Final Project: Anything we desire

My initial thoughts for what I would like to do for my final project revolves around multiplayer casual games. I haven't before I came to this school ever been interested in building a game at all especially a casual game. I have always been leaning to making the graphics for console games, but at this point my views are changing.

So I see this project as an ample opportunity to try out this desire and see will it will lead me. My MTV collab class has been a great inspiration to getting me to this point, as well as my C++ class.

So my idea is to study Multiplayer casual games for this mini-thesis project because for my thesis I am thinking about doing a downloadable casual game or a multiplayer casual game.

My first initial questions I feel I want to research are:

What are the characteristics of Multiplayer Casual Games?
Example: What basic components need to be included?
-Chat?
-Attack Items?
-Viewing other player Progress etc?

How are they built?

What makes them interesting?

How do you prototype these types of games in other interesting ways other then technology based?

What are some precedents?
-Examples:
Switcheroo
Spogg
Rampage
Smash Tv

**sidenote: Two player coop games are great
The return of simplicity is important

Who are the target audience?

For this project I don't feel I should attempt to create my own original game because it would truly be impossible within the time period. I am toying with the idea of taking a game that people usually play alone Example: Diner Dash, what happens when that becomes a multiplayer experience?

So the possible goal for this project would be to take a well known game, make it multiplayer and determine from user testing what makes the experience good or bad. What can be done to improve the experience or game interaction between player or make it special? What keep players coming back for more?

I think what I love about multiplayer casual games is the interaction that sometimes forms between player much like the interaction that forms in an arcade when you have a challenger. I learned that I much rather play a fighting game away from home or with actually opponents then against a computer because the experience is much grander.

Hopefully, I would like to use the information gathered and prototypes gathered as the begininings of research needed for my thesis next year.

posted by Megumiaraki @ 7:40 AM