I got to playtest a game about loansharking–and in the process learn how not to get ripped off. Lenders are not your friends. Last Friday I had the opportunity to playtest Shady Sam, in which the player is a loanshark working for the titular character. Long story short, you have to pick from three loan options to make the most money off of innocent people who didn't read the fine print. It's sadistically fun, and now I know what to look for to avoid in order to not lose loads of money–long terms are great if you're the one doing the lending. The game also provides a lot of incentive to keep replaying, including an random selection of various rewards to put on your desk; enough different scenarios to keep the end profit from always being the same; a 1-5 star (actually dollar sign) rating; and you even get a cool nickname at the end. I've never been happier to be called "Bad News." All that, and it's only in beta. The game requires you to use your head and look closely at all the terms, and even exercise math skill, all of which you have to do when actually looking for loans. It also throws in other factoids, like student debt figures, types of fees to look for, and how cycles of debt happen. I feel more confident about borrowing money now. However, it did get a little repetitive after a few plays, so a larger variety of scenarios would be nice. Playtesting is useful because it can help find bugs–for example, sprites not showing up, which happened several times. It's also useful because it allows the designers to see how players actually interact with the game, sometimes in ways they may not have anticipated, and if all the features work as intended. It allows the designers to learn about areas of improvement as well as what should definitely be kept. So, to summarize:
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We've been talking about serious games, and one category caught my interest: "edutainment." My childhood memories of this concept involve logic puzzles, games on "educational" gaming sites that didn't seem all that educational, and an obnoxious typing game I still resent being forced to play. With that on my mind, I decided to dive a little deeper. First of all, what is edutainment? It's what it sounds like: education and entertainment combined. I'll be focusing mostly on games in this post, but I should mention here that online courses, programs, podcasts, etc also count. What's more is that they sell. One art education site charges up to $299 for some of its broadcasts, and customers pay up. Clearly there's a market for it. Why does it work so well with games? For one, the progression of a player through a game, developing skills and understanding along the way, is very similar to what's known as a "learning trajectory," which is how someone's understanding of a given topic increases as they learn more. In addition, games are interactive–and experience is a valuable teacher. Also, serious games can help one build a professional identity. When you start to think of yourself as a scientist or an artist or what have you, it makes you more devoted to working and progressing. One also has to learn to "think like" someone in their given field–I, for example, have to learn to think like a programmer. Games also assess the player without interrupting the flow of the game. Feedback is a useful tool, and games can keep track of more than just the end result; they can keep track of the process. That can be very important information to improving oneself. So, to summarize:
Citations
Beato, Greg. “Turning to Education for Fun.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 Dec. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/education/turning-to-education-for-fun.html.Dicerbo, Kristen. “Taking Serious Games Seriously in Education.” EDUCAUSE Review, Educause, 19 July 2015, er.educause.edu/articles/2015/7/taking-serious-games-seriously-in-education. My first blog post of this year is about something nobody but a lawyer really wants to discuss: legalities. Game developers need to protect their content and make sure they don't misuse someone else's; nobody likes lawsuits (well, unless you get paid). There are four main types of intellectual property: trademarks, copyright, patents, and trade secrets. Trademarks are your brand; they're there to protect your reputation, investment, and goodwill–and that's it. If someone uses your trademark in a way that's likely to cause confusion, that's infringement. It lasts as long as you keep using it. Non-registered trademarks are usually fairly easy to obtain, but registered ones, while more expensive, provide more protection. You have to protect it, or you'll lose it. Copyright protects the content of your work, and only that. It protects the physical expression of the work in a tangle medium, not the idea. As soon as you put that idea in a tangible medium it's protected, but registering it gives you more protection. This lasts a long time. If someone uses your content without permission or without citing you, that's infringement. Of course, fair use laws apply, but that's something for another post. Patents protect processes and inventions, but they have to be original and "nonobvious" in order to qualify, and are difficult and expensive (as in potentially thousands of dollars expensive) to obtain. They also don't last very long, but they provide a lot of protection. Trade secrets are pieces of information that have business value, such as customer lists or manufacturing methods, and can protect patent-pending or non-patentable processes. Infringement usually comes from industrial espionage (i.e., someone stole your info) or insider leaks, but keep in mind that trade secrets are only effective if you keep them secret. The laws vary from state to state. Look into at least one form of protective–or all of them if you have the cash. So, to summarize:
Citations
“Do You Own Your Game Content?” Gamasutra, Gamasutra, www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ZacharyStrebeck/20150202/235514/Do_you_own_your_game_content.php. “Gamasutra - Ethics Of Game Design.” Gamasutra, Gamasutra, www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2181/ethics_of_game_design.php?print=1. Gonzales, Deborah. “Top 10 Legal Issues for Game Developers.” The Law Office of Deborah Gonzalez, Esq., 2012, www.dgonzalezesq.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Top-10-Legal-Issues-for-Game-Developers.pdf. “Hey, Thats MY Game! Intellectual Property Protection for Video Games.” Gamasutra, Gamasutra, www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131951/hey_thats_my_game_intellectual_.php. “Legal Issues for Game Developers.” Gamedesignconcepts / Legal Issues for Game Developers, PBWorks, gamedesignconcepts.pbworks.com/w/page/11829076/Legal Issues for Game Developers. “Let's Talk Sense about Game Trademarks.” Gamasutra, Gamasutra, www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JasPurewal/20140121/209020/Lets_talk_sense_about_game_trademarks.php. “Patent Law For Game Developers.” Gamasutra, Gamasutra, www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131627/patent_law_for_game_developers.php. |
AuthorI'm moving on to my 4th (and final) year as a Game Art & Design student at Durham School of the Arts. I'd like to call myself an artist, but I'm a programmer at heart. Archives
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