• 3Feb 10

  Games design session

  As I expected today's morning lesson was very chaotic and almost nothing was accomplished.
  
  Two weeks agop the ****was divided into design groups who were to design a game of a specific genre to appeal to a certain market. The genre should have been determined through market research conducted throughout the college, but most of the groups conducted minimal research. The group I'm working with conducted research in an identical assignment, which suggested that the Shooter and Racing genres were the most popular among the college students and staff. Despite this one member of the group insisted that we create an RPG, even though the purpose of the task was to use market research to determine the genre of the game in order to appeal to the largest market in the college and that the same market research previously conducted just so happened to suggest that RPG's were very unpopular in the college. But this student is known for disliking shooters, which was the genre we had initially dedcided upon. He refused to cooperate unless the group designed a shooter. Eventually it was determined we would design an RPG, but this led to most of the other group members refusing to cooperate. It's interesting to note I'm the only member of the group who actually games from both genres.
  
  Today the student who wished to design an RPG was late and we assumed he may not be present today. This led to some of the students debating whether or not to to begin from sctratch designing a shooter or wether to continue designing the RPG. Each week the group roles were to be rotated and this week the student with role of leader was required to decide whether the group should start over or not. He couldn't decide however, so I suggested he flip a coin. This didn't go as planned however because he and another student didn't trust each other and so spent five minutes arguing about which side the coin landed on. Then I suggested they play Rock, Paper, Scissors, which didn't produce a favourable end either, since they spent another five minutes arguing about who and who wasn't cheating. It was while they were still playing that the remaining student arrived, although he wasn't marked in the register because the teacher had left the room to complete some work of his own. We had a cover teacher who was unaware of the details of the task we had been set.
  
  This is what was said through the lesson, beginning from the point at which the cover teacher walked in...
  
  (I replaced the student names with letters)
  
  Teacher: Okay guys, you been left some work to do.
  
  (opens an email from our regular teacher)
  
  Teacher: Uhh... Do you guys know what you're doing yeah?
  
  **** ...
  
  Teacher: You have to produce a schedule and set three targets for your Individual Learning Programme.
  
  **** ...
  
  Teacher: Have been told what you're doing?
  
  Student: Not really.
  
  Teacher: You have to produce a schedule and set three targets for your Individual Learing Programme.
  
  **** ...
  
  Student A: Sir, sir can we go to the library?
  
  Teacher: Yeah, yeah I have some work of my own to do so you can go to the library.
  
  Student B: Sir can we stay here?
  
  Teacher: Yeah yeah you can stay here.
  
  (teacher leaves the room and the groups begin talking amongst themselves, except for one group which disappears for the rest of the morning)
  
  Student C: If you like have Tactical Knife yeah, you can like knife people from behind yeah?
  
  Student D: But not if have a Javelin.
  
  Student C: Yeah but like if he can close to you yeah you can't lock on yeah?
  
  Student B (my group's leader): What are you lot talking about? Call Of Duty? It's called throwing knife.
  
  Student C: Oh yeah.
  
  Student E: I just knife people. I was playing Estate and someone threw a flashbang but I still knifed him because I knew he was there.
  
  Student B: Oy yeah, (Student F)'s not in, so should we like change it to shooter?
  
  Student: C Yeah yeah, cuz' like no one here knows anything about an RPG.
  
  Student B: I agree yeah? I think we should make a shooter.
  
  Student E: But won't (Student F) be complaing about it?
  
  Student C: Oh yeah, yeah that's true.
  
  Student B: But he's not in. But we would have to start again if we were going to make a shooter.
  
  Student C: Shall I tell you what i think we should do yeah?
  
  Student B: Michael what do you think we should do?
  
  Me: The market research suggests that shooters are more popular, so we could make a shooter. But yes, that would we would have to start again.
  
  Student B: Oh man can't decide.
  
  Student C: I think we should make shooter.
  
  Me: Why don't you flip a coin to decide?
  
  Student B: GOOD IDEA! (Student C) give me a coin!
  
  (this leads to at least five students searching their pockets for coins and one student asking Student B for his PIN)
  
  (after finally acquiring a coin, my group flicks the coin around)
  
  Student B: No way man I don't trust him.
  
  Student C: Hey yeah, you flip it like this!
  
  Student B: No man you flip it like this!
  
  (Student B flips the coin...and loses it)
  
  Student C: Oh you lost it.
  
  Group: ...
  
  Student E: Sooo... what now?
  
  Group: ...
  
  Me: You could play Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide.
  
  Student B: GOOD IDEA! If (Student C) wins we get to do shooter!
  
  (after playing several times)
  
  Student B: He's been cheating yeah! If this were Modern Warfare 2 I'd own you yeah?
  
  Student C: No way I'd own you!
  
  Student E: No he wouldn't he's afraid to play Monopoly with me.
  
  (Student F walks in)
  
  Student B: Oy yeah? He's cheating!
  
  Student C: No way yeah? He's the cheater here!
  
  Student D: Hey stop cheating now okay?
  
  Student E: I say we just make Monopoly.
  
  Me: ...
  
  Student F: Uhh guys. What exactly are you doing?
  
  Me: Good morning.
  
  Student F: This is going to be a long day.
  
  (about thirty minutes later)
  
  Student F: This is such a waste of time. I bet you're counting down the days Michael until you get to move.
  
  Me: Yep.
  
  Student F: Ha! Ha! Just think, you'll get to leave all of this behind!
  
  Student B: Oy you lot! We need to make schedule yeah? So let's do that then. What do we-
  
  (suddenly a paper plane hits him in the head)
  
  Student B: Oy yeah who threw that?!
  
  (Student B stands up and begins throwing paper planes back)
  
  Student F: You sure are lucky to be moving. I'm going to be stuck here with these immature adults.
  
  (thirty minutes later)
  
  Student B: Okay, let's get this schedule done. Michael what do we need to put on it?
  
  (another paper plane hits him in the head)
  
  Student B: Oy yeah? Who threw that?!
  
  (history repeats for another thirty minutes)
  
  Student B: Hey you guys! What are you doing?
  
  (Students C and B don't answer)
  
  Student B: They're just slacking man! What should we do with them?
  
  Me: We could send them to do research.
  
  Student B: Oy you lot! Do research!
  
  (Student F slams his head on the table)
  
  (after convincing the students to go to the library)
  
  Student B: Good, now they're gone... Hey Michael you just did that to get them out of the way didn't you? You're smart man!
  
  Student F: Now if only we could get everyone else out of the way too...
  
  (a loud thump is heard from the left siide of the room)
  
  Student B: Oy yeah? Don't do that you could get suspended!
  
  (another group was playing with a fire extinguisher and had tipped over several tables)
  
  (Students C and D return with four pieces of paper, two of which are identical)
  
  Student B: Id this the research you got?
  
  Student C: He didn't do stuff yeah, I did the research.
  
  Student D: Oh and what did you get to to do with transport then?
  
  Student B: Let's see what you found for 'Props'.
  
  (Student B looks at the papers given by Student D, then looks at me and shakes his head)
  
  Student B: You need to see this.
  
  (Bearing in mind he was supposed to have researched objects that might be found in a Western European house during the Middle Ages, I looked at the papers to find a modern bed with a heated mattress, an electronic alarm clock)
  
  Student D: How is it?
  
  Me: Umm... very good.
  
  Student C: Michael have a look at mine man!
  
  (this student was to research 'Transport', mainly because we were originally designing a Sci-Fi shooter, but no one changed his role to fit that of a Middle Age RPG)
  
  (I looked at the A4 sized sheet to find a single, small image of a wheelbarrow)
  
  Me: ...
  
  Student C:
  
  Me: ...
  
  Student B: You guys are slackers man! Me and these have been working hard while you've been collecting images of heated beds and wheelbarrows!
  
  Student C: There was only one wheelbarrow.
  
  Student D: You do something then!
  
  Student B: I've been making the schedule!
  
  Me: And playing with paper planes.
  
  Student F: Over and over again.
  
  Student B: Hey (Student E) can you show me the environments you've drawn?
  
  Student E: What game are we making?
  
  Student B: ...
  
  Student B: Michael I'm going out for a smoke. Look after the group while I'm out ok? Thanks man.
  
  (after an hour)
  
  Me: ...
  
  Student C: ...
  
  Student: D ...
  
  Student E: ...
  
  Student F: ...
  
  Student E: He hasn't been back for an hour.
  
  Me: ...
  
  Student C: ...
  
  Student D: ...
  
  Student F: ...
  
  Student E: ...
  
  Me: He must be smoking a pretty big cigarette...
  
  (at this point the teacher was supposed to have returned, but he didn't so we waited another hour for him, until the majority of the ****left for lunch)

  • Posted Feb 3, 2010 8:24 pm GMT
  • Category: General
  • 9 Comments
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• 2Feb 10

  Update blog #5

  (Technically it's #1 because I didn't post the others here.)

  College

  We're continuing work on the game design in the groups that we were assigned to two weeks ago. However the teacher wishes to rotate the Group Roles, which will most likely result in a great degree of confusion, given how disorganized the group currently is.
  
  The ****has been issued a new teacher for Tuesday afternoon lessons, making this the third new staff member we've recieved after previous staff left for various reasons. One of whom left for personal reasons, another left after it was discovered not all of the info on his CV was accurate. The third is needed to teach students on a higher level course due to their previous teacher leaving.
  
  Games

  I said I would attempt to finish Disgaea 3 and Agarest:GOW, but I haven't touched either since then. Perhaps I'll continue Disgaea 3 after I finish off the remaining college assignments.
  
  Now that I'm over 17 the restrictions on online features for games have been removed, so I can play using my main account as opposed to my alt. I did consider playing MW2 online, but I heard about there being a great number of glitches and unpleasant players present. Then again I'm not very fond of competitive multiplayer anyway.
  

  Misc.

  I signed up at GiantBomb (one word?) because very little is happening at GT. It took longer than expected to create a suitable background due to the majority of the background being obscured by the opaque frame applied to the text.

  • Posted Feb 2, 2010 6:13 pm GMT
  • Category: General
  • 13 Comments
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• 30Jan 10

  My 18th Birthday!

  I'm 18 today.

  • Posted Jan 30, 2010 12:23 pm GMT
  • Category: General
  • 24 Comments
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