Dissertation

Heya all,
I'm gonna start keeping this blog up to date with the progress of my Dissertation.

So far I have had a meeting all three of three of my lecturers, and they have helped shape my question, which for the moment is this:

How Do Hidden and Visible Encounters Impact Exploration in JRPG’s? 

Research Context

• Egenfeldt-Nielsen’s Exploration in computer games - a new starting point.
• Looks at exploration. Exploration is important to people’s lives, helps them make constructs/theories about the world around them.
• These constructs are the rules of everyone’s world. So exploration is key to people’s lives.
• Personal Construct Psychology – George Kelly
• This can also be applied to games.
• Project will examine the exploration of the player, and the constructs they make about the world.
• Leads into affect.
• Feel It, Don’t Think: the Significance of Affect in the Study of Digital Games by Eugénie Shinkle.
• These constructs talked of by E-N are what informs a person affective response.
• Looking at affect will mention Teresa Brennan and Don Norman.
• Tracy Fullerton, Game Design Workshop. 
• Theory on information structures.

Methods

• Tracy Fullerton. Playtesting very important.
• Three Dungeons.
• 1st and 2nd will have identical numbers of encounters and pretty much the same areas, just in different orders.
• Starting these dungeons – chest at beginning, told there is a boss.
• Chests will contain part of a set of armour. Reinforce the collection.
• Start with the ‘cloth’ set and get an upgrade. i.e Iron.
• 1^st dungeon will be ice dungeon, enemies can be seen.
• 2^nd dungeon will be fire dungeon, enemies cannot be seen.=
• These two themes will reinforce the difference between them.
• Third dungeon, choice between fire or ice. Shall show which prefer.
• In each one will be rooms/ paths coming off of the other type.
• Will see players willingness to explore other once made choice.
• Will be asked to think out loud, Fullerton.
• Exploration percentage will be shown at the end.
• Post-test questionnaire to see if data correlates. 
• Questionnaire will include ‘pre-test’ questions.
• Player type.
• Game examples, what type of games they like.
• Make own categories.
• Will perhaps create another prototype dungeon based on the feedback.

Every time I do some major research or have a meeting with my tutors I shall post.