Design Thinking: Game Story

How might we use storytelling to demonstrate the power of our games to affect change?

Imagine your game as a story -- as someone going through the experiences your game suggests are truths for the people of Franklin County.   Write a roughly two to three page narrative in which you use narrative techniques such as subplots, parallel plots, mood, tone and/or multiple themes to illustrate your understanding of people's needs in Franklin County via the gameplay of your Games That Matter design challenge.  Your story must also demonstrate effective MUGS and reveal the depth of your empathy work and discovery research into the challenges of Franklin County.

You'll find the COMPLETE RUBRIC here. 

Design Thinking: Good Game Design Vids

Hey folks,

These videos from SnoMan Gaming are mostly about VIDEO GAME design ANNNNNND  SUPER APPLICABLE to YOUR WORK


and

Design Thinking: Help with Your Demo & Pitch Videos

When you are working on your demo & pitch videos and seeking to make the most convincing argument possible that your game will help, take a look at these resources and use them to inform your work.

You can also learn more about pitching from these resources.  (Some links may be broken.)

• The Pitch - Doing Whatever It Takes, Episode 101, Subway: The Pitch – AMC
• http://chrisoatley.com/pdf/RMPitchBible.pdf
• Writing Loglines that Sell
• Ready Camera One - The Pitch Bible
• The Pitch Bible: Just The Essentials | Animation World Network
• Sample Pitches | This American Life
• Pitch and Sell Your Reality TV Show Idea | Creating Ideas For TV 
  This shows you information on creating a logline.  And it includes great examples.
• Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds with Michael Hauge - YouTube
• How to Pitch a TV Show - Tim Gibbons 
  Tim Gibbons discussing the pitch and development of a show at HBO that never saw further development, but the process discussion is still fantastic

Design Thinking: Game Something That Matters Rubric & Design Challenge Outline

GAME SOMETHING THAT MATTERS

This design challenge calls upon you to pose an answer to this question:

How might we use games to address

community concerns in Franklin County?

This requires TWO levels of research and understanding: GAME DESIGN  & ISSUES/CONCERNS facing our Franklin County community.

Design a game that in which players achieve one of the following:

A. Create solutions to the problem

or

B. Understand the complexity of the problem

or

C. Empathize with people who are experiencing the problem

THEN create a video demonstration of your game -- you may want to include a slide deck -- that explains how your game works and serves as pitch to the community organizations that work on these issues to put your game to use for them.

FOUR DELIVERABLES

PLAYABLE GAME PROTOTYPE.

VIEWABLE & SHAREABLE. GAME DEMO & PITCH VIDEO.

CompIete INTENTION MAP for your GAME PROTOTYPE

Complete INTENTION MAP for your DEMO & PITCH VIDEO

Your final design will be assessed based on these two standards: your ability to draw general conclusions from multiple claims & evidence AND your ability to use digital (and analog) media to enhance understanding of reasoning.

NOTE: I’m trying an even more simplified approach to the rubrics with this one.  It is truly just copy and pasted from the MBC English curriculum Please let me know if you prefer this this rubric style or the ones I’ve given to you earlier this semester that included my descriptions and connections to the exact assignment.

ELA.08.SCC.01.02 Understands how to draw general conclusions from multiple comments, claims and evidence made on all sides of an issue.

Source of EVIDENCE: INTERVIEWS, VIDEOS & PODCASTS

DEMONSTRATIONS:  Intention Map, Game Design & Demo Video

Level of Understanding	Descriptor
4 Exceeds	The student draws conclusions  and identifies the logic (or lack of) behind the conclusions referencing and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of multiple comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue.
3.5 Meets/Exceeds	With a few small changes, the student will draw conclusions, and identify the logic (or lack of logic) behind the conclusions referencing and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of multiple comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue.
3 Meets at a Complex Level	During a collaborative conversation with the class the student draws conclusions from multiple comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue.
2.5 Independent Foundational	The student independently identifies (in writing or in a one on one conversation) multiple comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue.
2 Supported Foundational	With support the student identifies (in writing or in a one on one conversation)  multiple comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue.
1 Not Yet	With support the student struggles to identify multiple comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue.

ELA.05.SPS.01.01.B Is skilled at making strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence.

DEMONSTRATIONS:  intention map, game design, demo video

Level of Understanding	Descriptor
4 Exceeds	The student creates a multimedia display that is is inventive, offers a solution, has problem solving capability, and/or demonstrates inductive or deductive reasoning.
3.5 Meets/Exceeds	The student creates a multimedia display that with a few small changes or conversations with the teacher would be inventive, offer a solution, have problem solving capabilities, and/or demonstrate inductive or deductive reasoning.
3 Meets at a Complex Level	The student can independently create/make an effective multimedia display that enhances findings, reasoning, and evidence. It may analyze, classify, symbolize and/or present an argument.
2.5 Independent Foundational	The student can independently identify and create a multimedia display that conveys findings, reasoning, and evidence.
2 Supported Foundational	The student creates a display and consistently needs support from the teacher as they create and/or present a project with findings, reasoning, and evidence.
1 Not Yet	With support, the student struggles to identify and/or create a multimedia display.

Design Thinking: Experiment Phase: Game Something That Matters Design Challenge Work Days

Hi folks,

This Tuesday and Thursday are big, major, design and make and build and prototype days.  

The designs are due next Monday and you are expected to have a playable prototype and either video or slide deck that explains the intention behind your design, your empathy work to ensure your game is meeting needs and solving problems.

Here's one pathway to framing out your work between now and next Monday.

TUESDAY.

Prototype the Game Play.

Determine how your game is played and how that will achieve the goal of addressing the actual need -- whether it is making it possible for players to create solutions to the problem, to understand the complexity of the problem, to empathize with people who are experiencing the problem, or another goal.

If you are struggling, that's a very good place to start.  

DEFINE THE PROBLEM   Some residents [you can better define your target than "residents"] of Franklin County are experiencing _______________  because of ________________ and need _________________________.

Answer this question:

Is your game intended to help players: 

A. Create solutions to the problem

or

B. Understand the complexity of the problem

or

C. Empathize with people who are experiencing the problem 

This is a challenging design because you are trying to meet the needs of TWO user groups: 

one, you are trying to help those folks experiencing the problem.  

two, you are trying to help the players have a good game experience.

THURSDAY.

Prototype the Game Materials.

Cards, Boards, Pieces, Decks.  Make use of ALL the Success & Innovation Center has to offer.

We've got everything from 3D printing to laminating to recycled toys to wooden bits to LEGO to iPads to Makey Makey to LEDs and all that other good stuff in between.    

NEXT MONDAY.

Complete the Pitch Deck & Demo Video.  This will be what we share with partner organizations for feedback.  We will also be playing the games in class over the next several classes to get feedback.  

NEXT WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY.  We start investigating bias, telling  & begin our book-based design challenge.  Another narrative writing assignment is coming your way as well -- story of bias.  Similar to the story of empathy, this one will also ask you to use RESEARCH about BIAS in your piece as well.