I will conduct research using the internet so that I can find what I think are the most interesting and/or successful ways in which activities have been ‘Gamified’ which will improve my ability to recognise opportunities for gamification in my own applications. I will do this by reading about successful executions of this approach and also using some of the free versions of popular apps. I will complete this in 4 weeks, spending 2 to 3 hours per week in this area.
Measurable
I will know that this is complete when I have found no less than ten examples of gamification that appeal to my tastes as a consumer.
Achievable
This is achievable as it is a simple research goal requiring nothing but some time and the internet. I may need to recognise when my own tastes prevent me from learning more deeply about techniques that could be very useful to me learning and understanding. I will tackle this by not being too quick to judge the source material and make sure that I fully understand the reasons I may not think that it is relevant.
Relevant
This is relevant because I am very interested in gamifying anything that I develop. I am drawn to making games and if I have to do something more grounded then I would like to understand a selection of ways to make the application more game like. I am already making games and have the basic understanding as to what constitutes a game. Its also relevant as there is no small amount of talk about how gamification in already impacting how a diverse range of applications are using its techniques to improve engagement and customer retention.
Time bound
I will have this activity complete in two weeks and will present what I find here on the blog.
Hello, my name is Mike. I am an aspiring game developer enjoying a second chance at life. Sounds deep right? I know, but its true. I am from London and from 2007 I owned a clothing business selling Barbour, Hunter, Joules and so on. I didn't like it. I kind of fell into it and by the time I knew I didn't like it I was committed and needed to follow through. In 2009 I met Natalie, my Cornish maid and once our little girl came along in 2015, we decided that Cornwall would be a better life for her than London. In the meantime, the business had suffered tremendous difficulty having been burgled twice. Insurance? What can I say. I ended up suing (and winning) the broker for selling me an incomplete policy. It was hard. When I arrived in Cornwall having shut the business down and generally being in pretty poor health, stressed and disappointed, my Wife (whom I would need exist without) tried to talk me into having 3 months off! Ha, I said, I would go crazy. Well the question was 'what are you going to do then'?
Turned out that I had a HND (most of a Degree) that qualified me for the course Games Design For Industry BA Top Up. I had always wanted to make video games for a living and so I applied, got on the course, worked like my life depended on it and came out with a 1st. If you're thinking 'why d'you have to say it like that and tell us the grade you loser'? Here's the thing, that HND was supposed to be a Degree in Computer Graphics and Games but, in my youthful wisdom, I played games more than studied them and failed. Then I went back to do the last year again and just couldn't hit my stride, so failed again. Imagine getting another chance to sort that mistake out... That was not going to happen again.
Having completed that course I and a friend I met there, Ethan, have set up Sofa Ninja Studios and are working on a game that was born on the course called Serial Link. I am very proud of where we are and I cannot believe that I have the chance to do this for real. We have a playable demo and will hopefully run a kickstarter early this year. Its a mature (code for violence and swearing) shooter where the player gets to shoot and use powers gifted to him.
Have a look at one of the latest videos although there has already been more development. I did warn you about the content...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv9R5ktCiA0&t=46sLinks to an external site.
I took to the game design and logic (cant call it coding, its Unreal blueprinting right now...) very well and feel that this is where I am meant to be. I am learning C++ and would like to make the transition to 'proper coder' this year if I can. Being in business for myself taught me the value of self discipline and being intrinsically motivated and so I carry those lessons with me into my new career. With my beautiful family behind me, Im ready.
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Chronicles of a Sofa Ninja 