1. Matthew Mathis Game History 09/06/2013
http://www.dipity.com/ZeroFaction/My-Game-History/
2. Why was this game important to you? This game was important
to me because it helped me connect with friends and family. I was
first introduced to Chess by my grandfather. He would get
frustrated when I was first learning because I think he wanted
somebody good to play with. I later found that my cousin knew the
game and got better at it by playing against someone closer to my
IQ. It helped me discover patience and strategy can be very
entertaining even when there is nothing else going on. It also
taught me to begin thinking ahead instead of always on the fly.
Define the two main skills the game tried to teach. The game
teaches resource management and risk assessment through its
meticulous use of its pieces. Players must thing about the risk of
moving to any specific spot on the board but they must also be
aware of the risk posed by the opposing players pieces as well.
Because you only have a limited among of pieces to play with, you
must manage your resources effectively and make sacrifices
sparingly. Resource Management: The ability to control separate
sets of items. Risk Assessment: The ability to recognize the pros
and cons of a motion. What game mechanics taught these skills? The
movement of each piece forces players to make risk assessments
during every move. Because pieces can only move in a specified
manner it limits the options available to the player. This combines
itself with resource management because the player only has limited
pieces to play with, the most important resource being the king.
But, even if the player has all of their pieces in play on the
board, poor risk assessment and resource management could end up
putting their king at risk, which could end the game. CHESS June
1993 10 years old
3. Why was this game important to you? This game was important
to me because it was the first board game I really connected with.
I wanted to have fantasy adventures and this game allowed me to do
that along with my friends. I got it as a Christmas present and I
remember that our family was having some financial issues so it is
the only thing I got that year. I still think it was one of the top
3 best presents I ever received and I still play it to this day.
Define the two main skills the game tried to teach. This game
taught many skills including risk assessment, resource management,
projection of power, and pack mentality. But the two dominant
skills were definitely exploration and communication due to the
D&D-like mechanics of the game. Exploration:The ability to move
about an area with the purpose of learning it. Communication:The
ability to share ideas and thoughts with others. What game
mechanics taught these skills? Exploration was taught through the
use of hidden treasure and the specific mechanics of turn use. A
character could either perform an action and then move, or move and
then perform an action (like searching or fighting). The game
contained hidden secrets that were only discoverable through
exploration and searching. Communication was taught by situations
that required teamwork to overcome. Players needed to discuss
options before a move could take place. Sometimes a certain
character was required to perform a certain action. Players would
need to organize their use of turns to make that action happen. It
could also be important to defeat a strong opponent by organizing
attacks. Communication was important because once the DMs (dungeon
masters) turn came around, there was a very possible risk of losing
the game. December 1995 12 years old
4. Why was this game important to you? This game is the one
that kick-started my passion for racing games. I remember how
amazing the graphics and the realism was for me at the time. It was
the first game I had played that used nitrous and had fuel gauges.
Those two concepts really captivated me. Define the two main skills
the game tried to teach. The two main skills this game tried to
teach were chasing and projection of power. The game made sure that
a player could not be in first place at the beginning of a race. It
forces players to chase first place. Chasing: The ability to follow
a target to catch it. Projection of Power: The ability to press
upon a target the hunters superiority. What game mechanics taught
these skills? This game taught chasing by never letting the player
start in an advantageous situation. You could never get in 1st
place at the start of a race. So the player was always chasing 1st
place. One of the game mechanics was that the pack always left the
players car in the dust at the beginning of a race. Projection of
power was taught by the mechanic of nitrous and lap time. Nitrous
allowed a player to either catch up to an opponent quickly (if they
didnt crash while using it) or leave an opponent in the dust if
they were already in the lead. Lap times also displayed power by
showing your opponents what you are capable of in terms of speed.
Top GearTitleTheme September 1992 9 years old
5. Why was this game important to you? I had played Legend of
Zelda far before ever getting my hands on Chrystalis. But,
Chrystalis was not the typical Zelda knockoff. It had a massive
explore able world and the story was very appealing to me. I
remember I borrowed the game from a friend during summer break and
I really didnt want to give it back. The enjoyment of getting the
best sword in Chrystalis (I dont remember the name) was something I
will never forget; I was so excited about an in game item for the
first time ever. Define the two main skills the game tried to
teach. This game had a strong emphasis on resource management and
exploration. Players needed to manage their inventory carefully and
alter it for differing situations. They also had to be aware of the
area of the map they were in based on their level otherwise they
could find themselves in a lot of trouble. Resource Management: The
ability to control separate sets of items. Exploration: The ability
to move about an area with the purpose of learning it. July 1992 9
years old What game mechanics taught these skills? The game taught
exploration by utilizing a mechanic that prevented a player from
going to areas too high for them. It made killing enemies far above
their level impossible, which forced the player to go searching for
what they may have missed. Players also needed certain items to
progress, so searching for the items was a critical part of the
game. It taught resource management through a system that allowed
the character to charge up their sword to release powerful magical
attacks. They also needed to choose the right sword for the right
situation. The Hero Awakens
6. Why was this game important to you? Oh my, I remember
Earthbound. This game was important to me because it was the first
game I played that I felt really gave me a challenge and had a
decent storyline. I loved the graphics, I loved the characters, and
I remember being fascinated by the enemies and how difficult even
beginning enemies could be and how the game world felt like it was
really alive. This game solidified my passion for RPGs. I dont
think it was the one and only game that made me enjoy the genre but
it is always the first one that pops up when somebody asks me What
is your favorite RPG?. Define the two main skills the game tried to
teach. EarthboundTitleTheme September 1995 12 years old This game
tried to teach Arithmetic, Exploration, Memorization, and
Collection. The main focus was on Exploration and Memorization.
Players really needed to pay attention to what the NPCs said in the
game, otherwise they would very likely end up lost and confused.
The world was vast as well and exploring it was a requirement to
find every little thing needed to progress. Exploration:The ability
to move about an area with the purpose of learning it.
Memorization:The ability to recall items that cannot be easily
referenced. What game mechanics taught these skills? Items required
for progression were hidden throughout the game. Often it required
the player to remember a conversation that took place previously in
the game and return to that person, with a vague reference, to
complete that task needed to proceed. These two mechanics were
combined in this game. Exploration would lead to discovery, which
would lead to a task that required you to remember something in the
past and explore again to find it. Characters were often not were
they were the first time you spoke to them in the game, adding to
the memorization and exploration part of the game. You needed to
remember where they said they were going and find them.
7. Title Twilight Man. (2010). X7 zeroslash. [photograph].
Retrieved from: http://megaman.wikia.com/wiki/File:X7_zeroslash.jpg
Chess Gold and Silver Chess. (2012). [photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2012/07/troy-open-chess-tournament.html
HeroQuest Milton Bradley. (1990) HeroQuest Logo. [photograph].
Retrieved from: http://www.members.shaw.ca/shanda/HQ.html
Sikamikanico. (2010). Hero Quest. [photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/247447 Top Gear Leitch, Barry. Masuno,
Hiroyuki. (1992). Title Theme. [Recorded by Kemco]. On Top Gear
[Super Nintendo Game Cartridge]. Miko, Steve. (2006). Top Gear
Front Cover. [photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/snes/top-gear/cover-
art/gameCoverId,56752/ Ryu, Evil. (2005). If the Computer (or one
of 2 Players) goes to the Pits, put a Nitro to increase the
distance between both!. [photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/snes/top-gear/screenshots/gameShotId,114584/
Ryu, Evil. (2005). Title Screen. [photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/snes/top-gear/screenshots/gameShotId,112963/
Crystalis Nathaniel. (2012). Wind Attack. [photograph]. Retrieved
from:
http://www.exfanding.com/2012/10/a-proper-crystalis-celebration.html
Osaka, Yoko. (1990). The Hero Awakens. On Crystalis [Nintendo Game
Cartridge]. Oyn. (2004). Front Cover. [photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/crystalis/cover-art/gameCoverId,33970/
WildKard. (2003). Title Screen. [photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/crystalis/screenshots/gameShotId,54497/
WildKard. (2003). Emerging from a Cryogenic Chamberour Hero.
[photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/crystalis/screenshots/gameShotId,54500/
EarthBound Slide Johnson, Jeff. (2013). EarthBound Logo.
[photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://gamentrain.com/earthbound-available-for-the-wii-u-
today/#.UipjpVXn9hE Suzuki, Keiichi. Tanaka, Hirokazu. (1995).
Title Theme. [Recorded by Hirokazu Tanaka]. On EarthBound [Super
Nintendo Game Cartridge]. The first and second phases of the final
boss fight. (N.D.). [photograph]. Retrieved from
http://www.eteksciki.info/videos/giygas Yid Yang. (2005). Visiting
the City. [photograph]. Retrieved from:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/snes/earthbound/screenshots/gameShotId,117727/
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