2D Game project evaluation and Media evaluation.

Evaluation of 2d game project

I first started out this project by researching about educational games and what was are on the market today. This was really helpful because it gave me a feel of what kind of game I can create. We were allowed to create a game from the age range of 14 and under. I decided to choose a game which was aged around 9-10 years old because when researching around that age the violence and way the game style is fits perfectly with my game I was thinking about. I knew that I wanted a platform game so I looked at the style of platform games and how they work however; also thinking about how I can incorporate the colours and theme of my game with the platform look.

When I started to draw out my initial ideas, came up with different characters for my game, what my game could be about, the colours I was going to use. I had a little go on the software which we was going to use which was could construct 2. I wanted to see how the platform mechanics work, the 8 direction mechanics, and the click and move worked. I came up with a page of ideas for this style of games and decided to still stick with my platform idea. I also drew ideas for my character I was going to use, the questions and what the game was going to be based on. I then started to development on these 3 pages of initial ideas and annotate them in detail. This then helped me come up with my final game levels which I drew out. This part of the project went well, I made sure my drawings were detailed and there was enough drawing to help me come up with 2 good levels. I add colours to the two final pages to emphasis how much my game would stand out and be appropriate the age I was targeting at. After these concept drawings it made it much easier for me to start on my game and do the mechanics within the software.

Making the game was the best part of the project because I enjoyed making the game and learning how other the tools can make a 2d game for phones and smart tablets. I first started to practice using the software so I could understand how to make a simple character and platform which would then lead me in the direction to start making the base of my game. It took me 3 weeks overall to make my game, it consisted of a start menu, instruction page, level1, level2 and an ending screen. I wanted to make it a very interactive game and not just forced with education. So I make it very interactive but adding questions which you had to answer by looking at facts. You had to answer questions in different way which made it more interactive and exiting for the player. The mechanics of the game was pretty hard but after my second week of using the software I started to learn how to do advanced thing without having to research it. For example near the end of my game I wanted to be able to have a pickup which then, would allow you to use a lever to make a platform go down. I figured that out within 5 minutes of thinking of the idea because I felt I was advanced at the game and the mechanics. I drew out all of my game from Photoshop which took most of my time to do but I think it paid off because I did it all from scratch.

I used 3 types of medias within my 2d game project; Photoshop, pencil/coloured and pastels.

I used Photoshop for all my game drawings and image because it helped me come up with ideas for my game and it was much easier to express my imagination on the page. The advantages of Photoshop is that there are so many tools you can use, which helps you create detailed to simple and basic drawings.

I used pencil/coloured Pencil for all of my drawing on paper. I used pencil because it is great to use on paper because it allows you to go into great detail and create image which cannot be created with pen. You can shade and blend with then which bring images to life and makes them look professional. The coloured pencils helped me emphasis how colourful my character of my game was going to be and the environment.

I also had people test my game. I made feedback sheets for them so it would be much easier for them to fill in. I asked certain questions which would give me the best feedback possible. I got good rating from them and they have helped me improve on certain points. I have added for questions in my game and change the collision of the character so it runs smoothly 

2D Game project research and first thoughts and ideas.

2D Educational Game Research

2D educational games are a great way to get young ages to learn about certain subjects without making it boring.  There are many 2d educational games for all ages in the retail industry which help with different subjects within the school policy.

The Main retail 2D games which help with all ages are Brain trainer, Cooking Mama, Sudoku, Art

Academy and free games on the computer such as the BBC bit size website which is a website for all ages which want to learn about education but by playing games. When I was going through my years of school education I used this website and the games on there were puzzle, maths, science and English games.

Brain trainer: Brain trainer is a game for the Nintendo ds game and is aimed at all ages which teaches you about Maths, English and memory. It is a game which allows you to change the settings to your personal standards, such as change the difficulty of the questions and also test you on how clever you are gives you a rating and what age you are working at. This is a great feature because it allows you to be more competitive and train yourself to be for clever. The instructor in the game is called ‘Dr Kawahima’ and he talks you through all the game and gives you tips on how to improve your mental arithmetic’s.

Cooking Mama: Cooking Mama is a game for the Nintendo ds/Wii, it teaches you how to cook certain food, manage your time when cooking E.G How long a cooker has to be on for. It also teaches you what food it healthy and unhealthy. The game is aimed at 3-10 year olds which allows them to have a generally knowledge of cooking and how the process works for future references. It is a 2dgame which is cartoony and colourful which makes it aesthetically pleasing for a younger audience.

Sudoku: Sudoku is a game which tests you with your use of numbers. It is aimed at 12 year olds and up, you have to fill in a square with number from 1-9 and have to only have that number within the rows around it or the

number will be in the wrong place. The game takes patients and hard mental numeracy but when you complete it you feel proud and it keeps your brain active which is great for teenagers up to elderly people. 

This is an example of what Sudoku looks like and how you have to complete it. There are different settings which you can customise to suit your metal difficulty of the puzzles, such as the number of squares you have to complete and the amount of numbers you have to use within each box. It is not suitable for young children because it Is a very complex puzzle game.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are many positive points towards educational games. It helps you to concentrate better because you are enjoying playing the game without realising you are learning different key points for a certain subject within your education. The educational games are great for young children aged 3-11 because they get distracted easily so this is a great way to keep them focused and learn with ease.

The disadvantages of educational games is that some students can get distracted very easily because they do not the game as seriously so they don’t learn anything to do with education. In a way it is a way of getting out of education for some people.

What the game could be about?

I have looked at certain subjects what my game could be about. Maths, English, science and history are the topics which I want to choose out of. After researching about history educational games, I found out that they could be about flags to important dates or even important events. This helps me because it gives me a better view of what my game could be about. There are many educational games about maths science and English because they are the 3 main subjects you have to learn at school.

The game styles which I could use?

After I had a look at the software I am going to use I found out that there is 3 types of game styles you can have Platform, 8 Direction and Click and Drag. I researched on the internet about these styles of games and there are many educational games use drag and click, so I want to either create a game around platform or 8 Direction gameplay style.

This are the icons within the software which I am going to use. I have got images of these to show how they looked and link that with my reseach. These are great features within the software because now I can start to think of what game style I want to use and expand on my initial ideas.

Basic thoughts/ideas

After looking over my research and what kind of games are out there, I have decided to create an educational platform game which you have to answer questions related to History and maths. When you answer the certain question correct your will be allowed to pass through certain doors, however if you answer the question incorrectly you will have to face a certain consequence. The game will be aimed at 9 year old because the colours and the game style will be mordant violence suitable for a young age.

This is an image of how the games colours will make it aesthetically pleasing and will attract a young audience which my game is based at. I want to give my game a retro kind of theme to make it follow the platform style games.

I have research what aspects are in an 9 year old rated game and started to come  up with some initial ideas on paper and what my could be about. After researching about educational games and what certain aspects are in them I found it easier to come up with ideas for my game and now understand how appropriate my game has to be for a 9 year old.

I am still not sure what subject my game is going to be about but I am slowly coming up with initial on paper and what my could be about. After researching about educational games and what certain aspects are in them I found it easier to come up with ideas for my game and now understand how appropriate my game has to be for a 9 year old.