Week 04

This week I started working towards collecting readings for this project, so far I have:

• Fabricatore, C. (2007). Gameplay and Game Mechanics Design: A Key to Quality in Video Games. OECD Expert Meeting on Videogames and Education, 29–31.
• Fabricatore, C., Nussbaum, M., & Rosas, R. (n.d.). Playability in Action Videogames: A Qualitative Design Model. Human–Computer Interaction, 17(4), 311–368.
• Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2001). Multimodal discourse : the modes and media of contemporary communication. London: Arnold.
• Malone, T. W., & Lepper, M. R. (1987). Making Learning Fun: A Taxonomy of Intrinsic Motivations for Learning. Aptitude, Learning and Instruction, 3, 223 – 249.
• Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2004). Rules of Play – Game Design Fundamentals. Massachusetts London, England: The MIT Press Cambridge. Retrieved from https://gamifique.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/1-rules-of-play-game-design-fundamentals.pdf
• Swink, S. (2009). Game Feel: A Game Designers Guide to Visual Sensation. Burlington: Elsevier Inc. Retrieved from https://gamifique.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/2-game-feel.pdf

 

The plan was to write an annotated bibliography for each of them – but that fell through with the amount of reading I could do in a week.

In a summary of what I’ve found from reading through as much as I can:

‘Greater Meaning’ in games is shaped by not only what the player is physically doing or sees but also the context in which the player is provided. Also, prior beliefs and knowledge from the player themselves will shape the meaning.

Two of these readings (Making Learning Fun: A Taxonomy of Intrinsic Motivations for Learning. Aptitude and Playability in Action Videogames: A Qualitative Design Model)  are study-based researched conducted with educational goals and entertainment goals, their findings on communication with the player will be helpful to my research – although they more provide design guidelines rather than answer any questions.

Rules of Play was helpful in understanding meaningful play, and Game Feel gives examples of how communication can be most effectively be made with a player and why.

Multimodal discourse is a new finding, and one of the books outside of ludology that I want to explore for this project. That book in particular talks about semiotics.