Friday, October 29, 2010

Tetris in Class Assessment



GAME 100 EXPLORING GAME WORLDS – VIDEOGAME IN-CLASS APPRAISAL TEMPLATE


Student Name__Lily Hardy


Today’s Date___10/29/10


Game Title Examined___Tetris

Year of Publication_____1989


Game Publisher_______Various


Game Developer ______Alexey Pajitnov



Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

-Tetris is a Puzzle game.



Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)

-2D flat puzzle screen. 


Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.

 -The player views the puzzle pieces and screen from above. The camera mode it fixed and doesn't move.

Gameplay – what does the player have to do?

 -Player must guide blocks and shapes into orderly lines. Once a whole line is completed the blocks disappear and the player scores points.


Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.

- I think through trial and error you would easily understand what the game was about. It is a simple game. When the blocks pile up too high the game is over. When you put the blocks into correct places they flash and disappear.



Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)

 -The gameplay is random each time when it comes to the pieces chosen to fall. But the idea is the same every time. Pieces fall at the same rate.



What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?

-The game is made of simple blocks and that is why it was a huge success on an  8 bit GameBoy screen because it was so simple and didn't require great graphics.

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of


  1. ease of play

-The game is difficult for me to score high on but easy to keep going for long periods of time and "feel" successful. So I would say most people would consider it a very easy game. There are no obvious levels to beat it just continues on so people would consider it easy.



  1. enjoyability

 - I think the fast pace and continued gameplay makes it very enjoyable. Even if you lose you can jump right back into the game so you never feel like losing is that big of a deal. It is simple and people like simple.



      c) level of engagement/immersion

- It is an incredibly easy  game to zone out and lose yourself in. Very engaging.



Had you played this game prior to this time?  If so, when?

 -Yes, it is a close friend of mines favorite and he is amazing at it. I actually didn't enjoy it when I first played because he was so ridiculously good at it I didn't stand a chance. (We played a versus mode)




Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this?

- It reminds me of the simplicity and addictiveness of Pong. Both have a "no pressure" yet competitive feel. You want to keep the game going and it is played very casually by most people.



THE TETRIS AFFECT-

I think that when people talk about the Tetris effect they are referring to the feeling of zoning out. When I play I feel like half of my brain shuts down and only the input from the screen is what my brain is focusing on. It's almost like your mind realizes that it doesnt need to be aware of anything accept what is right in front of it. 

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