“Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner” by classic film scans is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“Analysis gave me great freedom of emotions and fantastic confidence. I felt I had served my time as a puppet.”
| Formal Elements | |
| The Basics | |
| Name of the game | Super Mario Galaxy |
| The platform | Originally on the Wii, but the version I played was on the Nintendo Switch |
| Time played (should be at least 30 minutes) | 2 hours |
| If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why? | I would make the camera work similar to how it does in Super Mario Odyssey, where you can move it freely instead of stiffly in one direction. |
| Players | NOTES |
| How many players are supported? | 1-2 |
| Does it need to be an exact number? | No |
| How does this affect play? | The second player controls the cursor used to collect star bits, but doesn’t get to do much else First player is unaffected |
| Some types of player frameworks:Single Player – like Solitare.Head-to-head – 1 vs. 1, Chess.PvE – Player vs. Environment, or multiple players vs. the game. Common in MMOs like World of Warcraft.One against Many – Single-player vs. multiple (obvy).Free-for-all – Every man for himself (1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1..). Most common for multiplayer games, from Monopoly to Modern Warfare.Individuals Against the System – Like Blackjack, where the Dealer is playing against multiple players, but those players have no effect on each other.Team Competition – Multiple vs. multiple, i.e. sports.Predator-prey – Players form a circle and everyone’s goal is to attack the player on their left and defend themselves from the player on their right.Five-pointed Star – Eliminate both players who are not on either side of you. | |
| Objectives/Goals | NOTES |
| What are the players trying to do? | Collection – Collect stars in order to power the Comet Observatory, thus allowing you to save Princess Peach |
| Some common objectives include:Capture/Destroy – Eliminate all your opponents pieces (Chess).Territorial Acquisition – Control as much territory as you can, not necessarily harming other players (RISK).Collection – Collect a certain number of objects throughout the game (Pokemon).Solve – Solve a puzzle or crime (Clue).Chase/race/escape – Anything where you are running towards or away from something (playground game Tag).Spatial Alignment – Anything involving the positioning of elements (Tetris or Tic-Tac-Toe or that game at Cracker Barrel).Build – Advance your characters or build your resources to a certain point (The Sims).Negation of another goal – The game ends if you perform an act that is forbidden by the rules (Jenga or Twister). | |
| Rules/Mechanics | |
| There are three categories of (what the book Rules of Play calls) operational rules:Setup – the things you do at the beginning of a game.Progression of Play – what happens during the game.Resolution – How an outcome is determined based on the game state. | |
| Controls | NOTES |
| What controls are used? | L Joystick – Move Mario R Joystick – Change Camera View A/B Button – Jump, Swim X/Y Button – Spin ZL – Crouch ZR – Shoot Star Bit L – Camera Reset R – Reset Pointer + – Pause Menu – – Suspend Menu |
| Was there a clear introductory tutorial? | Yes, then you find the other controls via billboards throughout the levels |
| Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller? | They were very easy to understand, but I find myself mixing up some of them due to muscle memory with other games combined with getting used to the Switch controls since I was a little more used to the Wii ones |
| Resources & Resource Management | NOTES |
| What kinds of resources do players control? | Star Bits, Stars, Health, Lives, Coins |
| How are they maintained during play? | Star Bits – Counter in the bottom center Lives – Counter in the bottom left corner Coins – Counter in the bottom right corner Stars – Counter in the top left corner Health – A circle in the top left corner, the highest without a Life Mushroom (not to be confused with a 1-Up Mushroom) is 3 |
| What is their role? | Star Bits – The currency of sorts of the game. Used to feed Lumas in exchange for power ups or even more Galaxies. Can also be used to stun enemies. Lives – Keep you from getting a Game Over Coins – If your health is lower than 3 (or if it’s at 4 or 5 if you have the Life Mushroom), coins will raise it back up Stars – Used to progress the game, Grand Stars are collected after boss battles and progress you even further than normal ones Health – Keeps you alive and from losing lives |
| A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are:Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)Time (game time, real-time, or both)Known information (like suspects in Clue) | |
| Game State | NOTES |
| How much information in the game state is visible to the player? | Total Information – Most information is available to the player, either through the tutorial at the beginning, basic Mario game knowledge, through various billboards, or just on the screen |
| A snapshot of the game at a single point is the game state. The resources you have, the un-owned properties in Monopoly, your opponent’s Archery skill all count towards the game state. Some example information structures are:Total Information – Nothing is hidden, like Chess.Info per player – Your hand of cards is only visible to you.One player has privileged info – Like a Dungeon Master.The game hides info from all players – Like Clue, where no one knows the victory condition.Fog of War – In video games, where certain sections of the map are concealed if you do not have a unit in sight range of that area. You also cannot see other players’ screens, so each player is unaware of the other’s information. | |
| Sequencing | NOTES |
| In what order do players take their actions? | Real-Time |
| How does play flow from one action to another? | Unlike standard Mario games, SMG doesn’t have a time limit on it’s levels. However, some levels call for you to be quick, others call for you to slow down |
| Some structures include:Turn-based – Standard board game technique.Turn-based with simultaneous play – where everyone takes their turn at the same time (like writing something down or putting a card down in War).Real-time – Actions happen as fast as players can make them. Action-based video games.Turn-based and time limits – You have this long to take your turn. | |
| Player Interaction | Cooperation |
| Some examples:Direct Conflict – I attack you.Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there.Trading – I’ll give you this for that.Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off. | |
| Theme & Narrative | NOTES |
| Does it have an actual story structure? | Yes |
| Is it based on a historical event (or similar)? | No |
| Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play? | Yes, somewhat |
| Does it have emotional impacts? | Yes |
| Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)? | No |
| The Elements in Motion | NOTES |
| How do the different elements interact? | Very well |
| What is the gameplay like? | It can be frustrating at times, but the astounding soundtrack also makes it calming |
| Is it effective? | Yes |
| Are there any points where the design choices break down? | No |
| Design Critique | NOTES |
| Why did the designer make these particular choices? | The designer likely made these choices in order to make the game look very appealing. Space is beautiful, and SMG really does acknowledge that. The game is also challenging, but not too much so. |
| Why this set of resources? | Since the Mario franchise is so big, it becomes a challenge to make each game stand out, while also following the formula. |
| What if they made different decisions? | If they hadn’t gone as far as they had with the beauty and sounds, along with the story and lore, SMG might not have been as special to me. |
| Does the design break down at any point? | No |
| Graphics & Sound | NOTES |
| Does the game art pair well with the mechanics? | Absolutely |
| Did you find any bugs or glitches? | Not that I know of/can remember |
| What about sound? | The sounds of the game are very pleasing, at least in my opinion. As for the soundtrack, many agree SMG has the best soundtrack of any Mario game (some go so far as to say any game ever), myself included. Songs like Comet Observatory (which gets grander and grander as you progress through the game), Luma/Family, and Space Junk Galaxy have and still do make me teary eyed both from their beauty and the sheer nostalgia they bring |
| Can you spot any technical shortcuts? | No |
| Various Stages of the Game | NOTES |
| To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play: | Remember that most times you will want to use a spin jump rather than a basic jump Make sure not to waste too many Star Bits on stunning enemies When swimming in water or flying as Bee Mario, check the air/fly meter |
| What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them? | As you progress, the levels get harder, and some (mostly boss levels) can be very frustrating, but if you have power-ups and determination, you can get past them |
| Is the game fair? | Yes |
| Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience? | Yes; I haven’t finished it quite yet but I believe I’ve seen that there is an ending for when you collect all the Stars |
| What is the intended audience? | People who are into the Mario franchise, 3D platformers, and a game with good lore. |
| What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun? | The core is the challenges in each level and most are very fun |
This analysis form was adapted from https://notlaura.com/a-template-for-analyzing-game-design/
“The successful free to play games are selling positive emotions. Not content.” – Nicholas Lovell
“It should be the experience, that is touching. What I strive for is to make the person playing the game the director.” – Shigeru Miyamoto
DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s INSTRUCTIONS, AFTER YOU ARE DONE
Teens are overwhelmed, partly because they don’t yet have the skills to manage the unprecedented amount of stuff that enters their brains each day. – from LifeHacker.com
“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
“You can do anything, but not everything.”
― David Allen, (GTD) Getting Things Done for Teens: Take Control of Your Life in a Distracting World
“‘Be shapeless and formless.. like water’ (Bruce Lee)” by Akinini.com is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
“Have a mind like water.”
― David Allen, GTD
“Binary code” by Christiaan Colen is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
When asked the most important thing I should teach my students, the MIT student I was interviewing simply stated , ‘ teach them logic.’ – Mr. Le Duc
“Day 092/366 – To Do List” by Great Beyond is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Your toughest work is defining what your work is! – Peter Drucker
In this ‘room’ you are going to try Getting Things Done (GTD).
“I coach C-suite executives and rising stars from the earliest startups to Fortune 100 companies. My passion is to help ambitious leaders achieve their full human potential.” – Read more about Katia…
“The sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion.” – lexico.com
What is a quality workflow? How do we develop it? Below are elements of the production cycle that most creative people move through as they create something. First, we must identify the stages of project production. What is each stage and what are the quality checks for each stage. Read on and find out!
How do we find ideas to develop?
How do we clarify our specific goal(s) for a project?
How can we brainwrite, brainstorm, storyboard, and plan our ideas at this phase?
How do we communicate with each other and execute our plan for this phase? This is where we actually make the project.
How do we communicate with each other and execute our final stages of the project for this phase? This is where we publish the project.
How do we share our project with our learning community, advisory members, and the world?
How do we conduct a feedback session at the end of the project development cycle?
Born: January 4, 1977, in Flint, Michigan
I define success as the ability to, no matter how hard it gets, persevere.
Jess Conn is a successful judge. Because of the perseverance she showed all her life, she’ll forever have the title of The Honorable. Her life was and is full of many challenges she had and has to face, but in her own words, she’s a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Jess Conn is 1) smart, 2) hardworking and determined, and 3) compassionate. All her life, the lowest grade she ever got in school was a B. In college, she came to be a Phi Beta Kappa. Due to being one of the few people of color in many schools she went to (both college and grade school), Jess constantly had to prove that she belonged. When even she herself doubted that she could succeed, she got right through it. Jess got her work done even while doing sports. In the field of law, being compassionate is a very good tool. Jess cared about those she defended as a lawyer, and those she decides the fate of as a judge. Due to this, she’s able to make the best decisions she can with the evidence presented, along with the ability to put herself in other people’s shoes.
As a child, Jess didn’t exactly have the ideal family situation. This combined with the fact that, as stated above, she was one of the few people of color in many schools she attended meant that there was much stress in her life. However, throughout all this, Jess persevered and achieved her goal of becoming a judge.
Jess has done a lot of work prosecuting and defending in the military court justice system.
