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Minigame Masters

It’s a game where you play minigames. In VR. That’s pretty cool!

I’m not great at making games, so I’d like to design games instead. Having made games before, I know the kinds of things that go into them and the different kinds of workflows that development includes. As such, this document will be the “everything you need” to make my game: Minigame Masters.

The ups will definitely come in designing each of the minigames. However, there is so much more that goes into a game other than just the games itself. I have to think about the UI, the music, the player experience, and so on. It’s going to be a lot less fun when I get into the actual building part. My skillset just isn’t as proficient as it should be for that kind of work.

If all else fails, I could jump into one of the other 30 ideas I have: Esports set design, voice acting an interactive meta/4th wall-breaking story, Dragon’s Lair-esque game…

I’ve already posted my design document, but here it is again: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JhwvaiGwqwkBxH0IY7rEHbV4f1-gaTnqvjX4YQjqyTA/edit?usp=sharing

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Project “ANYBOTTY”

I decided that for my senior thesis I wanted to blend to interests of mine, toy figures and 3-D printing. For several years now I have collected various toy figures as a hobby of mine. I always love the articulation and detail that certain figures have. Recently though, thanks to a Digital Fabrication class I took last year, I was introduced to 3-D printing and instantly fell in love with it. Now with thesis I have the chance not to only collect toys, but have the chance to design and make my own. I want to show people my creations in a very tactile and fun way. Anyone at one time or another during their childhood has played with toy figures and I bet some of them decided that they wanted to take them apart and make their own, (albeit in a probably destructive and messy way). What I want to do is make a toy figure that takes the key essence of 3-D printing at its core, its relative limitlessness. Say you have shelving holder problem, just print the holder. Missing part of a furniture piece? Take the dimensions of one and print it yourself. Gifted a plant, but don’t have a pot on hand? Well make the pot! I want this idea that a toy isn’t set in 2 arms, 2 legs, and a head. I want it so that you can mix and match arms and legs to your liking, giving it a personal touch that only you can do.

At the baseline for my project, I want to give you a toy figure that has sets of arms and sets of legs with multiple attachment points for various tools. There will be “hard points” on places like shoulders and arms to also add on some customization. Yet I have to mention that the overall inspiration of my toy is not human like at all. I didn’t grow up playing with action figures, but more of robotic mechanoid types of toys, boxy and rigid. Human anatomy can be a tough thing to deal with when you’re an amateur toy designer, but a robot/mecha gives so much freedom to work with. It makes more sense to be able to change out parts on a bionicle than a he-man .

As for materials, it will be a 3-D modeling program, a 3-D printer (or two, or three) a sketch book and my brain. While it may seem simple to have just these things to work with, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

There’s a reason being a toy designer is a fully fledged professional job. Its part design, part engineering, part psychologist. You have to design a toy that is pleasing to the eye based on the trend and minds of a set demographic while also making it structurally sound in the even of rough play. Using a robot as a baseline helps me give a scaffold versus a human like toy, but then again the designing can be hard. It has to make sense to the person enjoying the toy, not me. Also I have to account that my project solely depends upon my ability to use effective the printers in the IMM makerspace. I have to make sure my prints work out successfully while dealing with the fact that failed prints that hours long will happen and I will not be the only one using the space A failed print will be an up and a down. It will show me where I went wrong, but also tell me that 6 hours of printing went up in a plastic mess. There will be times that I design something great only for it to not work out in the product. I am not an engineer so I don’t have the full knowledge of what goes to what in structural things. Though I do love just watching the printer print so in the end, it will still be me doing something I love

Below are some is a very very rough prototype of a robotic head I printed this week. I took 1hour and a half just to print it so keep in mind, its a long process with a promise of iffy results. Nonetheless its fun to do and look at

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Getting Started / Thesis Brainstorm

Explanation of Primary Idea:

I intend on engaging in a thesis project called “More Knowledge”. The final deliverable will be a unique LP-length hip-hop album with fully original lyrics and either sampled or organically produced sounds. It will carry the name “More Knowledge” for three main reasons:

  • I will gain more knowledge and wisdom of the music industry, writing, recording, DAW’s, editing techniques and production skills through hands-on experience
  • “More Knowledge” is a reference to my academic experience – the thought being that there are always new things to learn
  • It will also be me attempting to bestow my lifeview and lessons learned upon others in a creative and expressive way through music

I want to undertake this project so that I can learn more about a subject I’m passionate about, while at the same time conveying a personal message to an audience. I have undergone a great deal of adversity in my life as someone who has struggled with mental health concerns, dysfunctional family situations, and personal and academic challenges. I have learned a lot from experiences in my childhood and young adult life, and I wish to share my stories with others.

Perhaps, some may be able to relate or find value in the messages the songs will contain. Because the tracks will consist of ideas and emotions that are personally significant to me, it will ensure that I am intrinsically motivated to produce content. Assigning this endeavor as my thesis project will also ensure that I am extrinsically motivated. I want to earn a good grade and present my best work to my TCNJ faculty and peers.

Many IMM Seniors seem to have a wide range of skills, and I am no exception to this commonality. I am a practicing WordPress web developer and I also have advanced skills in photo/video editing, video effects, 2D animation, 3D modeling/animation, graphic design, etc. However, I will be starting this thesis project with only beginner/intermediate music production skills. That is why this is a great opportunity to expand my skills in this area, and I would be remiss if I did not take it.

Moreover, I think music and particularly hip-hop, is the ideal medium for expressing messages and storytelling of this nature. Music leverages consciousness to affect the emotions of individuals. It can be interpreted in different ways and listeners often bring their own experiences and personal meanings to mind when listening to someone else’s music. Also, people don’t always have time to read or watch a video, but everyone has time to play a song while going about their daily routines. I imagine that my messages will stand a better chance of reaching a wider audience in the form of music.

Anticipated Challenges:

I know this is going to be a difficult project to undertake, but there will also be moments that are very enjoyable and/or rewarding. It will grant me the ability to learn and critically develop a means of communication for which I have room for improvement. Since I do not have an extensive musical background, much of this initial process will be conducted through research/experimentation and trial/error. I know there will be many opportunities for embarrassment. I have been known to be vulnerable to perfectionism in the past, and I am aware that I will have to quell any negative inner voices before presenting my songs/prototypes in front of the class.

I am also quite worried about delving into beat production. My prior experience and knowledge of music theory is very slim. I have no keyboard skills and have not yet owned and used a midi keyboard or drum pad. I also cannot yet read or interpret musical notation. I have writing skills, creative ability, and some technical knowledge of Logic Pro X, sampling/synthesis, and audio editing interfaces. However, it is apparent that I will be mostly starting with a clean slate when I begin attempting to produce fully original music.

Luckily, I will be able to learn in an inclusive setting that might allow me the space to develop a slight systematic desensitization to public embarrassment. I realize that a lot of what I produce has the potential to not be good, but accepting that fact and receiving real-life experience and feedback will undoubtedly cause me to grow and improve. This project will certainly be a lofty undertaking, and there is a lot of content that I plan on producing. However, I am excited to continue on this path to “More Knowledge”.

Anticipated Materials:

Software

  • Logic Pro X
  • Audacity
  • any necessary plugins or digital instruments
  • YouTube, LinkedIn Learning, other sources for research and development of skills

Hardware

  • powerful personal computer with advanced editing capabilities
  • external ssd
  • pair of studio headphones
  • recording interface
  • decent microphone for prototype recording
  • auxiliary/MIDI cables
  • MIDI keyboard and beat pad
  • sampler/synthesizer
  • necessary batteries and power cables

Explanation of Alternative Idea:

My fallback idea would be to create a website or app that is designed for longboard skateboarders. Its primary function would be to serve as a source for enthusiasts to find and explore all of the great skate locations in NJ. It would be maps connected, and users would be able to navigate to a link for directions so they can skate any spot they see. Moreover, it would be great to add some social features like the ability for users to comment, share, and post community locations of their own.

There are currently some forums and reddit threads on the subject of longboarding, but there exists no one central hub for finding great spots. I see this as a potential opportunity to fill the gap provide a great pool of information for longboarders. It can be challenging to find exciting, safe, inclusive, and semi-private locations to practice the sport. This is especially true if one is engaged in any extreme aspects such as downhill, freeride, or slalom. The site/app will alleviate frustration and serve as an easy go-to source so that longboarders do not have to aimlessly search for the next great spot.

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Engage-Me-Now: A Thesis on Relaxation

For my thesis project, I’ve decided to create an interactive video relaxation program targeting people with mental, physical, visual, auditory, and sensory disabilities. However, everyone will be able to use it as well. The name of this project so far is called Engage-Me-Now, as seen in the title, to promote engagement for everyone. Using sensory-friendly visuals and audio, it would be an entertaining form of interactive media that engages and relaxes its users. Now, there are apps specifically for this, using meditation and tracking behaviors, but I wanted to do something else that everyone can do and enjoy doing, looking forward to relaxing and playing it. That is what would be a huge strength of this project, since it’s something that hasn’t really been done before.

I came up with the idea based on my childhood, as a person with learning disabilities that stem ADHD and Auditory Processing Delay, and my time in occupational therapy. I played a game called Interactive Metronome that consists of clapping your hands together every time you hear a “ding”, like a metronome, for a certain amount of reps. However, the program has evolved much more since I last used it, so I would often get bored with it due to the lack of actual entertaining engagement, which I know they have more of now. In a way, this program helped me relax over time and significantly increased my focus, memory, and cognition. Although I’m not exactly striving for a program just like this, I do need to give credit where credit is due, and I would’ve never thought of this thesis idea in the first place without my experiences with Interactive Metronome.

For my thesis, I would likely use Adobe After Effects for the visuals, Adobe Premiere to tie the program together, possibly some programming, and Adobe Audition for the audio. I would also be researching different examples of sensory-friendly interactive media, such as museum exhibitions, projects, videos, and games, which I have already started. I think a weakness in my project would be that I don’t really know much about programming, so that could impact the amount of which I want to accomplish. Also, everyone has different needs and sensory triggers, so it might be very hard to actually get something to work in the way that it won’t upset anyone.

I don’t have rough sketches just yet, and I’ve summarized the notes of my early findings throughout this post (very sporadically). However, I am updating my thesis slide deck as I do more research. I will be contacting my old speech pathologist, who worked with me since I was a toddler, and also get into contact with other people with disabilities on campus to learn more and create better prototypes. I also don’t really have any other ideas, at this point it would just be minimizing the amount of work I actually can do in this project.

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Steve’s Words of Wisdom

To be honest I didn’t expect the words of the legendary Steve Jobs to relate so much to my own experiences in life. You’d think a man so successful in life would be so from the start, but from his speech, that was far from the truth. Back in college, Steve Jobs had no idea what to do with life or how college would lead him to it, which is what I still feel since I was a freshman. Yet despite my worries of the future prospects yet unknown, I take comfort in Steve’s words that you just have to trust that it will work out okay in the end. Even despite the fact he quit college, Jobs never truly gave up on himself and looking back he could see that sometimes, drastic actions that are against societal status quo can be the best decisions you ever make. Though I have decided to continue my college career to the very end, I do have the belief that it will lead to something worthwhile, even if I can’t see it yet, heck it might not even be here just yet.

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Lessons from Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture

Professor Randy Pausch (1960-2008) during his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon (9/18/07)

Over the years, I have often found myself falling down the YouTube rabbit hole, consuming countless hours of TED Talks, motivational speeches and lectures from great minds – household names who have changed the way we interact with the world around us. This week, I was lucky enough to watch an inspirational talk that is easily the best one I have seen yet. On September 18th, 2007, Professor Randy Pausch delivered his Last Lecture at Carnegie Mellon University. Facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, Randy taught us the ingredients to achieving our dreams.

Once I finished the over hour-long ride, I wasn’t sure where to begin in summarizing my reaction. The first thing I did was send the video to my brother, because I just wanted more people in my life to experience Randy’s wisdom. The second thing I did was look at the notes I had scribbled while watching – a few short quotes and the titles of various concepts he had bestowed upon me.

“Brick walls let us prove how badly we want things.”

The words Randy spoke during his Last Lecture taught me something that I had not understood an hour before I started watching. It was that I want to lead my life like Randy Pausch. Hearing the wildly different childhood dreams that he had, and how he achieved them all through being himself, and having fun, was eye-opening.

I also came to the realization that this was the perfect time in my life to watch this lecture. I am currently in the final year of the Interactive Multimedia Major, and soon I will be venturing into the “real world”. While this fact is extremely anxiety-inducing, Randy’s words helped me understand that I can reach out and grab the tools needed to build my dreams. All it takes is a willingness to work hard, be loyal, never stop learning or challenging myself, and to have fun.

“It’s not about how to achieve your dreams, it’s about how to lead your life”

I want to use Randy’s teachings to help my Senior Thesis Project, as well as future ventures in my life. His words about Head Fake Learning deeply resonated with me, and will remember this concept when building my website for thesis and on my free time. People learning, without realizing they had an educational experience, is a magical thing.

Perhaps the remarkable clarity of Randy’s lecture came from a perspective he gained while facing his tragic diagnosis. All we have is time, but our time is limited. His legacy is far greater than a single lecture, but I will forever connect his name to this video, and forever be thankful to have experienced it.

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Thoughts On Steve Job’s Commencement Speech

Steve Job’s speech really speaks to me about life and its expectations. Despite The pressure set up for him to attend college from the time he was born, he gave it a shot, and found it wasn’t for him. In choosing to drop out and form his own path is where he found success. And even once he found success, it wasn’t a happily ever after. He faced another huge struggle being fired from his own company, but eventually used it as a chance at a new beginning instead of allowing it to drag him down. This is the sort of mindset I hope to carry through life. Everything is temporary, and change is constant, so you must keep looking to the future and knowing that if you are not happy with where you are now, you can find a way to get to where you want to be.

These concepts can be applied to any aspect of your life, even a senior thesis project. There’s a long road ahead that will bring many challenges and changes, but I hope to welcome and overcome them the best I can to produce something I can be proud of.

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A Story of Love and Loss

Steve Job’s second story, that of “love and loss,” hit me at a degree that was very close to home. As many of my friends know, I am really in love with a competitive game called Smite. I have worn many hats in the time that I have played the game, but none have ever been as amazing as the time when I coached an amateur team that got a chance to compete at the international level.

This team was called We Garn Servo and was an Australian team comprised of 5 male players ages 16-22. I completed their lineup as their sixth member, and although we spent so much time together, it was obvious I didn’t quite fit in for a number of reasons. Firstly, they were 16+ hours ahead, and I wasn’t really able to spend the quality time a teammate typically does getting to know them. Our scrimmages were from 3-7 AM for me, so as soon as we were done, I was off to bed or else I was definitely not going to make it to class later that day. Secondly, the team was all guys. Normally, you would hope that wouldn’t mean anything, but there always seemed to be a bit of a divide; I was never really “one of the lads” as they would say.

Despite this, I worked incredibly hard to review their scrimmages, devise strategies, and compile statistics in order to give them the best possible chances at dominating their Oceanic league. And that’s exactly what they did. Though it was a rocky start, I have never felt more proud of anything that I’d ever done than the moment that we won our best of three set that secured our tickets to the international Smite Masters LAN event. That feeling of pride didn’t last forever.

A week after we won, I had been getting some mixed signals from the boys. A little later, I was told I was kicked from the team.

Kicked? You’re joking, right?

Alas, it was the truth. They decided that the ticket I had worked so hard to earn would be snatched from my hand and ripped to shreds. To say I was devastated was an understatement. Even as I think back now, I wish I had been able to change my fate, for my life could have been so different if I had actually been able to go.

However, that doesn’t mean I dislike where I ended up. That doesn’t mean I left my passion to float away with the cruel breeze like my ticket did. In fact, it made it much, much stronger. Since then, I have grown within the Smite community to a place where I am much happier — not to mention I actually have gotten paid to play it. Although I lost something very dear to me, I was able to reassess and find the place where I truly wanted to be. Rather than waking up to a deafening alarm at 3 AM to groggily watch scrimmages, I can create my own content and reach an audience beyond those that are interested in the niche international leagues.

I did love my coaching position with We Garn Servo, and though I lost it, I didn’t lose my love for the game, the community, and the job.

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steve jobs response

Throughout Steve Jobs’ address, there was a common theme that really made an impact on me. Trust. Jobs said, “You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” He also said, “So you have to trust that the dots will connect in your future.” These quotations really stood out to me because the most important thing people should do is believe in themselves and trust their gut.

I think the part in his speech that connected most to IMM was when he was talking about taking a calligraphy course and applying it on the Mac. In IMM, we are exposed to so many different courses, that allow us to work on various skills. Applying all these skills to whatever we want to do in life – even something as minor as typography – still makes an incredible difference.

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Robin’s Response to Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch’s “Last Lecture” was both entertaining and informative. I learned not only about Randy’s life but also some methods he endorses for achieving childhood dreams. There is a lot to dissect here, so I shall.

When I was much younger, I never had a stable concept of what ‘dream job’ I wanted. The longest held dream job would have been ‘teacher,’ but I discounted this when I realized that I had a harder time relating to children the older I grew.

Nor did I ever “day-dream” the way many people describe, zoning out and having little fantasies, imagining or replaying conversations. (I had rich, lucid dreams at night, but day-dreaming was not something I knew.)

Today, I don’t know where I want to live, or with whom, or even what I want to do after I graduate.

So when Randy spoke of achieving my childhood dreams, I wondered if I really have any. Over time, I have developed aspirations, and they’re eclectic like Randy’s set of childhood dreams, so perhaps I could glean something after all from this motivational speech.

There were several things he said that spoke to me, but I think there were three that stood out especially.

BRICK WALLS ARE THERE TO GIVE US A CHANCE TO SHOW HOW BADLY WE WANT SOMETHING.

It reminds me a little of Dora the Explorer’s “Can’t go around it! Can’t go through it!” variety of obstacles. You just need to get creative to make it over an obstacle that might stop someone else. This idea makes sense in theory to me, but in practicality, I have a tough time with it.

Because I don’t know where my limits are but always have such high standards for myself, I don’t know what is a reasonable amount of effort to put into something, at what point I ‘should’ stop, nor whether I have the energy to continue forward without burning out. My approach to things is usually “slow and steady,” so if some obstacles requires more of an energetic sprint, I need to decide if it’s really worth it to me.

There aren’t a lot of brick walls I’ve decided I need to overcome at college because in high school, I pushed myself way too hard. I developed severe depression and anxiety, and now that these conditions are well-managed, I’m afraid to ever go back to such a dark place.

However, the brick walls I have overcome are really important to me: improving the gender-inclusive housing program at my school, advocating for keeping the TCNJ Clinic (a critical mental health support) open, getting approval from parents and school for my emotional-support rats, learning about game development (and all the coding that goes with that) during a Mentored Undergraduate Summer Experience, and befriending, supporting, and mentoring many different kinds of people under various circumstances. There are others…

Well, now that I list them out, maybe I do have more fight in me than I give myself credit for.

IT’S A THRILL TO FULFILL YOUR OWN CHILDHOOD DREAMS, BUT AS YOU GET OLDER, YOU MAY FIND THAT ENABLING THE DREAMS OF OTHERS IS EVEN MORE FUN.

I definitely want to help people along on their journeys as much as possible. I’m still young, still working on my own dreams, but if I can help even one person get closer to theirs, that brings me deep satisfaction. Among other supports that I offer my community, this motivation is why I offer to read tarot cards for my friends, family, and even the TCNJ community (students, staff). It opens up intimate conversations about direction, hopes, fears, love. I think the more people can develop perspective on their own life, the greater their chances of finding success.

WAIT LONG ENOUGH AND PEOPLE WILL SURPRISE AND IMPRESS YOU.

I believe this is great advice. It has certainly proved true in my experience as a transgender person; even my (rather conservative) father has finally started using my name and pronouns (he/him). The most seemingly-inflexible people can eventually come around; you just need to be patient.

Sometimes it may help to be persistent, while for others it may behoove you to give the person space. It’s not always straight-forward, but few things in life are.

I know I said three things stood out to me, but here’s a fourth: (Head-fake!)

IT’S NOT ABOUT HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS. IT’S ABOUT HOW TO LEAD YOUR LIFE. IF YOU LEAD YOUR LIFE THE RIGHT WAY, THE KARMA WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF. THE DREAMS WILL COME TO YOU.

I think this sort of brings this post full-circle, as well. You don’t even need to have had childhood dreams to live a good life. You get out of life what you put in, and leading your life the right way lets the dreams come to you. This is reminiscent of a piece of Design Your Life advice, which states essentially that with the right mindset, you start to see opportunities and things fall into place–you get lucky.

I think being a support to others is part of leading your life the right way. There are a lot of people out there who need support, whether that’s listening to them or connecting them to resources or inviting them to do things they would like to do. Enabling these people to dream by sharing a connection with them, and allowing them to grow into their best self…I do believe the karma will take care of itself. I have a good reputation for being a good listener and a calming presence, as well as someone who is good to work with. Things will work out for me; I’m optimistically certain about this.

As part of reading Design Your Life, I took inventory of which parts of my life I emphasize and to what extent these are balanced. I think that the “love” meter and the “work” meter being high is representative of the values important to finding and achieving dreams. “Play” is important to figuring out what you might be passionate enough about that it won’t seem like work, and “health” enables all of the above.

Here is my inventory of Love/Play/Work/Health in my life from last week. (I don’t think there’s been any significant change since then.)

Love/Play/Work/Health

Something that is really valuable to me is community. Although I strongly believe that each person is the only person who can have the final say on what their own life is about, I don’t believe that life is an individual pursuit. Let us work together to find and achieve our dreams.