Habitica

I came across this game a while ago, and didn't find it particularly interesting at the time. A friend recently reintroduced it to me, and I realised the potential of the game.

Habitica is a game that turns all your day to day tasks into quests. For completing quests, you earn gold, loot and experience. You can level up your character, purchase better gear, and battle monsters. The game is essentially a motivational tool, encouraging people to complete their work.

This game would be incredibly useful for use in classrooms or youth sessions, to encourage good behaviour. Each young person or team of people could have a character, gaining bonuses for good behaviour, and deductions for bad. A problem with the game, is that there is no way to monitor a player's task completion, and requires the player to be honest when marking tasks as complete. This can be easily be solved by only allowing leaders access to the account, letting them control when they add or deduct points. The young people would be allowed to choose their purchase options, class and enemies to battle, along with character appearance, pets, and mounts. For teams of young people, they could be gathered into a party, encouraging teamwork, and the result of battles depends on the effort of all in the party.

I may attempt to use this game with a group of young people, and see if it has a positive influence on their behaviour. As well as digital rewards, physical rewards could be given to those with the best score after a certain timeframe.

Sanctuary - Games Design Workshop

Sanctuary is a youth event held at Blackburn Cathedral each year. This year it was held on the 5th March, and I was allowed the opportunity to run a games design workshop during the workshop sessions. I designed this workshop during my third year in my BA Games Design course.

The workshop plan and games design documents can be found at:

http://eworrall-leveldesign.my-free.website/games

Having been involved with the event in previous years, I was invited to be part of the planning committee for the event. Through this I also became responsible for the organising of video-games for the event. Preparation for the event included collection of video-game consoles and peripherals, and play-testing, as well as digital preparation for my workshops, such as 3D Modeling, UV Mapping and UDK preparation and Kismet.

Video-games - For the event I chose to incorporate 3 different console games, each of which had a form of social interaction attached to the gaming experience.

1. Wii U - Games such as Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart and Just Dance. I chose these games due to my own experience during previous years; they encourage interaction between the players.

2. X-Box - Lego Rock Band. I knew initially that a 'Guitar Hero' style game was the type of game I wanted to include in the video-game section of the event. However, I found that a lot of the songs in these games were not particularly appropriate for the church environment in which the event was set. I therefore chose a more friendly version of the game type, and went for a Lego iteration.

3. PlayStation 3 - From experience I gained at a Christian Create conference I attended, I learnt about a game called Joust. This game greatly encourages social interaction, which is particularly useful in engaging people who don't know each other. This game is played through connecting PS3 move controllers to a MAC: an example of game-play can be seen on the website; http://www.jsjoust.com/

Images are taken from the Sanctuary 2016 Flickr Page

Workshop - Before running the workshop, I needed to prepare and set up all of the equipment, organising the layout of the room so it is easily accessible to the young people.

At the start of the workshop, I made sure I introduced myself, and then each young person introduced themselves. I also encouraged them to mention a game that they liked/disliked/knew of, and why. This could be a video-game, board game, or physical game. I then proceeded to explain what the session entailed; we were going to create a game based on the story of Noah's Ark, which requires the player to find and collect 20 animals (10 animals - 2 of each kind), and place them in an Ark. This would all be set in a virtual version of Blackburn Cathedral. Once all animals are collected, the Cathedral would then flood with water with the Ark sailing away. When the water recedes the Ark would land on the alter, and a rainbow would then appear.

I presented the UV maps of the animals to the young people, and explained how they worked in relation to the 3D model, and the key I had placed on the UV sheets. They then proceeded to texture the UV maps by hand. I also encouraged team work through the creation of a hypothetical games design company. The young people suggested names, and even drew a potential logo design. The textures for each of the animals can be seen below.

Crocodile

Elephant 

Frog 

Giraffe 

Hedgehog 

Zebra 

Kangaroo 

Lion 

Parrot 

Peacock 

During the break between sessions, I scanned the textures into the Computer, and proceeded to adjust them in Photoshop, and then apply them to the animal models. This took much longer to complete than I anticipated, and it proceeded into the second session. However, as I applied each texture to the animal, I drew attention to who created it, ensuring each young person received a chance to see their animal before playing the game.

Cathedral - All animals; two of each kind.

Once this was complete, I asked each young person to decide where in the Cathedral they wanted to hide their animals. I proceeded to place all 20 animals in these locations as each decided on a location, and then allowed them to play-test the game.

Through running my games design workshop, and through organising the video-games for the event, I learnt a number of things;

• In the design industry, there is a preference for specialisation. For instance I specialised in level design in my 3rd year, because it was something I preferred, and required less drawing. This preference is still evident in young people, as some were not too interested in the texturing, and were more interested in the game-play.

• Just as there is a preference for design areas, there is a preference for gaming style. Some like to sit and play Super Mario Bros, requiring little movement. Others are willing to do slight movement in Rock Band, though few were willing to sing (can be seen as embarrassing). Whilst others prefer active games, which can be seen through the use of Joust.

• It is incredibly difficult to run a games design workshop in such a short period of time. I therefore need to create a design and workflow that reduces the time it takes to run a games design workshop, even if it provides only a taste of what games design is like.

Create Conference

OK, so I decided to go on a big trip down to London, to go to a Premier Digital Conference called 'Create'. The basis of the conference is that we are made by an infinitely creative God, and we are made in his image. Therefore its natural for us to desire to explore and create new things. The conference focused particularly on the digital world, and encouraged visitors to use their mobile phones during the seminars and talks, and to 'tweet' about the event, encouraging the use of their hashtag.

The event started with registration, refreshments, and then a short introduction and welcome to the event. This was then followed by  an opening address. The address explained how we are able to use a media form such as social media, which can often be seen in a bad light, to proclaim the Kingdom of God. I believe this can also be translated into a gaming concept, as game too are sometimes seen in a negative light, yet can still be used to spread God's message.

This talk mentioned a number of other points. That as Christians we are a family, and we shouldn't compete against each other for the lime light. We should work as a team, because that is when we can get more work done. The speaker also quoted that we are 'Called to kick the darkness, until it bleeds daylight'. This shows how we are in a battle against evil, but we need to fight in order to let goodness shine through.

Scripture Union - 'Guardians of Ancora'

A representative from Scripture Union took to the stage, and explained a little about the new game 'Guardians of Ancora'. Positive feedback on the game was that it was interactive, and gave people a chance to play a part, and be a part of the story of Jesus.
                                                                                                                                                                   

Agenda for the Day

Session 1 - Create an App

This session discussed the main principles of creating an app, along with how to go about publishing it.

From what I gathered, there are two main ways to create an app.

1 - Produce an app through coding
2 - Use an app making software.

The presenter of the talk explained about a number of App making software that were available to use. He described such software as like using building blocks to make the final outcome.

He listed what he felt were the best 5 apps available:

1. Goodbarber - Takes little time to make an app, costs money.
2. App Machine - Connects to your website and collects images and info ready for use.
3. The Church App - Must be contacted directly, just for churches.
4. Game Salad - For Game making.
5. Stencyl - Similar to Game Salad, takes longer, more complicated. Free until publishing.

Before making an app, consider the following questions.

• Why do I need an app?
• What can I offer that's unique?
• How will I reach people?
• How will I engage people?

                                                                                                                                                                   

COFFEE BREAK - Here I proceeded into the break room, and happened upon the book stall. This is where I discovered the 'Unofficial Bible for Minecrafters' which tells the main bible stories though Minecraft. I seized this opportunity to purchase the book, as it was completely relevant to my work and research.
                                                                                                                                                                   

Session 2 - Create with Raspberry Pi

A Raspberry Pi, in technical terms, in not an edible fruit desert, but is more like a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), which is essentially a tiny low powered computer. The cost of a Raspberry Pi is only $25, which is relatively cheap for such a product, and it runs off an SD card. The presenter continues to talk about the great number of uses for the product, which was interesting, but sadly didn't link much to my project at all.

                                                                                                                                                                   

LUNCH - Obviously, this was the time to get food, which is precisely what I did. Following this I proceeded to the Scripture Union stand, where I talked with a few representatives about my work, and about my interests in the more technical details about 'Guardians of Anchora'. They proceeded to gather my contact details, and made a note to contact me with additional information.
                                                                                                                                                                   

All Together Again

After lunch, a number of talks were to be held back in the main hall, where we all gathered once again. The most interesting of these talks was 'Create Another World'. The presenter - Andy Robertson - talked about how games can play a part our spiritual life. He described how games can be a virtual spiritual space, in the same way others had talked about creating digital spiritual space on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Following this talk was a talk called 'Create a  fairer world'. Here, a company called 'Fairphones' talked about their product. They had set out to create a fair trade phone, where the materials used in the production of the phone were fairly sourced.
                                                                                                                                                                   

Session 3 - Create a Game

For me, this was by far the most interesting session of the day. Andy Robertson was the presenter again, and he didn't teach people how to make a game, but rather discussed how a game can be used within a Christian environment, including in church services.

He described how he had used the game 'Flower' in a church service. The game acted as a spiritual space, and added to the atmosphere of the service. The game gave the player control over the wind, with an aim to simply fly around, collecting petals, and restoring the landscape. The game was used in a service, where the controller was continuously passed around the congregation, so everyone got to spend a time in the virtual spiritual space. An image of the in-game environment can be seen above.

Following this explanation, he asked for volunteers to play a game called 'Joust'. The game is a physical multiplayer game, that uses PS3 (Playstation 3) Move controllers. Each player is on a team, and must attempt to defeat the opposing team. This is done through jostling the opposing team controllers. When the controllers detect sudden movement, the player with that controller loses a life. Players have 3 lives, and once a team has lost all their lives, the other team wins. Movement speed also depends on the speed of the music of the game. Faster music means faster movements are allowed.

I found that this particular game was a brilliant icebreaker. I was playing a game with 6 other people that I had never met before. I found my own skills to be the best on my team, but sadly those skills were replicated through all the opposing team members.

The game 'That Dragon Cancer' was also discussed in the session. The game was created by a Christian couple who lost their son to cancer. They portray their emotions through the medium of the game, and give a new perspective on mourning. An image of the game is shown above.

                                                                                                                                                                   

COFFEE BREAK - During the break, I took the opportunity to talk to Andy Robertson about his particular use of videogames. He mentioned another game that he had used in a Church environment; 'Passage'. This is a game that I have heard of before, as it was mentioned in the book 'How to do things with Videogames'. Another suggestion I believe is also relevant is 'Marriage', also mentioned in the book.
                                                                                                                                                                   

Session 4 - Create Digital Art

Session 4 was given by Matt Lawrence. He explained his his use of digital drawing within church services, in the form of live creations. He would draw a particular scene, and the process would be displayed on screens or monitors in the church. This accompanied with music can have a very moving effect, and he even gave us an example towards the end of the talk.
                                                                                                                                                                   

The day concluded with two small talks back in the main hall, and I left feeling I had learnt a lot, particularly about videogames, and how they can be used to create a virtual spiritual space. I intend to take what I have learnt from the sessions I attended, and use it in my own practice.

Programme Pack - Session 2

The 2nd session of the programme pack I created can be seen below. The programme pack was designed to portray the theme of moral issues through the medium of videogames.

I arrived pretty early again to set things up for this session. Sadly, only one young person turned up. This was particularly disheartening due to the effort and time I had put into preparing the session, and improving it from the previous month. The other youth leaders and I decided to defer the session until the next month, and though that the reason for the lack of young people was due to it being the half term holidays. I however took this as an opportunity to get to know the young person that attended, spending the time eating pancakes and playing on minecraft.

The following month I again arrived early to set things up, and waited in hopeful anticipation for the young people to turn up; only 2 arrived. We decided to proceed with the session, and the two young people in attendance interacted well with the game and the message it was portraying. A little further into the evening, two boys arrived who I had encouraged from my own church to attend. They instantly connected with the game, whereas in the previous session, the girls didn't interact with the game.

Following on from the 1st session, I acted upon the feedback from the young people. I added an alternative to the videogame, being 'The Game of Life', which reflects the same theme as the chosen videogame. I also prepared some physical games to play before the session began.

I learnt a number of things through running this session.

• The evident stereotype of boys playing videogames was enforced through the gender interaction with the videogame used in the session.

• Board-games can be powerful tools for teaching just as much as videogames, as each has key interactive aspects.

• With fewer people it is easier to encourage engagement with the game. Everyone is being constantly engaged, whether through playing the game, or conversation with myself or the other youth leaders.

• People who play videogames can easily watch others playing games, and enjoy the entertainment value; joking about when they fail, and cheering in encouragement when they succeed. This is not the same for people who do not play videogames; these people need to be engaged with the game, or they become disinterested.

I later discovered that the young people had decided not to attend the youth group sessions, knowing that the teachings would be themed around videogames. I became aware of their apprehension towards video-games from the first session, and clearly explained that I would act on their feedback. Learning this made me feel disappointed yet again. I decided to encourage them to attend, letting them know I had acted upon their feedback.

Programme Pack - Session 1

The course I am undertaking at Chester University (Church College Certificate in Christian Youth Work) required three submissions for the first semester. This included a presentation, a 1500 word essay, and a Programme pack.

I designed my Programme pack on the theme of 'Moral Issues', and used the medium of videogames to help portray this message. Also, I was given the opportunity to run my sessions at the youth group I help to run. The session from the Programme pack can be seen below.

I arrived early for the first session to set up and organise all the equipment I needed, and when the session was due to start, 9 young people arrived, all of which were female. The set up and resulting creations from the session can be seen in the photos below.

Through running the session, I discovered a number of things about young people, in relation to videogames:

• The stereotype of 'Only boys play videogames' was evident to a certain extent. The young people did not seem as interested in the session as much as I had hoped. Yet this could also be because they were faced with a new experience.

• Some young people stated they were disinterested in the session, yet they still engaged regardless of this. Completing the game became a sort of competition, which made the young people engage more with the game.

• Before playing the game, an explanation needs to be added to future sessions, to help them understand. Though games present a player with the opportunity to discover the story and goals, having a clear set understanding of the game, its controls and player aims is needed.

• The young people desired to have a physically interactive game as part of the planned activities. This shows that though young people are becoming even more involved with digital technology, there is always room for playing social interactive games.

Mini Project 3 - Minecraft Nativity

My third and final project that I designed was a Minecraft Nativity; I created a document showing how the traditional story of the Birth of Jesus, could be portrayed through the use of Minecraft.

The document included a list of equipment, set up instructions, rehearsal plans, a script extract and a list of possible modifications and character skins that could be used along with the game. In terms of building in minecraft, i built the town of Nazareth to show an example of what the scenes could look like.

With Minecraft being such a popular game, as well as the ease to build whatever you like, all the settings, characters skins, environments and scripts could be created by the performers themselves. Being able to have an impact on how the story would be told gives young people the opportunity understand the story in more depth.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Videogame

Persson. M, 2015. Minecraft 1.7.10 [Videogame] PC. Stockholm: Mojang. Available at: <https://minecraft.net/> [Accessed 04/01/2016]  

Mini Project 2

The Second Project I created in my first semester was a game created around the story of Joseph. I created an Auto-runner games in Construct 2. Having never used this software before, It took a while to learn and understand how it worked, yet I feel I created a game that acts upon the feedback received from my previous project

My feedback basically stated that I needed some form of interaction. The play testers were constantly looking for things they could interact with, even though I had stated that it was a purely visual environment.

Note: None of the tiles used for the platforms are my own, nor is the middle section of the background. All references can be found at the end of this post.
                                                                                                                                                                   

I designed and created a simplistic Joseph character, and soon relised that I needed a running animation for the character. I created a run cycle, which took much longer than I anticipated.

After my first iteration of the characters run cycle, I decided that it needed more detail, as it didnt reflect much of story. I therefore added the multicoloured coat, as well as hands to the character.

In order to reflect the story, I designed the game around the idea of collecting the colours from the coat. I therefore created a number of coloured pieces of material, and placed them around the environment. I also added a particle effect and sound to create a small reward system for the player.
I also added background music that I hoped would cause less stress for the player, knowing that the game was unlikely to be completed by the player first time.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Feedback

As well as learning how to use a new game engine, I also learnt a lot from the feedback I received on the game.

Music: I found that the sound effect of the reward system was acceptable, yet the background music was seen as annoying to the young audience I was aiming the game towards, yet adult players enjoyed the music. It seems young people desire the tension that the music presents in such a game.

Addictive: My game was described as 'One of those addictive games', which was particularly pleasing. Everyone that played the game desired to complete the game, regardless of how many times they failed. People watching the gameplay were also reacting to the game; cheering when a person did well, and moaning when they failed. They desired to complete the game, even though they werent playing.

Visuals: Certain obstacles blended in well the background. Some found that this added to the fun of the game, while others said it should stand out more.
                                                                                                                                                                   

Further Development

If I was to take this game further I would create a tileset of my own to use for the platforms. I would also design a background of my own that fit well with the style and I would ensure all obstacles stood out from the background. In addition to this, I would add a main menu to the game, and an end game scene. Another option would be to add a high score list or achievements. Additional levels could be added to extend the playtime.
                                                                                                                                                                   

References

Audio

Bensound, 2015, Acoustic Breeze, [Youtube]. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7T8oFqUG6s> [Accessed 29/12/2015]

Koenig. M, n.d. Magic Wand Noise, [Audio Download]. Available at: <http://soundbible.com/474-Magic-Wand-Noise.html> [Accessed 29/12/2015]

Game Engine

Scirra, 2015, Construct 2 – Free Version [computer program] Available at: <https://www.scirra.com/construct2> [Accessed 29/12/2015]

Tile-set

Kenny, 2013, Platformer Pack, [Download]. Available at: <http://kenney.nl/assets/platformer-pack-redux> [Accessed 29/12/2015]