So I have decided to leave LJ for blogger (sorry!).  I already had an account with blogger a while back and the cool thing I like about it is that I do not have to have multiple user accounts if I want to create multiple journals (which I have).  I have gone back to having a personal journal (as well as a writing and gaming one).  If you wish to keep in touch with me, here is the link to my personal journal:

http://www.shield-maiden.blogspot.com

You can find the links to my other journals there as well.  I hope that you all still remain in touch with me!  I will keep this account so that I can still keep in contact with you all as well. 

It's been a blast!

Write out three versions of the same gameplay sequence using the Play It, Display It, Say It model.  Create each possible solution.  Think about the implications of each.  Which is more satisfying for the player?


Well, I will do this backwards.  In order to know which would be more satisfying for the player, it must be taken in context of the game.  For example, let's say the main character needs to blow up a door.  At may be more appealing to have it displayed via video if it is just after a big battle and the door as the last thing that is in the way of the character's reward.  On the other hand, if the character is running from a bomb about to go off in a building, the player may wish to have his character blow up the door himself (esp. if there is a certain code that the player needs in order to escape).  Each way has its own reward, so to speak, by judging at what point in the game the character has reached.  A good game developer would know this because the developer him/herself loves to play video games.

Play It Goal:  To assassinate a high-ranking military official upon a space carrier called Daedalus.   The only weapon given to you is a shotgun.

Display It Goal:  After boarding the ship and being taken prisoner, you defeat the syndicate leader who has the admiral on board as his puppet.  Afterwards, you rush to the bridge of the ship with nothing but a shotgun and you blow out the man's brains as he looks at you in surprise.

Say It Goal:   Your superior reams you out as he recounts everything that you have done wrong on the mission.  Not only did you assassinate the wrong man, but you killed an undercover agent.  The whole operation has been exposed now to the enemy.

I thought that I would share one of my favourite websites to get information on current and previous games: http://www.ign.com/.

And for anyone else out there who dreams of being a game designer, here is a helpful site: So You Want to Be a Game Designer?.

Yeah, I know that the market is competitive and that there are long, hard hours at designing games.  I also know that in order to be one, I have to branch outside of my personal tastes to get a better understanding of the industry.  It is going to be a long road ahead.  Sometimes I ask myself if this is something I am going to stick with.  Being 25 and a mother of two, it is going to be more difficult starting from scratch than if I were in college or even high school.

I think it is worth it though.  I've loved games since the first Nintendo.  I remember staying up late at night as a kid and recalling my mom calling "Nintendo Hotline" when we got stuck in a part of the game.  This was before strategy guides, before stunning graphics and music.  We had 8-bit characters and synthesizers.  It was awesome though.  It brought my brother, mom and I together with our daily nightly gaming experience.   I want to prove myself.

By far this is my favourite game to play, over and over again.  I think I am love with the Elder Scrolls' world, but that is besides the point.  There are many nice improvements that the current game released by Bethesda has over the previous games, Morrowind and Daggerfall.

Like its' predecessors, Oblivion has hours of game play and variety for the player.  Unless you have oodles of time, you can always keep yourself busy with quests from the guilds, daedra deities and town inhabitants.  What is nice is that guild quests have wonderfully, fleshed out plot lines.   If fighting is more of your type, there is also plenty of ruins and abandoned forts to go around and gain experience. 

...if I may say so myself. So I decided to take my journal and convert it into a journal about gaming. Yes, I'll say it again, gaming. I've been thinking hard and I really desire to become a game designer. I am going to dedicate this journal to specifically that in the hopes that the more I immerse myself in the field, the better capabilities and proof I have of my abilities. Here I go!