Young Leaders Weekend

I recently attended a Young Leaders weekend, as a leader myself. I was able to organise and run a session on gifts, and what out talents, skills and gifts might be. I also organised a team challenge, and brought a number of board games with me.

The team challenge was a 'Present Wrapping Challenge'. It required everyone to team up into groups of 2, so we had 4 pairs.  Each pair would be stood before a table that had a box, some wrapping paper, some tape and some ribbon. One person from each pair was to stand behind the other and put their arms under the arms of the person in front. This person was allowed to wrap the present, but were not allowed to look. The other player was allowed to look, but not allowed to touch. For anyone that didn't feel comfortable doing this, their pair had one person blindfolded, and the other one instructing.

This game was welcomed with enthusiasm, and everyone engaged in an attempt to be the first to wrap their present. Some people even resorted to using their chins to hold things in place, so the other player could stick things down.

Later in the day, we had some free time, and so I had the opportunity to teach some young people how to play 'The Resistance- Avalon'. Sadly I was unable to attain my own copy of this game, so I resorted to printing my own version before attending the weekend. I didn't use any of the artwork for the game, but simply printed the Game Rules that I found online.

For the cards, board and pieces, I printed my own blank cards with names and appropriate colour coding. Players could then easily drawn their own characters on, which made the game-play much more engaging and personal.

I was able to explain the game-play in a simplistic way, to prevent the need to read the rules too much. Since the game was one I had formed myself, I was able to give it to one of the young people to keep. I have also added this game, and the resource I made to my MA website, allowing people without the game to try it out, but still recommending players to purchase the game.

South Africa Youth Trip

In August 2016, I had the privilege of being part of a youth mission trip to South Africa.  It was an amazing experience, and along with certain leisure visits to places like the 'Cheetah Experience' (you can pet wild cats) and horse riding, we were able to do active mission in the community. We worked with 'The Towers of Hope' who work to help the homeless in the city, 'Sunflower House' which is a children's hospice, and 'Mosamaria' which is an AIDS charity. We were able to help build an extension to a shack that housed a family of five, as well as clearing the area around their house of rubbish, weeding the area, digging and planting allotments, and doing all of their laundry.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Though there were a lot of jobs that kept us busy, we still had time to meet the young people that lived out there, and play games. In South Africa, there are two distinct categories for people; those that live in the townships, and those that live in the cities. There is still a divide between the people in the city, with the majority of people in the townships being Black, and in the cities, White.

On one occasion, we ran a kids club for the young people, and there were a lot of young people that came. We were able to sing a few songs for them, and they sand some songs, and performed some dances for us. We then took it in turns to exchange games. One example of a game we presented was SPLAT - Everyone forms a circle, and one person stands in the middle. This person would then choose a player, and then point their hands at them in a gun shape, and shout SPLAT. That player would need to duck, as the players on either side point their hands and shout SPLAT at each other. If the person in the middle fails to duck, they are out. If they do manage to duck in time, the last person to yell SPLAT is out.

Many of the games that they showed us, did not contain much game play, but was focused much more on the rhythm and music. One of the games they showed us was called 'Teddy Bear'. Everyone would form a circle. One person would enter the circle, and everyone would sing the words

'My teddy bear, my teddy bear, I love my teddy bear' x2
'Now shine my shoes my teddy bear, I love my teddy bear' x2

This was all sung with everyone clapping to the beat. The person in the middle would skip inside the circle until the second half of the song started. They would then choose a player to approach, and pretend to shine their shoes, then hug the player, repeating this twice. The chosen player would then take their place in the middle of the circle, and play continues for as long as desired. This game was the only game that we could understand, as it was the only one in English, however, some of us were hesitant about the game afterwards. The words and actions of the game seem to have been derived from the history of the culture, and the act of shining shoes reminded us of slavery. The game itself seemed to reflect the history of racism in the country. It wasn't much different to the way nursery rhymes came into existence, often being morbid, but today have a happy appearance.

In the city, we were able to attend a BBQ with a number of the young people that attended the Cathedral. The games these young people showed us were less focused on music, but there was a considerable aspect of it there. One game required everyone to join hands to form a circle. Some lyrics would then be sung as everyone moves round in one direction, then another set of lyrics as everyone moves in the other. Starting with a previously chosen person, everyone would take it in turns going round the circle, to put their leg over their left/right arm (direction chosen previously) that is linked with another players hand. If all players successfully put their leg in place, everyone hops round the circle repeating the lyrics from before, and then again in the other direction.

                                                                                                                                                                   

While working at Sunflower house, I had the opportunity to accompany some small children to their therapy sessions. The student nurses worked with these children, doing exercises and 'playing'. It was great to be able to see the way that these children were learning through actions of play, and the nurses were able to asses their abilities and mentality through their engagement, or lack of. The simple act of placing shapes into the correct slots was enough to engage them, though balls were definitely a distraction. Seeing play in action in this way was a physical confirmation of the research I had undertaken during my Masters Degree. It also shows that the learning process does not differ in different countries; Play is an integral part of the learning process, no matter where you come from.

Pilgrims Progress

I have been asked to create a game for a youth camp based on the theme of Pilgrim's Progress; a book written by John Bunyan, which tells the journey of a Christian life. From my previous research, I have learnt the importance of understanding all aspects of an IP before creating a game. I have therefore began to read an original copy of the book, along with a simplified modern version. I also intend to watch the film adaption of the book, and have recently play-tested the board-game, which was built around the modern version of the story. The results of this play-test can be seen below.

Positives

• Art style
• Enjoyable to play
• Interactivity
• Competitive
• The layout of the box contents - each part has its own slot
• Rules are easy and quick to understand, meaning game-play can begin quickly

Negatives

• Celestial City is a tad troublesome to build.
• 3D Figures on the board block the view of the spaces on the board.
• Use of Atheist to return the player to the start of the game is a little off-putting and stereotypical.
• Risk of dice knocking over pieces.
• Advancing 1 space bonus seems a little pointless
• Technically, there should be 3 alterations of the character -  one with the burden, one with new clothes without the burden, and one with the Armour of God.
• The burdened and unburdened characters of Christian are not the same people, it is Christian for the burdened version, and Faithful for the unburdened - lack of continuity.
• Directions on spaces aren't always clear
• Goodwill card - take a card from the player on your left - title is contradictory
• Some spaces send you forwards to spaces that send you back
• Explainer's house makes the player miss 2 turns - in the book, he provides the player with helpful information, so there should be a bonus for missing the 2 turns.
• Cards are generally only usable on a single space in the game, deeming them pointless for the majority of the game, especially with multiple copies of the same card.
• Scroll isn't required to win the game, whereas in the book, it is essential for getting into the Celestial City 
• Conditions at the base of the cards are not clear, e.g. Throw an even number to move forwards - does this take effect immediately, is it a permanent card or is the player only restricted on their next turn?

Improvements

• Interaction with other players, players could be generous and give another player a card; for instance a scroll card - Christians encourage each other, so the aim could be for everyone to reach the end, and not for a single person to be a winner.

Conclusion

Overall, I believe this game to be a good game, and is effective at portraying the story to an extent. However, it appears as though they have aimed to add game-play to the game, and in doing so have sacrificed aspects of the story. These are only subtle things, but the young people of today can often be more intellectual than people make them out to be, and

  so could notice them. In my own work, I aim to add game-play to concepts, but also consider the story alongside this, so as not to lose the message that the game is attempting to portray. That said, the age rating of the game is 3+, and is more than suitable for young children to play.

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.