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tags: carly
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# ENG189vg February 22 Workshop station ideas

## Unity Stations (15-20 minutes)

[(1) Getting Oriented in Unity: A Playable Tutorial](/320y_cl4TgCVdjU0y5UGzQ)

start with either 2d Platformer or 3d Carting Game tutorial (for students to choose), play through tutorial, with addtional prompts on handout to adjust other paramaters & reflect on those changes

[4++ computers running Unity; 2 students per computer]

[(2) Changing the Game: Physics, Attributes, Variables, and the Gameplay Experience](/MM76KurES9CeRsPHQ2FyWQ)

Mechanics and physics (10+ minutes) (would not need computers)
- with a partner, select a card from each of two decks: (1) variables deck; (2) games on syllabus deck. Discuss how changing--or adding!--that particular variable/mechanic would change gameplay / experience.
- alternative / second card activity: choose two cards from deck 2, think about how a given mechanic from one card would work if exported to the game on the other card;
- Questions to consider: What would make the game harder? Easier? Would changing/adding this mechanic change the player's experience of the story? Etc.

[tables in main space?]

[(3) Scripting Lab: Coding in Unity, the Basics](/boCytgFoQky00X9uKwA3eg)

Code & Visual Scripting (10-15+ minutes) (would need computers)
- Using Unity's own visual scripting add-on, have students build a script to move a ball / make it jump / possibly--if there's time--add a sound effect (similar to the rolling ball game tutorial Siriana and I went through)

[4 computers? 3 students per computer. control room?]

## Non Unity-based Stations

### Timed / Structured Activity Stations
Stations (3) and (4) might be most interesting on the table with the overhead / with access to the small studio: once students have their stories sketched out, they would have the opportunity to present/talk through their stories?

[(4) People, Places, Things - Action!: How do Nouns Get Turned into Verbs?](/xnstcaNxSC6Nf0EtZOoODQ)
- Have students write out (on blue cards) a set of characters and (on green cards) locations from a game on the syllabus; then (on red cards) draw connections between those characters or locations; finally remove / flip the blue/green cards, and then tell a story that would explain the connections/path through the remaining red cards
- This would draw on Schell's language of both worlds and characters - the idea being to get students to think about how 'story'(the primary term of the course) unfolds as a set of relations between worlds and characters

[art supplies and table?]

[(5) Dialogue and Choice: From 'Flat' Story to Interactive Fiction](/EzqknkArQ_qM2KX7-66-SA)
- Give students a few examples of dialogue trees / story structures to explore: e.g., https://indiegamewriting.com/writing-1-structuring-branching-dialogue/; story structures: linear vs branching vs string-of-pearls: https://pinnguaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Narrative-types.jpg
- Ask them to choose one of the stories they've read in class (can have a few copies on the tables?), start by mapping an interest curve/basic story arc, and then transform that arc into something playable/interactice, choosing either the branching or string-of-pearls model as a foundation

[art supplies and table, yarn, etc., maybe computer for Twine?]

### Untimed/Open-ended Activity stations
[(6) "Playing the Game: Controllers, Input Devices and Hands-on Gameplay"](/j_15czCfRSWoQ8ZvClDrhQ)

Input device station / Game play
- This could be more of a drop-in / less structured activity station - e.g., a staging area for the tutorial. Students can play around with different input devices with some guided prompts for thinking about their uses / reflecting on the expereince - then can move to the Unity tutorial once a machine frees up?

[game consoles, computers, etc]
flight/tasting menu, could have cards where they take notes. so we need to decide on characteristics(?) for tasting notes

[(7) Game Stats: Comparing and Contrasting Game Properties](/gPaNXhFdTUiBW7W1NSNUKg)
Multi-game visual comparison station
- On a star/radar chart w/ 6-8 different coordinates, ask students to plot each of the games they've played so far in class + one or two others they're thining about for the final project (including, e.g., interactivity, open-endedness, customizability, difficulty, etc.) Once they've mapped each of them, consider what is unique/different between the games on the syllabus and the others they're interested in (activity to help them start thinking about the innovations of other games!)
- One they've charted out their games, have them put them up on the wall or board so everyone can see the different diagrams for each game?

what are THE 5? if we go with 5. look at schell, video game review sites-what are the typical things they do? we should do some thinking here.
time to completion
customization
diffculty

1 per game, next to each other. want to get this data into a machine as well as a data vis challenge (have one LLUF doing data entry at this station?) could print transparently?
putting cards on a board?

have the ds set up(?)

[(8) The Museum of Game Engine Technology: 3D Models, Scripts, Sound Effects, Databases, and More!](/vOWXKd59S0yLvbgFA-Ljjw)

having a couple of other stations that can be passively interacted with
* blender?
* logic?

DCCs?
* a zone you passively interact with - a map of what a game engine is, with computers you can passively interact with
* more like a museum exhibit

Character creation station?

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notes day of:

DCC & the technical parts: the game engine museum
* MK+Caroline

Visual Scripting
* Carly
* Classroom
* 6 machines - let's try on laptops could be a mix of macs and laptops
* a couple of things loaded up on unity where they just change a few properties

Unity
* Emmy
* Control Room
* 6 machines + mice

Input Devices

A UNITY ZONE - "showtimes/learntimes"

ACTIVITY ZONE - interactive, untimed experiences. tied inot learning goals of course think about how toes tech aspects can help you think though mecahnics and how they work, etc.
* rainbow mac with database form harvard life game, against chalk wall
* a string of computers that tell that sotry of the game dev pipeline

Mechanics
* draw a card "permadeath" what if that got inserted into this othr game
* print and have up on a whiteboard

Presentation/Interview Pop-Up