Rapid Prototype Reflection: The Life Aquatic

This was the second in the series of rapid prototypes that we needed to make in under two weeks using DarkBASIC. We worked in pairs, and were all Games Design students with minimal programming experience. The restrictions were:

• No direct character avatar
• No visible mouse cursor (or similar)
• Single button press control only
• Single Screen contained world
• Use of swarms in some way

DoW2: Level Flow

In the 1950’s, psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced the concept of a Hierarchy of Needs. This Hierarchy prioritized the basic needs that are consistent across all humanity, and organized them into a pyramid. In understanding this Hierarchy we are able to understand human motivation, and this can be translated into understanding player motivation, which in turn we can then use to create certain types of experiences for the player when designing a video game. In the Prelude level of Dawn of War 2, we can see how Maslow’s Hierarchy can be translated into a Hierarchy of player needs, and when applied correctly can create a fun and effective experience for the player.

Metal Slug 3: Player Motivation

The way in which the player of a video game reacts to certain stimuli depends on individual psychology, social factors, gender, and so on. The stimuli provided to the player by the game can create or break player emotional states such as fun and immersion, and guide player decision making. No perfect model to understand how the psyche responds to given stimulus exists, as no two people are exactly the same. However if we compare different psychological models of the human psyche we can gain a better understanding of the process. By doing this, we can tailor games around these principles to create effective player experiences.

Rapid Prototype Reflection: An Hero

This was the first of the challenges for our Rapid Prototyping class, completed in 2 weeks in pairs using DarkBASIC by Games Design Students.

The restrictions on this prototype were

• Vertical Scrolling
• Use of double jump
• Single Button Controls

Being our first prototype, we went in really not knowing much about scope and how much was actually going to be possible. However I'm pretty happy with how this turned out, and for pure personality I think this is my personal favorite of the games we made