Weekly Topics Covered: 1 – 4
Word Limit The minimum word limit for this assignment is 3000 words. Failing to meet the minimum word limit will result in a maximum grade of N for this assessment.
The maximum word limit for this assignment is 6000 words. Any words exceeding the maximum word limit will not be assessed.
Learning Outcomes Completion of this assignment demonstrates understanding of the following learning outcomes:
● Construct a game narrative that expresses effective structure and mapping of plotlines and characters into interactive structures
● Formulate a theoretical game design to a specific brief, implementing effective game narrative and balancing
Academic Integrity Work created for this assessment must be your own and cannot be work previously submitted for any other course. When constructing your work you cannot copy a design from an existing Intellectual Property – this includes games, television/movies, or other visual media.
All work will be processed through a similarity detection system automatically.
Brief For this assignment you must design characters and narrative for a new game. This will involve building the world, its associated mythology & introducing the main characters of the game.
You have freedom to choose the game style and genre of your preference. However, your world and character designs must conform to the principles of good game design, including those related to storytelling and character development. You must also demonstrate appropriate consideration of video game conventions related to genre and the like. It is up to you to ensure that your chosen game design meets the requirements outlined in the assessment criteria.
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Task As part of your narrative document you are required to complete the following tasks:
Character Design: You must design at least five complex characters each containing:
● An original portrait conceptualising how the character looks. This must be created by you not sourced from online.
Note: You will not be assessed on your artistic ability, but rather your ability to visually represent your character. This can either be hand drawn or produced using computer software (e.g. GIMP, Photoshop etc.).
● A brief description of the character’s basic details including their name, age and gender identity.
● A detailed description of the character’s appearance. ● A detailed description of the character’s background. ● A detailed description of the character’s goals and flaws.
Recommended word count for section: 1000 – 2000 words (200 – 400 words per character)
Narrative Design: You must write a compelling narrative containing:
● A brief description of the narrative’s genre. ● A detailed description of the narrative’s setting. ● Each of the five characters as outlined above. ● The 3-act structure. ● The hero’s journey.
Recommended word count for section: 1000 – 2000 words
Critical Analysis: You must write a critical analysis of the core game design concepts used in your character designs and narrative as outlined above including:
● A detailed discussion of character archetypes used. ● A detailed discussion of narrative tropes used. ● A detailed discussion of any stereotypes and clichés present. ● A detailed discussion of the use of the ‘show, don’t tell’ rule. ● A detailed discussion of the genre conventions used.
Recommended word count for section: 1000 – 2000 words (200-400 words per discussion point)
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Assessment Criteria Your assignment will be marked on the following criteria listed below. This is graded based on the quality of the submitted work as well as inclusion in the document.
Character Design (5 Marks) ● Does each character include an original portrait and basic details including their
name, age and gender (if specified)? ● Does each character include an appropriate description of their appearance? ● Does each character include an appropriate background? ● Does each character include appropriate goals? ● Does each character appropriately portray a character archetype and genre
conventions?
Narrative Design (5 Marks) ● Is an appropriate narrative genre clearly specified? ● Does the narrative include each of the five characters? ● Does the narrative include an appropriate description of its setting? ● Does the narrative follow the 3-act structure and hero’s journey? ● Does the narrative appropriately portray narrative tropes and genre
conventions?
Critical Analysis (5 Marks) ● Is there an appropriate discussion about the character archetypes used? ● Is there an appropriate discussion about the narrative tropes used? ● Is there an appropriate discussion about any stereotypes or clichés present? ● Is there an appropriate discussion about the use of the ‘show, don’t tell’ rule? ● Is there an appropriate discussion about the genre conventions used?
Penalty (Up To -5 Marks) ● Were any stereotypes present? ● Were any clichés present that were not discussed and appropriately justified in
the critical analysis?
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