Games Britannia

Games Britannia: Dicing With Destiny

On 30th October 2014 our lecture Eddie showed us a video called Games Britannia on BBC4. It was a interesting show to look about all the history of games. The fact that all of the origin games that was made long time ago was evolved and developed in the present.  

Benjamin Woolley, the host of the Game Britannia showed us all the old game that was made in the past and also talked about how he grew up playing different types of old games. He then talks about some example games that were made in the past like snakes and ladders, chess, ludo and even showed us complex games that were similar to snakes and ladders for example.

Then later he focus on how a lot of people used to play games to pass time as a method, like in the church for example, there were a lot of board games carved/inscribed in the stone because they could use it to play while they had to wait. then pretty much looked at interacting and gambling game. The gambling was growing more fast because it all about to winning or loosing money based on the cast of dice. Also another thing he also mention about dice to be something evil when it was seen in the church. So basically it means it affects religions. 

In the last video he talks about chess, a very known game that everybody plays and requires lots of strategy and thinking. What i learned was that chess was used as a method of training troops to battle in the old days. Now in the present chess used to have different types of rules until when the international championship took part the rules was set. Benjamin spoke with one of the professional chess player and he said it easy to play chess but it takes time and it difficult to master it. 

Ancient History Games

Ancient Games: Ur and Senet

 Last week lecture (on 7th October 2014) we looked and learned more about the ancient games. What we played was a game called the royal games of ur and senet. I played the royal games of ur with my partner and the game was around 2600BC.

The rules was bit complex but then we figured it out. It basically was a strategy game where the player takes turns on rolling the dice, and whatever number we get, we move at the space where the card tell us how many space we can move and if we get another roll or not. It wall all based on strategy and it makes the game more fun and competitive to try outsmart your opponent.

Senet, (which was a 5 thousand years old game) i didn't get  a chance to play that game, but i heard it pretty similar to the royal games of ur just the layout and the rule were bit different.

Overall i think learning about ancient board games can be bit of fun to know more knowledge about it and learning the history of old board games.

Battleship

Iterating Battleships

On Friday 17th October in Rob lesson, we was given a task to play a well known game called Battleships. The only thing he wanted us to focus on was what enjoyment we was getting from that game and which mechanic led the fun.

So basically i played the game with my partner and what i observe was there are some tension where i feel happiness and accomplished when i land a hit. Sometimes i get bit frustrated and tent to swear a bit when i can't control my action from what i say, but other than that i mostly enjoy the game play of Battleship. 

Near the end of the game we both were at our last ship (or as i would say the last showdown. Sorry just had to say it). We get to the feeling where the pressure gets too high and if one of us makes a mistake on not landing a hit, then you start to feel more worried and more pressure builds up inside of you. It the feeling where you absolutely have to win at no cost and hoping to land a hit to win the game.

After playing our 1st game, we then get a chance to iterate the game with our own rules. What my partner suggest was adding 3 more smaller (or one-ers and he would say) so that it will be more harder to find the small battleship as we known that we will always go for the largest or midway ships. 

After giving it a try, we seem to feel that it wasn't working out since it still the same game we play previously before iterating it. And also the game will last much longer to find the small ships. 

I would still keep iterating the game to find the best solution on making it fair and more enjoyable for both players to have fun. But other than that, the lesson learned me how we can have more fun with board games and other different emotion by iterating the game.

Bibliography Update

Bibliography

Full length books:
Richard, R. III and Steve, O. (2005). Game Design: Theory & Practice, The Function of the Focus. 2320 Los Rios Boulevard Plano, Texas 75074: Wordware. Page 74 - 77.

Jesse, S. (2008). The Art of Game Design: Good Games Are Created Through Playtesting. Morgan Kaufmann: Elsevier . Page 389-390.

Academic journals:
Cho HY, Boster FJ (2008). First and third person perceptions on antidrug ads among adolescents. Commun. Res., Page 169-189.

Brosius HB, Engel D (1996). The causes of third-person effects: Unrealistic optimism, impersonal impact, or generalized negative attitudes toward media influence? Int. J. Public Opin. Res., Page 142-162.


Articles in books:
Nick, F. The strange case of the casual gamer. Page, 143-163. In Isbister, Katherine. Schafer, Noah. (2008). Game usability. Burlington, USA: Morgan kaufmann


Geoff, K. Die hard/try harder: narrative, spectacle and beyond, from hollywood to videogame. Page, 50-64. in King, Geoff. Krzywinska, Tanya. (2002). Screenplay:cinema/videogames/interfaces. London, U.K.:Wallflower Press

Critical Games Studies

What is the title of the book (fiction) you are currently reading or what is the title of the last fiction book you read? 

I sometimes enjoy books when i find something interesting or worth having to look at. For example Of Mice and Men, made by John Steinbeck was a good fiction book i read back in my secondary school in 2011. It was about George Milton and Lennie Small moving from place to place finding new job and earning money to have their own farmyard to live. it interest me because it was telling a story how two men were struggling to find a good job to earn enough money to make/build their own farmyard. 

What is the title/topic of the book (non-fiction) you are currently reading, or what is the title/topic of the last non-fiction book you read?

I Don't really read non-fiction book that much but i have to say it was ancient romans. I read it back in my secondary school in 2009 during my history lesson and for some reason i quite find it interesting. Having my teacher explaining all about the ancient romans got me curious and wanting to know more about their timeline and how things went down. 

What is the last live performance (music, drama or dance) you attended?

I have never been to any live music or drama performance but dance i have once. My friend Georgina invited me to come watch her perform a live dance to everyone with her friends on stage and it really got a lot of people cheering on for her. She was such a good dancer because she done a lot of dance lesson in school and outside her own time. She was really dedicated to what she wants to do in life.

What is the title of the last film you saw at the cinema / online or watched on DVD?

The last film i watch in cinema was Godzilla 2014. It was a brilliant film seeing Godzilla back in action but also suprised me seeing a new specie appear in the movie. It got me thinking what the creature was and what were its objectives? But other than that the movie was excellent and i really enjoyed it.

How often do you read a newspaper? (Which one? Online or physical?)

I don't read physical newspaper that much but sometimes i read The Sun when i am making my way back home either by bus, tram or train. 

Which art gallery / museum / exhibition did you last visit?

I have been to the art exhibition in London back in 2012. On my college trip we had to observe and out knowledge the artist of their work and write references/feedback on them. Also i had a go at drawing one of the artist artwork that inspired me to make me draw it. I wanted to test myself and see how capable i am to draw exactly the same as the artist work. 

How many hours a week do you spend playing video games?

Well that an easy question for me to answer since i play video games a lot. About 6 hours a week with my friends online if i was doing co-op mission or playing together against other people. I love to play video games and i usually stay on it until i feel bored or if i have something to do or if i am busy with someone. During summer holiday i always play on my Playstation 3/4 or on my laptop playing lots of massive multiplayer online games because i like to play competitive with other people just to show off my game skill. 

How many hours a week do you spend playing games other than video games?

It not something i would measure in weekly scale, but i do tend to sometimes like playing board games with my friends like backgammon or Monopoly. Board games is not something i usually play but when i have friends over and they want to play board games a bit rather video then i go along and play with them too to have fun.