Game Levels: Creating the World

Game Levels: Creating the World

Developed by Leslie Spivey, Spivey@edisonohio.edu

Introduction

Evry tells us, “As works of fiction, games are not constrained to reality. Players rightfully expect their games to be more interesting, creative, and entertaining than any true reality. The game artist’s challenge is to sell the illusion of a real and consistent place or time, while inflating and mutating that reality into something more inspiring, dramatic, interactive and entertaining” (p.165).

In our previous lesson, we learned what makes games different from other forms of media. We also discovered what motivates people to play games. Players seem to tie in their motivations with doing, or engaging, in some activity. The experience of playing the game is really what allows the story to unfold.

The Task

You have been working on an idea for an original game. In this WebQuest you will formulate a plan to find out just how fictional worlds are created.

Your task will be to find out

· What is level design and how does it relate to gameplay, story, and character development?

· How can a game retain authenticity through environmental design?

· How might you use environmental design in developing a game centered on real-world games?

· What is the importance of the structural features of game worlds – such as duration, availability, relationship, and progression?

· What is the importance of the temporal features of game worlds – such as authentic, variable, player-adjusted, and altered?

· What is the importance of spatial features of game worlds – such as perspective, scale, and boundaries?

You will produce a storyboard of a scene from your original game to create a brief presentation to share with the class, in the final day of WebQuest, which outlines how your world addresses structural, temporal, and spatial features. You will also be expected to explain how you feel you have used reality and style to achieve your game environment.

The Process

First:

Go “location scouting” and take pictures or make sketches of some unusual objects, textures, and scenes. These can be incorporated into your New World.

Second:

How does a game’s cultural context affect its environment? Create a culture around your original game idea and discuss how this culture might determine the look of interiors, exteriors, objects, vehicles, structures, and rules of the game world.

Visit World Building 101 and World Building for Science Fiction and Fantasy. Using the questions listed; determine the relevant environmental elements that make your world different from Earth. You do not need to list all the elements that are the same as Earth, and determine:

Who are the inhabitants of your world?
Are the seasons on your world consistent? What are the seasons, and what types of changes does your world undergo when the seasons change?
Is the weather a factor in the changing of seasons, or are there other factors that are involved such as to location of your world in it’s galaxy?
What types of scenery changes take place on your world during the changing of the seasons?
What is the breathable atmosphere composed of on your planet? Is the air they breathe polluted? If so what historical events have contributed to the pollution. If not, how have the inhabitants maintained their clean breathing atmosphere
How do inhabitants of your world travel?
Describe the different forms of usual and unusual transportation in your world.
Do all of your world’s inhabitants travel the same way? If not, what are some of the economic or environment factors that effect how the inhabitants travel
What other creatures inhabit your world? (Pets, livestock, insects, birds etc)

Then:

Visit Ethics of World Building to determine the relevant historical elements that have or are currently shaping the environment.

Next:

Using Creating Believable Fictional Worlds and Background Information to Help in Creating Your Fictional World, answer the questions on the webpage to create an outline of the basics of life, details about the peoples of this world, commercial systems and how wars or disasters have affected the economic system of this world.

Finally:

After you have collected your information, launch gameSpace to create a graphic of your New World for use in your Presentation.
Launch MS PowerPoint and prepare your Presentation. The Office Assistant will help you with your brochure if you need it. Simply click on the help button, , within the MS PowerPoint program.

Resources

Click on the image to download the template for taking notes as you gather information from your selected resources
Select an Article:
World Building 101 by Lee Masterson We are all masters of our fictional worlds, but how do you create a believable world for your characters to live in?	The Art and Science of Level Design by Cliff Bleszinski We are all masters of our fictional worlds, but how do you create a believable world for your characters to live in?
Ethics of World Building by Tina Morgan When creating a fictional world, it is sometimes easy to take a few liberties with reality. Here are some things you should consider.	World Building for Science Fiction and Fantasy by Tina Morgan Creating a fictional world can be enormous fun - but it can also be harder than you think!
A Way With Worlds by Steven Savage World Creation Column, spanning 52 articles on creating and maintaining a believable fictional world.	Building Blueheart by Alison Sinclair Excellent essay about creating a realistic, functional water world, complete with eco-systems, life forms, physiology, adaptability, and more.
Creating Believable Fictional Worlds	Background Information to Help in Creating Your Fictional World
Fictional Universe

	PowerPoint software to develop an informative slideshow
	Any URL links provided in this section
	gameSpace software to develop a visual image of your world
	Color Printer
	Periodicals and books from the Library

Evaluation

Students will be given a description of how their performance will be evaluated. This is an individual grade.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Environmental and Historical Setting elements	Neither Environmental nor Historical elements evident.	Contains only Environment or Historical	Environmental and Historical are evident but inconsistent	Contains both Environment and History that are consistent with each other
Commercial and Economic System setting elements	Neither Commercial nor Economic elements evident.	Contains only Commercial or Economic	Commercial and Economic are evident but inconsistent	Contains both Commercial and Economic Systems that are consistent with each other
Storyboard Illustrations	No illustration	Illustration exists, but does not reflect setting	Illustration does not clearly reflect the setting.	Illustration clearly reflects the setting described

Writing - Grammar	There are several grammatical mistakes in the presentation even after the use of Grammar Check and proofreading. There are several capitalization or punctuation errors in the presentation even after feedback from Grammar Check and proofreading.	There are no grammatical mistakes in the presentation after feedback from Grammar Checker and proofreading. Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the presentation after feedback from Grammar Checker and proofreading.	There are 1-2 grammatical mistakes in the presentation even after feedback from Grammar Checker and proofreading. There are 1-2 capitalization and/or punctuation errors in the presentation even after feedback from Grammar Checker and Proofreading.	There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure. Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the Presentation.
Spelling and Proofreading	Several spelling errors in the presentation.	No more than 3 spelling errors remain after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the presentation.	No more than 1 spelling error remains after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the presentation.	No spelling errors remain after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the presentation.
Attractiveness and Organization	The presentation’s formatting and organization of material is confusing to the audience.	The presentation has well-organized information.	The presentation has attractive formatting and well-organized information.	The presentation has exceptionally attractive formatting and well-organized information.
Presentation Graphics	Graphics do not go with the accompanying text but appear to be randomly chosen	Graphics go well with the text, but there are too few and the presentation seems “text heavy.”	Graphics go well with the text, but there are so many that they distract from the text.	Graphics go well with the text and there is a good mix of text and graphics.

Digital Portfolio	Final Draft not located on Digital Portfolio within 3 days of due date.	Final Draft located on Digital Portfolio 2 days past due date	Final Draft located on Digital Portfolio 1 day past due date	Final Draft attached to digital portfolio on due date.
					/32

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this WebQuest!

Now you understand the many different types of details involved in creating an entirely New World. After visiting the many websites and completing the questions asked, as well as presenting your world to the rest of the class, you can now take your original world design and continue to refine it. When it comes your turn to sell your idea to a Computer Gaming company, you will have an idea of the types of questions and details you need to include in your design, and you will be able to put your best foot forward.

References

Evry, H. (2005). Beginning games graphics. Boston, MA: Thomson Course Technology PTR.