The latest presentation on my thesis.
This is my final presentation for last quarter. It summarizes my thesis project so far, what I have accomplished, and what is yet to come.
The drawings are concept art I created to give the viewers a feeling for the upcoming game.
The inspiration for this sprang from my love for video games. After I moved to Hong Kong, I began to think more about what things were really important to me, and what I wanted to accomplish with my skills.
What I decided was that I want to create video games that make a difference. The interactivity and emotional connection that video games offer can be utilized in such a way that they can have a lasting, positive effect on the player.
My research spans many areas relevant to education and entertainment.
A key element to this type of game is individualizing the game-play to the player. We see this in after-school programs that target girls specifically to address social and educational issues they may be facing. There is also documented success in commercial games being used as anchors for classroom lessons to create interest and motivate the students.
I have created a set of principles that define a new genre that will accomplish this. The goal of this type of game is to reinforce positive player behavior, and avoid or discourage negative behaviors.
I will be creating a small demo to exemplify my work. For my thesis I will create a small game for young girls aged 8-11. The game is divided into two parts.
The game is meant to be played by two different young girls, both facing different social challenges. Player 1 should be an introverted young girl, who is lacking in class participation, and Player 2 will be a girl who is more extroverted but needs help focusing and communicating.
The roles and story are designed to highlight the importance of each player. The role of Player 1 will be that of leading heroine, and Player 2 will have a supportive role.
The story revolves around two princesses in a castle, Player 1 battles against environmental obstacles in an abandoned castle to rescue Player 2, meanwhile Player 2 offers her help to Player 1, sometimes in ways that are crucial to the progress of the game.
The goal is for Player 1 to feel comfortable in a leadership role and gain more confidence.
This should be titled "Player 2"
The goal is for Player 2 to gain collaboration skills, and appreciate the importance of teamwork.
Going ahead, I will be creating a demo to back up all my research. This game will be tested on young girls, and I will give out surveys to measure the results.
One important question that has been asked, and I have considered is: "Why not also young boys?" my response to this is that of course, the development of young boys at this time is equally as crucial, but the challenges young boys face during development are sometimes very different than those of young girls, and should be addressed in different ways. I designed my principles so that they can address either gender, with different positive outcomes as goals. Because of the time and research required I chose to narrow my focus to one gender and two outcomes.
In the future I am very interested in expanding the audience of my games, and creating a product that benefits every child in the classroom.
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