A lot to talk about this month, our class started final project , I volunteered at Game Tech and finished working on the Plunder Prototype, then a lot of us got together to go the Disney Quest. I did not have to take speech class this month because I have taken a speech class at my previous college. This does not mean that I do not think it is a valuable class, I believe that speech is an important class to take for anyone who needs a confidence boost or just wants to get better at communicating to many people.
In GPP, Liam Hislop, Jason Hinders and Justin Gallo taught us the different components of preproduction such as core systems and asset listing. We merged with art students and design students (internal producers) to form three teams under Shattered Studios which is under GP Games, End-Game?, Falcon Fish Productions and Story Time Games. Once we formed our teams that we will be in for the next 5 months we hit the ground running. We flushed out two very good game pitches which we presented to our external producers (Don Smith, Phil Marunowski) who picked one for us to make. The two games were “Umbra’s Rising”, an online fantasy board game, and “Shopping Cart Derby”, a wacky battle-racer which takes place in a supermarket. Casey Coffman is also helping our studio out with sound effects.
We wound up getting SCD and the whole team is pumped to make a great game. It is difficult at first to jump right into making a game with people you have not met before but its how things usually are in the industry. We worked as a group to make a game design document with our unified vision and had many team building exercises along the way. Michelle Wess, who teaches Design Fundamentals, and Susan Capozza, who teaches Public Speaking, made us do these exercises in order to grow and learn as a team.
Since my friends and I have been working on “Plunder!” with the Serious Games Club, we were able to volunteer at Game Tech with the help of Chris Keeling. Game Tech is a very interesting convention with many industry professionals from the simulation, training, business and entertainment software industries. I was able to talk to many of them and discuss the different technologies they use on their job. I learned a lot about AI and communication software as well as the Cry Engine. Mark Long of Zombie Studios spoke about Trans-Media and how worlds created in games, movies, books, etc. can be enriched and built upon in any other media. The talk was very inspiring and informative. He even met with us students after the keynote and told us a great deal about the gaming industry and what to expect from the positions that we would want to fill.
He told us what to expect on tests and that a portfolio is worth more than a resume to him. He said to intern first to get a feel for the company, do more than what’s asked of us and make it clear to our bosses if we are striving for a different position. He said don’t be shy to ask around the office and see what advice people there will give us. There were around 8 students including myself. He told us to write a lot and have a good web presence, which I do with my blog. He mentioned creativeness as being like sexual orientation. We are a little shy when revealing both because we are not sure how other will perceive it, as in they might think it is weird. He mentioned computer sciences as being “Mathematical Archeology”. All the techniques are there already, you just need to find them. He talked about friends in the industry and their different philosophies when creating games. I gained a lot from the experience, learned what was good and what was bad to do in the industry. He mentioned a few things that differ. He mentioned a few things that differ from independent companies to large ones, such as he has more power owning a smaller one. He also told us to start our own companies and make mobile games. He said it will only lead to good things. My impression of him was daunting at first but he spoke to us very openly and talked to us as equals. I would work for his company any day because I know he is honest and has a great attitude and tremendous knowledge for making games.
The “Plunder!” Prototype was a great success everyone who was involved got together to rejoice in our half-way milestone. There was pizza and good company as we watched the demo and honored individuals who contributed to the project. There was also a lecture on motivation by Justin Gallo. He spoke about the different types of motivation and how we can encourage ourselves to make the biggest, more awesome games.
There are different ways to do research for a game and still enjoy doing it. I went camping with some friend. During the trip I download the Geo Caching App on my phone and it said there was a capsule nearby. We used the app to try and find it but ran into a few snags along the way. The feedback from the app was inconsistent which made it hard to track when we got closer, we ended up not finding the capsule but still had fun looking for it. A few of my friends and I went to Disney Quest to celebrate the completion of our first month of final project and my birthday which is coming up. There were virtual reality simulators, teamwork games and even a customizable rollercoaster. We had a great experience playing all the different games, both old and new. It was great for research as well as a good time.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
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