GAME STUDIES / EXERCISE

on

 23.04.2025 - 04.06.2025 (Week 1 - Week 7)

Game Studies / Bachelor of Interactive Spatial Design

Chiah Cai Jun / 0365352

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INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE 01: MY MOST FAVOURITE VIDEO GAME

EXERCISE 01 BRIEF
Figure 1.1 Exercise 01 Brief (My Favourite Video Game)

INTRODUCTION
Happy Fish Aquarium is a casual simulation game where players build and manage their virtual fish tank. In the game, players can collect a variety of colourful and exotic fish, decorate their aquarium with playful themes, and care for their aquatic pets by feeding them and keeping the tank clean. With each level, players unlock new fish species, decorations, and upgrades, making the aquarium more vibrant and interactive. Happy Fish Aquarium is designed with relaxing visuals and easy-to-learn mechanics, offering a calming and rewarding experience for players of all ages who enjoy nurturing and creativity.
Figure 1.2 Happy Fish Aquarium Onboarding Page

Why Happy Fish Aquarium?
I started to play this game 10 years ago when I was in primary school. It has occupied most of my childhood time and became my favourite video game because it allowed me to adopt cute aquatic pets in my fish tank while offering mini-games that required me to collect gems to win awards. The design of the aquatic pets is adorable as they are all designed with big eyes and vibrant colours to give them personality appeal. They even offered themed, limited-time events to introduce different pets. 

However, I stopped playing when I was in secondary school due to limited storage in my mobile phone, and I wished to focus more on academic studies. I continued to play Happy Fish Aquarium in my college, as I wish to reconnect with a source of calm during stressful times. The soothing visuals, relaxing gameplay, and the joy of caring for virtual aquatic pets provided a comforting break from academic pressures. It also reminded me of the simple happiness I experienced in my earlier years, making it not just a game, but a small, meaningful ritual in my daily life.

ENGAGEMENT 1: Daily Check In & Feeding Aquatic Pets
When the players first enter the game, the check-in window will pop up. It encourages players to announce their arrival continuously to win daily rewards, such as stamps and gems. The largest reward will be earning fishbucks, which is the currency that can only be purchased through subscribing to Happy Fish Aquarium. Besides, the stamps collected can also be used to exchange for monthly exclusive fish.

Figure 1.3 Daily Check-In Gems & Rewards

After closing the window, their fish tank will be shown on screen, and a variety of aquatic pets that they have adopted will be shown. Players can collect the gems manually by clicking on the fish or shaking the phone to collect all together.

 
Figure 1.4 Collecting Gems

When the fish are green in colour, it means that they are hungry and aren't able to produce gems. Therefore, players can choose any fish food to feed them (if you wish to feed the fish automatically, you can refill it using the starfish mechanism, and fish food will then be released when the fish are hungry).

 
Figure 1.5 Feeding Manually or Automatically

ENGAGEMENT 2: Visiting Friends & Collecting Gems
Happy Fish Aquarium enhances social connection by adding friends and visiting their tanks. Players can add friends either through user codes, Facebook or in-game suggestions. Inviting new friends to play the game will earn a cute Alpaca fish as a reward. Next, visiting a friend's aquarium allows players to admire their rare fish and special background themes. This visual sharing fosters a sense of community, encouraging players to return regularly and stay connected.

When players visit a friend's tank, they can collect free gems by clicking on the specific fish manually or simply pressing a button located below the tank to collect all at once. This mechanism encourages mutual interaction as it's not just for your own aquarium, but to support or benefit from others.

 
Figure 1.6 Visiting Friends & Collecting Gems

Besides, players can also feed fish in their friends' aquariums. They can even create simple fish food drawings and send them to other players. This mechanism encourages a playful connection while creating a nurturing cycle of care as players also help others to maintain their pets, which boosts friendship and deepens emotional bonds.

ENGAGEMENT 3: Seasonal-Themed Activities
The in-game events are aligned with real-world festivals and celebrations, such as Chinese New Year, Mother's Day or Christmas, to create a stronger connection with players' lives and cultural rhythms. The seasonal mini-games are available for a limited period only, which is around 10 days. These events often reward players with limited-edition fish that are specially designed for the specific festival. Therefore, the time limit creates a sense of urgency and excitement, encouraging players to log in daily and stay active.

Figure 1.7 Seasonal-Themed Activities

For example, the Dragon Boat Festival has just passed. Happy Fish Aquarium introduced a special event for this Chinese festival. Zongzi-themed fish food and aquatic pets inspired by Zongzi (traditional food) and traditional Chinese instruments are displayed to attract players to play the games and earn points for exchanging the cute seasonal pets. It breaks the routine of regular gameplay by introducing the Dragon Boat Festival to players, which adds a sense of celebration but also acknowledges cultural identity.

 
Figure 1.8 Seasonal-Themed Activities (The Dragon Boat Festival Series)

ENGAGEMENT 4: Buying, Selling & Evolving Fish
Players can purchase fish using two main in-game currencies, which are shellbucks (common currency) and fishbucks (premium currency). Some aquatic pets can be purchased at a discount by applying voucher coupons earned through daily logins and a lucky draw, allowing for flexibility in spending. Next, players can sell their aquatic pets once the fish becomes crowned after reaching full maturity. The crowns from the sold fish will be collected and can be exchanged for a new and often rarer fish. This mechanism adds value to nurturing fish over time and offers a cycle of renewal in the aquarium.

Figure 1.9 The Fish Store

Not only selling and buying, aquatic pets could be exchanged too. Players can choose either to go for the crowned fish exchange or the gem-based exchange. For the crowned fish exchange, players can sell crowned fish to unlock another rare fish, encouraging them to fully raise and interact with their pets to shorten the maturity period; while for the gem-based exchange, players can collect a specific type and quantity of gems to exchange them directly for a unique fish. Gems are usually obtained through their aquariums or from friends.

Figure 1.10 Gem & Crown Exchange

In addition to the standard gameplay, Happy Fish Aquarium introduced an exciting new feature: sending fish into the deep sea to gather unique evolution gems for enhancing fish evolution. Players can choose to send certain fish to the deep sea, where they will not return, but receive special evolution gems in exchange. Special evolving fish can be hatched using the evolution gems, whereby these fish could grow through three distinct evolutionary stages, much like Pokémon evolution. 

Figure 1.11 Special Aquatic Pet Evolution

The base starts off with a small and cute form, stage 2 will be turning into a more mature, detailed version with enhanced visuals and animations. When it goes to stage 3, the final evolution shows a more dramatic design upgrade, with a longer period of animation to show the aquatic pet's narrative, together with a higher collection value. The evolution system adds a layer of progression, surprise and visual transformation that reveals new designs while increasing attachment to the aquatic pets.

 
Figure 1.12 Fish Evolution (Final Stage Animation)

POSSIBLE AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Happy Fish Aquarium is doing great in its user interface and user engagement, as it offers a variety of in-game activities that always keep players feeling fresh and excited over time. However, several areas for improvement in Happy Fish Aquarium could enhance the overall user experience while playing the game.

A. Limited Social Interaction
Visiting friends' tanks, feeding their fish and collecting gems are passive actions that minimise interaction between players. Players have limited access to communicate with each other.
  • Possible Improvements: Introducing Interactive Features
    • Cooperative play that allows players to build a shared tank or complete group missions together
    • Integrating leaderboard challenges during seasonal events, encouraging competition and motivation
    • Provide access to leave some messages for other players while visiting their tanks, allowing players to build social connections through communication within the game environment
B. Lack of Narrative
There's no long-term storyline beyond collecting gems, feeding fish and playing mini-games. The players' emotional investment can decrease once the collection becomes a routine. Besides, the seasonal mini-games didn't introduce any backstories of the festival, which might cause confusion to players who are not familiar with the tradition.
  • Possible Improvements: Adding Storyline & Personalisation
    • Introduce the backstories for each evolving fish, providing a deeper emotional connection with the players as they will be attracted not only by the visual design and animation, but also by the story itself
    • Introduce player avatars by allowing them to decorate their aquatic pets, which showcase their personality
    • Play a short animation video during the first gameplay to tell the event's story before giving daily energies to players, crafting narratives that could make the game more rewarding when success is attained, while strengthening players' understanding towards the specific festival
C. Lack of Mid-Term Goals or Progression Milestones
Happy Fish Aquarium lacks personal and mid-term progression goals might cause players to feel unmotivated. Without these checkpoints, they may struggle to understand their progress as they move towards the final objective. Besides, players often fall into repetitive loops without a sense of achievement.
  • Possible Improvements: Introduce Mission-Based Progression
    • Add mission chains such as daily, weekly and monthly challenges, creating a sense of direction to motivate players to track their journey and growth
    • It is crucial for a more immersive game experience because missions may provide players with a sense of purpose, engagement and reward
    • Structuring the game around missions and tasks will be helpful to guide players through the content, making the game feel more engaging and less overwhelming

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INDIVIDUAL EXERCISE 02: NON-DIGITAL TO DIGITAL GAME

EXERCISE 02 BRIEF
Figure 2.1 Exercise 02 Brief (Non-digital to Digital Game)


INTRODUCTION
Ticket to Ride is a cross-country train adventure board game in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes connecting cities throughout North America. The longer the routes, the more points they earn. Additional points come to those who can fulfil their destination tickets by connecting two distant cities, and to players who build the longest continuous railway. 

Figure 2.2 Ticket to Ride Layout

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE GAMEPLAY
Ticket to Ride is a strategic game where players are required to collect train cards to claim coloured routes between cities. The goal is to score the most points by efficiently planning and building train networks. Each player needs to complete their assigned destination tickets to earn points, while the gameplay will end when a player is nearly out of train pieces.

CORE GAME MECHANICS
  • Drawing Cards
    • Players draw from a face-up deck of train cards and a face-down deck of destination tickets on their turns
    • They can choose to take train cards, draw a new set of destination tickets or claim routes on the map (game board)
  • Claiming Routes
    • Players use their train cards to claim routes between cities on the map
    • The train cards can either be the matching colour of the route or wildcards (any colour is allowed)
    • The longer the claimed route, the more points players earn
  • Drawing Destination Tickets
    • Players draw destination tickets that specify two cities they must connect to
    • Completing these tickets will earn points, depending on how many trains are used to build the route
    • There's a final destination ticket that contains the most points, and the player who builds the longest continuous route of connected railway tracks will receive the bonus
  • End Game & Scoring
    • The game ends when one player has two or fewer trains remaining
    • Final points are calculated based on the claimed routes, completed destination tickets and longest continuous path
    • The player with the most points at the end will be the winner of the game

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PHYSICAL & DIGITAL GAMEPLAY
As Ticket to Ride is one of the board games that transformed from physical to digital, there might be some differences occurring in both play dimensions, in terms of game mechanics, accessibility and etc.

A. Gameplay Pace
  • Physical Game
    • The physical game is turn-based only, where players need to wait for each other to act sequentially. 
    • The temporal flow is linear and slow-paced as players reflect between turns.
    • This might be more time-consuming as players need to take turns to make one move, either choosing cards or placing a train on the map and take time to think through decisions.
  • Digital Game
    • The digital game can be both turn-based and real-time, depending on user preferences
    • Turn-based is a method where players will be notified when it's their turn to play, and they will have several hours to play their move. Players can play on several tables at the same time.
    • Real-time is a method where players will only play one game at a time by live. Therefore, time progresses continuously within the game and often reflects the passage of time in the real world.
    • Real-time dimension is fast-paced as players must act quickly to claim routes and avoid being blocked.
B. Accessibility (play with bot, play with real ppl)

  • Physical Game
    • Players need to shuffle cards, place pieces and calculate the score manually
    • Players are required to understand the rules by themselves through reading, and manual enforcement of rules is needed too
    • Physical board game requires physical space and components to play with friends or anyone; gathering in person is needed
  • Digital Game
    • The system will handle all gameplay setup and scoring instantly, players are required to play the game strategically by simple clicks only
    • The rules are built-in and are being enforced automatically by the system
    • Digital board game is playable on desktop, tablet or phone, and doesn't require any physical space (can be played anywhere)
    • Players can play the game with players around the world, not only people that you know

C. Social Interaction

  • Physical Game
    • Rich interaction as players will be chatting face-to-face, which encourages physical engagement and emotional connection that enhances the relationship between players
    • Players can observe the body language and intentions of other players to predict their next move
    • The social atmosphere will be more relaxed and conversational because of active communication in-game
  • Digital Game
    • Very limited and even no communication among players, this is because players who are playing online will focus on speed and react fast
    • Players can't observe the reactions of other players, and they can't predict their next step; strategic planning is the key to winning the game
    • Fast-paced and more tension as digital gameplay focused more on competition than connection

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN PHYSICAL & DIGITAL GAMEPLAY

  • The core game mechanics are identical, where drawing train cards, claiming routes, completing destination tickets and the scoring system share the same rules
  • Both gameplay styles are still following the rules of playing in sequence, where each player is allowed to do one action per turn only
  • The strategic thinking is crucial in both game dimensions, as players must evaluate the best decision that benefits their move in winning the game by scoring more points

Figure 2.3 Ultimate Ticket to Ride Experience (3D Gameplay)

COMPARISON BETWEEN BENEFITS & DISADVANTAGES OF 2D & 3D GAMEPLAY

Benefits

  • 2D Gameplay
    • Players can instantly assess the map, routes and available cards, as the top-down view of the game board enhances clarity and readability
    • Keeps more attention on strategy rather than the aesthetics of the components, having a lower chance of visual confusion
    • Allowing easy navigation as zooming in 2D (digital) is faster and more intuitive than rotating the game board in 3D space, players can find the destination easily
  • 3D Gameplay
    • More immersive game atmosphere as players can observe the aesthetic details on the components from different dimensions
    • More visually appealing as 3D gameplay includes animated trains, moving landscapes and sound effects for an enhanced mood of playing
    • Replicates physical presence as the pieces look more real, immersing players in the thrilling adventure world
Disadvantages
  • 2D Gameplay
    • Less immersive as the overall environment is lacking depth and presence that could be found in physical or 3D gameplay
    • Players might feel less visually engaging as it might be too flat or too mechanical for casual players
  • 3D Gameplay
    • A slower gameplay might happen because the animations and transitions might take time to process, which can frustrate experienced players (time-consuming to wait for the animations to run)
    • Rotating or tilting maps can be disoriented, which is harder to get a full overview




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