Homework 6

Four each of the four elements of the Tetrad, explain how it is addressed by your game. If one of the four elements is not used, please state this. 

• Aesthetics: Our game's aesthetic is driving towards a fun mash-up of stylized, polyagonal figures and more literally (but still not photoreally) crafted models.
• Gameplay: The gameplay is also a sort of mash-up. It slips between mouse-driven point-and-shoot sequences and keyboard-heavy (and hopefully educational) "hacking" sequences with a terminal.
• Story: The game is fairly story-driven, with the main character (the player) motivated to infiltrate an enemy organization under the direction of his superior officer, so that he might achieve an end goal (could be "save the princess" or "bankrupt the terrorists," not certain that's been settled yet).
• Technology: The technology present in this game is fairly 007-future. Whether you look at it as a single, contemporary company that is more technologically advanced than the rest of the population, or as a 20-years-in-the-future scene where technology is slightly more developed over all, the environment in this game is techhy without breaking into the realm of cyberpunk or retro-future.

Do the four (or less) elements work towards a current theme? 
Why, yes, I think so!

In your own words, describe the meaning of a "theme", and how does it differ from an "experience" (see book for examples in Chapters 2 and 5. 
A "theme" is the overarching idea behind a game; it's the representational metaphor that the game suggests, whether that's "get the block into the cup" or "go on a harrowing, four-year adventure that takes you from small farm boy to world-crushing demigod." An "experience" in a game, then, is how a player interacts with the game; it's the presentation and the interface and the feeling that the player gets from engaging with the game regardless of the specific story.

What is your game's theme? 
A hacker-spy infiltrates an enemy organization, taking down opponents and breaking into secure data.

What are the elements in your game that are meant to reinforce this theme? 
The heavy inclusion of typing in gameplay, the first-person shooting of (dapperly dressed) enemies in gameplay, the heavy-espionage story driving activities, and the bond-esque approach to technology and story.

What is it about your game that you feel makes it special and powerful?
The main character is a solo agent taking on an entire organization with nothing but the instruction of his boss, his guns, and his clever mind. He fills the role of a one-man army on a hero's mission.