Curse of Lux Video Game Proposal
Lauren Kiser, Ashley Kreis, Kaitlin Kelly, Kaitlin Silver, Kelly Soderberg
SMAD 470
Dr. Holman
26 November 2012
Mediactive Summary
In today’s world of information overload, Dan Gillmor tells us five principles we should consider
when sorting through information in media. These principles instruct media consumers to be skeptical of
all information, to not treat all information with the same level of skepticism, to search for information
that differs from one’s own views, to keep asking questions, and to learn how and why digital media
works1. If we exercise these guidelines any time we are immersed in the media, then we will be able to
better understand and get the most out of our media experiences.
Gillmor believes the division that separates media creation and media consumption is growing
thinner 2. Because it is easy to partake in the consumption and creation of media. Gillmor stresses the
importance of polishing our creation skills. He tells us to do this by developing “mediactivity” skills.
Mediactivity skills require our active participation in media and converting what we learn into action. In
this new world of information and media consumption, we need to have the mindset of a journalist:
seeking out information relevant to our purpose, deciding its meaning, and taking action – perhaps the
creation of our own response or investigation 3.
The aspects of Mediactive that are best suited for a game include any of the principles listed for
media consumers and creators. They are versatile and can be taught in contexts outside of their original
purpose, and a game designer could implement them in different scenarios. Each of these principles can
build on one another, which helps the player feel a sense of progress and provides them with feedback.
Overall, these principles are most useful for a game because of their flexibility in game play and the
choices that they provide for the game designer.
1
Gillmor, Dan. Mediactive. N.p.: Creative Commons, 2010. Print.
McNair, Brian. "Mediactive." New Media & Society 14.5 (2012): 892-894. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 16 Sept. 2012.
3
Kamerer, David. "Mediactive." Journalism & Mass Communication Educator 66.3 (2011):
272-273. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 16 Sept. 2012.
2
Audience
The game we have created is targeted towards middle school students, ages 12-14 years old. 86
percent of young teens prefer to play games on a console, therefore, this game will be played on a
PlayStation 3. Our primary audience is males because 65 percent of them are gamers, and our secondary
audience is females who make up 35 percent4. We chose action for the genre because it is the top rated
choice for young males and second choice for young females5.
Our game is appropriate because it caters to both male and female players through game
play styles and features that are considered favorable by our audience. The game contains young
protagonists as the main avatars that middle-school-aged children will be able to relate with;
creating a greater emotional connection for players to attract them towards accomplishing the
high-stake goals6. The game also contains content created for young audiences in mind; keeping
complex ideas understandable and relatable (regarding Mediactive), and keeping the atmosphere
free of “mature themes” that would only appeal to adults7.
This game helps make the important concepts of Mediactive fun and engaging for those
of secondary school age. Motivations for game play change based on the age of the child. A
large sampling of eighth grade students determined that the main motivation to play video games
4
"Teens, Video Games and Civics." Pew Research.org. Pew Research Center, 16 Sept. 2008.
Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://pewresearch.org/pubs/953/teens-video-games-and-civics>.
5
Homer, Bruce, Elizabeth Hayward, Jonathan Frye, and Jan Plass. "Gender and player
characteristics in video game play of preadolescents." Computers in Human Behavior. 28.5
(2012): 1782-1789. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563212001227>.
6
Schubert, Damion. "The Many Forms of Game Narrative." Proquest. N.p., Jan. 2011. Web.
<http://search.proquest.com/docview/821993374>.
7
Olson, Cheryl K. "Pediatrics for Parents." Pediatrics for Parents. 25.3/4 (2009): 27-29. Web.
18 Nov. 2012. <http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f8f06e15-64b3-445c8fff-aab66c25a4b8@sessionmgr104&vid=6&hid=101>.
is for competition8. They like to achieve rewards and brag about them to their peers. The kids
playing our game will become more involved through competitive play and more likely to
remember the concepts taught.
Transformation from Book to Game
Our game, Curse of Lux, transforms four of Mediactive’s five basic principles and
incorporates them into the game in all aspects of play. This makes the principles of the book
easier to understand and applicable to real life situations. We added value to the book by making
it more fun and enjoyable to learn media active techniques. When surveyed, schoolteachers
agreed that students enjoy learning through interactive games as opposed to the traditional
methods9. Therefore, this game will broaden the knowledge of students in a platform that they
enjoy.
It will also allow the students to learn how to implement these skills into their everyday
lives. Our game uses real life situations with a fantasy overlay so the player can easily make a
connection between our video game and real life through gathering information and evaluating
its truthfulness.
Skills from Mediactive that we plan on incorporating into the book include keeping an
open mind, exercising judgment, being skeptical and asking questions1. These skills are used for
the overarching purpose of owning your online presence. This concept in Mediactive reveals that
in digital and physical worlds, we are mostly who people say we are1. In order to simplify this
8
Olson, Cheryl K. "Children's Motivations for Video Game Play in the Context of Normal
Development." Review of General Psychology 14.2 (2010): 180-187. Print.
9
Razak, Aishah. "The use of Games-Based Learning Within the Curriculum for Excellence: The
Teachers' Perspective." (5th European Conference on Games Based Learning. 20 Oct. 2011) 4.
1
Gillmor, Dan. Mediactive. N.p.: Creative Commons, 2010. Print.
for middle school students, and make it a more interesting game, we created a storyline centered
around a person’s general identity. The take away from Mediactive that best fits our purpose is
the notion of not allowing others to say who you are or control the way you are perceived1. To
incorporate the four previously mentioned skills, the playable character will be forced to use
those tactics to examine the world around them and learn, or “own”, their true identity. Identity
exploration in this game will make it more relatable to our target audience who are sure to be
personally struggling with this topic.
This game will also be popular because this age group loves role-playing games and the
need for competition. It offers different options for side quests and routes to the ultimate goal.
This will keep the gamer entertained long after they beat the game the first time. Multiple
options will keep them playing to determine all possible new outcomes for the game situations.
Genres
Video games can be classified into a range of genres depending on the creative style of
play implemented into each unique design, including: action, action-adventure, role-playing,
simulation, music, and various others. In order to teach our selected ideas of Mediactive to our
audience, our research focused on games that allowed for creative thinking, immersive
exploration, and fun ways of learning the mature ideas in the book. The genres that we felt were
appropriate choices for exploration were action, action-adventure, and role-playing games
because they provide enough creative liberty to integrate Mediactive game play ideas10.
10
Dennis Maciuszek, ed. Computer Role-Playing Games as an Educational Game Genre:
Activities and Reflection2011. 368-376. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
<http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c0d8b359-5fa8-4191-b5e6a8de3dbb923c@sessionmgr112&vid=6&hid=101>.
“Action games” focus on combat; forcing players to use repetition to defeat the
sometimes massive amount of opponents to progress through the game and story. “Actionadventure” games are a hybrid of the combat-intense “action games” and the explorative nature
of “adventure games.” These revolve around an interesting story-driven plot with cinematic cut
scenes, and emotionally-moving characters which help immerse players into these unique
worlds. “Action-adventure” games involve solving puzzles in these environments, and reward
players who engage in explorative game-play which drives the story forward11. “Role-playing”
games, or RPGs, involve a complex style of game-play that gives players many options to
choose from that allow customization which affects the storyline, playable avatar, environments,
inventory, and combat techniques. Most RPGs focus on gaining experience points through
combat, which allows players to level up or strengthen their avatars to help progress through
increasingly difficult immersive environments and storylines12.
Based on our research, we decided to create an action-adventure video game with RPG
elements. From an action-adventure perspective, it allows players to explore an immersive
fantasy environment through a narrative format and investigate the somewhat dense issues in
Mediactive without making it too obvious or complex for our audience. From the RPG
perspective, players will be able to make in-game decisions which will affect the outcome of the
game world and provide a sense of feedback: indirectly telling the player whether they are
Fernández-Vara, Clara. "The Paradox Between Player Control and Player Character in
Adventure Games." Proc. of International Communication Association. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 5-6. 1
Jan. 2011. <http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?vid=8&hid=117&sid=5d255b66-896b-4f26b54aa2a79b9706c8%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGNvb2tpZSx1cmwsY3BpZC
x1aWQmY3VzdGlkPXM4ODYzMTM3JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d
%3d#db=ufh&AN=79595837>.
12
Adams, and Rollings. "Game Development." Pearson, n.d. Web. 18 Nov 2012.
<http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_gamedev_1/54/14050/3596995.cw/index.html>.
11
successfully implementing the tips produced in Mediactive, but giving the player the choice to do
so without hindrance to progression13.
As previously stated, boys enjoy action, simulation, and adventure games, whereas girls
prefer simulation, action, and educational games. Since twice as many boys played video games
compared to girls, we needed to cater to the majority of our audience while not ignoring the
minority. We also decided to look at favored gaming strategies to create an immersive game that
can be enjoyed by all middle-schoolers5. We found that boys favored “active” and “strategic”
style of play which focuses on intense combat with hordes of enemies, and the ability to use
advantageous weapons/items to progress through the game. Girls preferred “creative” and
“explorative” styles of play, which focused on customization of the game environment/avatar,
and the ability to roam around the world and discover new ways to progress14. By creating a
game that combines the action-oriented and strategic elements that boys enjoyed, and the
customizable and adventure-driven elements that girls enjoyed, we created a world with
characters that will appeal to our entire audience.
Game Play
The player begins the game by creating their avatar. Players may customize the avatar’s
first name, but a last name is already selected. The player may customize their avatar as desired,
with the ability to choose specific factors such as gender, race, or clothing colors.
13
Ngai, Anita. Cultural Influences on Video Games: Players' Preferences in Narrative and
Game-play. MA thesis. University of Waterloo, 2005. Web.
<http://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/bitstream/10012/770/1/acyngai2005.pdf>.
5
Homer, Bruce, Elizabeth Hayward, Jonathan Frye, and Jan Plass. "Gender and player
characteristics in video game play of preadolescents." Computers in Human Behavior. 28.5
(2012): 1782-1789. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
14
Hamlen, Karla. “Children’s choices and strategies in video games.” Computers in Human
Behavior. 27.1 (2011): 532-539. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
Game progress is measured by the player exploring the world, interacting with other
characters, completing quests, defeating enemies, and gathering information and items. As
players interact with the game, they gain experience and become a more powerful character.
Experience gives the player boosts to health and mana, opens up new realms of gameplay, and
gives the player access to better equipment.
Health (Appendix A) is measured by three red hearts in the top left corner of the screen.
If a player gets hurt, the player loses part of a heart. If no hearts remain, the player dies, and the
game restarts from the last save point. The player may acquire health potions to restore some
health throughout gameplay. Occasionally, the game will automatically save progress for the
player, such as before a large battle.
Beneath the heart health meter is the mana bar (Appendix B). To use spells, the player
must have the required amount of mana to cast each spell. Though using a mana potion instantly
replenishes the bar, Mana regenerates on its own over time.
Pressing “Start” on the controller will bring up the inventory screen. From this screen,
players have access to:
1) The avatar’s skill level and abilities
2) Collected items: weapons, armor, key plot items, items to sell for extra money, and
health/mana potions
3) The world map for navigation
An item will only appear in the inventory if the player has collected it. Increasing
inventory stores will lead to more effective gameplay, and is an incentive for the player to
explore, save money and interact with other game characters to acquire items and experience.
In-game currency is represented in “gald.” To purchase items from vendors, the player
must have the required amount of gald. Gald is acquired by completing quests, exploring areas,
and by selling inventory items such as weapons, armor, or potions.
The main game controls (Appendix C) are located on the right side of a PlayStation 3
controller, marked with symbols X, Square, Circle and Triangle. The game controls are as
follows:
X: Select/Basic sword attack. The power of this attack directly relates to the level of the
sword equipped.
Square/Circle: Player may customize, such as if they assigned a health potion to be
consumed every time this button is pressed.
Triangle: Action Button. Used to climb on objects, push or pull them, or to interact with
other characters.
R1: Lock on/Crouch/Crawl. Lock-on ensures a specific target is attacked in combat
mode. Otherwise, button makes avatar crouch or crawl.
Left Analog: Movement, the direction the player presses this analog stick in is the
direction the avatar moves in the game.
Right Analog: Camera, the direction the player presses this analog stick in is the direction
the avatar faces in the game.
The player is represented by a gold arrow in the center of the screen, and the direction
that the arrow points is the direction the avatar is facing. The map ensures the player will have a
way to navigate the game world for easier and effective play.
Game Success
Success of the game will be measured by game sales and game-related activity on various
social media sites, as increases in both areas indicate higher game popularity. Key words such as
innovation, fantasy, comical, long waiting time, and reality15, are used to describe feelings
toward video games. We will also look at the number of engaged users on our pages. We can
determine how popular the game has become based on the amount of interest people have to
interact and collaborate online. Being featured in popular game media, such as Game Informer
and GameSpot, will provide more potential customers with information to determine if they want
to purchase the game or not16. Lastly, we will attend game conventions to see if our game is
being discussed or represented to determine popularity.
Word Count: 2,498 words (does not include headings or footnotes).
15
Yoshida, Junji . "Selection of Appropriate Terms for a Subjective Evaluation of Video Game
Contents." The 23rd International Technical Conference on Circuits/Systems. (6 July 2008) 627628.
16
Gutjahr, Michael. "What Makes a Good Serious Game- Conceptual Approach Towards a
Metadata Format fro the Description and Evaluation of Serious Games." 5th European
Conference on Games Based Learning (20 Oct. 2011) 203.
Works Cited
Adams, and Rollings. "Game Development." Pearson, n.d. Web. 18 Nov 2012.
<http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_gamedev_1/54/14050/3596995.cw/index.html>.
Dennis Maciuszek, ed. Computer Role-Playing Games as an Educational Game Genre:
Activities and Reflection2011. 368-376. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
<http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c0d8b359-5fa8-4191-b5e6a8de3dbb923c@sessionmgr112&vid=6&hid=101>.
Fernández-Vara, Clara. "The Paradox Between Player Control and Player Character in
Adventure Games." Proc. of International Communication Association. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 56. 1 Jan. 2011. <http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?vid=8&hid=117&sid=5d255b66896b-4f26-b54aa2a79b9706c8%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGNvb2tpZSx1cmwsY
3BpZCx1aWQmY3VzdGlkPXM4ODYzMTM3JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU
9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=ufh&AN=79595837>.
Gillmor, Dan. "Owning Your Online Presence." Mediactive. United States: Dan Gillmor, 2010.
96. Print.
Gutjahr, Michael. "What Makes a Good Serious Game- Conceptual Approach Towards a
Metadata Format from the Description and Evaluation of Serious Games." 5th European
Conference on Games Based Learning. ACI: Academic Conferences International. The
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece. 20 Oct. 2011. Lecture.
Hamlen, Karla. “Children’s choices and strategies in video games.” Computers in Human
Behavior. 27.1 (2011): 532-539. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
Homer, Bruce, Elizabeth Hayward, Jonathan Frye, and Jan Plass. "Gender and player
characteristics in video game play of preadolescents." Computers in Human Behavior.
28.5 (2012): 1782-1789. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563212001227>.
Kamerer, David. "Mediactive." Journalism & Mass Communication Educator 66.3
(2011): 272-273. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 16 Sept. 2012.
McNair, Brian. "Mediactive." New Media & Society 14.5 (2012): 892-894. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 16 Sept. 2012.
Ngai, Anita. Cultural Influences on Video Games: Players' Preferences in Narrative and Gameplay. MA thesis. University of Waterloo, 2005. Web.
<http://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/bitstream/10012/770/1/acyngai2005.pdf>.
Olson, Cheryl K. "Children's Motivations for Video Game Play in the Context of Normal
Development." Review of General Psychology 14.2 (2010): 180-187. Print.
Olson, Cheryl K. "Pediatrics for Parents." Pediatrics for Parents. 25.3/4 (2009): 27-29. Web. 18
Nov. 2012. <http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f8f06e15-64b3445c- 8fff-aab66c25a4b8@sessionmgr104&vid=6&hid=101>.
Razak, Aishah. "The use of Games-Based Learning Within the Curriculum for Excellence: The
Teachers' Perspective." 5th European Conference on Games Based Learning. ACI: Academic
Conferences International. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens,
Greece. 20 Oct. 2011. Lecture.
Schubert, Damion. "The Many Forms of Game Narrative." Proquest. N.p., Jan. 2011. Web.
<http://search.proquest.com/docview/821993374>.
"Teens, Video Games and Civics." Pew Research.org. Pew Research Center, 16 Sept. 2008.
Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://pewresearch.org/pubs/953/teens-video-games-and-civics>.
Yoshida, Junji . "Selection of Appropriate Terms for a Subjective Evaluation of Video Game
Contents." The 23rd International Technical Conference on Circuits/Systems. Faculty of
Engineering. Utsunomiya University, Tochigi, Japan. 6 July 2008. Lecture.