Games Design

Games Design Student at D.I.T

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Game Design in D.I.T (Week Thirteen)

On Monday we were asked to bring in Christmas items (preferably non-breakables) to our Game Design class. It was only when class started that we were informed we were to make an obstacle course in groups of ten! It took our group a while to settle on an idea that we were all happy with; but with cooperation and compromise we finally did. We set up a three stage game - a Christmas mini golf table, a ramp to roll a ball up and lastly a festive basketball section. It was fun! I was pleased with the end result. We then tried another team’s obstacle course, it was hilarious. It was a mixture of dodge-ball and blocking; I really enjoyed playing it - mainly because I was one of the people throwing the balls. I felt this class definitely improved my problem solving and teamwork skills!

Programming this week was about finalizing our processing assignment based on love! On Monday we looked at an inspirational video in class and on Tuesday we submitted this assignment and our lecturer looked at our projects! I’m very happy with my assignment, however I know that there are things I can improve on! From the start of this semester I feel as though I have learnt so much in Programming. I have so much more confidence with it; it used to be hard to feel that as it is such a problem solving and coding driven subject.

I really enjoyed Wednesday’s Creative Practice - it was about the art side of games! I would consider myself to be more into the art side of game design than mechanics, so this class was great for me. We talked about the importance of the aesthetics of characters in games. Research on the time period the game’s set in is important, as well as a strong, clear silhouette of the characters. Sometimes simplicity is more impactual then complication; especially with the art element of games. We also looked at how certain shapes represent different qualities. For example, squares appear to symbolize dependability while triangles may represent sharpness. Therefore a protagonist in a game may may rounded or squared armor while a villain would have a sharp, pointed suit. All of these factors must be considered when creating the characters in a game. Honestly, some of these things would come natural to me however some of the things I learnt were really interesting - especially the importance of the silhouettes!

In Ludology we talked about the debate our class will be having in January! We were given our teams (there will be sets of two teams going against each other) and rolled the dice to decide our fate! Our fate being what topic we get and whether we have to be for or against it. The topic we got was “Early access is a con” and we got against! Therefore we must argue that early access to games is actually a good thing; we have a few ideas already on what we would like to say! 

We focused on submitting our games on Friday’s Game Production class! It felt great to finally send in our ‘Saboteur Remastered’ game, twelve weeks of hard work and creativity. For my first game, I’m over the moon. I can’t wait to continue making games, as I really enjoyed making this one!

[meggames-blog]

Game Design in D.I.T (Week Twelve)

In Monday’s Game Design we looked at the Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics Framework and the Magic Circle. Mechanics refers to what you can do in the game (core mechanic), Dynamics relates to how the player chooses to play the game and finally Aesthetics refers to how the player perceives and feels about playing it. What about the Magic Circle? Well it’s basically an agreement between player and designer that the game follows the game world’s rules. We learnt that it is vital to keep the player within your game’s reality; as when the rules of that universe break, the player looses interest and goes back to actual reality. Games fuel escapism, and the player’s want this need to be fulfilled. Also, in twos we were given the task to look at the secondary mechanics of a game of our choice due next week or so. We must think about why these mechanics are in the game and how might it alter the player’s playing techniques.

Programming on Tuesday was dedicated to our “love assignment” due very soon. I had been trying and failing to add music into my project, however, in this class (with the help of the lecturer and classmates) I finally solved it! My sketch consists of an interactive ukulele, movable cat (”Pusheen”), other decorative patterns and music of course!  Everything I love. I’m excited to finish this assignment and see how it goes!

In this week’s Ludology class we looked at the other “My Life as a Game” presentations that we didn’t get to hear two weeks ago. It was very interesting! I already presented mine previously, so I just listened to my classmates and even got to know more about each one. I do believe that if you create something you relate to, it’ll become more valuable and perhaps more successful then anything else you could make. Therefore, I can see that if we actually created games based on these aspects of our lives, they would be more interesting and authentic then any other.

The open day on Friday was fun! We showed our games to those who came in instead of having our usual Game Production class - it was like a play test. A few people tested out our ‘Saboteur Remastered’ game and thought it was cool! I felt very helpful and informative answering questions these students had (who hoped to do this course next year perhaps). Next week our game must reach completion, but luckily we’re pretty much done now. 

[meggames-blog]

Game Design in D.I.T (Week Eleven)

On Monday we looked at decision making in Game Design class. There are usually four types; meaningless choices, obvious decisions, blind decisions and interesting decisions. These choices are so important in games, as they make the player feel more in control. Also, the results of their choices makes them more aware of how their decisions effect further game play. Most importantly, the player should feel intuitive and get a taste of the nature of the consequences of their decisions. 

We had our first Programming lab test this week! Honestly, I was very nervous. I find this the most challenging module and I was afraid I would panic and fail to think of solutions to the test. However, I found the test to be more of a brain exercise rather than a worry in the end! I was able to do most of the things required, there were few little things I wasn’t sure of. However overall it felt great to experience my first lab test for Programming.

On Wednesday there was a double Ludology class; we played a dice game in groups of four. We had to check if our characters were overpowered or the opposite; the game consisted of rolling the dice to try get a higher number than the other player while using our character’s unique powers. Then, we had to alter our characters (make up to two changes), tested those out, then we made our own characters! This was really enjoyable, as we played against each other until only ten students were left. Next week a winner will be decided. I liked this class as I thought of outside the box solutions to make the character cards more balanced and successful - also it was a quite a social experience; enhancing this game’ sense of fun.

We looked at game play videos of our games in Game Production on Friday. As usual, it was very helpful as the lecturers and students exchanged handy advise on how to improve our games a little more. It’s amazing how far all these games have come. I’m excited but nervous for next Friday; it’s a D.I.T Open Day and people will be testing out our games! 

[meggames-blog]

Game Design in D.I.T (Week Ten)

Game Design class on Monday was another play testing day for our card games! This time, one member from each team had to stay with their game and see how players interacted without helping them; only if needed (not all teams decided to do this, but my team did). This invigilator would note any time the players would ask something, get confused, or say something positive. I found this very beneficial for our card game ‘Castle’ as the players had noted little things we had not noticed before! Also, when my team play tested another groups game, I found it very enjoyable and I felt quite helpful. I must admit the typos we found in the rules made the game that more hilarious.

Programming was very interesting this week - we looked at ‘Conway’s Game of Life’. At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect. We were shown videos of how this game came to be, in fact, it’s a game that plays itself. It has simple rules; but these simple conditions create a complex occurrence. Shapes are born, multiplied and killed. In the video we were shown this game in action,  there were so many strange formations going across the screen. At one point it looked like a bug army; I was slightly scared at how unusual it was yet intrigued. We are beginning to create it for ourselves and honestly I can’t wait to see how mine develops.

Friday’s Game Production was a play testing class! We had a few people test our ‘Saboteur Remastered’ game and we got some handy advise - little tweaks to enhance our game further. I enjoyed seeing how the other student’s games had progressed since last week. Its still hard to believe that a few weeks ago I had not made a game properly before, but now, with the help of my team mate I have created one! At this point in time I’m very happy with it, however, I know that I’ll have plenty more games to come.

[meggames-blog]

Game Design in D.I.T (Week Nine)

Last week was reading week; it gave me a chance to revise everything we had covered so far in every module and work on assignments. When I returned on Monday, the class play tested each others card games. In this Game Design class, my team’s ‘Castle’ game got some constructive criticism which has helped us a lot; we also gave tips to another team. The importance of play testing was highlighted - it is beneficial to show your game to other creators and various people. In fact, children are the best to approach as they are honest and are usually drawn to things that are fun! We learnt also that it is important not to give ‘excuses’ about your game on the day of play testing. 

Programming on Monday and Tuesday was all about arrays. These are a collection of variables of all sorts, that are a neater alternative to an overload of variables in a sketch. I found this slightly tricky to catch onto at the beginning, but the more I practice these out, the easier it gets and the more I understand how an array is made. I still need to practice arrays more, but I’m getting there!

This weeks' Creative Practice class was a mixture of humor and helpfulness. We were thought about a new way of thinking; C.A.F (Consider All Factors). This technique includes writing a list of ten things about a topic; usually one of the last things noted are a more accurate representation of what you really believe. We were asked to try this out - we were asked “Why do you have the hairstyle you have?”. I have long hair with pink ends at the moment, and my first reasoning was; “I like pink”. However, by the end of the list my reasoning was; “I feel that pink is a unique color and having long hair allows me to do many hairstyles”. From this example it is clear how helpful this C.A.F method is. We had a laugh at some of the student’s answers about their hair, even some meaningful moments. That made the learning experience even more enjoyable.

In Ludology we individually talked through our two-slide presentations on two games we’d create from two aspects of our life. I was so nervous to present mine. It’s quite scary telling 40 something people that you’re a spiritual being, I don’t know why really! However once I presented mine, I got a positive response and a wave of peace fell over me. My first game was based on the musical/spiritual side of my life, while the second game was based on art. It was great to hear everyone else’s presentations; we definitely learnt a lot more about each other in this Ludology class.

On Friday we looked at clips from each other’s games. In this Game Production class we gave each other helpful advise on how to improve our games even more. I thought it was very productive to hear other students opinions on the games; it’s also great to hear different viewpoints and see little flaws in your game that you perhaps had not noticed before! I’m excited to see how all our games will turn out.

[meggames-blog]

Game Design in D.I.T (Week Seven)

Monday’s Game Design class was all about card games. We learnt briefly about the different types and how to identify them apart from each other. Every mechanic you put in affects it’s core loop, and also, it is important to ask yourself “Why should the player care about this game?”. To complete this class we got into groups of four and we decided to change an existing card game (instead of making one from scratch).  After we played the original, and tested our new version, we went through our ideas - we will have our “Castle”  card game complete soon!

We started off Programming with yoga. You can’t beat that. We were thought the basics of how to make the game “BugZap” after our refreshing yoga session. It’s a simple game; but it’s a great one to start with making. We all adjusted our bugs and players to our liking - my laser is purple for example. I’ve yet to look over solution and fill in the gaps, but I’m proud of what I've made so far!

Creative Practice class was very thought-provoking for me. We looked at how to weigh the pros and cons of an idea before making a decision; people tend to judge to quickly and defend that view. P.M.I (Plus, Minus, Interesting) is a tool to use when observing an idea - which was created by Edward de Bono, a creative and critical thinker. I like this technique. For example we were given the statement “If buses had no seats” and had to write the positives, negatives and interesting points about buses with no seating. I believe this is great, as you are seeing both sides of the coin.

Wednesday’s Ludology was based on game genres; since this is what games are clarified by. There are many, from spacial reasoning (”TicTacToe” for example), to role playing (”The Witcher 3″ for example). I found the cinematic storytelling genre the most incredible; the cut-screens and game-play are blended so well in the game “Uncharted 2″ for instance. We learnt that today genres are blending. This gives more variety to players and more spec for people who like particular types of games. We also learnt that changes to games can increase the permutations (adding to difficulty and complexity basically), and this can happen quickly.

It was brilliant to see how everyone’s games had progressed on Friday; a play testing day. In this Game Production class we went around the room and tried out each other’s games, as well as giving constructive criticism. I found this class very helpful as we got a taste of how to improve our game. Personally, It felt great to help others tweak their games too. Hopefully by this time next week, our ‘Saboteur Remastered’ will have improved even more!

[meggames-blog]

Game Design in D.I.T (Week Six)

Storm Ophelia hit Ireland on Monday; so we did not have our Game Design class or one of our Programming classes. However, we got back into the swing of things on Tuesday. In this blog in particular, I want to reflect on the teamwork I’ve experienced this week and in D.I.T so far.

Programming on Tuesday was great fun. At first, I was afraid to practice a previous year’s test, however that soon changed. We had to create a road with a moving car on it. Some things I wasn't too sure about and I needed to refresh my memory, other things I was confident with. I’m still learning. I found that this practice test had an example of everything we’ve learnt so far this semester - from variables to loops to random colors. By the end of the class, after experimenting with the colors; I had made what resembled ‘Rainbow Road’ from Mario Kart... I was very proud. In terms of teamwork, I find that since the beginning of the year that it is so important to communicate with others and help each other. At the end of the day, you won’t know everything. I’ve found that asking for guidance from my classmates has elevated my understanding of programming; that it’s okay to ask for help.

Creative Practice was all about teamwork this week. We looked at what makes a strong team and what makes an ineffective team. Positive traits include shared responsibility, honest and open communication, clarification and support. We even did a marshmallow challenge in groups of four. The aim was to create the tallest tower out of 20 max pasta straws, supported by tape and completed with a marshmallow on top. I felt my group worked very effectively. We spoke openly about our ideas, listened to each other and gave each person a role to do. I tend to like being a ‘leader’ in group situations, but today I tried to listen more rather then speak. Our tower plan collapsed a minute before time up, so we quickly assembled a mini structure to avoid embarrassment. It was hilarious. Yes our tower became a disaster, but I believe we worked so well and patiently with each other. 

In Wednesday’s Ludology class we tested out each other’s modified ‘broken’ games. It was interesting to see how others changed their chosen games. My group updated the card game ‘war’ which is originally quite repetitive and very long... We added more features to it and made it quicker to win; and also more dramatic. In all honesty, we over-complicated it. Nevertheless, I now know in future how to identify this scenario for future references. So the for teamwork - I felt I communicated very well with my team, and we had different roles and mini deadlines set. 

Game Production on Friday was great. We looked at clips of each other’s games and I was very impressed. We received positive feedback on our ‘Saboteur Remastered’, with a few noted things we could tweak, so I was pleased with that. Our game is nearly set for next Friday’s play demonstration! I must admit, some games were so good that they had a humor element to them, and I like that quality to games. When the whole room laughs at a funny feature in your game, you know it’s on the right track. For my game, myself and project partner are looking for some funny little features to add into our ‘Saboteur Remastered’ to make it that more enjoyable. On the topic of teamwork, I feel I’m communicating very well with this project; we share our ideas and listen carefully. I’m looking forward to testing everyone’s games next week!

In reflection, even though it’s only been a few weeks so far into college, I feel as though my teamwork skills have improved a lot. I believe I have a ‘leader’ personality as I am a perfectionist and like to be in control. However, due to all the teamwork assignments and projects we’ve done so far, I have learnt how to be more of a team player rather than leader, and also, I have learnt to be more trusting with others to take control of certain aspects of projects.

[meggames-blog]

Game Design in D.I.T (Week Five)

Monday’s Game Design class was all about card game analysis. In groups of five we all scrambled to the middle table of the room to pick a card game; most were unfamiliar to me anyways. We grabbed the game ‘Bang!’. At first, I had no idea what this game was, what the rules were... The rules manual had a lot of text I must admit. However, once we got in the swing of things we were all excited to see who would win; the sheriff or the secret outcasts? Now, it wasn’t all fun and games - we had to note the hidden information, limited resources and the risks / rewards of this game.

The Programming classes were a continuation of the loops we were learning about last week. It’s great to see how much I improve every class. To be honest, I sometimes struggle with finding an ‘outside of the box’ solution to problems; but I find that since I’ve starting programming I am beginning to tune into that mindset. Creating a clock in processing 3 isn’t as straightforward as you would think; the number 12 must be at a specific angle of the imaginary circle it follows and so on and so on. Still, I like a challenge.

Ludology on Wednesday was great fun I have to admit. We talked about how boring characters can ‘ruin’ a game (some of us had hilarious examples from well known games) and what games are basically. Games are made of rules, the mechanics define the play, the narrative in them describes the culture and most importantly in my opinion; the players create the experiences. After this, we were put into groups of three and we had to update the game ‘Tic Tac Toe’. I must say I think my group made the game so much more interesting; we switched it up by introducing rounds, varying the number of squares to be filled for a ‘win’ and also by adding more squares as the rounds progress. Other groups in the class came up with interesting ideas such as introducing a third player for example. It’s amazing how much a change can alter the feel of this simplistic game.

We had a workshop on Friday with Andrew Deegan. I found it very useful. We looked at production principals, planning and understanding targets and agile development. We were put into groups of six, and not surprisingly there were some amusing group names such as ‘Team Actimel’ (my team) and lots more. Each group had to ‘design a game’ and we were all given a number of ‘developers’, ‘artists’ and ‘designers’ (only pretend of course) to work with and assign jobs to. This gave us a realistic taste of what it’s like to work in the gaming industry; how to cope when you have to drop some developers for example during the making of a game, and the realization that the game idea you initially have could easily change once the artists, programmers and producers puts their stamp on it. We even made draft Gantt Charts for our games. I personally think this workshop was vital for us to experience as it gives a taste of what it is like, realistically, to work as a games designer. Andrew Deegan taught me that failure is to be learnt from and that planning is key when is comes to making a game.

[meggames-blog]

Game Design in D.I.T (Week Four)

Game Design class was based on puzzles this week; the types, good or bad ones and how to alter their difficulty. We learnt that puzzles are different to games; they always have one definite way to solve them and are not usually re-playable once you solve them once. We tried some out. Some were quite tricky, especially the string puzzle. Two pairs of students were chosen to try it - it soon became a tangled mess. Turns out, the solution was rather simple! We were then put into groups of 4/5 to make four puzzles for next week. This should be interesting.

Programming this week was all about loops. For example, how to put lines and shapes in a row with equal gaps or decreasing / increasing gaps. Once you learn how to do it, it seems straightforward. After the frustration of trying to figure out what goes where on Sketch, you create something cool. (for me personally, I change everything pink to make me feel that much more accomplished with my work). Our creations looked like digital art by the end of Tuesday’s class!

On Wednesday we had our Creative Practice class; in which we learned the structure of short game presentations. In the future if we need to convince companies to invest in our games, we need to make these quick, informative and to-the-point presentations. Roughly 60% of it should be based on the introduction, problem and solution, while the last 40% should be based on the needs / plans and conclusion. Why is our game worth putting money and time into? We were all given a word and a game we like or don’t like. By next week, I have to make a short video (based on the structure I mentioned before) about my favorite game ‘Mass Effect 3′ and the ‘Liberty’ it brings to the player. I’m excited to make it. I just hope I can portray the freedom of this game as well as I imagine.

We presented our 30 second videos of the core movements in our games on Friday. In this Game Production class I was pleasantly surprised at how much people had worked on their games so soon. I’m looking forward to seeing all these games progress in the coming weeks. Our video was a success in showing the core movements I believe, although, there is still a lot of work to do. Construct 2 is quite accessible once you look at tutorials online! At first, I thought this could be very difficult as I’ve never made a game before... However, I’m really enjoying it. With ‘Saboteur Remastered’, I hope I can make it more fun and interesting then the original ‘Saboteur’ on the Atari 2600. 

[meggames-blog]

Game Design in D.I.T (Week Three)

Week three began with a card game in Game Design class; ‘2 Rooms 1 Boom’. I did enjoy the game more then I thought, but apart from that, I learnt how vital it is to balance constants and variables in a game. The balance of actions and challenges makes for enjoyable game-play. ‘2 Rooms 1 Boom’ was fun to do because there was an element of making choices that alter the result of game but there was also rules - to ensure it doesn’t get too crazy. 

I found Programming quite difficult this week. It’s a great feeling to create something cool on processing 3, but when you can’t figure it out straight away it can be frustrating. Luckily, I’ve worked through it, looked at the solution, and now I have made an interactive ‘Rick n Morty’ themed sketch that plays their voices when you click on a square. Even though I do not watch that television show, it was still a great achievement.

Wednesday’s Creative Practice class was very helpful. We were taught about presentation and non verbal communication skills. I was surprised to learn that even the tone of your voice can impact how others perceive the information you want to convey while presenting. It’s like this: you send the message, the audience receives and interprets it, then they give you feedback. I’ve discovered that there are many little things I need to be aware of before I even say my first word while presenting a project for example. Your gestures, tone of voice and even facial expressions have to be thought about - not over analysed though (which may be difficult for an over-thinker like me). Honestly, I wasn’t surprised when our lecturer informed us that it’s important to watch how the audience reacts as it reminds me of every time I've performed in front of people; are they interested in what you’re saying / singing or not? Do they believe in what you’re trying to communicate? However, I found out in this class that I’ve never really used hand gestures or made sure my tone of voice was matching what I mean to say when speaking in front of people. Public speaking is daunting. I hope I can improve my non verbal communication skills; I’m confident singing in front of people but not so much when speaking.

We did a practice test in Ludology class - to give us a taste of how our test quizzes will be in the coming weeks. Some questions were tricky, but, I’m glad I now know what the test questions look like. We briefly looked at how games can be viewed from three angles; fiction (story), mental (how it’s played) and an abstract level (maths and rules). The class came to an amusing end when two students were picked at random to play ‘Pong’; the class was split in two and the winner’s side won sweets. It turns out, sweets gave the game meaning. Sweets. It was a smart way of reminding us how important it is for a game to have meaning; from ‘Haribos’ to experiences. I like the idea of that.

Friday’s Game Production class went very well for me. Everyone presented power-points with their project partners on how they plan to change their given Atari 2600 game. I was way more comfortable presenting our ‘Saboteur Remastered’ project in comparison to last week; I can already see improvement in my presentation skills. Also, I enjoyed seeing how other groups wanted to update their games; almost everyone wanted to change the ‘horrendous’ sounds of the Atari 2600 games unsurprisingly!

[meggames-blog]

Game Design in D.I.T (Week Two)

I started this week with a feeling of ease; week one had confirmed this course is for me.

Monday’s Game Design class did not require a card game this time around. Instead we looked at High Concept; the synopsis of a game. I realized that games must be well-thought through before production even; for example who is the target audience and what is the core mechanic and genre. We had a task to write a high concept for ten randomly generated game names in groups; ranging from ‘Relentless Rabbit Xtreme’ to ‘Feverish Sandwich 3′. Quite random I must say; but we did it after the laughing settled down. Programming on Monday and Tuesday was brilliant. I feel like I’ve learnt so much already only on week two; It’s a major accomplishment to make a car and stick-man to move across the screen in opposite directions.

Creative Practice on Wednesday was sightly frightening to me; we had to speak in front of the class. I definitely need to work on my game vocabulary, however, I’m here to learn after all! It was great to listen to everyone talk about what game interested them the most also. We delved into the relationship between player and game in the Ludology class. Nowadays games have an emotional level to them, which engages people more. I’ve learnt that games do not just provide entertainment (and often times frustration), but also lessons and feelings.

We were paired up and given an Atari 2600 game to research last week; I got ‘Saboteur’. On Friday we had to present them. I was very nervous to talk in front of the class yet again, however, I’m pleased with how it went. It was great to see how my classmates done their presentations; some had game-play videos and talked through them and some had slides presentations with text (and video) like mine and my project partners’. In twelve weeks, we will all have an updated version of our given games made. In preparation for this we got to see how last years first year game design students got on with this task; very impressive. 

In this moment of time it’s crazy to think that in a few weeks I’ll have an actual game made… I wonder how it’s going to turn out.

 - Megan Grant

[meggames-blog]

My First Week Studying Game Design In D.I.T

I arrived at D.I.T on Monday 11th September eager to begin this exciting course, yet I was undoubtedly nervous about what was to come. I still feel very lucky to have been offered a place here. With my pen and notebook at the ready, I was expecting a two hour lecture introducing Game Design. However, we were soon greeted with two second year students holding only a bundle of cards.

'Werewolf' was the game we were unexpectedly taught how to play; in my group of sixteen there were villagers and werewolves. At the beginning being unfamiliar to this, and to my new classmates, I was afraid I would not catch on to the rules. Nonetheless, I understood this game in no time. Picking a reversed card from the spontaneous deck chose our faith; our character hidden from everyone else. I was a villager for the majority of the time, and I felt a thrilling nervousness waiting for my probable 'death' yet hoping to survive and see the villagers prosper. The more we played 'Werewolf', the more exciting it became. The addition of more characters as it progressed increased the buzz. By the end of our game, I felt more familiar with the others; not just with 'Werewolf'.

The module I was worried about in this Games Design course was Programming. In my experience, most people unfamiliar to it hate the sound of it. I was pleasantly surprised when we had our first class on Monday, as my lecturer informed us that programming is more then just a maths and code module; its a mind stimulating one. I find this concept very appealing. Programming on Tuesday became a pleasing experience with this in mind – making shapes out of a code seems like a wonderful accomplishment for a beginner like me.

On Wednesday came Creative Practice followed by Ludology. The first class consisted of introducing us to communication in the games design world; including the importance of blogging. The prospect of writing about my feelings and experiences excites me, yet it can seem taunting to expose my thoughts. Still, I learnt that in the gaming industry it is beneficial to step out of your comfort zone and reveal your ideas. The Ludology class got me thinking about what makes games so appealing to people. I realized that I've never really analysed why I like particular games, and now I’m starting to see what makes them so addictive.

Games Production was a fun and creative class on Friday. My group of four had to come up with a game idea for the famous television show 'Stranger Things' – my confidence with sharing my ideas blossomed through this exercise. Even hearing another group's Simon Cowell game idea intrigued me and gave us all a laugh.

I'm still excited as ever and a little bit less nervous but bring on next week!

- Megan Grant