REFLECTION IN ACTION
An educational indie video game with design schema
This is the development of an educational indie video game in which a set of design rules are generated as a schema from player actions with the spatial components of architectural precedents in a given library. Each player’s outcome is scored with its comparison to the functional sequences of the original precedent and its formal
arrangement. The implementation of the proposed game within UNITY is introduced.
DETAILS
- Alice Sandstrom & Hyoung-June Park
- On-going
- Design Future(s) Lab
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- University of Hawaii at Manoa
DISSEMINATION
DESCRIPTION
Shape grammar is a rule-based design system in which shape rules are created and applied based on the spatial relationships formed and transformation undergone by and between a set of placeholders within a given style. The basic structure of shape calculation lends itself to computer applications within the field of design, however, at present this requires making and applying design rule first in the design process rather than engaging the practice of design. Furthermore, a fairly high level of understanding morphological transformations necessary for applying design rules has been problematic for the usage of shape grammar in the process. These limit shape grammar’s use as both a design tool as well as an educational tool when it comes to understanding the spatial relationships found within a given precedent style.
Our proposed game seeks to address the problems and provide an educational tool for learning about formal and spatial relationships found in a variety of architectural precedents with translating design actions into design rules and accumulating those rules as a design schema. The game provides a rigorous way of producing design variations in the guideline of the meaningful syntax with maintaining the level of design freedom to assemble given placeholders/objects, scoring the players’ outcome, providing them feedback based upon the precedent they are working with, also allow the player to backtrack on a recorded design schema. The proposed game’s ability to provide immediate player feedback based on their actions along with their playful nature allows us to a sense of reflection in action in the design process.
We are currently in the pre-production phase of development, with the goal of creating an alpha build (an early prototype). This level will be based on the Martin (Barton) House by Frank Lloyd Wright. This alpha level build will be used to perform preliminary, small scale player testing in order to determine any further tweaks to the overall gameplay mechanics prior to the further implementation of additional precedent levels.
Our proposed game seeks to address the problems and provide an educational tool for learning about formal and spatial relationships found in a variety of architectural precedents with translating design actions into design rules and accumulating those rules as a design schema. The game provides a rigorous way of producing design variations in the guideline of the meaningful syntax with maintaining the level of design freedom to assemble given placeholders/objects, scoring the players’ outcome, providing them feedback based upon the precedent they are working with, also allow the player to backtrack on a recorded design schema. The proposed game’s ability to provide immediate player feedback based on their actions along with their playful nature allows us to a sense of reflection in action in the design process.
We are currently in the pre-production phase of development, with the goal of creating an alpha build (an early prototype). This level will be based on the Martin (Barton) House by Frank Lloyd Wright. This alpha level build will be used to perform preliminary, small scale player testing in order to determine any further tweaks to the overall gameplay mechanics prior to the further implementation of additional precedent levels.
Our understanding of where we live
is not so philosophical but rather pragmatic
Understanding urban environment with quantifiable measures has been the source of debates
Well then becomes the one of heated discussions … now possiblly the one of main trends