Your team will create a paper prototype of your video game. In the next assignment, you'll have people outside your team playtest the paper prototype, in order to evaluate and refine the game's design before you start coding and creating graphics.

Even though a paper prototype can't simulate all the aspects of a video game, you will hopefully discover that creating and playtesting a paper prototype will help:

• clarify your team's conceptual model of the game

• verify which game design elements are working well

• identify which game design elements may need improvements

Here are some videos demonstrating paper prototypes of video games:

• Paper Prototype 1 — Remote Control

• Paper Prototype 2 — Flying Toucan

• Paper Prototype 3 — Monkey vs. Mosquito

1. Create a paper prototype that can be used to demonstrate your core gameplay.

   • Focus on prototyping the core gameplay — at this point, don't worry about including a title screen, menu screen, etc.

   • Draw the game world on paper with one sheet representing the size of the computer screen. If the game world extends beyond a single screen, attach multiple sheets of paper together.

   • You do not have to draw the entire game world (or include all its features) — but include enough to sufficiently test the core gameplay.

   • Any game objects (such as: obstacles, etc.) that will NOT move or change during playtesting can be drawn directly on the game world.

   • Any characters (player, enemies, etc.) or game objects (resources, etc.) that will move or change should be created as separate parts.

   • Many games display certain gameplay information (such as: score, etc.). Determine if there is certain information (such as: health, etc.) that will be important to show in your prototype during playtesting.

2. Take 2-3 photos of your paper prototype, and annotate the photos with labels.

   • Each photo should show a different point in the gameplay or a different part of the game world.

   • Use an image editor (such as: Google Drawing, Pixlr Editor, etc.) to annotate the photos with text labels to identify the key features being shown.

❏ Deliverable

Submit your team's annotated photos of its paper prototype

example

Your team will conduct playtesting sessions with your paper prototype, in order to evaluate and improve your game's design.

Playtesting of a prototype for a game is similar to user testing of a prototype for a website, app, or device.

You'll playtest your paper prototype within your own team and then with people outside your team.

1. Within your team, playtest your paper prototype to evaluate and refine your game design and/or paper prototype.

   • Have one person on your team act as the player. The player can perform any actions allowed by the procedures and rules of the game.

   • Another person on your team will act as the "computer" by responding to the player's actions and controlling non-player characters and game objects — according to the procedures and rules of the game.

   • Focus on making sure the core gameplay makes sense and matches your targeted gaming motivations and player experience goals.

   • As necessary, make additions or revisions to your game design document and/or paper prototype.

2. Record a brief video (about 1-3 minutes) demonstrating your core gameplay with your paper prototype.

   • Provide narration (or captions) to explain the key features of the gameplay.

3. Partner with another team to have them playtest your paper prototype.

   • Your team should describe your game's targeted gaming motivations and player experience goals. Then briefly explain your game's premise and objective — as well as the basic actions that the player can perform.

   • One person from the external team will act as the player. Ask the player to “Think Aloud” while playtesting the game.

   • One person on your team will act as the "computer" to respond to the player's actions and control the non-player characters and game objects.

   • Another person on your team should record notes on issues and feedback.

   • After playtesting, the two teams can discuss the game in more detail to generate constructive feedback on the game's design.

   • When finished, the two teams should switch roles to playtest the other team's paper prototype.

4. Within your team, analyze the notes from the external playtesting to evaluate and improve your game's design.

   • Create a list of key game design issues to resolve, and generate design ideas to address them.

   • Make any necessary additions or revisions to your game design document.

❏ Deliverable

Submit the following for your team:

• video demonstrating your core gameplay with your paper prototype

• list of key issues in game design and changes made to address them

• updated game design document

Here are videos demonstrating paper prototypes of video games:

• Paper Prototype 1 — Remote Control

• Paper Prototype 2 — Flying Toucan

• Paper Prototype 3 — Monkey vs. Mosquito

Teams will create the assets (art and sound) for their game. In the meantime, the team's coder can use placeholder assets to program the game. As the final assets are completed, they can be incorporated into the team's game.

Art assets might include: animated sprites, static images, backgrounds, UI icons, etc.

Sound assets might include: sound effects, voice acting, background music, etc.

❏ Deliverable

Submit a link to your team's assets folder (containing game's image and sound files)

example of deliverable

Your team will create a game design document, which details your game's design and will help guide the prototyping and development of your game.

A game design document builds upon a game treatment by adding specifics for all the :

• Structural Elements — which determine the game's mechanics

• Dramatic Elements — which determine the game's story

• Artistic Elements — which determine the game's aesthetics

The game design document also includes concept sketches of the game world, characters, and key game objects.

The game design document is a "conceptual prototype" of your game's design. Later, your team will construct and test a physical prototype of your game (using paper) before developing your digital prototype (using code).

1. • Summary of Game Concept: Transfer this from your game treatment. You can make revisions based on the feedback from your proposal presentation.

   • Gaming Motivations and Player Experience Goals: Transfer these from your target player persona.

2. Document your game's design elements by brainstorming, discussing, and refining ideas as a team.

   • Dramatic Elements: Transfer the premise, characters, and story from your game summary. Then add more details (as necessary) for these elements, as well as the other dramatic elements (such as challenge, etc.).

   • Structural Elements: Transfer the objectives and conflict from your game summary. Then add more details (as necessary) for these elements, as well as the other structural elements of your game (such as procedures, etc.).

   • Artistic Elements: Transfer the concept sketches from your game treatment. As necessary, revise the sketches or add more. Then add details for the other artistic elements of your game (such as audio, etc.).

3. Review your completed game design document to ensure the design elements form a cohesive game matching the targeted gaming motivations and player experience goals.

   • It may be helpful to have someone outside your team also review the game design document to provide feedback.

   • Refine your game's design elements as necessary.

❏ Deliverable

Submit your team's game design document (including concept sketches)

example of deliverable

Create a slide presentation that explains and demonstrates the video game that your team designed and developed. The presentation is an opportunity for other teams to ask questions and provide feedback to help your team improve its game.

Your team's presentation should include the following (in this order):

1. Project Team: game's working title, team name, team members & their roles

2. Gaming Motivations and Player Experience Goals: Describe the targeted gaming motivations and player experience goals for the game.

3. Game Concept: Briefly explain the premise, setting, characters, story, objective, and conflict of your game. Be sure to include concept sketches.

4. Paper Prototype: Show the video demonstrating your paper prototype gameplay. Narrate the gameplay to explain key features.

5. Paper Prototype Playtesting: Briefly summarize the key issues discovered during playtesting and the design changes made to address the issues.

6. Video Game Demonstration: Provide a live (or recorded) demonstration of your video game. Narrate the gameplay to explain key features.

The presentation should have 6-10 slides and take 5-10 minutes to deliver.

• Be sure to practice your presentation before delivering it to your class.

• Be sure to record notes on any constructive feedback your team receives.

❏ Deliverable

Submit your team's slide presentation

Your team needs to create a project schedule to help ensure that you'll complete all the necessary tasks involved to design and develop your team's robot solution. This phase of the project will require about 6-7 weeks to complete. Your teacher will identify the specific deadline(s) for this project phase.

This flowchart shows the major tasks that your team must complete during this project phase:

In the first few tasks, your team will work together to create a detailed game design and then evaluate that design using a paper prototype. This will give your team a shared vision of what your video game will be.

Then your team members will start to work in parallel on different tasks, depending on their team role. For example, you should have a team member coding the game, while another team member creates game assets. When necessary, you might have multiple team members working together on certain tasks.

Your team will finish this project phase by presenting your video game to the class. (In the next project phase, your team will evaluate your game with people outside your team, in order to refine the game before the final public presentation.)

1. Identify the sequence of tasks to be completed (which might require dividing major tasks into subtasks)

2. Assign one or more team members to lead or perform each task

3. Estimate the amount of time to complete each task

4. Develop a draft schedule with specific dates for working on the tasks

5. Finalize the schedule by making any necessary adjustments (task sequence, assigned resources, durations, dates, etc.) to ensure the project deadline(s) will be met

6. Use the schedule to monitor the team's progress on a regular basis, and make any necessary adjustments to keep the project on track

Your teacher might assign a specific format or template for your team's project schedule.

❏ Deliverables

• Submit your team's project schedule

• Provide weekly updates on your team's progress

example of deliverable

Throughout the development of your team's game code and assets, your team should periodically playtest your game in progress to ensure newly-added features are functioning as intended — and to identify any issues that should be fixed.

Your team's Programming Lead should be testing the game as new code and assets are added. However, it will be helpful to have your team's Art Lead or Research Lead act as another playtester:

• Your team's Art Lead could playtest the game to verify that newly-added assets (animated sprites, sound effects, etc.) are functioning as intended. For example, are the sprites the correct size, are the sprite's animations playing properly, etc.

• Your team's Research Lead could playtest the game more thoroughly — by not only testing new features but also ensuring existing features still work.

Communication between your team members will be important, so the internal playtesting can focus on specific game features that need to be tested, while also providing specific feedback on any issues that are detected.

❏ Deliverable

Submit your team's ...

Teams will code their video game based on their game design document.

A suggested order of what to code first will be provided. Emphasis will be on programming a minimal viable product (MVP) version of the game, rather than a full version. The game needs to be a playable demo that highlights the game design, but may not necessarily incorporate all envisioned features.

❏ Deliverables

Submit the following:

• Pseudocode or flowchart for core gameplay

• JavaScript code (script.js file) for the video game

Example Flowchart for Space Invaders (core gameplay only)

Example Pseudocode for Space Invaders (entire Phaser game)