https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zyOnqfR35VYR7qcNJ_UjKx3fxxVtx4pfrMS2r-uDOCk/edit#slide=id.p
Our game was fairly simple to create since it was based on our experiences as student athletes, this has made building the game a very interactive experience between us since both of us got to share our experiences with each other. It is always refreshing to know that someone has gone through a similar experience as you or has the same feeling towards a certain matter. I would say that I haven’t felt the burden of this task and I have made a new friend in the process and I am very happy with that since my experiences with working in groups mostly end up very bad. We were also very surprised at how we have the same approach towards sports especially since we train in different clubs and the sports are not similar whatsoever, the only similarity would be training in a pool. Finding similarities we share with others links to the two sessions I have attended with Professor Zan’s class.
We have modified our game towards adding consequences to both the academic and sporting side in the individual sport segment of the game, this made us think and recall memories we haven’t thought about while creating the first draft of the game. We added the consequences that really stood out to us in the first draft but we had to dig deeper to find consequences that would create a better version of the game while still being credible and basing it off our own experiences.
We have also received a recommendation of adding visuals to our game and we have thought about it, however, the images we had to add of ourselves were very limited and we realised that they do not reflect the experience as a whole. This was the same case while we were looking for Creative Common Licensed images that do not reflect the reality of the experiences and what we went through, so instead of adding meaningless images that could potentially make the player’s experience worse we decided to avoid adding images and relying on the player’s imagination and creativity.
We have also modified the color of our hyperlinks after reviewing the contrast color checker and we have found out that the bright pink color previously selected was not applicable, so the color of the hyperlinks were changed to a darker color. This very slight detail changed the game as a whole since we have hyperlinks on around 82 slides so this change was very necessary and the presentation has improved.
If we had more time we wouldn’t have based the game on our experiences, instead we could have conducted interviews with other student athletes to know more about their experiences and ask for their consent to be featured in a question. This would have been a great learning experience for us and if this was implemented it would have been a very interesting game with very different sports, scenarios, questions and consequences and would have given the player a wider experience because of the constant shift between different sports.
If we had more time we would have also tried to look into creating the game on a different platform than Google Slides, this would have required more time and research since Khaled and I do not have such experiences and so therefore this would have required more time.
Receiving feedback from our classmates in technologically advanced classroom was not the typical feedback session, instead it was fun to see the thought and time going into answering a question and it gave us an indication of what was there to be said about our game before actually receiving feedback. Unfortunately I don’t have an image to attach of the feedback we received but I kept a note of it. “Add visuals” and “make it more emotional.” I have previously explained the reason behind not adding images. Adding emotion to our game was also recommended by Professor Maha and this showed that some alterations must be done and this was completed.
Giving feedback to our classmates was also a fun experience, the use of the pens and writing on an interactive board was enjoyable. Giving feedback on someone’s game was fair since we have also created a game so we know the obstacles that others could potentially face so we didn’t make our feedback to harsh and tried to be as constructive as possible. I have also given the two other boards a look in the classroom for any comments that others have received that could be to our benefit and it was an enjoyable session.
While creating this game, I have learned that even though we practice different sports, in different clubs and study different curriculums at school, the experience is very similar as a whole, I have also learned that at times where I assumed I was going through a tough time related to sports alone, there are many others that go through the same scenarios, if not even tougher. I have also learned that student athletes should be very proud of themselves, especially at the school level because in some ways it is tougher to do this when you are younger. I have also learned that creating any piece of work based on your own experience is more enjoyable for a number of reasons. The first being you get to show off and feel proud of yourself. Secondly, you get to deliver a message in a way that is more effective than having a conversation about your experience as an athlete. Thirdly, since it is based on our own experiences it is credible and could act as a source of motivation for the players and this is what we wish we were able to do. The last thing I have learned is that now I am more confident talking about experiences of mine because looking back at my experiences I should be proud of myself.
Dare to Tri 