Fullerton’s Game Development Guidelines:
I sincerely followed Fullerton’s guidelines as much as possible within the limited timeline. As soon as we developed our game idea, I initiated the immediate creation of a paper version of our game and sought out not only team members but also outside players to playtest our game. As a group, we went through many iterations, changing the scope, reintegrating our guiding ideas, and playtesting repeatedly. Throughout this process, I ensured that we kept returning to Fullerton’s Design process, making sure our game was player-centric. I helped to ensure that gameplay was first and foremost, with indigenous principles of learning regarding interconnectedness with nature expressed through stealth learning tactics.
Game Assets:
Using Procreate and an Ipad, I created six original images, five for use as talking pictures for sprites within The Nature of the Beast and one as The Nature of the Beast game cover art. Besides, I helped design the series of maps, including the connection points between maps, used to create the changing environmental impact due to resource collection within the game itself.
Skills and Abilities:
Procreate is a program I have used before, I learned new skills within procreate in the creation of size-specific images for integration with RPG maker. I completed the original drawings on a much larger scale than the upload size would allow within RPG maker, and thus reduced the images sizes as needed in post-production.
Additionally, I spent a lot of time researching and refining my original images to ensure that I was accurately anthropomorphizing and providing a lack of gender binary in character creation. I also strategically used realistic characteristics with my character creation for NPC’s, to help distinguish their omnipotence.
Even with the limited nature of RPG makers single-user software license and Mac limitations, because of the RPG maker workshop, I was able to make meaningful game design suggestions for map design, sprite usage, and game layout from a basis of knowledge.
Game Content Integration:
I helped to ensure that game content, precisely the principle of interconnectedness with nature, was integrated into images, play progression, rule systems, and NPC’s. I repeatedly drew out the game maps in whiteboard form as we progressed through the playtesting iterations, and came up with our multiple map solution to show environmental connectedness with resource harvesting.
Audience:
To engage marginalized players, we chose to use anthropomorphized
Characters without specific genders or race to create a more inclusive environment. I spent a lot of time researching and refining my original images to ensure that our characters were as inclusive as possible. I shared stories and perspective to ensure Indigenous principles of learning were integrated into content, with my hope that it would help to hold space for indigenous players.
Most Playable Moment:
I found The Nature of the Beast’s most fun moment to be the cheekiness of the NPC at the beginning of the game; I feel that it helped throw you right into gameplay without too much pre-loading. I found the gameplay to be interesting and appreciated the apparent changes in the forest environment, which saught too also provoke self-connection with the environment regardless of the win condition. I think the use of NPC’s was unexpected and allowed for a sense of exploration and wonder.
In conclusion, I invested a significant amount of time, care, thought, creativity, and effort into the development of The Nature of the Beast and am proud of my contributions.