Ames' syllabi

In your opinion what should every game have? Why do you like your favorite game?
I think every game should have an appealing appearance; I say this from the perspective of someone who is supposed to design things that not only look good but feel good. Though I think that there is a subjective part to art in games, both tabletop and video; I believe that being able to immerse yourself into the space of the game is a solid quality. Understanding this, my favorite game that I started in class, Stray has a very immersive experience through the art. I mean, you play as a cat, in a utopian city, with robots that have TVs on their heads! The world of stray feels deep, unknown, and very very large, making the player feel like they are just as small as their feline counterpart.

List the games you’ve played and currently play.
Until Then (omg its soo good!)
Legend of Zelda Links Awakening (2019)
Minecraft
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Stardew Valley

To name a few 😀

Can you apply the three-act structure to your favorite game? What is its pacing and how long do you find yourself in each act?
Stray is undoubtedly broken down into chapters, as you finish sections of the story, and move to the next parts, a title rises up stating the name of the next chapter. Though Stray feels long in pacing, it is more up to the challenge level of the play and if they are a completionist.

When coming up with ideas where do you find you start, with the metaphor or the mechanic? 
When coming up with ideas, I tend to curve towards the metaphor rather than the mechanic. I always try to put a narrative behind the reason why I make what I make, and I feel like it can often do more harm than good in my creative process. I think coming up with the working parts to make the final piece may be a better option for the ease of making a game.

Over the course of this semester, who would you like to collaborate with and why?
I do have particular people I enjoy collaborating with, but I also love to collaborate with new people so I can build connections in strengths and weaknesses from myself and others. I think it is important to be open to new things, but also be able to know what works best if trying new things is not an option.

1. In my opinion, every game should include a satisfying or unsatisfying outcome. The reason why I enjoy the gams that I do, is because there is typically a sense of winning or loosing involved with it.
2. BO2, Fancy Pants, Minecraft, Skyrim, Tetris, Paper Mario
3. Skyrim does a good job at the three act structure by setting up the world very well in the intro, throwing in a conflict that will have to be faced later on in the story, and then the resolution is to go up from the bottom where you start.
4. I typically first think of an idea that could be described as metaphor, as I think of things I can create that aren’t the physical aspects of the game. Then I move on to mechanics; how the idea is used, how the idea can be interpreted or experienced by the viewer, etc.
5. I would like to collab with Guidian because he’s cool, or Dylan because I’ve known him longest.

1. In your opinion what should every game have? Why do you like your favorite game?

every game should give the player the ability to have choice and make decisions in the game based on things that they learn throughout the game. I like my favorite game because I have the ability to take any set of 8 cards and build the most unstoppable deck. 

2. List the games you’ve played and currently play.

Clash Royale (mobile game) 

Blockdoku (mobile Game) 

Black ops 3 zombies

2K 22 Golf

Fortnite

3. Can you apply the three act structure to your favorite game? What is it’s pacing and how long do you find yourself in each act?

i think it can be applied. In clash Royale the games are 3 minutes long. The first minute is a normal pace of placing cards to try and destroy the opponents towers. The second minute your elixir speeds up by 1.5 causing the game to speed up and then if no winner is claimed by the end of the second minute then in the 3rd and final minute the elixir doubles and the game pace is sped up rapidly causing chaos. 

4. When coming up with ideas where do you find you start, with the metaphor or the mechanic? 

I defiantly start at the mechanics because i would want to know what kind of things my players have the ability to do. 

5. Over the course of this semester, who would you like to collaborate with and why?

SuperCell because they created Clash Royale. 

1. In your opinion what should every game have? Why do you like your favorite game? Every game should have a set of rules, a goal, and player(s). My favorite games are ones that have a social impact. Maybe that means its a question-card type game or maybe its a game just intended to bring everybody together and laugh – like the Jackbox games.
2. List the games you’ve played and currently play. Horizon 4 & 5, Minecraft, Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild, Splatoon, Animal Crossing, Jackbox, Hay Day, Cooking Fever, Sims, SimCity, Geometry Dash, Angry Birds, Among Us
3. Can you apply the three act structure to your favorite game? What is it’s pacing and how long do you find yourself in each act? In Horizon 5, the game begins in an initial race – throwing the player right into the game. The player is given a “starter pack” of cars and locations. This first act is very fast but excites users with the initial fast pace and feeling of success. The middle part of the game involves a wide variety of game paths. The player could choose from different types of races, “side quests”, mini games, or just freeplay driving. The end of the game is somewhat amorphous. The “final act” could be considered when the player finishes all the races and side quests… but players could always continue playing mini games or even races and try to beat their highscore. This middle act is certainly the longest as players never really exhaust the game’s options.
4. When coming up with ideas where do you find you start, with the metaphor or the mechanic? I think I often am initially inspired by the metaphor. Once I start figuring out the mechanics, the metaphor might break down and disappear altogether, but I think I begin with an overarching metaphor.
5. Over the course of this semester, who would you like to collaborate with and why? I’d like to collaborate with Luke Conte because he obviously is pretty talented and has experience actually launching a game and running a business. In general, somebody in marketing/business/entrepreneurship to learn more about business strategy from their perspective.