Game Journal Specifications
• Your game journal is a record of what games you played, and what you learned from them. • You should record entries in your journal as soon as possible after playing games, and not leave them off to the last minute. • You are required to play at least two hours a week. • Include a word count at the top of every submission. Each weekly journal entry must have at least 250 words. • Game journals should be simple text files (preferred for size and loading speed), not word or pdf. • You should not record mere mechanics and trivia about the game, but insight and analysis about what makes playing it a good or bad experience. Consult the notes on evaluating games, also on the website, for parameters to consider in evaluating games. Just as examples, consider questions like the following:
– What technique did you use to analyze your experience? – What experience were the game designers trying for? How well did they acheive it? – How did the game pique your interest? – How well were each of the four elements (aesthetics, mechanics, technology and story) developed in the game? How good was the balance? – Was there a theme? Was it reinforced in every element? – What was the target audience for the game? How well did the game suit it? – What was your dominant emotion while playing? How was it brought about? – Does the game keep your interest for a long time? How? – Analyze the game’s mechanics—could they have been improved? How? – Were various elements balanced? – Were the puzzles fair?
