My initiation into computer games and began last week with a membership to the digital game distribution platform Steam and my first game, Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna). The game was recommended to my by researchers Chris Holden and Jim Matthews who know of my interest in aboriginal story telling through mobile media. It is a partnership between the Cook Inlet Tribal Council in Alaska and E-Line Media, where an Inupiaq girl named Nuna and her Arctic fox move through the harsh elements in the landscape while escaping challenges like melting ice flows and predators. Short videos describing the cultural life of the Inuit are unlocked as the player moves through the various levels of the game. Never Alone won 5 awards in 2014 and a Games for Change Festival award in 2015.
I have no history playing computer or console games so I approached the game knowing nothing about what keys to use or any other actions. It was an interesting perspective from which to approach the challenge. I have decided to use a play testing framework from the MIT MOOC that I am taking which focuses on the 7 questions below.
I have no history playing computer or console games so I approached the game knowing nothing about what keys to use or any other actions. It was an interesting perspective from which to approach the challenge. I have decided to use a play testing framework from the MIT MOOC that I am taking which focuses on the 7 questions below.
How complex are the rules?
The game begins with the first short video that outlines the narrative of Nuna and her fox searching for the source of a blizzard that has brought her village to the edge of starvation. Three commands overlay the first scene, “move right” (D) “jump” (space) and “switch character” (Q). That was it. With this information I was able to move through the first level and unlock two more short videos in the Inupiaq language with subtitles that described the tradition of oral stories and living in the harsh climate. I observed quickly that new directions would be disclosed as I progressed.
How difficult was it to learn how to play?
I have read about how games must balance player frustration and challenge. I found that in the early stages of Never Alone the game play was well balanced between the two with a tilt towards success in meeting the tasks. I definitely felt the satisfaction, accomplishment and hormonal charge that I have read about motivate me to continue. At no time did I ever get the sense that it was easy because the difficulty level increased with each new level.
What kind of strategies were possible?
After a few hours of play I learned through multiple failures that keys could be used in combination with each other and that the orientation of the characters in relation to a charging polar bear of collapsing bridge were all connected in the game play. I cannot say that I was making a coherent strategy even now at the 5 hour point other than to try new options, fail and remember what had worked for me up to a given point. I am certainly not planning ahead.
What emotions are generated by the game?
The relationship of the girl to her fox elicits feelings of responsibility and connection that anyone who has had a pet knows well. We have two chihuahua’s, and the likeness of the Arctic fox in size and manner is very strong. The play and enjoyment between the pair is infectious. Conversely, the whimpering and tears heard when things go bad are hard to take. The game leverages the common bond between people and their pets as well as parent to small children.
What is the level of Immersiveness:
The only games that I have to compare this one with are board and touch-screen games. The nature of the immersiveness is different because Never Alone goes beyond level accomplishment and draws on emotions. It is very hard to stop playing - much more so than the other two types of games mentioned because their is a sense of responsibility for the safety of both characters. My sense is that parents were probably involved in user testing the prototypes.
How are meaningful decisions made?
A good example of a meaningful decision is when Nuna and the fox appear to have no options and I would have to move them back through the environment that they have progressed through in order to find a new path. This has happened to me a number of times so far. It was very difficult at first because I felt like a was backtracking, but I now realize that there are multiple was to advance through the game landscape.
How are meaningful decisions rewarded?
Rewards for meaningful decisions include leveling-up, unlocking new cultural videos and collecting game objects in my inventory. I do not fully understand the latter but just the feeling that I have won or earned some artifact pushes me to want to play further and improve.
I have only unlocked 4 of the 19 game objects so far and I know that there are hours of game play and learning ahead of me. Never Alone has been a perfect entry computer game for me so far. I am attracted to its cinematic animation, sound track, story and game play and I have yet to feel overwhelmed. I also enjoy learning about the Inuit in the video shorts.
Interesting enough, my 22-year-old gammer daughter is also playing the game and is by-passing the videos. She is motivated by finishing the game. This makes me realize that educational games like Never Alone must be played through the filter of the player’s own game experience and social norms, especially when progress is visible to others on platforms like Steam. This introduces a further complication in the conversation about how games for learning are received and experienced by a range of users.
Interesting enough, my 22-year-old gammer daughter is also playing the game and is by-passing the videos. She is motivated by finishing the game. This makes me realize that educational games like Never Alone must be played through the filter of the player’s own game experience and social norms, especially when progress is visible to others on platforms like Steam. This introduces a further complication in the conversation about how games for learning are received and experienced by a range of users.