Games Studies Exercise 1 & 2

 Game Studies  Exercise 1 & 2

23.04.2025 - 26.07.2025 / Week 1 - Week 14

FANG YAOYUE / 0372006

Design Principles / BA of Design (HONS) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Task 1 / Proposal

List

LECTURES

INSTRUCTIONS

FEEDBACK

REFLECTION

LECTURES：

In the first week, Ms. Anis brief us regarding the module overveiw.

EXERCISE 1

Review my fav game.

What make you come back to the game?

What make you a fan?

What are the potential improvement?

Can include clips & gameplay

Submission: Blog in E-portfolio

EXERCISE 2

A non-digital that evolute into digital game, examine its remediation.

FINAL PROJECT

A simple mock-up of game.

IMPORTANT: How ot convert concept into a board game.

Focus on game mechanic (playable prototype).

Take reference concept from existing game. 

What is Game Design?

Game design is to create interactivity, with fun and playfulenss. A ggood game has engaging mechanic, compelling narrative and balanced challenge. 

Core Principle:

Player experience

Gameplay mechanics

Storytelling

Balance and Challenge

1. Player Experience

Focus on emotion, player should feel immersed. 

The "FLOW" state, with optimal balance of challenge and skill.

User-centered design, consider target audience & plastyle.

2. Gameplay mechanics

Primary Mechanics: The core actions players perform in the game. (Get or Lost point)

Secondary Mechanics: Additional enriching gameplay future.

Feedback loop: Positive & Negative reinforcement systems (Rewards and Penalties). Dynamic Feedback Loop!

3. Storytelling

Player agency, allow players to influence the story. (E.G: Chess, black & white). Give players' choices where their actions impact the progression.

Environmental storytelling, immerse playes in the world.

Narractive arc, with structuring story

4. Balance and Challenge

Difficulty curve, challenge increased along the gameplay.

Skills & Luck.

5. Feedback and Iteration

Ensure game is playable & enjoyable at all level. 

Playtesting, get feedback loop and fine-tuning the experience. 

6. Immersion and Worldbuilding

Add immersion & provide context. 

Challenge:

Over Complication

Failing to Adapt

Monetization vs. Player Experience 

*Ludology Game, focuses on the mechanics, rules, and systems that make games unique, rather than just the narrative or story.

INSTRUCTIONS：

This is the Module Information Booklet for this module:

Exercise 1: 

My favourite video game/tabletop game

What makes this game playful

Exercise 2: 

Non-digital to digital - Evolution and remediating this game

Exercise 1

In this exercise, we will need to select one of our favourite video or tabletop game that have a high replay value. 

After discussing with my team members, we are going to create a role-playing board game card game. There are six classes, and each class needs to find its own job in the game to be considered victorious. Different classes do different tasks and will have different bonuses. This is our initial gameplay and plan.

Introduction to my favorite game：

"Apex Legends" is a free first-person shooter (FPS) battle royale game developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts (EA). It was suddenly launched in February 2019 without any preheating and quickly became popular thanks to its high-quality gameplay.

FIG 1.1 apex interface

Basic introduction:

Type: Battle Royale + Hero Shooter

Platforms: PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch. Later, the Mobile version was also launched (Apex Legends Mobile, but the mobile version was discontinued in 2023).

Mode: Mainly three-person teams (there are also time-limited modes such as solo and double teams) participate. In each round, 60 players compete on the same map until the last team survives.

FIG 1.2 apex interface

Core features:

Hero System: Players choose different "Legends", and each character has unique skills: tactical skills, passive skills, and ultimate skills, such as reconnaissance, shields, movement, support, etc.

Fast-paced movement: The game emphasizes smooth parkour actions, such as sliding shovels and climbing, making the battle pace very fast.

Teamwork: Emphasizing the coordination of three people in a team, it features an innovative Ping system that enables quick marking of enemies, items, paths, etc. Even without turning on the microphone, communication can still be smooth.

Weapons and equipment: A wide variety of firearms, accessories, armors, etc. The equipment system is easy to pick up but has depth.

Map changes: The game features multiple large maps (such as "Kings' Canyon", "Edge of the World", and "Storm Point"), which are rotated or modified each season to add a sense of novelty.

FIG 1.3 Introduction to Gameplay

Development status:

The game adopts the Season system. In each season, new legendary characters, new weapons, new map changes, Battle passes, limited-time events, etc. will be updated.

In terms of e-sports, the official holds Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS), a large-scale global event.

Style and atmosphere

The background is a future science fiction, but it has a light and humorous atmosphere. Each character has a distinct personality and a rich background story. Sometimes, the world view is also expanded through animated short films.

FIG 1.4  apex interface

This is the apex download interface on steam. It can be seen that I have played this game for nearly 1,400 hours. It was once selected as the best game in 2022. However, due to operational issues, this game has always been lackluster. Once it could have been the best first-person shooter game in the world, but problems with planning and operation have prevented it from having the former disruptive power. But I still turn on the computer and play two games every week. This is my love for it.

Introduction to Gameplay Buttons：

Action	Default Key	Description
Move Forward	W	Move character forward
Move Backward	S	Move character backward
Strafe Left	A	Move character to the left
Strafe Right	D	Move character to the right
Sprint	Left Shift	Hold to run faster
Crouch (Toggle)	C	Tap to toggle crouch
Crouch (Hold)	Left Ctrl	Hold to stay crouched, release to stand
Jump	Spacebar	Jump
Climb	Move to wall + Spacebar	Climb up surfaces (up to a limit)

Action	Default Key	Description
Fire Weapon	Left Mouse Button	Shoot your weapon
Aim Down Sights	Right Mouse Button (Hold)	Aim precisely (some weapons toggle)
Reload	R	Reload your weapon
Tactical Ability	Q	Use your legend’s tactical skill
Ultimate Ability	Z	Use your legend’s ultimate skill
Use Health Item	4	Quick-use healing or shield items
Throw Grenade	G	Throw grenades or throwable items
Melee Attack	V	Perform a quick melee strike

Action	Default Key	Description
Access Inventory	Tab or I	Open your backpack
Pick Up Items	E	Pick up loot items/weapons
Cycle Grenades	Mouse Scroll Wheel	Switch between grenade types
Switch Weapons	1 or 2	Swap between primary and secondary
Holster Weapon	3	Put your weapon away (run faster)

FIG 1.5 apex Legends selection interface

Potential problems：

1. Server issue

Issues such as latency (high Ping), packet loss, and "Rubberbanding" are often criticized by players.

Server connection failures or disconnections often occur during queuing.

This is particularly evident during major events or at the beginning of a new season when the server is under great pressure.

2. Issues of cheats and cheating

Despite Respawn's continuous attacks, cheats (such as auto-aiming, see-through, and accelerators) still pose a significant threat in the rankings, especially in high segments.

Cheating and proxy typing problems have an impact on the health of the ranking system.

3. Balance issues

Some legends or weapons became overly powerful after the new season update, causing a short-term imbalance in the game environment.

When new heroes are launched, there are sometimes situations where they are "too strong to attract attention", and then weakened later, causing controversy.

4. The threshold for beginners is relatively high

The game has a fast pace and high requirements for marksmanship, which is not very friendly to beginners.

The protection mechanism in the early stage of ranking is limited, and new players are easily crushed by advanced players, resulting in a poor experience.

The teaching guidance is relatively brief, and many gameplay and mechanisms need to be explored by oneself.

5. Optimization and Bugs

After the update, new bugs often occur, such as skill failure, sound effect loss, screen lag, and inability to pick up items, etc.

The game has high requirements for hardware, especially in some old maps or free-for-all scenes. Low-configuration machines are prone to frame drops.

FIG 1.6 apex Map

FIG 1.7 apex Map

FIG 1.8 apex Map

FIG 1.9 apex Map

Conclusion：

If you want to get into this game, I think you can try the simplest few characters first. Many characters require a lot of time to practice. Compared with ordinary shooting games, this game has more buttons. It is not recommended for players without a shooting game foundation to get into it. However, its mechanism and gameplay are still the features of this game.

These are just the simplest buttons. There are more advanced gameplay options. If you want to play this game well, you need to invest a lot of time to become an expert in it. Your marksmanship, body skills and consciousness all need time to improve.

The most important thing is that game companies should crack down on cheats and study how to make servers more stable, which directly affects the gaming experience of players.

Exercise 2 

Description of the game

Once, the human body was in harmony, every cell powered by glucose working together. But when the six forces (Food, Oxygen, Fat, Steel, Worker, Enzyme) chased more energy, the system broke down. Too much glucose, excessive fat, rapid oxygen use and others caused an imbalance. In this game, players rebuild balance by constructing metabolic structures (Houses, Villas and Roads). Each build needs different resources, just like real metabolic pathways. But take too much of resources(hold over 7 resource cards) will cause the system overloads. Players must discard, trading resources, redeem Chance Cards to balance. Balance is the only way to win.

Introduction to Gameplay

1 At the start of game, each player will receive 6 resource cards which are steel, worker, food, fat, oxygen, and enzyme. Then, each player need to draw dice to consider where is their starting hexagon to build a house. When resource cards in hand exceed 7, players need to discard all extra cards at the end of each round.

FIG 2.1 Card display

2 The game is play on a 19 hexagons map, each hexagon has its own resources, number, or trap. Each resource or numbers are not more than 3 duplicates.

3 Players can use resource cards to build buildings or roads.

4 Players need to draw dices each round, the total number of dices represent the number in each hexagon in map. When the total number of dices equal to number of hexagons, (houses or villas) which are surround those hexagons will receive (1 or 2) resource cards.

5 Hexagon In the center of the map is bacteria zone, players who draw

number of 7 need to discard 2 resource cards from their hand.

6 Players can use their resource cards they don’t want to trade with others players or use three resource cards to redeem a powerful chance card.

FIG 2.2 Map

FIG 2.3 The house in the game

FIG 2.4 The house in the game

FIG 2.5 Trading system

FIG 2.6 Resources needed for purchasing a house or a road

FIG 2.7 Game accessories

Chance Cards

Chance Cards

Game Compone

FIG 2.8 Chance Cards Form

Building

Road: Connecting buildings

House: Gather resources from three sides

Villa: Double the resources collected

Houses and villas must have a continuos road from player's building. Villas can only upgraded through houses, players cannot directly build villas.

Roads only build between two hexagons and must connect to at least one building. 

FIG 2.9 Gameplay demonstration

FIG 2.10 All the houses on display

🏠 Houses → Represent stable energy flow

Needs: Food (Glucose), Oxygen, Fat, Worker (Cells)

⚡ Like cells using glucose + oxygen to make energy (ATP) + fat to ensure enough energy

🛣 Roads → Represent transport routes

Needs: Steel (Fe), Enzyme

Steel = strong structure for movement (like blood vessels & oxygen carriers)

Enzyme = regulation of flow, enabling smooth metabolic "traffic"

🏡 Villas → Represent well-coordinated system 

Needs: All 6 resources

🧠 Requiring all 6 resources to build a Villa symbolizes it isn’t simple to build a well-coordinated system

Show power point in the fourth week

FIG 2.11 Card replacement

FIG 2.12 Card replacement

FIG 2.13 Chance Card Replacement

FIG 2.14 Game rules formulation

Game modification：

In class, we tested the game twice. The first time was based on the winning criterion of 15 points. We played the game normally. When someone reached 15 points, that player won the game.

After playing, we found that 15 as the winning standard time was too long. The first round of the game lasted about 52 minutes. For the second round, we changed the winning score to 10 points and controlled the time to around 30 minutes, but winning was too easy.

Because each player will get a basic house and a road, which is three points, so as long as they get another seven points, they can win. For players who keep building roads to score, winning is too easy.

Finally, we discussed changing the score to 12 points as the winning score.

This week we discovered the problem of improper word usage. We should change the "steel" card to "iron".

And we need to add more chance cards to enrich the diversity of the game.

1. Would the starting point be fair?

We will change the starting mechanism to a snake-like selection point

First round: A → B → C → D

Each person chooses a birth point and builds a house

Second round: D → C → B → A

Choose a birth point again in the opposite direction and build a second house

Game starts: Player A starts

Then the game starts and each player will have a chance card

Change the building conditions to at least one intersection

2. Will the player get bored while other players are taking turns?

No, because when other players are taking turns, players also need to pay attention to the numbers of the dice they throw to obtain the corresponding resources.

FEEDBACK

WEEK1

In the first week, the teacher roughly told us about the content of this semester. We need to make a complete board game, which can be adapted from an existing classic game. We need to first understand and experience this classic game and adapt it based on it.

WEEK2

In class, we found the electronic version of the Catan Island board game. Our group played and experienced it in class. I think it's an interesting game. miss said that we could combine the game with educational significance.

WEEK3

This week, we made drafts of maps and cards in class and tested them once after class. We thought the gameplay was too monotonous and added chance cards.

miss thinks our gameplay is very interesting，And we need to introduce the content and gameplay to everyone in the class next week.

WEEK4

This week is for the presentation. I was responsible for the card design, map design and beautification work. The teacher gave some suggestions for our presentation. We need to make the cards more appropriate to the game names because some of our cards have nothing to do with glucose.

Miss thinks the card design is very good, the map is fine, and the gameplay is also very diverse. It's a great board game.

WEEK5

This week, we tested the game twice in class. It was a very interesting process. During the gameplay, we identified our own problems. We changed the winning score from 15 points to 10 points. We felt that the experience was not the best, so we modified it to 12 points. This can greatly enhance the gaming experience.

WEEK6

This week, I went to other student groups to experience and play the board game they designed. I thought it was very interesting. The whole game was tense and exciting. Everyone was both a team and an opponent. You had to judge by the players' expressions whether they could take out the corresponding cards. If they could, they could move forward and get the points cards. If not, everyone had to return to their original positions.

Finally, when you reach the key point, you need to calculate how many points you have got. Of course, the points cards won't all be bonus cards; there will also be deduction cards. This is also a game of luck, and this is the most interesting part of the game.

WEEK7

In the seventh week, we revised our cards and replaced "steel" with "iron". We thought this was more in line with our theme. As a result, the cards needed to be replaced along with the map. We also changed all the "steel" on the map to "iron", which was very important.

We have also updated the gameplay and added more chance cards to the game.

WEEK8

Core actions like dice rolling and resource collection follow fixed rules, but players have flexibility in trading, building, and using opportunity cards. There's no obvious exploit; resource caps and discard rules prevent hoarding. Strategy and luck are balanced.

Because the game involves too much element of luck, we have changed the entire process of selecting the initial address location. Instead, the person who selects the house will be the one to roll the dice last.

WEEK9

High-probability areas like 6 and 8 are clearly marked, giving new players direction on where to build. The dice-based system keeps engagement high and guides decision-making from the start. New players can quickly grasp key strategies through play.

We also changed the initial single house to one that could accommodate the construction of two houses. Moreover, the condition of needing to separate two grids to build a house was changed to just one grid being sufficient. This significantly accelerated the progress of the game.

WEEK10

Players tend to allocate their card resources more reasonably to the areas where they need them, and when discarding cards, they prioritize discarding the less important or excessive cards.No dominant or broken strategies exist. While securing areas 6 or 8 offers a statistical edge, randomness from dice rolls and the need for balanced planning prevent any one strategy from being overpowering. Tactical adaptability is key.

WEEK11

There are no preset starting positions—only building choices. Resource zones are evenly distributed, so no matter where a player builds, their chances remain balanced. Fairness is maintained through equal opportunity to collect resources.The game remains competitive until the end. Players can gauge who is ahead but can’t be certain of the outcome. Continuous dice-based resource collection and trading mechanics maintain excitement and suspense throughout.

WEEK12

It is challenging for a novice to beat an experienced player unless they are familiar with similar games. Skill and familiarity generally win, though luck can occasionally tip the scales—appropriate for a strategy-focused board game.

However, if you are quick enough to pick up the game and have good luck, you can also defeat the veteran players. Because this game relies heavily on luck, strategy is also crucial, and making good use of the opportunity cards is also important.

WEEK13

There is no player elimination. All players stay active until someone reaches 12 points. This ensures continuous engagement and a sense of agency throughout the game.While turn-based, players can trade, strategize, and benefit from others’ dice rolls during non-turn phases. Interaction is constant enough to prevent boredom and maintain involvement for all players.

WEEK14

This week will be the last week of our study of game studies this semester. We are very grateful for the help from the teachers. In class, the teachers constantly encouraged us and gave us suggestions. The final week's presentation went very smoothly. We are also grateful for the hard work of the team members. Everyone worked very hard and everyone's efforts were obvious to all. I was responsible for designing the cards and maps in the entire team. When designing the cards initially, I really felt very troubled. But the teacher was very satisfied with our cards in the end. I was really happy at that time. For the upcoming game development, I will take a fresh attitude to welcome the learning in the next semester.

REFLECTION

Game studies is a very interesting discipline. In class, we created board games and card games, which taught me a lot. Through the process of designing these games, I gained a deeper understanding of the importance of game mechanics, player interaction, and balance in gameplay. Creating rules and systems that are both fun and fair tested my creativity and problem-solving skills.

Moreover, working in a team taught me how to cooperate effectively. Each member proposed different ideas, and we had to test and adjust based on feedback, sometimes even completely changing our design plans. This iterative process made me realize that game development is not just about having a good idea, but also about constantly improving and refining it through playtesting.

Studying games from both theoretical and practical perspectives has enabled me to deeply understand how games convey information, reflect culture, and influence players' emotions and decisions. Games do not merely have an entertainment function; they can also have educational, persuasive, and even artistic functions.

Overall, this experience has made me more curious about the game-making process and why people enjoy playing games. I hope to continue delving deeper into this field and even attempt to design my own games in the future.