Ready, Set, Play!

Getting Started with Game Development

Susan Edwards, Hammer Museum

@jolifanta

Seema Rao, Cleveland Museum of Art

@artlust

David Schaller, eduweb

@davidschaller

Let’s make a game!

[frightening blank page]

Let’s make a game!

Creating a game is

designing an experience.

Ready, Set, Play!

[this is where you play with us]

Ready, Set, Play!

What type of museum?

What is the goal?

Who is the audience?

What do players do?

What is the space?

Is it social?

Synchronous or asynchronous?

What is the role of staff?

Is content intrinsic to the game?

What type of museum?

Natural History Museum

Ecosystems

What is the goal?

Institutional goal > Understand how ecosystems work, and how we influence ecosystems.

Sustainability.Experience the information.

Player goal >Primary = Foreign element introduced – you have to

return the ecosystem to balance.Levels = Player evolves – natural selection (Spore game

tried to do this)

Who is the audience?

Kids first (adults pretend to be kids)

8+

What do players do?

Earn something that they can then place within the ecosystem machine and see what happens

System loses pieces, put pieces back to return balance

Feedback with a CO2 meter.

Manipulate the abiotic (non-living) factors, see how biotic reacts.

What is the space?

Not a kiosk on a small screen in the gallery.

In the museum – possibly progressive. Can player experience the ecosystem in the museum? Stations

in the galleries relate to the game.

Is it social?

Yes – individual actions, but group decision-making influences each step.

Synchronous or asynchronous?

Does it have to be synchronous because it’s in-gallery? No.

If it doesn’t have a start and end, it could be asynchronous.

You are playing synchronously. Overall game is asynchronous.

What is the role of staff?

Provide content.

Build a balance board – a mechanical system that players manipulate. Can also do this virtually.

Needs to be unfacilitated.

Staff does maintenance.

What’s the game?

[convince a 12-year-old to play the game]

Is content intrinsic to the game?

Play testing!

Ready, Set, Play!

[let’s do it again]

What type of museum?

What is the goal?

Who is the audience?

What do players do?

What is the space?

Is it social?

Synchronous or asynchronous?

What is the role of staff?

What’s the game?

[convince a 12-year-old to play the game]

Is content intrinsic to the game?

Play testing!

You Rock!!

Thank You!

Susan Edwards, Hammer Museum

@jolifanta

Seema Rao, Cleveland Museum of Art

@artlust

David Schaller, eduweb

@davidschaller