• MYP
  • Introduction
  • overview
  • design cycle
    • Introduction
    • investigate
    • design
    • plan
    • create
    • evaluate
  • AoI
  • assessment
  • descriptors
• curriculum
  • Grade 6
    • welcome
    • time is ticking
    • safety first
    • pet food
  • Grade 7
    • overview
    • logo
    • toy
    • animation
  • Grade 8
    • overview
    • T-shirt
    • Game Design
    • catapult
  • Grade 9
    • overview
    • poster
    • flash
  • Grade 10
    • overview
    • open project
    • reason
• resources
  • colour
  • design notes
    • elements
    • principles
    • brainstorming
    • the client
    • images
  • glossary
  • research
  • planning tips
    • Gantt chart
    • Basics
    • links
  • Grade
    • Grade 6
    • Grade 7
    • Grade 8
    • Grade 9
    • Grade 10
• software
  • Dreamweaver
  • flash
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • Photoshop
  • Premier
  • ProDesktop
  • Reason
• gallery
  • Grade 6
  • Grade 7
  • Grade 8
  • Grade 9
  • Grade 10

Investigation

During the Investigation you will.....

A. Identify the problem to be solved

• write some guiding questions to help with this game design project. These research questions should be based on the software, techniques and whether there are similar existing games
• examine the role of computer games in education
• create a clearly defined educational objective for your game

B. Develop the design brief

• outline a simple design brief.
• include a range of sources (3 + types and at least 5 appropriate sources)
• acknowledge these sources using the MLA format (easybib)
• Analyse some existing games and explore the theories of game design.
• consider the reliability / value of your sources of information

C. Formulate a design specification

• create a detailed design specification
• Use the key questions from the Approaches to learning Area of Interaction  – to evaluate your performance so far.
  

Now Lets begin!

A. Identify the problem to be solved - the Educational Objective of your game

Write some relevant guiding questions to drive your investigation.

Below are some of the questions written by Lisa and Nyantara. Don't just copy these! Think of your own

• What software should I use? game maker or games factory?
• What is the point of creating a game?
• How can I best impact people, life and environment by my game?
• Can this project have an educational purpose, and how?
• What sort of game can I create which will impact people in a positive way?
• What types of games would most people enjoy?
• Should games have educational purposes?
• What sort of game should I try to avoid making?
• What qualities does an entertaining game have?
• What qualities does an educational game have?
• It is possible to incorporate the qualities from educational and entertaining games to make a fun yet purposeful game? If so, how?
• What qualities does a boring game have?
• What original qualities do out-of-the-ordinary games have which I can use to my advantage?

 

By the end ot the Investigation you should try and answer as many of YOUR OWN questions as you can. Try and answer some of the questions now (withought the internet!)

Examine the role of computer games in education -

use your research skills to answer these two questions: Don't forget to reference your sources

1. Can computer games be educational?
2. What could you try and teach with a computer game?
   

Create a clearly defined educational objective for your game (see below).

CHOOSE An Educational objective

• A game must have a clearly defined objective.
• This objective should establish what the player will learn

  Examples: An objective may be to teach a maths concept like the 4 x table, or it could be a game that addresses an environmental danger, like oil spills. It could be a memory game or a game that requires sensible life choices to be made, related to a topic in health and social education.

Outline a simple design brief.

When you have decided on the objective of your game you can write a design brief. This should include:

• The Task / Challenge - A short sentence that describes the task - you can base this on the task given at the beginning of this unit here
• Response - The objective of your game: , see above

  Check the rubric:

  1-2:You have investigated existing games,
  3-4:You have stated an educational objective for your game. (using a design brief)
  5-6: You have described a clearly defined educational objective for your game , considering its relevance in the classroom. (using a design brief)

  Definitions:
  Describe: To give a detailed account.

B. Developing the brief - Explore the problem

Now you have written your design brief, you need to explore the problem. You need to:

Explore some theories of game design.

• Designing good games. An article by the creator of game maker. You should read this and then summarize and cite the document.
• The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford. Excellent, if a little heavy reading. Maintained by Washington State University, Vancouver. Look at it, you do not have to use this one.
• Is the information reliable? can you trust it?
• Collect and select this information,organize it logically and, with guidance, begin to analyse it. You must read the notes and then select the parts that you feel are important or useful. Do not copy large chunks of text.
• Game learning web site - web site with information about  the educational potential of computer games here

What's in a Game?

Play the Catch a clown game here. (you will need to click on the green triangle to start the game). Now answer the questions below

1. Describe the room for the clown game.	Rooms A digital game takes place in a virtual environment laid out in Rooms. There may be one or many rooms. This environment may be a castle, forest, racetrack, or underwater cave.
2.What is the goal of the clown game?	Goal In addition, games need to have a Goal for the player to work toward.
3.What are the objects used in the clown game?	Objects and Sprites The player interacts with the game Objects (other characters, food, weapons, potions, cars, fuel, puzzle pieces, obstacles, currency, etc.) to attain this Goal.  An Object’s appearance is determined by the image or digital picture the developer assigns to it.  The image is called a Sprite.
	Sounds and Backgrounds may be added to enhance the environment and gameplay experience. In addition, Challenge is needed to keep the game interesting and engaging for the player.  Various strategies are used to make the game more difficult for the player as they progress to higher levels or achievement.  Review the Ball Game Tutorial and prepare to discuss the purpose of the Goal and various ideas for making the game more challenging (ball moving faster, more balls in the room, dangerous clowns that reduce points if clicked, etc.) after students have completed the tutorial.
4. You now need to see how a game works. Click here to learn about conditional statements.	CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS - Time for Brain power!! What if......

 

Explore more game design software - Creating your first game

• completed the Gamemaker tutorial here.
  

Analyse some existing games using the table below:

• You could create a survey - talk to possible target audiences and their teachers, what type of games do they like? If yopu are making a game for young students, you really need to know what they like.
• First have a look at our example games here. Use the internet to find more if you wish.
• Choose at least two games and analyse them using the table below:
  

Game Name
(Educationa)l Objective of the game
Game Idea/ Brief Description What type of game. What is the main goal. Where is it set - time and place. How educational is the game - Do you just need reflex skills to be successful or do you have to think as well? If you have to think as well then describe the idea(s) that the designer has used to make you think
Game flow - How to start / end /move between levels
Levels - How many levels in your game
Special Are there any other special features of the game that deserve a mention?
Score system / Punishment and Rewards How idoes the scoring system work? - How are you punished for making mistakes? Describe the rewards in this game.
Controls: How do you control the game - mouse? arrow keys?
The key resources (see example below)
rooms	the places (levels) in which the sprites/objects live
sprites	(animated) images that are used to represent objects used in your game
sounds	either as background music or as effects
backgrounds	the images used as background for the rooms
Good points
Good points
What I would Change
What I could use in my own game

Check the rubric!

Definitions:
Analyse:To identify parts and relationships, and interpret information to reach a conclusion.
Evaluate: To assess the implications and limitations; make judgments about the value of ideas, works, solutions or methods in relation to selected criteria.
Explain: To give a clear account including causes and reasons or mechanisms

C. Create your design specification

• Look at all the information you have selected - surveys, game evaluations etc. What should you use in your game?
  
• create a design specification! Look at the link here for help with your design specification - Your design specification should be a list with at least 10 bullet points that explains what it is that you intend to design and why.

Now check the full rubric below. Can you get a 6?

The Language of Game Making

GENERAL: Room, Object, Event, Action, Sprite, Variable, Solid, Goal, Challenge
EVENTS: Create, Collision, Left-Mouse Click
ACTIONS: Bounce, Move in a Direction, Score

MYP Terms:

Analyse: To identify parts and relationships, and interpret information to reach a conclusion.

Appropriate Quality: This is the best product/solution that the student can produce, taking into account the resources available, the skills and techniques they have used, their educational development, how the product/solution addresses the identified need, and aspects of safety and ergonomics.

Describe: To give a detailed account.

Design brief:The student’s response to the challenge, showing how they intend to solve the problem they have been presented with. This will guide their investigation as they work to develop a more detailed design specification

Design Specification: A detailed description of the conditions, requirements and restrictions with which a design must comply. This is a precise and accurate list of facts such as conditions, dimensions, materials, process and methods that are important for the designer and for the user. All appropriate solutions will need to comply with the design specification.

Evaluate: To assess the implications and limitations; make judgments about the value of ideas, works, solutions or methods in relation to selected criteria.

Explain: To give a clear account including causes and reasons or mechanisms

Evaluation of the Investigation stage.

Start to answer the Key questions below. These all relate to the approaches to learning area of interaction and as already seen, they will be the focus of this unit. You will add to this evaluation at each stage of the design cycle.

• organization:
  • What aspects of my organization do I need to develop?
  • How can I best organize myself?
• reflection
  • How do I normally reflect?
  • How can I make my reflection more useful for my learning?
  • How can my reflections help me learn?
• thinking
  • What tools can help me think in different ways?
  • What planning tools do I have?
• transfer of knowledge:
  • How can I use my knowledge, understanding and skills of different software packages in this unit?
  • How can I use my knowledge, understanding and skills developed so far in other subjects (Maths, English etc.)

design plan create evaluate