Glossary & Appendices

Glossary

NOTE THIS COULD MAKE UP PART OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW AS A MORE CONCISE WAY TO COVER A LOT OF GROUND - AND BOOKMARKED BY A JUSTIFICATION - THE COMPLEXITY IS IN THE MIX OF CONCEPTS AND IN LATER CHAPTERS.

PERHAPS ORGANISE BY CHAPTER?

Or perhaps group terms by theme, include references in each description with examples and characteristics. Then have a short complex commentary at the end of each section.

Chapter four

Code syntax errors: errors to do with the grammar of the code.

Pedagogies and Design Concepts

Work in progress here -

Pair programming: Beyond a more general description of two people coding a task side by side, this terms also describes a

Use - Modify - Create: A computing and digital media creation pedagogy that outlines the advantages of starting with working code examples before progressing to writing code structures from first principles. It has been used in the context of game making[find example], web design[find example] and other educational coding projects.

Process Drama: A way of exploring topics using dramatic techniques to explore situations, professional contexts or wider topics. The work of Dorothy Heathcote on process drama is influential in shaping conceptions of what is possible in school contexts particularly in her use of guided role play and cross-circular work.

Bartle’s Player Types: The grouping of different player types.

Killer / Griefer is a concept which is emotive as the process of playing against the rules may be entertaining for those that engage with it. In the context of a multi-player game with people investing time and energy.

Context / Community

Coder Dojo:

Game Jam:

Technical Terms

Code Playground:

Javascript library:

Game states: Game states and functions to create the game loop (see glossary) are included natively in the phaser framework [@faas_introduction_2017; @kostolny_digital_2017]

Game loop: See https://mozdevs.github.io/html5-games-workshop/en/guides/platformer/the-game-loop/

Appendices (numbered by chapter?)

Transcript Excerpts

Appendix 4.x - Summary of the tools and processes used in P2 and P3.

Table - or short entries with screenshots.

Phaser 2.6.2 javascript library Glitch code playground Incomplete game template Print out of cards with simple coding missions Online graphics editor Piskel. Audio editors, audacity, Updated incomplete game template Piskel online graphics editor Step by step tutorials on FLOSS manuals Drama scenario Interactive chat page in glitch

Appendix 4.x - Dialogue of use of physical maps

MOVE TO APPENDIX - PULL OUT TWO PERHAPS.

Transcript Description
Mick(f): I’m putting the ones that are hardest further away from our home island. So, because keys and doors is quite tricky, I’m going to put that one over there in the corner, if that’s one that you’re working on. Mick cuts a out an image from [^4] representing a GDP of key and doors.
Olivia(c): So I’ve gone really far away on the map.
Olivia(c) quickly places her marker on that image and grins. Other parents and children to the right and left of her look at her marker.
Mick(f): Yeah. Mick smiles too whilst walking to get and glue another cut out.
Olivia(c): Heh! Olivia walks back to her mother and stretches out her arms to her mother who picks her up. Olivia whispers in her mother’s ear
Mick(f): There should be some blue tack if you are struggling to make your character stand up. Mick walks around the back of the group and sticks another GDP pattern on a different pre-drawn island. Roxanne(p) notices Agnes’s(c) falling character and passes the child blue tack to help.
Rozanne(p): Oh that’s something you were wanting to do Roxanne points at a cut out that Mick has just stuck down
Richie(c): I like the idea of making the enemies move  
Roxanne(p): Ok, there’s a worksheet here about that. So you don’t want to any any heath meter?  
Richie(c): No.  
Roxanne(p): At least not right now. You want to to do this, on a sheet, right here, here you go. Roxanne waves sheet and smiles at Mick and laughs.
Mick(f): Great that’s good. We’ve got some sheets that I would recommend. That are almost like gateways to other places. One is to make your character move when it moves around the screen. Mick moves hands when saying make your character move, indicating animation.
Mick(f): Another is to make your enemies move around the screen to make it a bit harder. I know you guys have done that. Mick moves a pointed hand to indicate an enemy moving on the screen and then points to Clive and Pearl to indicate “you guys”.
   

Appendix 4.x - Feedback from P1 participants (extracts)

This is included to show evidence of the emergent process and that the direction of the program was influenced by participants input.

Find extracts from - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VL8FPnrBUbcpwL1nmGLCsF1t2JjkitQV_3N8DYeFcoM/edit

Appendix 4.x - Addition to vignette 4.1 - documentation in drama

Do you know what I also wanted to share with you? Last time we were doing different sheets and everything. You were getting good at working through the sheets. And also looking at this page (show splash page on screen of menu of game design patterns) which is at ggc-examples.glitch.me . And I’ve done some changes to it. There are two different parts. I want to make this better for you guys, I want to make this somewhere you can go so you can click to find out the help that you need. Any ideas you have for making this better would be really good.

One thing I can think. You see here (points to moving enemies as an example on screen). If you want moving enemies. If you click on it, it opens an example with the code to make moving enemies but it’s not really obvious how you would to put that into your game. So to find that you’d have to click on this here link to tutorials. (Mick points to the link to tutorials text/link). Which tells you how you put it in the game. And then you’d scroll down this bit (demonstrates navigating the tutorials menu) and select add moving enemies here. So, I was showing this to some people yesterday and they couldn’t really work that out. So what they suggested is. why don’t I put it so there’s a link so right to the chapter for how to do it right next to that image. So that makes sense really so I’m going to to do that.

So if you click on that (referring to tutorial link) if you want to add a moving enemy. I’ve tried to put a bit like that (referring to illustration below on code patching). What that means is, you’re looking for that bit of code at the top. And you’re going to copy it and paste it into that bit at the bottom. Where it says Playstate.preload. That’s the part of the code that you need to put it into. Just to make it a bit clearer.

Figure 5.1. Code Patching{ width=80% }

Molly: So you’re not cutting the bit at the top out, in red. You’re using that bit instead of the yellow bit.

Mick: Well actually, you’re putting it inside of it. So here you would copy it and in your code example. You then look for that bit where it says preload. You then put it inside of it at the bottom of that.

Molly: So just insert it somewhere.

Mick. Yeah insert it. So here we’ve got different parts of our game. We’ve got preload. We’ve got create. And we get used, we start to get used to finding them. In this one it’s preload that’s the one that its saying we should put it inside of. And then this next bit. It’s saying, ah, you should put that into your create function. So we’re moving in the right direction. But any other things where you think. Ah that could be easier. Let me know and I’ll try to make these resources much easier.

Mick: It’s almost like this is our control panel. What do you want to do next and we jump off from there. And I’ve put it down on a bit of paper. It’s just gcc-examples.glitch.com

So, I’m going to now leave it to you guys. What do you want your game to be about? What are your characters going to be? What do you want to put in your new game what wasn’t in your old game? Yeah, you can start thinking about it.

Appendix 4.x - Addition to vignette 4.1 - community norming in playtesting

Mi: (Talking to self) No! It’s so hard that. (referring to a particular jump in her game.) Mick: How are you getting on Mi? It’s looking good. Mick: (Noting frustrated air of Mi) Have you made it to hard. Mi: I don’t know. Can you jump from here to here with this.. this.. him? (point to main character) Mick: So it look like you bump your head and fall down. Mick: One bit of friendly feedback that I would give you is that it’s taking a long time to move left and right. And that is something that you can change if you want to. Mi: Oh right yeah.direct Mick: Yeah. Mi: Yeah, actually that’s a good idea. Mick: If you think about average games. Your average jump time would be about one second in the air. So that can be a bit of guide sometime

Appendix 5.x - Addition to vignette 5.1 -

Molly continues to do solo design using the Piskel graphical too. She encounters a design problem. When erasing a part of the design she gets rid of background colour. Mi asks for help from partner but receives misleading advice which does not help her progress.

Molly: Oh no it’s not done that has it?

Molly calls the name of her child across room with theatrical gesture and loud whisper voice Molly: “Nadine!” Molly then makes face, wiggles head and shrugs at parent peer. The other parent laughs. Nadine arrives to help. Molly: I’m trying to delete them but they turn light grey. Nadine: So you want to get rid of them? Molly: What are you doing? You have to tell me what you are doing so I can do it myself. Molly: laughs Nadine: laughs. Molly: I’ll just have to keep shouting at you if you don’t tell me.
Nadine uses the mouse to select the grey background colour with the colour picker tool, then the pen tool to fill in gaps in the design. She then swaps the active colour back from grey to black by clicking the option to swap foreground and background colours. Molly: How did you do that so quickly? I’ve got to like, carefully… (makes hand gestures to show a sense of hesitant keyboard use) Parent peer laughs Nadine bounces up in place and smiles broadly. Molly: Thanks Molly: So am I like back with the black now?
Nadine: Yeah but if you want to delete it just press X (which switches between foreground and background colours) and then do it. Molly: Oh X. Alright Bubs. Thanks.

Appendix 4.x - Extract of interaction between Molly and Sonia

Sonia: That’s Good! Molly: Oh do you like it? Sonia: Yeah Molly: Thank you. I’m very proud of it. Concentrated extremely hard. The thing is, you can get quite consumed doing things like this can’t you? Sonia: Yeah Molly: That’s the problem at home I get a bit kind of lost. I can’t get the knack of some things. It takes me so long to get it. I’m like so excited.

  • Both laugh. Sonia: So are you going to do bits at home? When the kids are.. Molly: I tried and I lost it all. And you know when you just completely… And even Ne didn’t know so I just … what a shame.. hours …. (Laughs)

Molly: Lost time. Never mind. We live and we learn.

Molly: We’re finished. Right what’s next? Now I’m an expert pixel? Now I have to figure out how to get it in there don’t I? Without losing it I’ll be very upset. Sonia:– Have you saved it? Molly:– No I’ve not saved it. Sonia:– Save there. (points to relevant button on screen)

Appendix 4.x - Mark and Ed working with home interests

Mick: (17-46) Can you tell me anytime that you felt like you bring your own identities or interests into what you were doing. Ma - Oh, definitely. Yeah. Mick: Let’s ask Fi that as well. Mark: Yeah. Mick: Can you do feel like in making the games, you’re able to bring your own interests or things that you related to into it? Ed: Yeah. The Fireman. Mark: Yeah, well, tell us about that game. Tell about your interests and stuff? Ed: A little fireman, he’s going around collecting coal for this train. They lost it. But then there’s sheeps on the line. …. Mark: What is your aspiration for your life? Ed: I wanna be a fireman (on a steam train). … Ed: I really like trains, since like I was very, very young.

Mick: Do you think I mean, was that was that like something that helps you a little bit keep your interests go in for the game? Mark: I think it excited you to have to build a fireman sprite? Is that right? Ed: Yeah. Mark: and to have it train themed, didn’t that like, keep your interest in the designing part of it up? Is that true? Ed: Yeah. Mark: Because the whole theme of it. Just I know just your eyes lit up when you realised you could expand your interests into gaming.

Appendix 5.x - 2019-05-08-te-da pt 1

Da: Have you thought about pushing it a bit further and have a different style of game? Te: What do you mean? Da: Well the previous style of game was a platform (makes shape with hands) game wasn’t it? You went along and there was gravity pushing down (points down). There are other types of games aren’t there? Te: Pause. I don’t know what to do thought. Da: Well quite but what other games are there? Te: I don’t know er. Da: Well I tell you what .. muffled. Te: Erm - (navigates to list of GDP for platform game) De: So. You played them before didn’t you (indicating grid of games ) Te: What do you mean? Da: The flying game that’s a different kind of game Te: Oh like kind of like moving along kind of thing Da: Yeah and those where. There are games where you are in a world and you have to move around the world like pac-man (points down and moves an imaginary character around), Te: nod Da: There are games where things drop down like Tetris Te: … game. You could have a game where every 15 seconds 10 seconds you could add and enemy to such and such a random number between such and such (holds up hands to indicate parameters). You could block it somewhere. Da: So instead of.. instead of the world… the world being sideways. We could have the world being looked down on. (reindicates the change of perspective) Te: Hmm. How should I do this then? Da: That’s a good question. Shall we ask Mick to see if that would mess things up or not?
Te: Mick Mick: Hi ya. Te: Erm. Thinking about what game to do . I was thinking can we make like a pacman game kind of thing (indicates movement of character with hands) Da: If we had an on the top game rather than a platform game Mick: I think it could work. You could kind of adapt that game by kind of removing gravity. Da: and see what happens? Mick: and see what happens. Da: It’s not a bad starting idea is it? Te: I suppose make a new one (begins the process of remixing game from the template)

Appendix 4.R.x - Framework to support game analysis via game elements

Include also the powerpoint sheet or link to it.

Extract from Game Jam Guide [@cornish_game_2018]

As part of the introductory activity make sure students are familiar with the 5 parts of a game, or sometimes called the 5 principles of game design:

SPACE: Where the game takes place. GOAL: What is the objective of the game? What are you trying to do? COMPONENTS: What are all the objects or actors in the game? MECHANICS: What actions take place in the game. What are the verbs involved? RULES: What can or can’t you do in the game? What defines boundaries? Does play happen in real time or do you take turns?

Be sure to ask students what they already know about these terms or see what educated guesses they may have before giving the answers away.

Extract from Game Jam Guide [@cornish_game_2018]

Appendix 4.R.x - sketching towards a map to help navigation.

In trying to organise and represent code examples to participants in a logical way, I experimented with different categories and themes to contains the emerging game elements. I also explored the concept of mapping the different challenges by difficulty on a map via structuring via concentric rings. An example of the kind of grouping sketch used is included below as Figure 4.x.

Scan of Journal Sketch of early attempt at dividing features by type and difficulty{width=85%}

Fig 4.x. Scan of Journal Sketch of early attempt at dividing features by type and difficulty - Dated 11.3.2019

The process of sketching, revising and re-sketching the elements led me to connect this process of categorisation with the work of game theorists. For example, I recognised synergies with between open-world game design and my attempts to structure resources and help learners navigate the learning experience based on choosing challenges based on their interests and appropriate difficulty levels [@squire_open-ended_2008].

Appendix 6.R.x - Vignette on the process of side missions and reporting back and reflecting in role.

Perhaps move here.

Extracts from evaluation and Journal Notes

Evaluation of Phase 1. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VL8FPnrBUbcpwL1nmGLCsF1t2JjkitQV_3N8DYeFcoM/edit