Jennifer's+Game-Design


 * IDEAS FOR SERIOUS GAMES**toc

Middle school students enjoy games but teachers don't appreciate that. Teachers feel that students should read and write to gain greater understanding about world issues. The problem to be solved is to make a serious game that is about a world issue.

**Requirements:**

 * 1) Game must be accessible to the intended players
 * 2) Game must be well-paced to be enjoyable
 * 3) Game must be challenging to the intended players.
 * 4) Game must have a clear goal
 * 5) Game must be winable.

** Constraints: **

 * 1) It must be possible to create this game with the tools available to middle school students (computers, wikis, blogs, cardboard, poster board, glue, colored pencils, markers, scissors, rulers, paper cutter, exacto knives, glue guns, found objects, dice, spinners, and other common items found in the home and school)

1. A Serious Game Using Gamestar Mechanic that follows the design brief. My topic is on world hunger. What I was thinking of doing with the game star mechanic game design was using an avatar as the hero. The hero would have to collect as many coins as possible in each level. There would be enemies in each level that would represent the obstacles in fighting world hunger. There would be weapons that you can use to destroy the obstacles. The star block would be the goal in each level. When you win the level the message could say," Congratulations! You are one step closer to fighting the hunger."

Core Mechanics_ plot/story line My story line is that the avatar is the hero and all the enemies are obsticles that are in the way of making world hunger stop and you have to reach the end and destroy the enemies. Goal My goal is that you have to collect as many coins as possible and reach the star block. Avoiding the enemies would be helpful too. Rules You have to reach the star block before time runs out. You have to collect all the coins in some levels to win that level. Moving Parts In some levels you will have a hero who has a blaster and in other levels you don't. The avatar moves at a decent pace. Territory A couple of levels will have scrolling screens because there is alot to cover. The background would be a grass land/ forest type of place because you are on earth trying to stop world h unger.

2. A Serious Game Mod for an Exisiting Boardgame that follows the design brief. A board game that I could use for my topic is monopoly. The spaces would stay the same, but what will be on them is different.On each square there will be a fact about world hunger and a way to stop it. One space might say," You helped out at a soup line move ahead one space." Or, " You didn't raise enough money in your funderaiser,move back one space." There will be two types of cards in the middle, one of them saying things you accomplished and things you didn't. Every time you pass the go sign you receive $200 to help a charity of your choosing. To win the game you would have to do the greatest amount of nicest things out of all the people playing against.

3. A Serious Game -- Free Choice that follows the design brief. A game that you can play with your friends that is based on world hunger is a treasure "hunt". You can play in a field, a park, or any place that is big. You and your friends will decide on one person who will make up the clues/riddles. Each clue/riddle will ask you a question about world hunger. You will make certain destinations a spot. For instance, the slide on your local playground could be river where there is dirty water, or a sprinkler could be a water purifier. You and your friends will decide that. After each riddle is solved there will be a place where the next one will be. This will continue until your friends come to the last clue and will end up back at the starting place. The team or person that finishes the fastest will win.