September 9, 2010 Archives

Due Today:

Unit 1: Scratch

Your Unit 1 Scratch Portfolio will involve either a Scratch game or some other interactive / narrative creation.

Your portfolio begins with a blog entry. Submit your portfolio by posting a link in a comment on this page.

Scratch Game
  • Review of 2 Scratch games
  • Opening Screen Instructions
  • Level 1 (what's the point?)
  • Level 2 (how does it get harder? How is it more rewarding?)
  • Level 3 (how does it get harder? How is it more rewarding?)
  • Win Screen (what's the payoff?)
  • Lose Screen (how to encourage replay?)
  • Credits
  • Usability Test Report (watch and learn from 3 testers not in this class)
OR

Scratch Interactive / Narrative
  • Review of 2 informative/narrative Scratch projects
  • Opening Screen Instructions (if needed)
  • Section 1 (what's the point?)
  • Section 2 (how does it build on section 1?)
  • Section 3 (how does it build on section 2 and 1?)
  • Explanation (what does it all mean?)
  • Bibliography (cite sources, suggest related sources)
  • Credits
  • Usability Test Report (watch and learn from 3 testers not in this class)
Introduction to interactive fiction (text adventure games) and Inform 7 (a tool for creating them.)

In class, we will sample some recent IF games, and we will start some simple coding exercises. Just as Scratch has a history behind it (it was created by MIT researchers in order to introduce kids to the thinking processes they'll need in order to learn computer programming skills), interactive fiction also has a history.  I'll let Jason Scott's GET LAMP movie tell that story in detail, when he comes to SHU to screen a trimmed-down version. (Here's a trailer.)



This video covers the recent efforts of a small group of IF fans to make interactive fiction more accessible to modern audiences.  

People's Republic of IF  (How to play IF postcard)


How did my son react to text adventure games, one dark night during Snowpocalypse '10? Here is his first encounter. Watching Peter play is not quite the same thing as watching a beta-tester playing through your own game, but you'll see how he uses problem-solving skills. Watch for when he realizes that progress in this game depends on reading the text carefully and interpreting the words (rather than just shooting anything that moves).



As I introduce Peter to "Adventure," I describe the significance and history of this game, which in about 1976 invented the text adventure genre (in fact, today's "adventure game" genre owes its name to this game.)


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