Spirit Snap Game Concept Image

From first person shooters to massively multiplayer environments, computer games are rapidly emerging as distinctive cultural forms. The screen languages of interaction and simulation are diverging from and complicating cinematic and televisual conventions. Simulation and visualisation technologies and techniques have developed across many fields.

ARIN3640 ‘Computer Games and Simulation’ is part of the Digital Cultures Program. It was taught by John Tonkin, covered game studies and interaction design through readings and assessments.

A1 - Interactive Fiction ‘The Revival’

As part of the first assignment, Adrian Yoong, Silvia Wei and learnt and used Inform7 to create an Interactive Fiction.

The basis of ‘The Revival’ is a character who has fallen into a coma (a fact that player may not initially pick up on but is hinted at throughout the game). It is in this dream-like state that the protagonist experiences several scenarios where they must solve puzzles in order to progress towards a successful revival. Certain choices the player makes in different scenarios can cause them to potentially lose, in which they are taken back to the beginning of the game.

A2 - ‘Tap Runner’ Game Analysis

‘An analysis of the dynamic relationship between game space and dramatic tension, through Tap Runner’ - PDF Report

A2.5 Presentation on Design Process

‘A quick presentation on the Design Process’ based upon Eric Zimmerman’s ‘Play as Research: The Iterative Design Process’

Design Process Overall - Page

A3&4 - Spirit Snap

As part of the final assignments, together with Roxanne Phan and Adrian Yoong, we proposed, presented, and analysed a conceptual game:

“Spirit Snap is an adventure-strategy-collection game that uses a player’s current environment as the landscape, adapting continuously to their play routine and location, down to the finest detail. Through augmented reality, the player can interact with spirits, discovering and collecting, via their camera phone, and trading and battling with other players or spirits.”

Overall

Though it was less practical than prior courses, it was rather enjoyable to be in a theoretical and conceptual course. Definitely provides opportunities to think deeper on narratives and concepts. Especially had fun with the first assignment, a completely text-based game, and the last one; a more out-there game.