My first week as an intern for Research Through Gaming has been quite an adventure. Betty and the rest of the team have ensured that I hit the ground running, and that’s exactly what I did!
My first major task was to design a ResearchGame™ story board based on research objectives provided by Betty. Well I knew this process would be time consuming, I had never really thought of how long designing an actual game would take. To establish my game as one for research, I had to utilize elements of traditional surveys and meld them with the different principles of game design. I wanted to impress, but I also wanted something fun for the target demographic (Males,25-55) that I was attempting to sample.
After conducting some research on the clients brand image, and who their customers were, I set about creating a narrative for my very own ResearchGame. Since I was looking for a specific segment of the population, I looked at which games were popular with our client’s customers. Immediately, I noticed a theme of stealth and covertness within the games played by this demographic. So, I decided to replicate this theme in my own ResearchGame, which I’ve tentatively dubbed “Gadget Grab”. The premise of my game is that you have to break into a secured vault, answering questions of interest along the way. I included a variety of game mechanics in the story board, including different reward systems, character customization, etc. I was also instructed to focus on several things which I hadn’t thought of originally when designing a game. I needed to concentrate on the semiotic aspect of the colours I chose, the energy derived from different types of music, and many more details that are not present within the means of traditional surveys. It took me a while to get everything drawn out and to create an overall ‘feel’ for my game. But I was satisfied with the results garnered (even if I do need to work on my drawing skills).
The rest of my first week was dedicated to conducting preliminary research for an upcoming R.T.G. project and doing some work in excel. So far, I think things are going well for me here at Research Through Gaming. I’m trying to step-up my blogging game day by day, and I look forward to my ongoing projects within the company.
As a side note, if you’d like to get in touch with me, you can do so via my shiny new email address david.wiszniowski@researchthroughgaming.com, a.k.a. the world’s longest email. I’m free to answer any questions you may have in regards to my internship here or just general inquiries as well.