a gameplay in which the sense of achievement or satisfaction comes from the moment that the delightful interaction, and the moment that the panels align to create a new scene to further the narrative. This creates a highly unique and interesting game to play.

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-04-09T01:45:27Z

Saarah:

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7 ==
Design, Interaction, and Narrative in Player Experience of the game Gorogoa

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-02-24T00:10:47Z

Saarah:

== Bio ==

Hello! I’m a Master of Design candidate, and I have a Bachelor of Design from Sheridan College. My research focuses on how design decisions play a role in shaping our understanding of visual narratives. I’m mainly looking at the visual language of picturebooks, and I thought it would be interesting to see how games use visual language in their narratives.

I haven’t played too many games but one of my favourites is [https://www.monumentvalleygame.com/mv1 Monument Valley]!

== Production 2: Analyzing ''Monument Valley I'' by Ustwo games ==
[[File:Mv2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A scene from chapter 6, "The Labyrinth," showing Ida and the Totem. The dark arched door at the top is the goal to reach.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWC-rNPyBw8 here is a walkthrough of this level]]]
Several sections of Bogost’s “micro ecology” of games closely relate to the game Monument Valley: Art, Reverence, Transit, Relaxation, and Habituation. This game is a mobile app, and traces the story of a young girl, Ida, through several levels (called “chapters” in the game), that are based on the architectural designs of Escher. The overall gameplay relies on solving each level’s puzzle/maze, by using your finger to manipulate sections of the building, which grow and transform, until Ida’s character reaches the end. Other than Ida, there is a character called Totem that appears in later levels, as well as some crow characters, and the architecture itself can be seen as the defining character of the game.

=== Art in Monument Valley ===
[[File:Mv3.jpg|thumb|right|150px|this level clearly shows the influence of M.C.Escher]]
Monument Valley is firmly within the realm of art games. In fact, Ken Wong, the lead designer of the game, wrote in an article titled “The Precipice, and Games as Art,” that his hope for the game was to “contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> He further explains that this means recognizing games as a medium of expression through which game creators can convey experiences and ideas, and understanding their cultural significance, through which “we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being.”<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2014/1/16/the-precipice-games-as-art "The Precipice, and Games as Art"]</ref> This is quite complementary to Bogost’s thoughts on art in the realm of videogames. Using this definition, if we look at Bogost’s spectrum of games, Monument Valley occupies a space that is more towards the art side, although I think it is definitely also entertainment.

Monument Valley employs several qualities of proceduralism. The first is strong authorship, especially as this game developed within a design agency as an internal project, which allowed the team to create on their own terms. Coming from a user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design background certainly influences the entire design of the game. Many of Bogost’s thoughts on proceduralist games can also be linked directly to the discipline of user experience design.

=== User Experience Design & Bogost’s Proceduralist elements ===

[[File:Monument-valley-1.gif|thumb|Chapter 4, "Water Palace". This shows how players have to move the architectural elements. Here, the pink circles indicate a movable element. Many of the puzzles rely on 'impossible structures' and optical illusions.]]
The poetic experience can be described as a close consideration of the user/player’s experience. The main theme of the game hinges on a journey, and the story, which is described in the introduction, is one of exploration, regret, and forgiveness. Ida must embark on a journey to seek forgiveness for stealing something called “Sacred Geometry.” This encourages the introspective aspect that Bogost mentions, as the puzzles could be seen as a metaphor for the long and challenging path to seek forgiveness. However, this story is a very subtle, open-ended and often overlooked piece of the game, and there is a lot of room for players to reflect and think deeply as they play.

[[File:Mv6.gif|thumb|left|this scene shows how Totem's character is used to aid Ida in completing the puzzles. Here the circles on the Totem indicate a movable piece.]]
The gameplay is focused on the player’s interaction with the game mechanics and dynamics. Manipulating the architectural elements with touch replicates the familiarity of moving blocks and manipulating objects (or physical puzzles), easing players into the interactions of the game. It is both mechanically simple and conceptually familiar, playing into Bogost’s definition of habituation. These interactions delight players so much that many have played the game over and over again, and as such there is no need for any in-game reward, other than completing the puzzle and moving on to the next level, and enjoying the user interface and aesthetic experience.

Looking at the user interface design, there are no menus or unnecessary details. There is only the tactile input from the way the player’s finger moves across the screen, and this simplifies the player’s interactive experience. The form and visual design is essential to the game. Every visual element and sound effect is carefully and thoughtfully added to echo or amplify this experience, and it adds a meaningful layer to the gameplay. For example, the sound effects of friction and sliding the blocks as well as the totem’s movement, and Ida’s walking, signify essential elements of play throughout the player’s experience. Additionally, calling the levels “chapters” emphasizes the theme and signifies to players that this is a different kind of game. It also encourages players to view this as a story that unfolds through play.

[[File:Mv7.jpg|thumb|left|175px|at the end of major sections, Ida approaches this shape and removes her hat as a sign of respect and asking for forgiveness.]]
Further, it “de-emphasizes visual fidelity in favour of the experience of movement” (Bogost 15).<ref>Bogost, Ian. "How To Do Things With Videogames"</ref> Monument Valley is a game that hinges on movement, the movement of ida walking, climbing, jumping; the movement of the totem and the way its movements aid and complicate ida’s movements; the crow’s movements that stop ida’s movements; the movement of the architecture emerging and twisting to create the gameplay; the movement from level to level into more and more intricate forms of architecture.

=== Reverence ===

[[File:Mv5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|one of the few cutscenes to appear in the game, a character called "The Ghost" tells Ida why she must seek forgiveness.]]

Monument Valley has a very reverential mood throughout. Starting with some of the more mysterious, shadowy cut scenes, to the use of the term “sacred geometry,” there is a feeling of estrangement and respect. The creators also state that along with M. C. Escher’s artwork, they were inspired by “temples, palaces, mosques, monasteries and other buildings which combine exquisite artistry with a potential for exploration and mystery” (Wong, “Escher and Monument Valley”).<ref>[https://monumentvalleygame.squarespace.com/blog/2013/11/28/inspiration "Escher and Monument Valley"]</ref> Like the church in Bogost’s example, the architecture in each level inspires respect and reverence, and positions the monuments as symbols of culture and creativity. This reverence also inspires a meditative, relaxing mood as the user plays the game.

=== Transit ===
It could be said that this game is one of transit, mediated by the function of walking and the form of the landscape and architecture of the Monument Valley world. The story’s “plot” is tied to the landscape and Ida’s transversal of it, and the sense of unfamiliarity and adventure that Bogost writes about is very present.

=== Learning ===
There are two types of learning present in the game: one that is essential to playing the game, and another that is learned as a result of experiencing the game. Players learn the puzzle mechanics and this helps them in further levels which draw upon that knowledge. Several levels are quite tricky and require you to remember what you learned in previous ones, of how to interact with and manipulate the architecture, as well as the maze-like paths Ida can take. Players also learn ways to use the totem to augment the mazes/puzzles, and part of the “reward” or delight of the gameplay is putting this into practice to solve each chapter.
Implicitly, they are learning about ‘impossible design’ and the influence of Escher in art, as well as the culturally inspired architecture. They are learning the importance of visual design in experiencing games, and apps, and how interactions can be the basis of an experience. And they are learning how enjoyable, engaging/challenging, and meditative a “simple” game can be.

'''References:'''
<references />

== Production 3 ==
Games are an essential way of learning that every child experiences. In the process of playing games, children often create games as well, and game-making supports children’s critical thinking, problem solving, and reasoning skills (Thumlert et al. 706). This process also acts as a way to create meaning, pleasure, and engagement, with both the games and the other players. These important learning outcomes are often diluted when games reach the classroom, and are used as tools to further the curriculum’s objectives (Nolan and McBride 595). What, then, are the elements necessary to inspire this meaningful and “natural” learning? Nolan and McBride put forth four aspects, autonomy, play, affinity, and space. Furthermore, there are elements that encourage critical thinking and motivated learning through the process of playing or creating games. Stenro also mentions several definitions that touch on some features connected to learning.

Nolan and McBride argue that gamification is simply a way to “harness the engagement and motivational qualities of games for a variety of non-gaming purposes” (596). Similarly, Thumlert et al. explain that the knowledge students are gaining through these activities is already prepared for by the teacher or aligned to set outcomes (707). This use of games only reinforces the values of institutional education and is in contrast to the types of learning that naturally occur in playing and making games. This kind of informal, “highly incidental learning” depends on autonomy, in which the play is directed by the child and not a teacher (Nolan and McBride 597). Thus, we should focus on learning through playing games, and not playing games to learn.

Autonomous play helps in exploring a child’s own goals and interests and encourages “emergent learning” of the child’s own interests and motivations (Nolan and McBride 599). The most interesting aspect of child-initiated play that the authors touch on is that the child creates their own rules and naturally creates their own games in relation to their context, goals, and curiosity. Similarly, Thumlert et al. write that the learner must have their own agency, and that the value of what they are learning is defined by themselves through exploration and critical inquiry (708).
This is also connected to the concept of “affinity,” in which children situate their play within a familiar domain, and the freedom to explore shared meanings as a “shared experience of meaning-making” (Nolan and McBride 602). Space is also a crucial factor, as players can interact with others in a familiar and flexible space, and depending on the space, they can approach the same game in completely different ways (603). Along with these, Stenro describes several definitions of games included elements which contribute to this kind of learning. One such definition is by Whitton, and includes the features of competition, challenge, exploration, fantasy, goals, interaction, outcomes, people, rules, and safety (Stenro 513). When these elements are absent, the learned skills become decontextualized and “translated into incremental preparations for some (always) future practice or role” (Thumlert et al. 708).

In playing and hacking the game, Race to Space, last week, several of these aspects were touched on. Firstly, we had complete autonomy over how we chose to play and hack the game, and being split into groups meant we were focused on our own games and not observing others, and we also were not being graded, leading to a feeling of freedom in playing the game. It was very interesting to see that every group approached their game completely differently, just as Nolan and McBride suggest. Hacking the game was a much more memorable experience that helped to understand game mechanics than any lecture could have been. If we take Whitton’s definition as an example, our experience explored the elements of competition and challenge through playing the game, and in hacking it, we increased these aspects. Exploration of the different ways to win the game, and there was also a fantasy element in imagining ourselves as spaceships and linking that metaphor to our gameplay. Some groups completely changed the defined goals, while others made it harder or easier to reach them. In this way, through the process of making and playing games, we learned how they worked, and how we can use our own creativity to “hack” games into a more enjoyable experience.

'''Works Cited'''

Nolan, Jason, and Melanie Mcbride. “Beyond Gamification: Reconceptualizing Game-Based Learning in Early Childhood Environments.” Information, Communication & Society, vol. 17, no. 5, 2013, pp. 594–608.

Thumlert, Kurt, and Jennifer Jenson. “Learning through Game Design: A Production Pedagogy.” He 2018 European Conference on Games Based Learning Book, edited by Suzanne de Castell, ACPI Press, 2018, pp. 704–712.

== Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process ==

[[File:Game-process-pr4.gif|left|An animation I created to show how a very short version of our game would work.]]
The game my group created in class was a strategy based game. The way we designed it, there is no requirement for a board, and you can play with any kinds of coloured blocks, as long as you stick to a grid. Players take turns rolling a die and setting down their blocks into the grid, aiming to keep themselves safe from being taken out while also strategizing ways to take out other players’ blocks. When one colour is surrounded on all four sides by a majority of other colours, that player loses their block. In a chain reaction, the other blocks on the board are moved to fill in the gap. This can cause another chain reaction, where another block is taken off the board, and so on. The game ends when one of the players is eliminated, and the winner is whichever remaining player has the most pieces left on the board.

The inspiration for the game was sparked through several country flags that were part of the box of materials. We first thought of how countries colonize and expand new territories. Looking back, we were unconsciously using several ways of looking at the world that Fullerton brings up: the underlying rules, how the mechanics operate, and opportunities for challenge or playfulness (8). While we couldn’t figure out a way to use the flags in our game, the ideas they brought up definitely influenced the mechanics of our game, and the competitive nature of play. It also helped us define some player experience goals — the satisfaction of sinking a flag into some play dough was the feeling we started with, and this translated into the game we designed (Fullerton 10).

We arrived at this game through an organic, iterative process of playtesting. Our first attempt at brainstorming ideas became too abstract and we were having trouble figuring out what the game should be. In the process, we naturally started demonstrating some of the actions and ideas we were talking about with the various materials we had. Once we decided on the direction of an expansion game using the coloured blocks, we came to the conclusion that our process of “rapid prototyping” was working very well, and we continued to add on or take away rules as we played in realtime, in a form of “iterative design” (Fullerton 11, 15). In this way, we were continuously looking “through the player’s eyes” as Fullerton puts it, and focusing on the player experience (3). Looking at the iterative process diagram that Fullerton includes, our process was very similar (15). We brainstormed ideas, then formalized them in the form of what kind of rule it could be for the players, and then tested it with a round of play. After one round (or sometimes just after one turn), we evaluated whether it was working for the overall game or if it would end up unnecessarily complicating the game. One problem we encountered in the middle was there was no way to end the game, players would be able to keep expanding forever (we had decided that once players run out of pieces, they can move pieces that are already on the gameboard). We played off of each other’s ideas and “formalized” them, as Fullerton says, into the rule of surrounding and taking out other players’ pieces. After a couple turns of testing, we realized it really elevated the gameplay!

Through this experience, I learned a lot about underlying structures of games, game mechanics, and how games work in general. Another way of learning this information could have been by analyzing a game that already exists, and reverse engineering it in a way, but by having the freedom to make anything we wanted, along with the time limit of an hour, the experience was transformed into a game itself. It became “learning as a function of adventure, of situated experimentation and…improvisation that is open to contingency, emergent wonder, and the magnetic allure of real-world stakes and self-defined needs” (Thumlert et al., 709). Because we went through all the steps involved in making a game, I learned more than just how games work, I learned how to put this knowledge into practice and actually create a game that works, and even fun to play!

== Production 5 ==
Huizinga and Caillois present similar aspects of games in their definitions. They both argue that games are free — that people “play because they enjoy playing” (Huizinga, 103). They also agree that play is limited or separate, that it is “engaged in with precise limits of time and place” (Caillois, 125). Additionally, play is governed by rules “that govern the correct playing of the game” and creates order — any deviation from the rules “‘spoils the game,’ robs it of its character and makes it worthless” (Caillois, 126; Huizinga, 105). What Caillois calls the “make-believe,” Huizinga describes as the “extra-ordinary” nature of play, in which there is a secrecy and otherworldly quality to the games we play. While Caillois doesn’t include competitiveness (or as Huizinga calls it, tension) in his formal definition, but instead includes it in his categorization of games as ''agon''. Huizinga’s definition doesn’t include the aspect of chance at all, though Caillois has it both in his definition and as a category of play.

I found Huizinga’s writing on the history of play very interesting. He mentions three types of cultural “activities” that are founded on aspects of play. The first is language, where “in the making of speech and language the spirit is continually ‘sparking’ between matter and mind…playing with this wondrous nominative faculty” (Huizinga, 100). Every language is governed by its own sets of rules, and every one of us plays with these rules in interesting ways to communicate and express our thoughts and feelings. I would say language is one of our first experiences of play, and this is why there are so many games based on words, from Scrabble and crossword puzzles to charades and popular mobile games like Draw Something. Playing with our language’s rules to create puns or a play on words, or even a witty comeback, all falls within the realm of play that incorporates rules, imagination, and sometimes competitiveness.

Myth, which is often an important aspect in world-building in games, is itself based on play, as Huizinga argues. By transforming our own world into a magical space, or imagining another world entirely, mythology is “playing on the border-line between jest and earnest” (Huizinga, 100). Myth activates ''mimicry'' and imaginative play. Finally, rituals are almost like rules that must be played within for certain desirable outcomes, “in a spirit of pure play” (Huizinga, 100).

I think every game has its own myth, rituals, and language. If we think of language as a structure with which to interact with our surroundings, then we can think of games as having a language, or structure with which we can interact with and engage in the game’s world. And similar to the way Huizinga describes “playing” with language, players can “hack” games to play with their structure without breaking the rules, like a play on words. Myth is also an integral aspect of many games, because without a compelling story that engages with your imagination, the game would be just a series of mechanics. Even a physical game like chess, has a “myth” to it. With names like king, queen, knight, and bishop, the pieces are transformed into characters and the board becomes a battlefield of politics. Games also often start with rituals, whether it is setting up the board, shuffling cards, or in the case of digital games, a loading screen. There are also rituals within the game, like checking on the objects you have bought within the game, or talking to certain characters every time you play.

[[File:Quell1.gif|left]]
Using these ideas, the game I chose to analyze is called Quell. It is a puzzle game with fairly simple mechanics, the player uses their finger to move a raindrop up, down, right or left. Elements like stone, spikes, switches, or blocks have different effects on the raindrop, and players must use logic to complete each maze. The narrative, or myth aspect, of the game is that the player is uncovering old memories in an old attic. As you go along, you swipe away dust from faded photographs to reveal past memories and construct the story of the man who used to live there. There are also pictorial elements included in some of the levels, like the silhouettes of a soldier proposing to a woman, and the background imagery depicts various landscapes (mountains, houses, brick wall, etc). These elements encourage the imaginativeness and otherworldly aspect of play, in which the “individual ‘plays’ another part, another being (''mimicry''). He is another being” (Huizinga, 107). The visual narrative of the game also sets it apart from the real world, with its secrecy and mystery surrounding the old memories.

[[File:Quell3.gif|right]]This contrasts the actual gameplay, which relies on rules and logic to complete the mazes and puzzles, and is very ''ludic''. The player has to find a way to collect each golden ball without getting stuck or “dying” by hitting a spike. The raindrop is stopped when it hits a wall, but if it reaches the edge of the screen, it goes through and loops back around on the other side. ([https://youtu.be/wI-sFcoMHes?t=355 | Here is a video of this]) This adds a small element of disorientation or ''ilinx'', and at first it’s hard to wrap your head around this mechanic, which plays with our perception of the edge of the screen being physically solid.

The game slowly introduces other elements and game mechanics, like ice blocks that have to be broken to move through, roses that open to become spiky thorns, portal rings, switches that send rays of light, and movable spikes. Each of these adds a new level of problem solving to the mix. Along with these rules, there is also the aspect of tension, or competitiveness/''agon''. Every level has a set number of moves in which the player must complete it to get a “perfect” score (you can still finish it with an imperfect score, though). Another competitive element is that every level has a gem hidden in one of the stone blocks, which only reveals itself after being hit by the raindrop three times. It could also be thought of as chance/''alea'', as these gems sometimes are revealed by accident in the course of trying to solve the puzzle. There are also so many stone blocks in each puzzle that it is a guessing game to try and find which one it would be in.

[[File:Quell2.gif|left]] In analyzing this game in terms of its ludic qualities and definitions of play, I found it very interesting that the game designers chose to create such an imaginative and richly layered narrative for a very logical, problem solving game. Perhaps it is because of these two characteristics woven together that this game was so fun and satisfying to play!

== Production 6 ==
Production 6

Gee argues that the basic features of games are also important features for effective learning. The key features of games with high learning potential are empathy, simulations of experience (through the playable character), distributed intelligence (the player is not required to have all the knowledge and some of it is built into the character), situated meaning (information given at the time it is needed), and open-endedness (players can construct their own goals apart from those built into the game).
 Some of these features intersect with Marone’s ideas on digital games. Marone writes that digital games can be viewed as systems, in which these elements interact together, and like the element of distributed intelligence, players must work together to fill each other’s gaps in knowledge. They can also be viewed as models that represent imaginary or real world experiences. This is similar to Gee’s idea of simulations of experience. Digital games can also be seen as microworlds, where players can “take on different identities, experience adventures, do things or be persons he or she could not do or be in everyday life or in the real world.” This alludes to the open-endedness of games, and again a type of simulated experience.

Marone looks at game design in terms of programming, modding, and editing. Gee also lists some key elements of the way good games are designed. The first is interactivity, where players simultaneously interpret and produce within the game. Interaction is important so that players feel a strong sense of ownership and agency in the gameplay, and that they are truly involved in influencing and creating the experience of the game. Customisation is important so the game can be accessible to a wide range of learning styles and win situations. Part of the game is also to create strong identities that cause the player to be deeply invested in the characters. These points tie into Marone’s ideas of games as microworlds, where the player can customize their experience and have a chance to take on different identities.

Speaking more to the game mechanics, well-sequenced problems allow players to gradually use what they learn in earlier levels, and apply them to problems they face in the future ones. This is especially true for learning scenarios. A pleasant level of frustration keeps the game challenging and satisfying to play without punishing the player. These last two points work together to create a “cycle of expertise” which lets the player repeatedly practice a skill to master it before moving to a new level or challenge to master a new skill. An interesting point from Marone is his idea of games as editing — some games include game level editors, which allow players to create and play their own levels as well as levels created by other players. I believe this is an excellent example of learning through games, and links with our class’s experience of creating our own game. By creating their own level, players deeply engage with the game on all levels. They have experienced and mastered the skills in the game, and they have invested so deeply in the game that they are motivated to use their knowledge to create new levels. And creating the level engages new skills that they will master. Designing a game (or level) is the ultimate way to engage with and learn through games.

== Production 7 ==

== Production 8 ==

== Game Idea ==
[https://youtu.be/aDU226V7qik Game Proposal!]

== Meta Texts ==
Meta-Text #1: [[Media:SaarahSaghir reading1.png| ''How To Do Things With Videogames'', Ian Bogost]]

Meta-Text #3: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_mfPfsOgQYT0ow7m8qaB_9HuDMA-MirH Week 3 Notes]

Meta-Text #4: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iGIB_qg6gVHmWbxgVJz-DcqS5ehXiCbc Game Design]

Meta-Text #5: [https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rNeJxsqr5PaF3tEcBwdiDqjub_Ido1dE Definitions of Play]

Saarah Saghir

2019-02-23T22:16:30Z

Saarah: /* Production 5 */

File:Quell3.gif

2019-02-23T22:15:11Z

Saarah:

File:Quell2.gif

2019-02-23T22:13:47Z

Saarah:

File:Quell1.gif

2019-02-23T22:12:27Z

Saarah:

Saarah Saghir

2019-02-23T22:03:10Z

Saarah: /* Production 5 */

Saarah Saghir

2019-02-23T22:02:40Z

Saarah: /* Production 5 */

Saarah Saghir

2019-02-14T02:54:54Z

Saarah: /* Meta Texts */

Saarah Saghir

2019-02-14T02:10:35Z

Saarah: /* Meta Texts */

Saarah Saghir

2019-02-14T02:10:11Z

Saarah:

Saarah Saghir

2019-02-11T22:37:01Z

Saarah: /* Game Idea */

Saarah Saghir

2019-02-11T22:36:51Z

Saarah:

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-31T02:07:11Z

Saarah: /* Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-31T02:06:47Z

Saarah: /* Production 4: Reflecting on the Design and Making Process */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-31T02:06:36Z

Saarah: /* Production 4 */

File:Game-process-pr4.gif

2019-01-31T02:05:09Z

Saarah:

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-24T02:00:42Z

Saarah: /* Production 3 */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-24T02:00:26Z

Saarah: /* Production 3 */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T23:00:18Z

Saarah: /* Learning */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T23:00:09Z

Saarah: /* Learning */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:59:54Z

Saarah: /* Learning */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:59:26Z

Saarah: /* Production 2: Analyzing Monument Valley I by Ustwo games */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:58:53Z

Saarah: /* Production 2: Analyzing Monument Valley I by Ustwo games */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:57:42Z

Saarah: /* Reverence */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:56:47Z

Saarah: /* Production 2: Analyzing Monument Valley I by Ustwo games */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:55:56Z

Saarah: /* Production 2: Analyzing Monument Valley I by Ustwo games */

File:Mv7.jpg

2019-01-16T22:54:26Z

Saarah:

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:52:58Z

Saarah: /* Learning */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:52:35Z

Saarah: /* Reverence */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:52:08Z

Saarah: /* Production 2: Analyzing Monument Valley I by Ustwo games */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:50:12Z

Saarah: /* Production 2: Analyzing Monument Valley I by Ustwo games */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:45:40Z

Saarah: /* Production 2: Analyzing Monument Valley I by Ustwo games */

Saarah Saghir

2019-01-16T22:45:04Z

Saarah: /* Production 2: Analyzing Monument Valley I by Ustwo games */