Shelby Simmons Game Development

Week 1

• Lab 1
• HW 1

Week 2

• Lab 2
• HW 2

Week 3

• Lab 3
• HW 3

Week 4

The Lens of Risk Mitigation

1. What could keep this game from being great?
• The first thing that comes to mind for this question is of course, what if it doesn't work the way i want it to? What if I can't code correctly and the game doesn't run as intended? Of course I'm going to have those questions when it comes to this project but I really want to answer this question in relation to the game's play quality. I think one of the things that could keep this game from not being great is that it doesn't draw the attention to the player. This could be from the way the game looks, the difficulty, how intuitive the gameplay is, and how the player feels when progressing or if they feel achievement.
• The game might look too simplistic to where a player might assume the gameplay itself is basic or uninteresting before they even begin to test the game out. If the game itself is too easy a player might not want to spend the time to continue playing it past a certain point. If the game is too difficult a player might not want to continue playing as they may get frustrated or see the game as unbeatable so therefore pointless. The gameplay might not be interesting and therefore the player might stop playing before reaching the goal set from the developer.
2. How can we stop that from happening?
• There are a few options to minimalize the issues presented in the following answer. In my opinion the most useful way to combat an issue would be playtesting my game multiple times. This would allow me to see what lacks in the game and would allow me to make comparisons to games I've played and how they handled that lacking aspect. In relation to this option I could also ask friends to try it out and give honest answers as to what can be done to improve play quality.
• Another option is to find articles, tutorials, or discussions online where others have had related issues. I could then begin to tackle what issues I have within my ability to improve the game objectively.

The Lens of the Toy

1. If my game had no goal, would it be fun at all? If not, how can I change that?
• First I'd like to say I chose this lens for my second topic because I like the idea of how it can be used before a game is even made or in the works to brainstorm new possibilities.
2. When people see my game, do they want to start interacting with it, even before they know what to do? If not, how can I change that?
• If my game seems basic in terms of design the best way to attract a player would be to introduce it with a unique playstyle or concept. If the game I create is similar to others of the same type then adding inspiration of other game types may add a unique play experience. The same can be said by adding concepts of game styles that are successful in other genres and finding a way to incorprate them to the game. This may make players who have experience with those other game genres to find interest in this game.

Week 4 HW Response

My game would require an inventory system and the best fit for my game would be the Classic JRPG Inventory or the "Rule of 99". The game's challenge doesn't require the player to optimize their inventory or to worry about the limit for what they can carry so any other example from this week's article isn't needed. If there's any sort of change to the inventory system used in the game it could be a timer that counts down until an item expires, making the player decide on what is the highest priority: avoiding danger or collecting points.