Blog for group work 2 – Design Document

For this second piece of group work we had to create the first draft of a design document that would be used for an upcoming (and completely fictional) game. We would do this in a group of 5 with each member of the group working on a different section (i.e. one person creating early character designs, one person working on early level designs, one person working on the game mechanics etc).
We started by having several group meetings brainstorming and working with each other to create an idea for a game. With several floating around we ended up combining several elements from a group of ideas to create an overall idea. This idea would be ‘Legend Ball’, a sports game with an emphasis on action.
We continued to have additional meetings as a group to flesh out the games ideas, help each other with any problems we may have had and just to critique. I believe that this extra interaction with each other helped us build a strong design document.


While doing this assignment there were some minor issues with some members of the group, whether it was because of prior engagements or just overall laziness. But these only occurred occasionally and did not upset everyone too much or interfere with the rest of the group working together.
Spending more time together helped the group write a more coherent report; the time spent together helped us all focus on the same point instead of five individual takes on the subject. The group nearly always tried their hardest to meet up with me and another member never missing one meeting.
One stand out target we managed to achieve from the last time we had to set targets was research, we took out books, read articles and websites with no member of the group falling short with each being given a set amount needed (if they were doing a section that would require a little research)


SMART Targets
1) Time management is always needed so we can plan out the assignment and not be on a rush on the final day. This is still will always be a target so then people don’t fall back into bad habits.
2) Motivating the team more so that everyone is enjoying their selves but also that it doesn’t sound too pushy.
3) Could always meet up more, but some members commitments could always change this.
4) Devote more spare time to work, there is always more to do.


With this assignment I believe that my group improved tenfold on pretty much all fronts. Whether it was meeting up more, getting the work together on a set date or just working together as a group I believe we smashed the targets that I set last time.

Blog For Individual Work 1 – Are Games Ruining the Games Industry?

For this individual piece of work I had to create a report based on the question “Are Games Ruining the Games Industry?”; this piece of work was to be handed in on the 5th March 2010 and was to be roughly between 1000 to 1500 words (this was a rough suggested guideline given).
To start I was to follow on from my last PDP where I needed to improve on the last assignment by first reading articles, academic papers and blogs relating to this assignment that would allow me to back up my views in the report. I found the most relevant ones that I would eventually use in to help formulate the report. Using these would help me create a document that was around 2,100 words (over the suggested guideline) and included most of the topics I wanted to talk about (with one about how the sequel Left 4 Dead 2 left a gaming community in an uproar with the announcement of this game a year after the original being left out). This assignment was easy to write and came together quickly mainly because of the freedom given to us regarding the content that we included in it.


In this assignment I didn’t have any issues that I could identify with as such, the only one would be going 600 words over the suggested word count guideline. Cutting it down to what I needed and not adding too much extra into the assignment would help when cutting down the word count.
But from this assignment there are a few strengths that I can continue to build on in the future, these being the preparation, referencing and time management of the assignment as a whole. These again are improvements on my last pdp update.


My SMART Targets
1) In preparation for the work when researching, try and only use topics relevant to what is needed. (Add more towards the end if I believe it will help)
2) Keep to the word count as best as I can, in this assignment it wasn’t a huge deal but it would be a concern for future ones
3) I believe the referencing was strong but there’s always more you can do.
4) More notes the better.
5) When in a group I should help plan out what is to be done and keep on top of the work as I’ve shown to myself I can do it.


I believe that this assignment was the easiest to date, and not for the fact that the assignment we were given was particularly easy. I had sat down and jotted down notes before hand on what I would want to write about; then researched them and finally utilised all that to create the document. Overall I was impressed with my preparation and time management as this is what had let me down in the previous assignments with my group, and knowing I can now do this will help me when put into a team again.

Blog For Group Work

For the group work we had to create a set of tests on the usability on a game, the game we chose was a Nintendo DS title called Scribblenauts. After collecting this data from the tests we would have to use it to create a report.

We started by formulating a test as a group that would include information on different aspects of the user interface that would help us formulate a report. We started by asking a few random people around the university who weren’t involved in any type of games design course, but this inevitably failed. We then got people we know, family and friends (most who weren’t avid game players) to follow the instructions and fill in some questionnaires.

This data helped us to come together as a group and see what had happened and create a report from this. We then split this into different sections for each member to complete. With the reluctance of some members we managed to finish this work on the day.

There were some major issues with this assignment that drastically need to be improved on in the future to avoid finishing it on the last day as this is not good practice. We need to meet as a group more and help/feed off each others ideas as I believe this would help for a more coherent report (instead of it reading like it has been wrote by 5 different people). We also need to time manage much more effectively, maybe by setting small weekly targets that the group can reach for together. Finally avoiding being lazy would be another major concern, if someone starts to slack help them out and set them on the right path again as a group.

My SMART Targets

1) Time management is needed so we can plan out the assignment and not be on a rush on the final day.

2) Research, research, research.

3) More preparation time and planning who will be doing what.

4) Getting some members of my team motivated so they don’t drag the group down by being lazy, everyone has to pull the weight.

5) Meet more as a group and do more together

This assignment was a bit of an eye-opener but overall apart from a few flaws I believe we work well as a group. There are a few things that need to be addressed but we can do the work and for the deadline (as I later found out that some groups didn’t meet it), so there is some positives to take away from this and not all negatives.

Learning Styles: What style am I?

While trying to find out what learning style suits me best I mainly focused on two different learning models, these being the KOLB and VAK method. These are not the only models of learning styles available but after understanding them more and running through a number of questionnaires I realized that both these styles are relevant to how we all learn everyday.

In 1984 David Kolb theorized that people develop a favorite type of learning method that helps them absorb information better in a learning environment. To do this people must have a basic understanding in what these different styles are before they learn what their own is. Most people do have a slight idea of how they learn best (me being one of them) even if they don’t full understand what is involved to help them learn better.

With the KOLB model I took a two level program starting with a test that defines a basic style of what you are (Activist, Reflector, Theorist, and Pragmatist), followed by a graph that would determine a more rounded style that I am, I would plot the graph by using the information from the test (the more rounded styles being one of the following, Accommodator, Diverger, Converger, or Assimilator).

The second learning style that I would be researching is the VAK method that uses the three main sensory receivers, Visual (learn by observing), Auditory (learn by listening), and Kinesthetic (learning by doing/moving). As you would believe people learn by using all these different methods at the same time but according to the VAK theory, one or two of these receiving styles are more dominant than the other. The dominant style then defines how we learn best; this may not always be the case though because while doing different tasks we may use one specific method more, but while performing a different task we may use the two different ones. Even through a person’s academic life you can see where these styles are used more dominantly. From Kinesthetic being very young, moving onto a more Visual style of learning in around high school, and then onto being more Auditory in college and university.

To find out what type of style I would be (while already having a slight idea) I would complete a 30 question multiple choice test giving me a result at the end of what style is more dominant.

While researching KOLB I went through an exercise to understand what my style is and how it could help me in the future in regard to an easier way to absorb knowledge. The exercise had me rating four statements from 1 to 4 and how they suited me best (best being 4), these statements ranged from “I like to be doing things” to “I like to watch”. Once this was completed I had to total each section, not fully knowing what style I would be yet. Once the calculations were complete I found out that I was actually more Pragmatist with a close second going to Activist.

This is a graph of the results from the 1^st part of the KOLB exercise.

In the next section I was told to calculate the results from the totals, this would give me a more rounded look at the exact learning style I am. The way this was done was by taking my Theorist score minus the Activist score resulting in -5, and then taking the Pragmatist score minus the Reflector score resulting in a 5. After plotting these scores onto another graph it came out with my final result that was Accommodator (learning by doing and feeling).

The Accommodator has quality's ranging from thriving on competition, risk‑taking, and excitement, to working well with people, and making a great leader. Finally the Accommodator also has dislikes that range from passive learning (listening, watching and reading) to repetitive practice.

During the VAK learning style test I was asked to answer 30 multiple choice (of a possible 3 answers) questions that would define my learning style and show me what style is more dominant in certain situations. For example I was asked “If I have to complain about faulty goods, I am most comfortable”, with me answering “taking the item back to the store or posting it to head office”. After answering all the questions I was told to calculate how many A’s, B,s and C’s I had answered, with the results being A’s equaling 10, B’s equaling 4 and C’s having the majority answered being 16. My result was C which was a Kinesthetic style of learning.

Out of both tests it has been shown that I have a more hands on approach when it comes to learning, and that I work best when pressure is on or if I’m working in some type of group. I had a slight idea that this would be result from the beginning, but the results also showed me that apart from learning better with a more hands on approach I also like to learn visually in some cases. Knowing this information of what style I am and about the other styles can only better me in my studies at university.