Homework 6: Chapter's 4&5

1.  For each of the four elements of the Tetrad, explain how it is addressed by your game. If one of the four elements is not used, please state this. 

• Mechanics- this is how our game is going to be played.  The player will control the character (most likely in first person), navigating around a discoverable map, trying to find locations of interests.  Once the character finds these locations the complete tasks and discover story content.  The player must pay attention to some kind of health (or ward) meter that is attributed to the character. 
• Story-  In our game, the character is a women who awakens in a city after a disastor has occured which leaves the city city destroyed with a mystical fog that surrounds everything except the sanctuary which is protected by a large ward (gem/metal allow/etc...).  The character must navigate the ruins of the city to find other survivors and discover the cause of the fog in order to rebuild society.
• Aesthetics- this is what the what the player experiences.  In our game, the player will feel connected to this post-disaster setting through interaction with scenes which depict broken-down buildings, distraught people, and a dark atmosphere.  The mysterious aspect will be conveyed with strange creatures, spooky music and sound effects, and, of course, the creeping smoke that surrounds the city and threatens the remaining survivors.
• Technology- this game is being created with the Blender game engine, possibly using blender's python programming integration.  No additional technology are planned to be used at this point.

2. Do the four (or less) elements work towards a current theme? 

           I believe so.  Our theme isn't entirely developed at this point, nor does it need to be at this point, according to the book.

 3. In your own words, describe the meaning of a "theme", and how does it differ from an "experience" (see book for examples in Chapters 2 and 5. 

           Theme is the unifying idea that describes the lesson, moral or subtext that should be taken away when you play a game.  The 'experience'  is the tool that game designers use to convey the theme to the players.

4. What is your game's theme? 

        I'm not entirely sure at this point but if I had to venture a "guess" I would say something the lines of "resilience and overcoming fear in the face the unknown for the greater good".

5. What are the elements in your game that are meant to reinforce this theme? 

        The elements of the game are designed to invoke a feeling a fear and hopelessness through ruined cityscape, dark mysterious scenes, creepy music, etc... Neither the player nor the characters of the game know why this is happening and are haunted by a mystical black fog that creeps among remains of a once bustling city and consumes the buildings and people.  The character (and thus the player) must overcome a fear of the unknown to navigate the black fog and overcome this mystical force that they don't understand.

6. What is it about your game that you feel makes it special and powerful?

A combination of strong story development, puzzle and task related levels, and unknown force that both the character and player must discover together.