Erin created a card matching game based on the book series "The Mortal Instruments". Strengths included in-depth research that allowed inspiration from the source material. Planning made production easier but timing between levels could have been better planned. Audio elements like the 8-bit background music were strengths, while more detailed pixels for the runes could have been improved. Overall the game aesthetics looked good in representing each book with color palettes, though more depth and complexity could have been added to elements.

1. Evaluation
Erin Stephenson

2. Research
One of the strengths of my research was that i was able to go into deeper
depth when looking up background information on the franchise that the
product was based off. I had the advantage of being able to pull inspiration
from something previous and be able to adapt it in my own way into a game
format still relating to the franchise but having my own touch.This also
helped me because it made me more inspired for this project as it was based
on something I was already passionate about. One of the other strengths in
my research was that I was able to go into depth easily and explain why I was
going to put certain things in my video game to connect to what I am basing
this project off.A weakness of my research was that I maybe didn’t focus on
multiple aspects of my theme and instead kept to a certain point for focus.
To improve this I could have broadened the areas of my research such as
where it was sourced from, different people to cover a variety also.

3. Planning
A strength of my planning was that it made my production easier.This helped me
in production as I already knew what I needed to do for each ‘level’. By doing
extensive planning paired with my research, it made the work flow also easier
which also helped with my time management. A weakness in my planning was
that I did not think about timing, more specifically how long each level would
last. I already knew that I had a song which I would then turn to 8 bit sound that
way I could use it as background audio throughout the entirety of the game,
including all the different levels, intro and outro. By not thinking about my timing
it meant when putting all the levels together and flowing between each one, I
didn’t have a specific number of frames that I would have between each level.
One thing that I could have done better in terms of my planning I would plan my
timing out for each level which would help with my time management and make
all the levels have a similar length of frames.The effect this would have had on
my product would be that I could have had more time to focus on the editing of
the levels and making them flow together more easily.

4. Time Management
I think that I did manage my time well. In terms of planning and research, my
time management worked well as it meant that I had more time to create
the levels in adobe photoshop.
I did hand my work in on time however nearer to the deadline for this
project, I did find myself rushing through the proformas so in the future I will
make sure that after the project is finished that I leave myself a decent
amount of time to be able to thoroughly finish all the proforma and written
work.

5. Technical Qualities
Looking at the detail in my pixel art for the game, I didn’t end up going into
much detail for the runes which was the main focus and biggest link to my
theme and what this project was based off of which was the books. As the
runes are not very detailed in terms of colour, it meant that they were easy to
recreate on photoshop however the detail could not be added, showing
simplicity. Focusing on smoothness of the animation, the transition between
they levels where they fade between I would say is the smoothest of my
animations. But as this is a 8-bit styled game, I wanted to keep some of the
choppy animations in, an example of this is the selection of each card to
reveal the rune

6. Aural Qualities
One of the strengths in terms of the audio elements in my product was the
background music which I found to be one of my favourite parts of this
project.The way in which i did this was by using the software audacity to
recreate the theme tune off of the show associated with my theme for this
project. By converting the standard mp3 file to an 8-bit audio, this help
emphasise the ‘vintage style’ approach that I wanted for my game and also
uses intertextuality as it is directly referencing another media product.
Another audio element I used in this project was the correct and incorrect
sound effects used when selecting the cards and finding a matching pair.
What I personally liked about these sound effects was that it is a perfect way
to tell the player when they are following the right track. One of the earliest
and most effective examples of sound being employed for psychological effect
psychological effect in games is the use of pentatonic scales – via the
the psychology of sound

7. Aural Qualities
 The major pentatonic scale is a great example of an audible
reward cue: five little notes that can be played in any order for
a musical motif that says universally, “you are on the right
track, kid” – also via the psychology of sound
The software I used to create the incorrect and correct sound
beepbox which helps you create quick and simple sounds.
An audio element that I could have added to improve my final
the clicking of the cursor as the player was selecting the cards.

8. Aural Qualities
The game that I compared with for similarities and differences was ‘Sonic the
Hedgehog’. Specifically for this comparison I have compared the correct card
selection in my game with the ring collection in sonic the hedgehog.A
similarity between these two is that they both use a higher pitch from the
pentatonic scale which signals to the player that they are following the
correct path.

9. Aesthetic Qualities
In my opinion, I believe that my final product looks good.An aspect of my
game’s visual that I like is that all the different levels reference and represent
a different book from the series ‘the mortal instruments’, I like this because it
will connect with the audience subtly as they will be able to pick up on the
colour palette used in each level as the colours were pulled directly from the
front art covers.
However one weakness in my aesthetic qualities is that I could have gone
into some more detail to help the level have more complexity to them rather
than a gradient background and simple cards. An example of doing that
could be adding more shades of each colour in the cards to create depth but
also help add a 3d effect to my game.

10. Aesthetic Qualities
Comparing my game to another
online card matching game. A
similarity between them is the
layout of the cards.The difference
between the two howver in terms
of layout is that mine change
colour as you go down each row
whereas on the game I compared
to; has a red card with a question
mark.

11. Audience Appeal
I have appealed to my target audience by directly referencing my theme and
using intertextuality also.The way in which I directly referenced my theme
was the use of the runes which will be easily recognised by a fan of the
franchise I was targeting as they are commonly associated with this brand. I
also have used intertextuality in my product as I have directly referenced
another existing media product and added it to my own.This was including
the theme tune into the game and using it as background sound however
instead of just using the theme tune with lyrics, I used audacity to create the
song in 8-bit sound.