Jocelyn Hopkins - Journal Entries

[JocelynHop:3]

History of Games: Journal Entries

[JocelynHop:3]

*I submitted Journal Entry 1 in the section that is now "History of Games: Journal Entries," so I submitted it on the 16th early that morning before class.*

Journal Entry 1



Name of Game

• Poker

Game Author (If Known)

• There was no single Author as it evolved over time and came from multiple different cultures and countries.

Game Studio

• There was no Game Studio that created Poker. However, Dale Electronics created the first Poker Machine called "Poker-Matic" in 1970.

Original Platform & control mechanism

• The original platform for Poker is a physical deck of cards. The control mechanism would be to play with your hands and a table with other players.

Control mechanism you used

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?

• The control mechanism we used was playing it with a physical deck of cards using our hands and the table we were sitting at.

Game Play and Mechanics:

• There are many different rules in Poker, but a few of the basic ones include A Standard 52-card Pack Playing Cards, Card Values, Betting, The Kitty, A Banker, Betting Limits, Time Limit, Fixed Limit, Pot Limit, Poverty Poker, Limits on Raises, and determining the Laws and Ethics of the game. Card Values are one of the universal rules in Poker that all Gambling Locations will use. It also includes the scoring of certain combinations of cards you can make with your hand. This includes Five of a Kind, which is the highest hand and can only be played if your game includes wild cards, Straight Flush, the highest hand without using wild cards and you must have all of the same suits (for example, all hearts) and the cards must be in sequential order starting and ending at any number or letter, Four of a Kind is four cards of only the same number or letter, Full House is a hand of three of the same numbered card and a second set of two of the same numbered cards (for example, three 9s and two 5s), Flush is only your entire hand of the same suit, Straight is only your entire hand in sequence, Three of a Kind is three of the same cards with the remain two random,Two Pairs is two pairs of two different ranks, One Pair is one pair of the same rank with the remaining cards random, and No pair, which is the lowest and grants you no points, and gives you nothing to work with for the game and causes you to essentially be out until the next game unless you bluff and pretend to have nothing until everyone else back out, if they back out. Official games of Poker at any Gambling location will involve betting with poker chips, which essentially are placeholders for real-life money. There is also a Banker who keeps track of all the chips played which is incredibly important when it comes to the different types of limits in the game.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Art and Design

• Essentially, the Strength of Poker is that it is a competitive game. Many people can play the game simply to play it without the stakes of losing or gaining money. They play it to be competitive, to interact with others, typical friends and family, and to potentially get an ego boost for winning. However, many people also play Poker, particularly because of the gambling aspect of it, which can be both a strength and a weakness as it may entice people to join in and up the ante, or it might cause people to back out or not play the game at all. There’s a term in Poker known as “Poker Face,” where people essentially lie in order to stay in the game by only using their facial expressions. Some people have a strong poker face and can deceive others into backing down even if, by the end of the game, they would have ultimately won. It’s a strong aspect of the game's design and is necessary to the player if they want to win the pot of money.

What made it Fun?

• What made poker fun for me in particular was the Poker Face aspect. I enjoyed analyzing each other and seeing how they reacted to their cards or how they reacted to who was in and who was out. We played an extremely basic version of poker. We didn’t add any gambling aspect to it and we only went around once. In a typical game of Poker, you could go multiple times around to each player asking if they’re in or out and upping the ante each go around. Some games even incorporate drawing new cards. We however only played it by going around once, asking each of us if we were in or out, and then we all showed our hand and determined who was the winner based on the scoring system we all agreed on. I also had fun playing simply because it was a competitive game against others and I was playing it with my friends, making it much more enjoyable as it’s with the people I care about and enjoy spending my time with. We also were somewhat taking count of how many times each person one and our group joked around about who would be rich by the time we finished playing the games. That system of seeing who won the most and essentially “ranking” each other was also a fun aspect of the game we played.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?

• Specifically, the gambling aspect of Poker is strongly influential in playing the game. People who are extremely confident in their “Poker Face” skills and essentially deceiving others would entice them more into playing the game. They would feel confident enough that they would win the sum of money at the end of the game, but if they don’t, they can just play again and try to win again since this game is strongly also determined by chance. The popularity of the game is also a strong influence on people to start to play, whether they decide to play with high stakes, low stakes, or no stakes at all. The game has been around for thousands of years, and its popularity will only continue to increase as more people learn about it and get hooked on the possibility of winning. It’s a game of both skill and chance, one that everyone feels that anyone can win if they just happen to have the right cards or have a great poker face. It’s one of the early card games introducing gambling, strategy, bluffing, ranking systems, and chance. It entices people to continue playing through pure competition and bettings with high stakes until you, financially or even mentally, cannot play any longer in that sitting.

3/5 stars

[JocelynHop:3]

Journal Entry 2


Name of Game

• Backgammon

Game author (If known)

• There is no known single author, but it was played by many ancient civilizations and was found in ancient Mesopotamia.

Game Studio

• Atari, Inc was one of the first game studios to create an electronic version of Backgammon in 1979.

Original Platform & control mechanism

• The original platform is a tabletop game, and you use your hands to play the game.

Control mechanism you used

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?

• The control mechanism we used was the original one by using our hands.

Describe gameplay and mechanics

• The game includes one board having an Inner and Outer Table, a home, and five dice. Each player has 15 chips or "men," and the goal is to get all of your men to your home. The way we played, we each had to roll one of our dice, and the person with the higher number went first. The player would then roll both dice, and each one would be played as two turns. For example, if you roll a one and a four, then you would move a chip one space toward your home and another chip four spaces toward your home, or you can move a single chip but in two separate moves. You can only land on a space that is empty, has one of your chips on it, or only one of the opposite player's chips on it. If you land on an opposite player's chip, you send that chip to jail. In order to make sure your chips do not risk going to jail, you need to have two or more chips in one space. To get your chip out of jail, you must roll a number that has an empty space if your chip were to land on it or if there is only one of your opponent's chips, and you have to start at the very farthest spot from your home. In order to have all of your chips in your home, all of your chips must be on the inner table of the board closest to your home before you can move them all over. When it comes to the roll itself, if you roll doubles, like two fours, then you can go again.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design

• The strengths of the art and design of the game are the accessibility and simplicity. The game is all within a briefcase, making it extremely easy to bring it and play it anywhere at any time. It’s also much easier to carry than your typical boxed tabletop game, and if you care about how others look at you, then it just looks like you could have documents in the briefcase instead of a full game. Since it is only in a briefcase, the game is actually quite simple and doesn’t have many aspects you need to put together or keep track of. The briefcase, being the board game itself, also minimizes mess and the risk of losing any pieces as they all stay in the briefcase. The weakness of art and design is the determination of who’s “home” is who’s. While I was playing the game, I had mistaken what direction I needed to go and where my home was multiple times since they both looked the same. I am also just familiar with games where all players go to the same location, but the goal is to get there first, for example, the Game of Life.

What made it fun?

• The fact that we could put each other in jail was highly fun to me. I enjoyed putting my opponent in jail and then immediately getting put in jail by them the very next turn. It added some humor to the game, especially since both my opponent and I would joke around and make sassy remarks to each other every time we sent each other to jail. I also strongly enjoyed the simplicity of the game as it wasn’t too complicated to understand, and we were able to easily start the game. There weren’t too many rules to remember, not too many aspects to the game, and it incorporated some strategy to it, which I also greatly enjoyed. Having some strategy for the game makes it feel like it’s not only based on chance but also on your critical thinking skills and how well you utilize your turn. It makes it feel more fair, which, in turn, for me, makes it a lot more fun. Having to make sure all of your chips are in your safe space also adds a fun aspect to the game. As the game progresses, it essentially makes it more difficult for the opponent to escape from jail, giving you a higher chance of winning, which is the ultimate goal of the game.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?

• I would say the actual game board itself and how you can bring it as a suitcase anywhere you want makes it highly influential to play. It’s easily transportable which would influence people to want to play it more due to its simplicity and the game itself is also simple, not requiring too many pieces to put together or pieces to possibly lose. Backgammon also plays into the evolution of casino games as it has become a common game to play at casinos and incorporates gambling aspects in it. The gambling aspect of the game entices people to want to play the game more as it becomes exciting. It also causes it to become much more addictive, influencing people to keep playing until they can’t bet any more money or until they are satisfied with home much they’ve won. Backgammon has also influenced the creation of multiple other games from different cultures and societies. Each game is quite similar to Backgammon but may have different rules with the same end goal. Pachisi, a medieval Indian version for example, has you have to have all of your chips in your home before you can take them off the board, while in Russian Backgammon, the game starts with no chips on the board and both players move in the same direction.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))

• 4/5

[JocelynHop:3]

Journal Entry 3


Name of Game

• Pong

Game author (If known)

• Nolan Bushnell

Game Studio

• Atari Inc.

Original Platform & control mechanism

• Arcade machine with the control mechanism being the arcade machine’s Joystick

Control mechanism you used

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?

• The Control Mechanism I used was my laptop’s keyboard, specifically the Up and Down Arrow keys.
• I believe the experience would have been different because I would’ve had a bit more control. Even though it’s only going up and down, my laptop keyboard is quite small and I can easily press the “up” key or “down” key when I don’t intend to. With the joystick of the arcade machine I’m in full control and won’t accidentally move the paddle down, when I wanted to go up.

Describe game play and mechanics

• The game is a fairly simple game. It’s basically a virtual version of table tennis except there’s not an actual net blocking your way. You and another player (or CPU) control a paddle (essentially a thin rectangle) going up and down as you each hit back and forth a pixelated ball. The goal is to get the ball past your opponent's paddle and onto their side to gain a point. The one with the most points wins. Depending on the difficulty of the game, the ball progressively increases in speed and you can have your paddles decrease in size. You can now also customize your game to your liking and difficulties. You can create different shapes of the ball, or add obstacles and power-ups, or you could change the scoring system. You could also add a timer or alter the way the ball reacts to the environment and to your paddles.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design

• I would say the strengths of this game is its simplicity. The game being so simple is easily accessible and anyone can play it immediately without having to go through long tutorials or reading long rules and “How to Play’s.” The simplicity also allows the player to customize it to their desire, both in gameplay and aesthetics. They can change the difficulty of the game through both the gameplay and the aesthetics, the gameplay by having fast reaction times and prediction by understanding where the ball will land based on where it hit, and aesthetics by making the environment of the game difficult to view or distracting in some way. One of the weaknesses of the game is also about it’s simplicity. Yes the game is simple and easy to play, but compared to many games today, it would get boring extremely fast for a majority of people. Eventually you would put the game down really only to play it when you’re bored or have nothing else to do.

What made it fun?

• The simplicity for me, made the game fun as I didn’t have to complete a crazy long tutorial or engage in a long backstory in order to actually start the game (however I do still adore games like that). The simplicity just added the element that I could play the game, whenever I want, for however long I want, and I could get right into it with either another person to play with or I can play the game with a CPU. The fact that I could also change the difficulty also made it fun as after a while playing against a CPU at the same difficulty would get quite boring and repetitive. So adding on that difficulty setting adds more challenge to the game wanting me to engage with it longer. Even though I’m playing it alone for this Journal, playing it with someone else would also add to the fun element of the game. Playing against another person adds another level of challenge because people are unpredictable. With a computer, you could eventually understand the patterns they do if you played the game long enough, but with another human being, you have to be very aware of their actions because they can trip you up and trick you with their movements if your reaction time isn’t fast enough and you aren’t at the ready for anything.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?

• This game is highly influential as it was the first game of many. It was the first commercially successful “video game” (originally it was an arcade game, then became the first successful video game), and it began the video game industry. Due to its popularity, many other studios were coming up with games of similar mechanics like “Air-Hockey” and “Tennis for Two.” Then, as the industry began to grow, companies branched out of those mechanics, along with Atari Inc. to create a variety of different video games with different mechanics. Due to pongs multi-platform availability, as a few years later after its release, you were able to play Pong at home on the Tele-Game and then a couple of years later, the Atari 2600, pong also influenced a variety of video games with both similar mechanics and different mechanics alike. One strong game subject it influenced was the sports game genre, particularly in Tennis and Hockey for both arcade games and video games. Due to its two-player functionality, it also became the base for multiplayer games, allowing games and companies to gain inspiration from it and to grow the function to what it is today. Overall, it was the first game in many aspects, the first game to inspire many games to come.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))

• ★★★

[Professor Watkins]

Graded to here.

[JocelynHop:3]

Journal Entry 4


Name of Game

• Alfred Chicken

Game author (If known)

• N/A

Game Studio

• Twilight created the original game series
• The version I played for PlayStation I was developed by King Monkey Games

Original Platform & control mechanism

• PlayStation I using all PlayStation I’s controller buttons
• Included a walk, jump/fly, glide, nose dive attack, and interact

Control mechanism you used

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?

• I used a keyboard that corresponded to the PlayStation I controller controls for the game. The arrow keys were to move around, the “s” key or the down arrow key was for the attack, the up arrow key was to interact, the “Z” key was to select, and the “d” key was to jump and glide.

Describe gameplay and mechanics

• The game was a basic platformer with your main character being a chicken. You had a walk, a jump, a glide, an attack, and you could interact with the environment by going through portals to get to the next level. You had to use the controls to maneuver around the cheese environment to get to the next goal and to collect large blue gems as you went. There was also multiple enemy mice around the map that would make you lose one life if you got touched by them. You could either avoid them or you could attack them by jumping and then pressing the down arrow key or the “s” key to start the attack and kill them. There were also these boxes with stars on them that looked like they could’ve been platforms but you’d phase through them upon trying to interact with them. The environment also had deadly sections like spikes or drops and there were platforms that seemed helpful but could’ve caused your demise if you didn’t have a quick enough reaction time.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design

• The strengths were that it was very simple and easy to understand. I could tell what everything was, besides the floating star boxes and I knew what my goals were. The environment helped to guide me where to go while also guiding me where not to go or putting me in a situation where I needed to retrace my steps or figure out how to escape, like from the mice.
• The weakness of the design was some things didn’t make too much sense. The floating platforms and the springs to launch you into the sky didn’t make too much sense with the design of the game. It was good in terms of playability and gameplay, but not so much for design. Another design was the gems, I knew I needed to collect them, but not why. I also felt they were out of place for the style of the game, which is mainly about cheese, chicken, and mice.

What made it fun?

• The concept and art style is what initially drew me into selecting the game and that played a significant part into why I thought it was fun. The cute and silly style, especially with the attack animation, caused me to laugh which made me want to continue to play the game. The gameplay itself was quite simple but also felt very responsive for being on an emulator and using a keyboard instead. I enjoyed how when I did something the reaction time was quick and was also very smooth with no jitters or weird, funky movements. Even though some of the aspects didn’t make sense, like the springs, spike, floating moving platforms, or the gems, it still added to the gameplay side of things. It wasn’t too complicated but it wasn’t too easy either. I was still slightly challenged by having to navigate through the environment, figuring out which way to go and what each object does while also trying to avoid the mice and collecting the gems. Collecting the gems also gave me more incentive to look around the map even if I already made it to the portal. I am a completionist in games and love to find as many of the collectibles as I can while I’m playing the game.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?

• This game is actually both from side to side scroller and Up and down scroller for a game. It was released in 1993, so a few years after the side-to-side scroller was invented so I could see this game being part of influences games to either only be an up and down scroller or to include it as part of the game. It was interesting to see that the idea of the first level was to go up rather than to the right like most platformer games. I could also see how it influences 3D platformers as this game is a 3D platforming game rather than a 2D platforming game. The backgrounds are all drawn, however the characters, environments, and props are all 3D. The portal also looks 2D and could be part of early drawn VFX. I could also see it potentially influencing people to want to start creating games, mainly because of its up and down scrolling format as it’s not the typical format and seems relatively new (but that could also be because I’ve mainly seen side-to-side scrolling platform games). Even though it’s a relatively simple game, I could see it starting a trend of games including sections of only Up and Down side-scrolling and platforming if it got extremely popular.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))

• ★★★

[JocelynHop:3]

Journal Entry 5


Name of Game

• Super Mario 64 (N64)

Game author (If known)

• Shigeru Miyamoto

Game Studio

• Nintendo

Original Platform & control mechanism

• Nintendo 64 with that console's controller design. It included one Analog, a d-pad, 4 yellow buttons in the same format as the d-pad, one “A” button and one “B” button, a Right and Left trigger button, and a Z trigger button.

Control mechanism you used

Would the experience have been different using the original? How?

• I used my laptop keyboard. I would say the experience is quite different as I don’t feel like I can control the camera and character as easily as compared to a controller. Having the same keys each with different combinations for different mechanisms also felt a little more difficult, but that could also be because I’m used to keys on a keyboard each having a different mechanism, so I’m not used to Super Mario 64’s keyboard version layout.

Describe gameplay and mechanics

• Super Mario 64 is a combination of a story game with many gameplay sections. You start the game off with a cutscene to establish the story. Then, in order to gain any story elements of the game, you must interact with the characters around the current map you are playing or the signs scattered around the maps. You have to collect coins and stars that are scattered either randomly around the map or strategically around the map. Some coins can only be obtained by completing small puzzles, while others you find by exploring and interacting with the environment. The stars you must find by exploring and in order to obtain them you need to complete puzzles. You can also dodge or kill the enemies around the map, which can also be “randomly” placed or strategically placed. Sometimes you can just run away from them, while other times you have to sneak past them.

Describe strengths & weaknesses of art & design

• The strength of Super Mario 64’s Art and Design is that the characters are very different from each other and very unique. They’re interesting and each one also had different attacking styles to differentiate them from each other. For some, you also have to use a platform like the Whomps to get items (I got a coin), some you have to run away from like the chompers, and some you can kill like the goombas. The environment both interior and outdoor is also different from each other and requires you to explore around to find out where you need to go next. It’s not too linear pointing you exactly where you need to go, but just enough to keep you from going off the path.
• The weakness of Super Mario 64’s Art and Design is somewhat of the environment, there were just some platforms that I didn’t know would break under me until I was already falling through them. Having some sort of small animation to show it’s about to fall before you actually fall would’ve been helpful or having a visual example that it isn’t stable would’ve helped with the clarification.

What made it fun?

• I loved the exploration aspect of the game. Having to explore the world and seeing what can and can’t be destroyed, climbed, or interacted with is quite fun for me to do. I also love seeing what comes out of the environment, for example, when you destroyed some of the blocks that you could pick up, coins would burst out of it. I also loved interacting with the environment to change or find more of the objects. Like when ground pounding a blue box it revealed some blue coins that you had a limited timeframe to get them. In order to get the first star, you have to ground pound a large wooden pole to release the Chain Chomp, which then jumps at the bars in the side of a mountain destroying the bars and giving you access to the star. The problem-solving for the puzzles wasn’t too difficult but not too easy allowing you to have to do it in multiple tries (unless you’re just top tier at it) and each puzzle required you to utilize the mechanics. I also did really love the story aspect to it and having to interact with the environment to figure out the story and it wasn’t just cutscenes. I personally love cutscenes, but I also love a combination of using cutscenes and gameplay information using the environment to tell the story of the game.

Now that you’ve played it, Why would this game be considered influential? How does it fit into the evolution of games?

• Considering it was the first Mario game for Nintendo to incorporate all 3D, it was the beginning of a new gameplay format while also including the story into the game. Going from a 2D format where you can only move left or right, up and down to progress the game to a 3D format where you can move anywhere to progress in the game was a huge shift in the game style. It forces the artists to have to make sure the game looks good from all angles unless it’s a section that the player character cannot access and will only see one side of it. It started the transition where everything must look good since the player will always be able to view everything. Especially, it changed the way animation was made. Instead of drawings and pixels, it was smooth models and keys. You need to make it look good no matter where the camera is. The fact that it went from drawings and pixels to models, itself is a huge jump in art and entertainment as it added another perspective and caused every artist to create differently. The camera was also a very big change for games as before it also only moved right or left and occasionally up or down, but now it can move and rotate 360 degrees in all directions. The player can also now control where the camera goes while also still having to follow the player's character.

How would you rate this game (1-5 Stars (5 stars good))

• ★★★