Criterion A: Inquiring and Analysing

Create a section in your book for Criterion A. Each of the following tasks will be the ‘chapters’ of this section of the book. Use the features of Book Creator: you can embed video, Padlets, insert video and audio that you make of your own reflections, add photographs. 

Make it very clear that you are responding to each section using the headings listed below.

A1: The Problem

What?

Explain and justify the need for a solution to a problem.

Why?

You need to fully understand the ‘problem’ and identify where you can make a meaningful contribution towards solving this.

How?

The first thing we need to do is explain what the problem is. This includes why it happens, who it affects, and why we should bother to help at all.  

Create a page or two that explains/shows  the following things:

  • the gaming problem we want to avoid or fix with our game
  • who the client/target player is for our game
  • why we need to tackle this gaming problem and why people need to like our game
  • some evidence that justifies why we need to make this game
Consider using these sentence starters:

  • The problem that I want my game to address is…(what?)
  • The reason that this problem exists is… (why?)
  • My game will be aimed at…(who?).
  • If I am successful in creating this game…(what will change?)
  • PROOF (show proof of the problem)
  • This evidence shows…(what?)
  • This proves we need to create a solution for this issue because…(why?)

When thinking of a problem, you could consider the Sustainable Development Goals which are goals to solve global problems: 

A2: Existing Products

What?

Describe the main features of an existing product that inspires a solution to the problem.

Why?

You are trying to figure out what makes related products a success (or not) and you are trying to come up with ideas for your own project.

How?

In your Design book, show three examples that each include:

  • Game images
  • List the features that make the game successful (and state why)
  • List how this game inspires you in your own game design

Consider also:

When gathering the three examples, choose games that are different from each other. If the games are very similar, you will gain only limited knowledge and inspiration for your own games, because your analysis will lead to the same conclusions.

 

A3: Research Plan

What?

State and prioritize the main points of research needed to develop a solution to the problem.

Why?

You want to identify valuable sources of information to provide input for your project (now and later) and you want to make sure you balance your research efforts over the different areas of research that are needed.

How?

So now we know what we will do, and how successful examples do their thing, we need to work out what else we need to know. We might need to know more about the user, more about the problem, or more about how to make it. Choose three things you need to know, work out how important it is to know this, and state where you will research it from.

Consider also:

Creating a table like the one below will help you to organize your thinking:

I need to know (what?) This is (how important?) because (why?) The sources I will use to research this will be (name them):
Primary Secondary
Research point 1
Research point 2
Research point 3

Primary Sources: information that you create yourself such as interviews, surveys, game tests, photographs.

Secondary Sources: information that already exists such as books, magazines, websites, videos, YouTube, social media.

 

A4: Design Brief

What?

Present the main findings of relevant research.

Why?

You have to make a decision at this point in the project: What will you design and create, for whom and why. You want your decision to be based on sufficient background research

How?

For each of your research points, answer the following:

Research Points (2 sentences for each research point)

  • I found out that (what)?
  • Now I know that I will (do/avoid doing what?) as I design (what part of the game?) because (why?)

Projecting into the future

  • Describe the dream scenario of what success for you in this project would look like.

Criterion A Rubric

Criterion A PDF (click to download)