For my final project, I will be focusing on the different means of communication in Sky the game. My original write-up had a lot of data, however, it was a little directionless and it was not well organized. I plan on using the same introduction as I did for the original practicum write-up, but the presentation of the data itself will be narrowed down to just the forms of communication and I will likely remove many of my extraneous observations about the setting and environment of each level as I do not think it is relevant to my research question — that is, how do people communicate when traditional forms of video game communication (ex. a universal chatbox) are removed? In an ideal world, I would have time to research a more intricate question — namely, how the unconventional communication shifts the accessibility of the game to non-traditional gamer populations — but given that I only have a week, I will have to concentrate on a more realistic goal.  I’d like my project to be a combination of visual and video elements comparing the types of communication in the “regular” levels and the Eye of Eden level in a poster with moving elements. My idea was inspired by these moving movie posters I saw as well as the Canva template I found here:

I can’t upload a gif, but here’s the link to see it move: https://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/MPKillbill.gif

Can’t upload gifs but here’s the link to see it move: https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AmusedTintedHeterodontosaurus-small.gif

 

I love the juxtaposition of fixed text with moving images, as it makes the posters all the more eye-catching, and although my poster will be communicating a lot more data than these examples, I hope to capture the same style in my own work. Additionally, I want my audience to be able to see the different types of communication, and given that all of it is non-verbal communication, I think it would be pretty easy to create gifs from screen recordings of my playthrough. I would then add these gifs to a poster I will design on Canva because I like the simplicity and clarity of the template I found. However, I have not yet begun this part of the project, as this week I’ve been focusing on gathering the data I need to create the gifs as well as to understand the types of communication further.

What I’m keeping from my original practicum:

    • INTRODUCTION
      • “For my virtual ethnography, I chose the game Sky. Sky is a game in which the player explores various levels using a cape and “winged light” that allows the player to fly. I counted seven different levels (each with their own unique environments and obstacles) connected by a central “Home” that acts as a hub between the different worlds. By collecting winged light and following the spirits found in each level, the player is able to progressively gain more abilities and customization options — for example, look at a comparison of the starter character on the left (source), and then a leveled up character on the right (source). The controls are deceptively simple: move your finger around the left circle to move your character, move your finger around the right circle to fly, and rotate the camera by dragging your finger somewhere in the middle (this is the part I struggled with the most, as sometimes the camera starts spinning all over the place while you’re flying). I used to be an avid Sky player, but had stopped playing last summer and was out of practice. Unlike our two presenters on Wednesday, all my progress had been saved and I was able to start at level 35 rather than level 1. After getting used to the controls and navigation again, I was able to jump right into the game. I’ve included a picture of my character as well as a little clip of my initial flight test.”
    • CONCLUSION:
      • “The most important observation I discovered was how important the calls became — most of the players we ran into were pairs holding hands, but given the obstacles of the level, it was very easy to become separated. The calls allowed the players to see where their partners had landed in the case that they were separated, a problem that doesn’t exist in the other levels. The use of expressions was limited and practically non-existent in my run-through.”