Destony Game Trailer & Presentation Done!

One step at a time...

I just had my presentation today and I spent a lot of time preparing for the presentation and stressing out about it as there was just so much to cover that I have done over this year and I find it really hard to do with just 10-15 minutes. Particularly because my project is so broad and based on 'Game Aesthetics' although i managed to put together a presentation which i am proud of and it went really well and I managed to answer the questions in a clam and intellectual manner so I am overall quite pleased. Some feedback I received was:

"Great work on the game, everything was polished to a high degree"

"Aesthetics is a problematic word as it is very subjective"

"Would like to know how you managed to get to the certain art style you developed in more detail"

"A great critical framework, to be able to have a criteria so specific is great"

On top of that, I managed to create a more succinct trailer of my game which showcases the game in 2 min 30 seconds and shows it in it's best light. The trailer too me a whole day to create although it certainly is worth it as my other video play through of the game was 9 minutes long. You can see the trailer bellow.

Pitch Presentation No.4

Summary

My last presentation of this year was a useful experience in which I could see my prject finally taking off as I finally have a game up and running. It certainly isn't perfect, although as an artist with no programming experience I feel quite pleased with myself and the end result.

The presentation went well and Lynn said that I "presented very well as always" which is always encouraging to hear as a student. I feel that after each time I give a presentation, I improve every time. Just before a presentation I am extremely nervous and dread going up there, but once you just stand up and start speaking and are confident in what you are talking about, then there is no need to fear and you just talk with passion about what you have been up to and share your thoughts.

I talked about Dayna's previous framework which had inspired me to speed up the process of the creation of my own framework. Through a lot of academic research and with the assistance of the MDA framework which I discussed earlier, i was able to create my own framework.

It is named the Mechanics and Aesthetics framework, which displays the traits of what create the subjective aspects of a game in an objective way. 

Here is the framework applied to Tiny Wings, evidently, the challenge and feel are aspects which it excels at. This was rated after a few short plays and an in depth case study will take place later.

The main meat of the presentation was the updated creation of my game: Destony which is now running. I played a video of the game running during the presentation and people seemed to like it. You cannot yet collect the white block, although this feature will be added in the future.

Feedback

General feedback was very positive, Lynn suggested that I create blinking eyes for the blocks to make them more interesting. Ryan wasn't so sure about the direction of my project anymore as it has changed a lot since it's inception. Although despite that, the feedback was very positive and they said to just keeping going and polishing the game and the theory coming up to the final hand ins and exhibition.

Appraisal:

• Great that you have the game working.
• The art has significantly improved and is easier on the eyes. 
• You present very well as always.
• Your theory is really strong behind your game, it would be nice to see how you can package that in the end product of your game and showcase.

Constructive Criticism:

• Make sure you know how you will package the whole concept and theory at the end of the semester.
• Create blinking eyes for the blocks to make them more interesting.
• It would be interesting if you could use that framework on a game which actually scores high on freedom so that the results can be more varied.

Pitch Presentation No.3

Summary

My third presentation was a general recap of all the work that had taken place since the last presentation in last semester, so there was a lot to show. I have also put up some up the highlights of the presentation with some images of slides.

To recap, I basically showcased my previous games and versions of Destony, the flash retro version and the version with the improved art. I talked about my research aim and project and how it has changed since I handed in my proposal.

I started to use my 3rd and final game engine and programming language Unity due to it's wide foundation of support online and it's wise integration with various platforms. So that means I went from coding in Lua on Corona, to coding in Actionscript 3 in Adobe Flash to coding in Javascript in Unity 3.5.

I also showed a mock concept art piece to represent Destony if it was to have a more solemn or eerie atmosphere.

I also showed how my blog was going in semester 2, as well as a mock up of my exhibition and what I want it to look like. Also at the end of every presentation I have a critical reflection of my work. 

Feedback

Again, the feedback was quite interesting, as Ryan who was quite excited for my project said that the original aim seems to be deviating and he was right as my original aim had changed from seeing how art effects game-play  to studying visual and systems as a whole.

Appraisal:

• Great research as usual.
• Good to see you starting finally deciding on what game format to use.
• Keeping up with advancing your art skills is always great to see.

Constructive Criticism:

• Would be great for us to start seeing what the end result of your project is going to be. Might be good to think about that.
• Find a way to incorporate all your great research into your final project.

Pitch Presentation No.2

Summary

Recently, I had my second presentation, this presentation was far more defined than my previous presentation in terms or direction and purpose.

My general direction changed from displaying video games as art, to defining the good aspects of video games and how games can create a significant experience for the user as they play the game.

Again, the feedback was very useful and directed to doing more practical work and refining how the final project would unfold.

Feedback

General feedback was that I had a advanced research at this early stage and that the project was coming along very well. Lynn commented that she felt like she was sitting in a lecture due to the nature of the presentation which is always encouraging to hear. Generally the feedback was very positive. 

Appraisal:

• Great presentation, almost like a lecture.
• Research is very interesting and rarely studied.
• Good to see some more art work this time.

Constructive Criticism:

• Would be nice to see more of your art work yet again.
• Don't get too focused on the coding, it can take up all your time, it would be good to have more balance.

Pitch Presentation No.1

Summary

The other day, I had my presentation to kick off my project. With nothing really clear at the beginning, it was a session full of a lot of questions and a lot of answers. The presentation went well overall and I was quite pleased with how I presented the floating thoughts within my head at the time.

The feedback received was really helpful, and made me realize that the area that I am working on is of much interest to many people and could really help advance peoples interest within game design and within the creation of a highly effective and innovative experience of this form.

Robin took particular interest in my project and said that it could also be a lifelong research project for me to further develop the academic sphere within games. That did get me quite inspired and pumped up to put as much effort into the project and see how it expands, possibly turning into something useful for yourself and others.

Feedback

Appraisal:

• The presentation was intellectually invigorating.
• There is a clearly defined aim and set of objectives early on.
• Shown a in depth research and game exploration.

Constructive Criticism:

• Although it is a coding project, the art is also very important and it's what you are talented at.
• Be careful not to be trapped by defining your project so early on.
• More evidence of work would be good in order to give me feedback.