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Timeline
Monday 30 January 2012
Sources of Information
There are many different ways that I can access information when researching and choosing my styles and design for my board game:
Internet: A vast majority of information can be found on the internet, any board games that I will be unable to find in stores, I will be able to source and find out about online. The majority of "geeky" games will not be on the common market so this will be the best place to find them on specific geek websites such as boardgamegeek.com which has a huge selection of board game information.
Stores: The High Street will contain many shops such as WHS Smith and Waterstones which will provide me with information on board games, it will also allow me to gather information on the most popular games that can be found on the common market and perhaps the more successful ones. The stores will also contain prices to give me a good idea of how the size or design of the game can affect those prices.
Dunfermline High Street: I will be able to take pictures and get a feel of the layout of Dunfermline High Street by visiting there. It is also close to my current location meaning that I would be able to visit there often and as much as I wanted to. There is also plenty of information about the history behind the high street that I could find online and then visit at the actual location.
Video Games: Not board games specifically but there is a lot of geeky style video games out there that could give me inspiration for my board game. The styles and design can all be researched and then perhaps certain elements applied to my project.
Internet: A vast majority of information can be found on the internet, any board games that I will be unable to find in stores, I will be able to source and find out about online. The majority of "geeky" games will not be on the common market so this will be the best place to find them on specific geek websites such as boardgamegeek.com which has a huge selection of board game information.
Stores: The High Street will contain many shops such as WHS Smith and Waterstones which will provide me with information on board games, it will also allow me to gather information on the most popular games that can be found on the common market and perhaps the more successful ones. The stores will also contain prices to give me a good idea of how the size or design of the game can affect those prices.
Dunfermline High Street: I will be able to take pictures and get a feel of the layout of Dunfermline High Street by visiting there. It is also close to my current location meaning that I would be able to visit there often and as much as I wanted to. There is also plenty of information about the history behind the high street that I could find online and then visit at the actual location.
Video Games: Not board games specifically but there is a lot of geeky style video games out there that could give me inspiration for my board game. The styles and design can all be researched and then perhaps certain elements applied to my project.
Research
Competition: There are many competitors out there for board games but as I am looking at a more niche market for my board game, I will not have to compete against the majority of board games as they are mainly aimed at families or casual game players and not the more hardcore players that I would be looking to aim mine at. Needless to say, there are still a lot of board games out there that are aimed at the "geeky" player.
The Walking Dead - The style is based on the Comic books rather than the TV series which makes the style appealing to those that enjoy the comic books. This was creating by a board game company called Z-Man games that specialise in "geeky" style games.
Guard Guards - Another game by Z-Man games, this does not follow a style from a comic book but rather a book from Terry Pratchett of the same name. It contains characters from the range of Discworld novels by the same author. The game is again aimed at the "geeky" players.
Client: The designs that I would need to follow for a "geeky" style is generally something very specific that only a "geek" would get. This could be something for a comic book or a general computing joke.
This lamp is a good example of a piece of geeky design. The symbol on the side of the lamp along with the F1 and F2 stands for the brightness up and down on a laptop keyboard. Only a geek would really get this as a joke and it has also been turned into a good piece of design as well.
Another very simple but good piece of "geek" design. The is a piece of html code that has been put onto a t-shirt, they use the code as a joke to point out your body which is under the t-shirt. The at the back is very good as well as that is how the piece of coding is ended.
Colour and Typography: I would need to have an in depth look at both colour and typography for my project. I would need to the colours to be appealing and interesting as well as fitting in well with the whole concept of "geeky". The typography must also match the style of the game as well as the colour scheme to bring the whole thing together. I will have a look at colours in other board games as well as the colours that are already present in Dunfermline high street.
Styles: I would have a look at different designers styles as a starting point as well as the styles of other games, many games for the same companies would follow a particular style and seeing how this style has been incorporated over different types of games would help. The use of colour in these styles is also very important and will allow me to see how I can use these colours with certain styles I may be using.
Board Games: Seeing other board games will give me a good idea of what my game should look and play like. There are many different variations of board games out there which I can have a look at in stores such as WHS Smith or Waterstones as well as using the internet. I am not just restricted to board games, I can also look at other tabletop games such as Dungeon and Dragons or Warhammer that as specifically designed for the "geeky" type of players.
Dungeons and Dragons
Warhammer 40k
The Walking Dead - The style is based on the Comic books rather than the TV series which makes the style appealing to those that enjoy the comic books. This was creating by a board game company called Z-Man games that specialise in "geeky" style games.
Guard Guards - Another game by Z-Man games, this does not follow a style from a comic book but rather a book from Terry Pratchett of the same name. It contains characters from the range of Discworld novels by the same author. The game is again aimed at the "geeky" players.
Client: The designs that I would need to follow for a "geeky" style is generally something very specific that only a "geek" would get. This could be something for a comic book or a general computing joke.
This lamp is a good example of a piece of geeky design. The symbol on the side of the lamp along with the F1 and F2 stands for the brightness up and down on a laptop keyboard. Only a geek would really get this as a joke and it has also been turned into a good piece of design as well.
Another very simple but good piece of "geek" design. The is a piece of html code that has been put onto a t-shirt, they use the code as a joke to point out your body which is under the t-shirt. The at the back is very good as well as that is how the piece of coding is ended.
Colour and Typography: I would need to have an in depth look at both colour and typography for my project. I would need to the colours to be appealing and interesting as well as fitting in well with the whole concept of "geeky". The typography must also match the style of the game as well as the colour scheme to bring the whole thing together. I will have a look at colours in other board games as well as the colours that are already present in Dunfermline high street.
Styles: I would have a look at different designers styles as a starting point as well as the styles of other games, many games for the same companies would follow a particular style and seeing how this style has been incorporated over different types of games would help. The use of colour in these styles is also very important and will allow me to see how I can use these colours with certain styles I may be using.
Board Games: Seeing other board games will give me a good idea of what my game should look and play like. There are many different variations of board games out there which I can have a look at in stores such as WHS Smith or Waterstones as well as using the internet. I am not just restricted to board games, I can also look at other tabletop games such as Dungeon and Dragons or Warhammer that as specifically designed for the "geeky" type of players.
My Brief
Project Title: A Game of Geeks
Aims: Using Dunfermline High Street as my location, I will be creating a board game based on this location. The High Street itself will be the basis of board design but not used as the final design. The board game will need to be eye-catching as to grab the attention of anyone looking to buy the game but also be interesting and varied enough to ensure that they enjoy the game. The costs also come into consideration with the board game, it needs to cost enough money as to make a profit but also to ensure that the target audience do not feel dissapointed by the game.
Age Range: I will be aiming the board game at 18+ meaning that it will be an adult board game and not very much suited to families or children.
Type of Person: I will be looking to aim the board game at the more "geeky" style of player. There are different definitions of "geeky":
Geek
Not to be confused with Nerd. A geek does not have to be smart, a Geek is someone who is generaly not athletic, and enjoys Video Games; Comic Books; being on the internet, and etc.
www.urbandictionary.com
geek (ɡiːk)
— n
1. a person who is preoccupied with or very knowledgeable about computing
2. a boring and unattractive social misfit
3. a degenerate
dictionary.reference.com
I will be looking at the Urban Dictionary definition, specifically pertaining to the idea of enjoying video games, comics books etc as my reference for designs. This means that my design must follow the designs and styles of these things in order to grab the attention of my target audience and cannot be a simple game but must be fairly complex in order for my target audience to enjoy the game.
Products:
Board Game Box: The box will be a very important part of the design process. It will need to capture the essence of what the game is about as well as being eye catching and making people want to play the game. The inside of the box is also very important as it must be designed to hold the board game and any pieces of instructions that it may have. The box design can be made using Photoshop or Illustrator using a box template and the inside could be modelled using a 3D model.
3D Model: The board game and any of pieces will be made using a 3D modelling program such as Adobe 3DS Max to give a clear view of what the board game will look like without having to incur the costs and getting the game made.
Cards and Pieces: The cards and pieces are essential to making the game work. I will need to come up with designs that follow the same style. The cards will be done using Photoshop and Illustrator and will need to include images for specific abilities etc. The pieces such as the characters and board itself are also very important and will be shown using a 3D modelling programme to show what they will look like.
Aims: Using Dunfermline High Street as my location, I will be creating a board game based on this location. The High Street itself will be the basis of board design but not used as the final design. The board game will need to be eye-catching as to grab the attention of anyone looking to buy the game but also be interesting and varied enough to ensure that they enjoy the game. The costs also come into consideration with the board game, it needs to cost enough money as to make a profit but also to ensure that the target audience do not feel dissapointed by the game.
Age Range: I will be aiming the board game at 18+ meaning that it will be an adult board game and not very much suited to families or children.
Type of Person: I will be looking to aim the board game at the more "geeky" style of player. There are different definitions of "geeky":
Geek
Not to be confused with Nerd. A geek does not have to be smart, a Geek is someone who is generaly not athletic, and enjoys Video Games; Comic Books; being on the internet, and etc.
www.urbandictionary.com
geek (ɡiːk)
— n
1. a person who is preoccupied with or very knowledgeable about computing
2. a boring and unattractive social misfit
3. a degenerate
dictionary.reference.com
I will be looking at the Urban Dictionary definition, specifically pertaining to the idea of enjoying video games, comics books etc as my reference for designs. This means that my design must follow the designs and styles of these things in order to grab the attention of my target audience and cannot be a simple game but must be fairly complex in order for my target audience to enjoy the game.
Products:
Board Game Box: The box will be a very important part of the design process. It will need to capture the essence of what the game is about as well as being eye catching and making people want to play the game. The inside of the box is also very important as it must be designed to hold the board game and any pieces of instructions that it may have. The box design can be made using Photoshop or Illustrator using a box template and the inside could be modelled using a 3D model.
3D Model: The board game and any of pieces will be made using a 3D modelling program such as Adobe 3DS Max to give a clear view of what the board game will look like without having to incur the costs and getting the game made.
Cards and Pieces: The cards and pieces are essential to making the game work. I will need to come up with designs that follow the same style. The cards will be done using Photoshop and Illustrator and will need to include images for specific abilities etc. The pieces such as the characters and board itself are also very important and will be shown using a 3D modelling programme to show what they will look like.
Initial Ideas
I split my thoughts using a mind map into different ways to approach the graded unit project. I had 3 initial ideas as to what to do:
Education Website
Primarily aimed at children between the ages of 3 - 12, it would be an educational website based on Dunfermline Abbey. I would need to be interactive and eye-catching for the children so the use of primary colours would need to be researched extensively and put to good use within the website.
Dunfermline High Street Board Game
Using Dunfermline High Street as the basis, I would create a board game based on it. There are a couple of ways I could go with it, either as a children's game or as a more geeky style game, both would give you various ways of designing and creating the board game.
Dunfermline Abbey Model
A 3D model of Dunfermline Abbey that would be interactive, you would be able to click on parts of the model and it would give you information relating to that part of it. The style could be done in different ways, it would not need to be simply a basic 3D model but could be made more aesthetically pleasing to the person using it.
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