Blog 9 - Advisory Prep 3

1. State whether or not you currently have a mentor, and what the status of your interview is with that person (I have completed the interview, I have scheduled the interview, I have not scheduled the interview, etc).

My mentors are Tracy Fullerton, Elizabeth Swensen, and Sean Bouchard. I have met them regularly every two weeks with Clerisse, and I have completed my interview (I just need to get to transcribing it).

2. At this point, your research is probably guiding your studies toward more specific areas within your topic.  Name the area or two you find most promising and explain your reasons. 

As of now, my highest interest within game design are as follows finding how to maximize either intended player experience OR how to maximize player learning experience. While both sound very similar, the meaning behind both of them are vastly different (at least, for me). The former is based on an entertainment and artistic level, whereas the latter 
entertainment and educational level. 

To elaborate on the first part: suppose the genre of my game is fantasy, and I want my game to convey the theme of regret. What elements of the game design process will be most essential in allowing for the player to understand these underlying (or ubiquitous) messages without it being a distraction from the gameplay?

Player learning experience, on the other hand, is a goal in which I want to understand how I can best use video games as a way of teaching players (depending on the age) certain information. Yes, I fully mean BRAINWASHING education via interactive media, which is certainly not an  unfamiliar concept. However, I do want to delve into understanding what is necessary to best ingrain information into video games without any expense of entertainment. Anyone can easily argue that many games already pull this off, but the processes are never never so clean-cut.

3. What kinds of sources do you think will help you in the next month to gain more research depth?  Where will you go to get them?

Fortunately, both Sean and Elizabeth are avid designers for the educational genre of video games, though it was pretty obvious I would to them for advice even if they weren't. However, since I've started this mentorship, I haven't been really asking them specific questions regarding this particular topic, and since I realize that I'm starting to lean that way now, more doors will definitely be open. I can definitely ask them for any sources they used.

With a single search, I was also able to find reliable books on the subject matter -  What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy by James Paul Gee seems to be a good start (and it happens to also be at my local library). 

I still have my mentor's textbook Game Design Workshop  to go through, and there are still a variety of unread articles online that will go into depth in this topic. Of course, I can't always count on the Internet's reliability, but I still also have CPP Library's database to go through. Last I checked, it had other articles for me to read.

4. Write down a possible EQ.  Please don't worry about wording other than ensuring that it provides the option for multiple correct answers.  At this point, the senior team is most interested in understanding your thought process.

What elements are most essential in maximizing player learning experience in a video game, with minimal expense to the entertainment?

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

I can confidently say that the best part of senior project thus far has been my mentorship experience. It has been filled with nothing but layers and layers of enjoyment; not only had I managed to get my first choice, but my mentorship takes place at one of my favorite universities. On top of that, I've been blessed to experience all this alongside my dear friend Clerisse, who I would be lost without (literally, too. I don't know my way around downtown LA and probably would have been kidnapped by now if it weren't for her). Simply traveling to our mentorship has become a learning experience thanks to her.

Meeting our mentors Tracy, Sean, Elizabeth, and the many frequenters of the USC Game Innovation Lab has been another grace in the mentorship. These people, who have all earnestly done everything they can to pass down their knowledge to us in game design, have put so much kind and sincere effort for us and have asked nothing in return. They are encouraging, frequently asking us what we plans we have for independent components and already suggesting ideas. They have made senior project infinitely more positive than I could have ever hoped, and I really hope that as we finish up the project, Clerisse and I will have independently created something worthwhile in the name of these people.

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

Concerning senior project, I would say the biggest difficulty I have found in senior topic is narrowing down my topic, since it seems to be a requirement. I'm not sure how specific of our topic the senior team wants us to have it, and even if I knew, I'm having trouble realizing what my narrowed-down topic should be. I already have an idea of what I would like to do for my independent component, but any independent component idea won't be approved until later. I mentioned in a previous post that this idea is to create a small game using a software that I have, which will be set in a virtual IPoly. The story is yet to be determined. This is something I absolutely want strive to complete in this project, but if I want to go through with it, I have to mold my topic/EQ to the game project (or vice versa), but that lends itself to me asking: is this something I should be doing?