TheParkAPlayfulEducationalSimulationof

ManagingEnergySupplywithFiniteResources

AshleyS.Jennings

CommitteeChair:
JanetMurray

CommitteeMembers:
IanBogostandBrianMagerko

Inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeof
MasterofScienceinDigitalMedia
SchoolofLiterature,Media,andCommunication

GeorgiaInstituteofTechnologyMay2016

TABLEOFCONTENTS

I.ABSTRACT
..............................................................................................................3
II.INTRODUCTION
...................................................................................................4
Background.......................................................................................................4
InteractiveNarrativeExplanation......................................................................5
Solution.............................................................................................................6
III.CURRENTWORKINTHEFIELD
........................................................................7

Inspiration.........................................................................................................7
Earth,APrimer........................................................................9
DesignaRenewableFuture............................................................................10
ElectroCity........................................................................................................11
OilGod.............................................................................................................12
Windfall.........................................................................................................13
SlaveryFootprint..............................................................................................14
ComparisonofExistingWork...........................................................................15
IV.APPROACH
...........................................................................................................16
Planning...........................................................................................................16
V.DESIGNINGTHEPROJECT
..................................................................................19
Overview..........................................................................................................19
ConceptArt......................................................................................................19

2
AutodeskMaya................................................................................................20
Unity......................................................................................................22
UserTesting.....................................................................................................24
VI.IMPLEMENTATION
.............................................................................................28
Software............................................................................................................28
Walkthrough......................................................................................................28
VII.FUTUREWORK
...................................................................................................32
PossibleExtensions..........................................................................................32
VIII.CONCLUSIONS.
..................................................................................................34
Results............................................................................................34
IX.BIBLIOGRAPHY.
...................................................................................................35
WorksCited.......................................................................................................35
ReferencesandCredits.....................................................................................38

I.ABSTRACT

Wehavereachedapointinhistorywherethereisaprevalenceofnewdigitaltools,but
stillexperienceinfluencefromantiquatedpractices.Educationisasubjectthathas
greatlybenefittedfromnewtechnology,buttherearestillmanyoldmethodsthatcanbe
improved,replaced,oraidedthroughdigitalmeans.Complicatedtopicsthatrequire
visualizationandsystemexplorationcanbebetterexplainedthroughcomputer
interventionthaninthetraditionalmethodoftextbooksandlectures.Withthisthesis
project,Isoughttocreateadigitalartifactthatcanaidtheunderstandingofaspecific
topicthathasproveddifficulttoteachotherwise.

II.INTRODUCTION

Background

Mygoalforthisprojectwastocreateaninteractivevisualizationpresentedusing
computeranimationthatallowedtheinteractortomakedecisionsthatcausemeaningful
changestothescenario.Forthisparticularproject,Ifocusedonteachingtheimpactsof
energyandenvironmentalchoicesbothelementsofahighlycomplexsystemthatis
difficulttovisualize.Thesecomplicatedsystemsareoftennotwellunderstoodbythe
averageperson,despitetheirimportanceofthevarietyofconsequencesthatresultfrom
decisionsregardingtheenvironment.Whilethisinformationcantechnicallyberelayed
throughtraditionalmethods,suchastextandlectures,understandingthissystemcan
beaidedthroughdigitalmeans,suchasinteractivenarrativesandproceduralmodels.
Whatenvironmentalandenergyresearchersreallyneedisfortheaveragepersontobe
abletoquicklyandeasilyunderstandtheimpactoftheiractions.Mostpeoplewillnot
voluntarilydigthroughtrovesofresearchinordertounderstandthecomplexityofthis
system.Thus,theobjectiveofthisthesisprojectwastocreateaneducationalartifact
thataidsbothresearchersandpeopleunfamiliarwiththetopicofrenewableenergyand
environmentalresources.

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InteractiveNarrativeExplanation

Aninteractivenarrativeisaformofstorytellinginwhichtheinteractorcaninfluencethe
eventsofthestorywithmeaningfulactions.Thespatial,encyclopedic,procedural,and
participatoryaffordancesofdigitalmediaprovidearicherexperiencethantraditional
formsofmediaandenhancethepresentationofthenarrative.Typicallyexperienced
throughtheuseofacomputer,interactivenarrativescantakemanyforms,suchas
beingtextbasedorreliantonvisuals.Ibelievethatinteractivenarrativeshaveagreat
dealofpotentialeducationalvalue,especiallywhenmixedwiththreedimensional
visuals.3Dcomputeranimationcanbebeneficialinallowingtheinteractortobetter
visualizeconceptsthathaveproveddifficulttocomprehendthroughtraditional2D
formats.

Solution

InresponsetotheproblemareaIidentifiedatthestartofthisproject,IutilizedtheUnity
gameenginetocreateavideogamecalledThePark.TheParksetsupasmall
interactivescenariofortheplayertowanderthroughavirtualparkthatisaffectedbya
varietyofcircumstances.Eachday,theplayerisallowedtheopportunitytomakenew
choicesaboutcircumstancesthataffectthepark,andcanthenseetheeffectsthat
decisionhadontheappearanceofthespace.Inaddition,theparkisinhabitedby
severalpeopletheplayercanspeakwith.Eachoftheseparkguestshavespecific
interestsintheparksstate,andwillreacttochangesmadebytheplayerasheorshe
progressesthroughthestory.

Thegoaloftheinteractoristoridethegrandferriswheelthatsitsatthefaredgeofthe
park.Thisobjectivecanonlybereached,though,byfindingthebestbalancebetween
pollutionandenergyusagefortheenvironment.Thisstateencouragestheplayerto
considerthetradeoffsofdifferentenergysources,suchascost,efficiency,andamount
ofpollution.Therearealsoavarietyofotherchoicesthatdonotaffecttheendingofthe
game,butdoaltertheappearanceoftheenvironment.

III.CURRENTWORKINTHEFIELD

Inspiration

TheideaforthisthesiswasinspiredbyaprojectIworkedonin2009,whenIwasahigh
schoolstudent.Mychemistryteacheratthetimedemonstrateddifferentmolecular
structuresofthevalenceshellelectronrepulsion(VSEPR)theorybyusingconstruction
andassemblytoysspecifically,K'NEXrodsandconnectors.ShewouldputtheK'NEX
rodstogetherintheshapeofeachstructureandholdthemupfortheclass.Thisletus
seeathreedimensionalrepresentationofthemoleculethatourtextbookcouldnot
showus.Althoughthedemonstrationwaseffective,myclassmatesandIlaterhad
difficultyrememberingthemolecularshapeswhenstudyingforthetest,especiallyas
thenotecardswewerestudyingfromcouldonlyshowusatwodimensionalimage.In
addition,ourtextbookrepresentedmolecularstructuresaslinesanddots,whichcould
becomeconfusingtointerpret.Despitethesedifficulties,itwasimportanttounderstand
VSEPRtheorybecauseittiedtogethertheotherconceptsofmolecularchemistrywe
werelearningaboutinclass.Icameupwiththeideatomakeananimationthatshowed
theVSEPRmoleculesasthreedimensional(3D)structures.With3Danimation,once
youcreateamodel,youdonothavetoredraweachframeasintraditional,handdrawn
animation.Ifeltthatanimationwouldnotonlyhelpmeandmyclassmatesunderstand
thestructures,butitwouldalsodojusticetothelessonourteacherwastryingto
convey.Itcouldalsobeusedbycountlessnumbersofotherstudentsinthefuture.

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Aftercreatingtheanimationandpostingthevideoonline,Ireceivedanunexpectedly
largepositiveresponsefromtheonlinecommunity.Sincethen,Ialsocreatedafew
moresimpleanimatedvideosexplainingconceptsfromCalculusandBiologyand
postedthoseonlineaswell.Thesevideosdivergefromthetraditionalstyleoflecturing,
which,whileclearlyeffective,isnotalwaysthemostpracticalmethodforteaching
certainconcepts.

Thepurposeofofferingthisstoryistoprovideaclearexampleofhoweffectivedigital
artifactscanbeaseducationalaids.WhileIdidnotcreatesomethingextraordinarily
revolutionary,noroverhaulthehighschoolchemistryclasscurriculumwithmysimple
animation,Iwasabletoaddressthisissuethroughdigitalvisualization.Thevideowas
easyforanyonetowatch,makingitaccessibletothegeneralpublic.Inaddition,itcould
showcertaincriticalfeatures,suchas3Dform,inawaythatlecturesandtheflatpages
oftextbookscouldnotaccomplish.Thisinterestinexploringnoveleducationformats
andmypassionfor3Danimationandgamedesignresultedinmydesiretocreatea
newinteractiveeducationalexperienceformythesisproject.

WhenIbeganthisprojectin2014,Iwasencouragedtoconsiderotherworkthathas
beendoneinthisfield.Thisproposaltocreateanewkindofteachingtoolisnotthefirst
ofitskind.Noristheideatocreateaninteractivesimulationtoteachaboutrenewable
energy.Therehavebeenavarietyofattemptstocreateeducationaltoolstoteachthis
topicIwasmostlyinterestedindesigningatoolthatwouldbebasedoffofwhatI

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learnedthroughmyearlierexperiencesmakingeducationalanimations.Butitiscrucial
totakeintoaccountandcritiqueattemptsothergroupshavemadetopresentthis
material.

Earth,APrimer
Earth,APrimerisdescribedasasciencebookforplayfulpeople.Outoftheother
projectsthatIlookedatforthisthesis,thisspecificprojectrelatesthemosttothe
conceptofreimaginededucational
practices,whilealsoincorporatingthe
topicofenvironmentalsystems.Earth,
APrimer,ispresentedasan
interactivebooktohelpteachearth
science.Thisparticularartifactclearly
drawsonthetypicalformatand
materialfoundinschooltextbooksin
ordertocreateafamiliarexperience.Eachsectioniscomprisedofseveralpagesthat
theinteractorturnsthroughtoview.Onalmosteverypage,thereisashortparagraph
oftextexplainingthattopic,anda3Dvisualizationthattheviewercaninteractwith.
Eachofthesevisualizationsisessentiallyaproceduralmodela3Dmodelthatfollowsa
setofrules.Inthisartifact,thesemodelstypicallyconsistofminisculelandscapes,
governedbyrulesthatrelatetohowtheworldactuallyworks.Forexample,ifthetopic

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coverstheeffectsofrainrunoffonmountainranges,thevisualizationconsistsofa3D
mountainthattheinteractorcanruntheirfingeroverinordertodepositraininspecific
areas.WhatmakesEarth,APrimeraviableexampleofhowdigitaltoolscanaid
traditionalformsofeducationisthatitenablesinteractorstoexperimentwiththeearth
scienceconceptsthatareintroduced.Whiletraditionaltextbooksrelyonstagnant
imagesandarrowstosuggestchangebetweenstagesoftopicsrelatedtoearth
science,thisartifactutilizesanimationtoshowtheseconcepts.Interactorscanplaywith
themodels,ask:whatif?,andtryoutdifferentscenariosusingthetoolsaffordedby
theapp.TheunderlyingproceduralmodelinEarth,APrimerallowsthemtotestout
situationswithmountainsandriversthatarevirtuallyimpossibletoachieveinthereal
world.ItwasthiselementofencouragingexplorationthatIfoundtobemostinteresting
aboutthisartifact.Whiledesigningmyproject,Ikeptinmindthemethodsusedin
Earth,APrimertohelpinteractorsvisualizecomplex,interrelatedsystemswitha
gamelikestructure.

DesignaRenewableFuture
Meanttoemphasizethenecessityofemployingmultipleenergysources,thistool
encouragestheinteractortodesignasystemofsufficientenergyproductiontoreduce
carbondioxideemissions.Factorssuchasbudget,variationindailyconditions,and
changingcommunityenergyrequirementsmakethesimulationmorechallengingand
realistic.Thesefactorsalsohelptopotentiallyspurreplayability.Theinteractorsteps

11
throughthescenarioinaseriesofscreensthatallowthemtochoosealocationto
designfor,thendesignasystembymovingsliders.Thesesliderscorrelatetovalues
suchasthenumberofwindturbines,geothermalpowercapacity,andefficiencyofsolar
panels.Theyarethenpresentedwith
abargraphthatexhibitsthe
effectivenessoftheirsystem.While
thissimulationisprobablybasedon
realisticvaluesandpragmaticdetails,
itisnotnecessarilyfuntouseortruly
ofvaluetotheeverydayperson.The
exactnumbersandbarcharts
providedhavelittlemeaningtotheinteractor,anddehumanizedtheexperience.Itis
alsoworthwhiletonotethatpresentingthesimulationacrossseveralseparatescreens
disconnectstheinteractorfromthedata,androbsthemoftheabilitytocomparetheir
resultsfromeachcityorsystemtheyworkon.

ElectroCity
ElectroCityleveragesafun,
gamelikestructureinordertohelp
developpublicawarenessoftopicsof
renewableenergyresourcesand

12
electricitygeneration.UnliketheDesignaRenewableFuturetool,thisartifactis
engagingandenjoyabletoplay.Theinteractorcanseevisualrepresentationsofpower
plantsandcitystructurestheyhavebuilt,canchoosefromavarietyofoptionstofurther
developtheland.Whereitdoesfailisinshowingthevariouseffectsofenvironmental
decisionsinamemorableway.Themajoreffectsofdecisionsmadeinthegame
budget,energysupply,andenvironmentalhealtharerepresentedwithnumbersand
sliders.Thegamelacksanydisplayofactualeffectsthesedecisionshaveonpeople
andtheenvironment.

OilGod
TheArcadeWire:OilGodisavideogamethatseekstoexploretherelationship
betweengasprices,geopolitics,andoilprofits.Thisprojectreliesonrealworld
featuresandissuestoconveythe
presenceofasystemwithamultitude
ofvariables,whichinturncontributeto
changesinoilprices.Inthisgame,the
playerisanOilGodwhohas
omnipotentknowledgeandcontrol
overninenations,andmustdoublethe
costofgasolinethroughaseriesof
eventssuchaswarsandnaturaldisastersinordertowin.Thisgamehasaverysatirical

13
interpretationofapoliticalscenario,whichemphasizestheopportunityfornarrative
withinadigitalsimulation.Thisgameisrelatedtothisprojectbecauseitusesa
gamelikeapproachtomakesenseofthelargeamountofdatathatrepresentsa
system.

Windfall
ThepurposeofWindfallistobuildwindturbinesinspecificlocationsaroundatownin
ordertofulfillaspecifiedenergyrequirement.Althoughthisgameismorefictivethan
someoftheexistingprojectsreviewed
earlier,itstillmanagestoconveyan
importantmessageregarding
environmentallyfriendlyenergy
production.Ifanything,itsexistence
helpsgenerateawarenessof
windgeneratedpowerandthepossible
concernsassociatedwiththe
technology.WhatIfoundparticularlyinterestingaboutthis
gamewasthatitfocusedonasmall,specifictopic,withlimitedgameplaydecisions.
Likemanyoftheotherprojectsreviewedsofar,theresultsandconsequencesofthe
interactorsactionsinthegamearedisplayedasnumbersandsliders.

14
SlaveryFootprint
Thisprojectconsistsofaninteractivewebsitethatwalkstheinteractorthroughashort,
unconventionalsurveytodeterminehowmanyslavesworkonyourbehalf.Whilethis
projectdiffersfromtheothersreviewed
inthatitisnotnecessarilygamelikenor
specificallyrelatedtoenvironmental
aspects,Ichosetoincludeitbecauseof
itsabilitytodramatizethehumancostof
aparticulartopic.Inaddition,itis
presentedinawaythatmakesitsimple
tousesitevisitorssimplyclickandscroll
throughthewebsiteasprompted.Thisincreasesthepotentialviewershipoftheproject,
asthewebsitedoesnotrequirespecialsoftwaretorunsincethewholeinteractiontakes
placerightonthewebpage.

15
ComparisonofExistingWork
Afterreviewingrelatedworks,Idevelopedacomparisonchart,tobetterillustratethe
variouselementsoftheseexistingprojects.Ihavechosenspecificaspectsfromthese
projectsthatIfeltwouldmostimportanttoincludeinonesingleproject.Theseelements
were:

(A):Gamelikestructure.
(B):Incorporationofrealworlddata.
(C):Environment/Energyrelated.
(D):Dramatizationofthehumancost.
(E):Useofaspecific,focusedtopic.
(F):Visualizationofacomplexsystem.

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IV.APPROACH

Planning

OnceIhaddeterminedthetopicIwantedtocoverforthisproject,andhadanalyzed
otherworks,IneededtoplanoutwhatIwouldactuallydevelopformygame.Basedon
myresearch,itwasclearthatmybestapproachtomakingascenariothatstressedthe
impactofenvironmentaldecisionswouldbetocreateagamethatallowedtheplayerto
movethroughavirtualspace.Byallowingtheplayertoexploretheimpactoftheir
choicesinanenclosedenvironment,Icouldfocusondramatizingthehumanimpacta
topicthatwasoftenmissedinthetopdownviewsofotherprojectsIhadlookedat.
Thisencouragedmetoconsidercreatingafirstpersonvideogame.

TheplanningphasewasmuchmorearduousthanIhadinitiallyexpected,sincethere
aresomanyoptionsforhowthegamescentralstoryandthemecouldbeimplemented.
Itwasclearthatthecomplexityofenergyusageandpollutionwasmorethanjustan
issuethataffectedairqualityandabudgetthisisatopicthatimpactspolitics,health,
society,etc.ItwascriticalthatIfocusedonasegmentofthiscomplicatedsystem,or
risktheprojectgettingtoolarge.Afterconsideringmanyalternativeoptions,Isettledon
settingthegameintheenvironmentofapark.Parkssitattheintersectionofhumanlife
andnature,andassuch,canactasabarometerofthehealthofthisrelationship.With
thisfamiliar,enclosedconcept,Icouldfocusontheissuesofpollutionandenergy
usagethatIwishedtopresenttotheinteractor,withoutlosingtheprojectsscope.

17
Oncethesettingofthevideogamewassettled,Ibegandevelopingthestoryofthe
interaction.Iconsideredcommonfeaturesofparks,andhowtheycouldserveas
storytellingelementsfortheexperience.Iconicfeaturessuchasgazebosandferris
wheelscouldactaspowerfulpointsofinterestfortheplayer,andencouragethemto
exploredifferentsectionsofthepark.Naturalsettingsliketreesandpondscouldhelp
reflecttheimpactonthewellbeingoftheenvironment.Andthepresenceandstateof
recurringcharactersintheparkcouldserveasavehicleforrelayingthehumanimpact
ofthechangesmadetotheenvironment.

AdditionalelementsIhadtoconsiderinvolvedthedevelopmentofthescenarioas
somethingthatwouldneedtobeexploredbytheuser,sotheycouldtrulyunderstand
thecomplexityofthesystem.Asevidentinthecurrentstateoftheworld,thereare
tradeoffsthatcauseperfectchoicestobedifficultorunattainable.Forthisgame,
playerswouldneedsomeincentivetosometimespickbadchoices,andlearnthatthere
arefactorsthatblocktheabilitytoreachtheperfectresolutiontothesituation.Inorder
tomotivatetheusertoworkthroughthesedifferentoptions,Idevelopedalistofissues
thathadsomekindofconflictwitheachother.Forexample,wastemanagement
services,watertreatmentoptions,andpowerstationsallcostmoneytooperate,andthe
costoftheseservicesisdependentontheirformandsize.SoIincludedabudgetthat
wouldforcetheinteractortoconsiderwhereitwouldbebesttospendtheirmoney.

18
Thedecisionstheplayermakesabouthowtheymakeuseofthemoneytheyaregiven
directlyimpactstheenvironmentofthepark.Poorwastemanagementresultsinthe
appearanceoflitterthroughoutthepark.Butiftheplayerallocatesmoreoftheirmoney
towardsthistopic,theyarerewardedwithacleanerpark.Similarly,theextenttowhich
thewatersupplyiscaredforaffectstheappearanceofthelocalpond,andthecreatures
whoinhabitit.Themorecomplicateddecisionsregardingthesourceoftheareaspower
supplyaffectstheairqualityofthespace,whichthenhasanimpactonthehealthof
parkguests.Butthesedecisionsarehamperedbyissuesregardingthecostand
efficiencyofpowersupplysources,afeaturethatisinspiredbyrealworlddetails.

19

V.DESIGNINGTHEPROJECT

Overview

Oncetheplanningprocesswascomplete,thedevelopmentofthisprojectinvolvedfour
majorstages:conceptart,modeling/texturing/animationofmodelsinMaya,Unity
scripting,andusertesting.

ConceptArt

Isketchedmapsforthelayoutofthepark,andconsideredthepointsofinterestthat
maybenecessarytoencourageaplayertoexploreathreedimensionalspace.An
interactorsunderstandingofthe
storyisdirectlyinfluencedbythe
orderinwhichtheystepthroughthe
plotpoints,soitwascrucialtosetup
theparktodirecttheplayerthroughit
correctly.Itwasthroughthisstep,
thatIfiguredthatIcouldusefeatures
thatactasbarriersintherealworld,
suchasbodiesofwaterandbridges,toquietlyenforceproperorderingofeventsinthe
threedimensionalspaceofthegame.ItwasalsointhisprocessthatIdecidedto
implementasidepanel.Thesidepanelismeanttoallowtheplayertomakeclear
choices,sincethepurposeofthiseducationalinteractionistoshowtheeffectsofthose

20
choicesonacomplexsystem.Inthisway,theplayercouldaltertheirdecisionsthrough
thepanel,thenimmediatelyexperiencetheresultingconsequencesinthe3Dpark.

Theconceptphasealsoinvolvesthecreation
ofthestory.Ineededtoplanoutwhatactions
theplayercouldmake,andwhattheresults
couldbe.Inorderforthistobeamorepowerful
piece,Iwantedcertaincombinationsofchoices
toresultinavarietyofresults.Theprocedural
natureofcomputationmediaisoneofthe
reasonswhythiseducationalpiececanbe
madesomuchmoreeffectivethroughthis
format,asitisdifficulttoreproduceallthese
differentscenarioswithoutthistechnology.
Thesedecisionswerealsomadeonpaper,beforeeventuallybeingimplementedinthe
scriptofthegameitself.

AutodeskMaya

OnceIhaddeterminedthemainconceptsthatwereinvolvedinthisgame,Iwasableto
begincreatingtheresourcesthatwouldpopulatetheparksenvironment.Beforedelving
intothistopic,itisworthnotingthat,attheencouragementofmyadvisor,Ididmake

21
useofmanyfreeassetsprovidedonline.Thisdecisionstemmedfromthefactthatthis
thesisprojectismeanttoinvolvethecreationofadigitalartifactthatcaneducateauser
aboutacomplexscenario,nottoshowcasemymodelingandanimationskills.Sowhile
manyofthemodelswerecreatedbyme,severalhavebeengenerouslyprovided
throughtheUnityAssetStorebyotherartists.

ThemajorityofthemodelsIdidmakewerethosethatIwantedtohaveaparticular
look,orcouldnotfindacomparableversionofonline.SoIutilizedpolygonalmodeling
todevelopthemeshesforpark
benches,anicecreamtruck,a
swingset,agazebo,swans,
windmills,solarpanels,agate,anda
ferriswheel.Thesemodelswere
thentexturedusingAutodeskMayas
UVtexturingtoolsusingtexturesI
hadeithercreated,orfoundas
freetouseimagesonline.Somemodelssuchasthewindmills,dog,gate,andferris
wheelneededtobeanimatedbeforebeingimportedintoUnity.Thiswasalsodonein
AutodeskMayabeforetheywerelaterincorporatedintotheproject.

Oncethesemodelswereprepared,theywereabletobeimportedandusedinUnity.

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Unity

WorkinginUnityrequiredanunderstandingofvideogamedesign,scripting,and
workinginadigital3Dspace.Ibegantheprojectbysettingupacharactercontroller
providedasastandardassetthroughtheUnityAssetStore,andcreatingabasicpark
layout.Thisinvolvedchanging
thelandscapeofaplanesoit
wouldfittheplanIhadforthe
designoftheparkspace.Ialso
foundimageassetsthatcould
beusedasthelandscape
texture(grassandmud,for
example),andfoundanasset
forcreatingtreesthroughoutthe
park.

Oncethebasiclayoutwascompleted,workbeganonthepanel.Thiselementwas
integraltoconnectingtheplayersactionstotheenvironment,andunderwentmany
changesasdevelopmentonthegameprogressed.Thebasicideawastohave
separatesectionsofthepanel,suchasWasteManagement,WaterUsage,and
PowerSupplythattheplayercouldinteractwithandalterthroughoutgameplay.
SliderswereimplementedasthemajorUXelementinthissectionofthegame,and
certainpointsalongtheslidersweresettotriggerchangestotheenvironmentandother

23
sectionsofthesidepanel.Forexample,loweringtheamountofcoalbeingusedinlocal
powerplantsbroughtmoneyback
intotheplayersbudget,andwould
clearairpollution,butdrastically
reducethepowersupplyinthe
area.Orchangingthelevelof
wastemanagementbeingenforced
intheparkwouldreducethevisible
litterinthepark,butcausethe
playertolosemoney.

Laterindevelopment,Iaddedthefunctionalityforpanelstobelockedduringthe
playersfirstwalkthroughofthepark.Thesepanelswouldthengetunlockedasthe
playermadebeneficialchoicesinthegameandprogressedthroughseveraldifferent
daysinthegameworld.Eachnewdayinthegame,theplayercouldthenfocusona
differentaspectoftheparksenvironmentalhealth.

SinceoneoftheelementsIidentifiedasbeingcrucialtocreatingapowerfulinteractive
narrativewasthehumanimpact,Ibeganworkonaddednonplayercharacters(NPCs)
tothegameearlyon.ThesecharactersmodelswerefromtheUnityAssetStore,andI
onlyhadtomakeslightalterationstothecharacterstexturesinordertoincorporate
themintoThePark.Ithenaddedcollisionareasaroundeachcharacterthatwould

24
triggertexttoappearonthescreenwhentheplayerwalkedupanNPC.Thetext
spokenbyeachcharacteriscompletelydependentonthecurrentstateofthepark.
Whileeachcharacterfocusesona
specifictopic(someareupsetbyair
quality,whileothershaveinterestin
theparkspond),theyalsorespondto
thelatestchangestheplayerhas
made.Thiswasdonebycreatinga
scriptthatwouldwatchforchangesto
thepanelelements,andthenupdate
thetextspokenbyeachcharacteraccordingly.

Agreatdealofscriptwaswrittentoaltertheappearanceofthepark.Everythingfrom
thecolorofthesky,whetherornottheferriswheelisturning,theheightofthewater
level,etciscontrolledthroughseveraldozenscriptsIwrote.

UserTesting

PlaytestingofTheParkbeganinlateFebruary.ItwasthroughplaytestsessionsthatI
wasabletolearnhowtheinteractionworkedandensurethatuserswereableto
understandhowthegameworked.Oneofmymaingoalswastoseeplayersget

25
throughthegamewithoutanyoutsidehelp.Thegameneededtobeeasyto
understand,soitcouldserveastheeducationalexperienceImeantforittobe.

Ichosepeoplewhohadavarietyofbackgroundstoplaytestthegame.Somepeople
werefamiliarwithplayinggames,whileotherswerenot.Duringthesessions,Iasked
eachplaytestertospeakaloudastheyplayedthroughthegame,andthenaskedthem
astructuredsetofquestionsafterwards,regardingtheirexperienceandwhattheytook
fromit.Manyfeaturesthatappearinthefinalartifactcameaboutfromfeedback
receivedfromtheplaytestsessions.

ManypeoplehadachancetotestoutmygameasIwasworkingonit,andtherewere
sixpeoplethatIwasabletoschedulearealplaytestsessionwith.Threeplaytesters
weremale,andtheotherthreewerefemale.Fouroftheseindividualswereintheirearly
twenties,andtheremainingwereoverfiftyyearsold.Andtwooftheseplaytesterswere
describedthemselvesasbeinggamers,meaningthattheywereveryfamiliarwiththe
conceptsandcontrolsthatareoftenusedingames,includingThePark.

Ideterminedtheissuesinmygamethatneededtobeaddressedbylookingforplaces
whereplaytestersbecameconfusedorfrustrated,andwatchedcarefullyforrepeated
feedbackbetweenusers.SomeoftheearliestresponsesIreceivedinvolvedconfusion
overwhattheNPCsinthegameweresaying.Initially,eachcharacteronlysaidtheir
firststatementonceperday.Soiftheysaidsomethingimportantandtheplayermissed

26
it,theplaytestercouldnotgobackandseewhattheNPChadsaidwithoutstartingthe
dayover.Iresolvedthisissuebyallowingtheinteractortochoosewhentheywantedto
hearwhatanNPChadtosaybypressingthetkeytospeakwiththatcharacter.Ialso
wasencouragedtobroadenthevarietyofphrasesspokenbyeachcharacterafteruser
testing.Myoriginalplanwastohaveeachcharacterspeakthesamefewlinesevery
day,andtoonlychangetheirspeechwhentriggeredbyonespecificchangeinthe
environment.Everyoneofmyplaytestersexpressedfrustrationwhenbeingtoldthe
samethingsbythesamecharactersmultipletimesthroughoutthegame.Thedecision
tovastlyexpandthecharactersvocabularymadetheexperiencemuchmore
rewarding.

Anotherfeatureofthegamethatevolvedfromplaytestingwastheabilitytopausethe
gameandalterthechoicesduringaday.Ihadinitiallyplannedtoonlyallowtheplayer
tomakechangestotheenvironmentbeforethestartofeachdayinthegame,a
decisionthatseemedmorerealistictome.Unfortunately,itbecameclearaftermany
playtestsessionsthattheuserquicklybecamefrustratedwhenevertheyrealizedthat
theexplorationtheyhadmadewiththeslidersaftereachroundwouldrequirethemto
walkallthewaythroughtheparkinordertorestartthescenario,justsotheycould
changetheslidersbackagain.Thelatestversionofthegameallowstheplayertopress
ptopausethegame,sotheycanmakechangesonthego.

27
Duringusertesting,itbecameclearwhichelementsofthegamewerereallyworking.I
noticedthatallplaytestersunderstoodimmediatelythattheirgoalwastofigureouthow
togettheferriswheelworking,andthattheyneededtocleanuptheparkinorderto
reachthatgoal.Allplaytesterswereexcitedtoseetheiractionscauseapanelto
unlock,andexpressedhappinessuponseeingchangesintheparksenvironment,such
asabluesky,ortheappearanceofswans.Manyplayerswouldexclaim:Ireallylike
theswans!,ormention:Wow,okaytheskyissoblue.,whentheynoticedthese
changes.Thispositivefeedbacklaterencouragedmetoaddsimilarrewardingelements
tothegame,suchastheappearanceofwindturbinesandsolarpanelswhentheplayer
chosethemasanenergysource.

28

VI.IMPLEMENTATION

Software

Asmentionedpreviously,ImainlyusedAutodeskMayaandtheUnitygameengineto
developthisvideogame.Thedecisiontousebothofthesetoolsresultedfrommy
familiaritywitheachone,andtheybothallowedfortheabilitytohavealotofcontrol
overtheresultingwork.IwrotethescriptsforUnityinC#,usingMonoDevelop,whichis
UnitysstandardIDE.ThemajorityoftheassetsutilizedinthisprojectthatIdidnot
createwerefoundthroughUnitysAssetStore.

GameWalkthrough

Forthepurposeofthispaper,IwillgiveabrieftextualwalkthroughofThePark.The
experiencebeginswiththeimageoftheparksgateswingingopeninfrontoftheplayer.
Initially,theplayerhasnocontroloverthesidepanel,sinceitisgreyedoutandlocked.
Theinteractorisencouragedtoexploretheparkattheirownpace,andtheycanquickly
determinefromlookingabout
theenvironmentandspeaking
withtheotherparkvisitorsthat
theareaispollutedandinneed
ofhelp.Thegroundiscovered
inlitter,theskyisfilledwitha
hazysmog,andpondhasdried
up.Theplayerisdrawntovisit

29
thelargestpointofinterestinthepark,theferriswheel,buttheoperatorturnsthem
away,explainingthatthestateoftheparkistoopoorfortheferriswheeltobeturnedon
andridden.

Whenspeakingwiththeferris
wheeloperator,theplayeris
giventheoptiontoreturnto
theparkonaNewDay.The
screenfadestoblack,andthe
playerreturnstotheoutsideof
theparksgate,onwhatis
meanttobeanewday.After
thefirstrestart,thesectionof
thepanelthatcontrolstheWasteManagementsliderunlocks,andtheplayerhasthe
optiontochangethelevelofwastemanagementbeingenforcedinthepark.Asthe
amountindicatedbythesliderincreases,theRemainingBudgetbaratthetopofthe
paneldecreases.Itbecomesapparenttotheplayerthatthebudgetbarisaffectedbyall
thechoicesthatwilllaterbecomeavailableonthepanel.

OncetheplayerhasfinishedmakingchangestotheWasteManagementSlider,they
cancontinuethroughthenextdaybypressingtheStartbuttononthepanel.Atthis
point,theycanwalkthroughtheparkagain,butthistimewithlesslitter(thisistruly

30
dependentonwhetherornottheplayeractuallychosetoeliminatelitterfromthepark,
ofcourse).Eachofthecharacterstheplayerinteractswithontheirwalkwillcomment
onthecleanerstatusofthepark,reinforcingtheplayersbeneficialdecision.Whenthe
playerreachestheferriswheeloperatoragain,shepointsoutthatalthoughthearea
looksmuchbetter,theparksmanagementistooconcernedwiththecontaminated,
drieduppondtoworryaboutturningontheferriswheel.Itisatthispointthattheplayer
canagainchoosetostartthedayover.

Onthestartofthenextday,iftheplayerhadchosentoresolvetheissueswiththelitter
beforerestartingthescenario,theWaterUsagesectionofthepanelwillunlock.Inthe
likelyeventthattheplayerchoosestoallocatealargerportionofthebudgettofixingthe
waterproblem,theparkwillyetagainchangeinappearance.Ifthewaterusageinthe
parkismanagedbetter,thelargepondwillfillupwithwater,andbecomepopulated
withafamilyofswans.Andlikebefore,theNPCsintheparkwillcommentonthe
changetotheirenvironment,
andhowhappytheyaretosee
theswansreturntothepond.
Whentheplayerreachesthe
ferriswheeloperatorthistime,
theywillonceagainbeasked
tocomebackanotherday,
becauseofthehazardousair

31
pollutionthatstillplaguesthepark.

Thenextdaycanactasthefinaldayofthesimulation,iftheplayermanagestogetthe
choicespresentedtothembalancedcorrectly.Forthistime,thesectionthatallowsthe
playertochangethesourceoftheparkspowersupplybecomesunlocked.Thereare
fourpanelshere,eachofwhichaffecttheamountofsolar,wind,coal,andoilbeing
usedforlocalelectricityproduction.Highuseofmoreefficientandcheapoptions,such
ascoalandoil,canresultinpollutedair.Butontheotherhand,solarandwindpower
aretooexpensivetobeusedto
fullysupplyallthenecessary
energyfortheparksferris
wheeltorun.Butiftheplayer
doesfindabalancebetweenall
theseoptionsinthepanel,they
willberewardedwithablue
sky,andthechancetofinally
ridetheferriswheel.

32

VII.FUTUREWORK
PossibleExtensions

IfIweretocontinuetoworkonthisproject,IdohavealistoffeaturesIwouldliketo
incorporateintothegame.Sincethegoaloftheprojectwastocreateaneducational
simulation,Iwouldhavelikedtoseemoreacademicmaterialinthegame.Aninteractor
couldpotentiallylearnmoreaboutthescenarioIamtryingtopresentiftherewere
elementsliketooltipsinthepanel,whichwouldhelpdescribethedifferentenergy
optionsorpossiblyashortdebriefexerciseattheendofthescenario,toassessthe
playerslearning.Someofmyplaytestersevenmentionedthattheywouldbecuriousto
knowmoreabouttheefficiencyofeachofthedifferentpowersupplyformats.Whilethe
dataIpulledoffofgovernmentwebsitesaboutthistopicisencodedinmyscripts,itis
noteasytodiscernbyplayingthegameitself.Instead,theplayerendsupgettingmore
ofageneralideaaboutthedifferenceincostandefficiencyofthedifferentsourcesof
electricity.Despitethis,Idecidedtoleavetheseideasoutofthefinalartifactthough,
becausetheywouldhaverequiredagreatdealofmoredeliberateresearchaboutthe
topic,andappearedtobeoutsidethescopeofwhatIhadchosentocreate.

Inadditiontotheinclusionofmoreeducativematerialsinthegame,ifIhadtimeto
continuetodevelopthisproject,IwouldremovemodelsIhadcollectedfromUnitysfree
resourcesandreplacethemwithmyown.Thedecisiontousepremademodelsand
texturesforsomeoftheassetsinmygameallowedmetofocusmoreonthe
experienceIwasworkinghardtodevelop.Thisway,Icouldspendmoretimeon

33
polishingtheinteraction,whichIfoundtobemorerelevanttothepurposeofthisthesis
project.

34

VIII.Conclusions
Results

Withthemanydigitaltoolsthatareavailabletousintodaysworld,itisimportantthat
weexplorethepositiveimpacttechnologycanhaveonallaspectsofourlives.
Traditionalmethodsofeducationhaveprovedusefulformanycenturies,butwecan
nowimproveourunderstandingandconveyanceofcomplicatedtopicsthroughdigital
forms.Wecaneasilyprovidemorepowerfullearningexperiencesbytakingadvantage
ofthespatial,encyclopedic,procedural,andparticipatoryaffordancesofdigitalmedia,
andcreatefascinatingsimulationswiththesetools.

ThefinalstateofthisdigitalartifactmeetsmanyoftheexpectationsIhadgoingintothe
project,andIamveryproudoftheendproduct.Ilearnedthroughthisexperienceabout
howcrucialitistoplaytestadigitalartifact,asmanyofthebestfeaturesinThePark
resultedfromaresponsetotheissuesthatwerediscoveredduringusertesting.Ihope
tocontinuetoworkonthisproject,aswellasmanyotherdigitaleducationaltoolsinthe
future,astheyareclearlyveryvaluable.

35

IX.Bibliography
WorkCited

[1]Aksoy,Gokhan."EffectofComputerAnimationTechniqueonStudents'
Comprehensionofthe"SolarSystemandBeyond"UnitintheScienceandTechnology
Course."MevlanaInternationalJournalofEducation3.1(2013):4046.Web.1Mar.
2015.https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=2&si
d=538fdeaadde647e3a6f6051a793adcbd%40sessionmgr4005&hid=4203&bdata
=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=eric&AN=ED543588

[2]Bogost,Ian,ed.TheArcadeWire:OilGod.PersuasiveGames.Web.
<http://www.persuasivegames.com/games/game.aspx?game=arcadewireoil>.

[3]Bogost,Ian,ed.
Windfall
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PersuasiveGames
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<http://www.persuasivegames.com/games/game.aspx?game=windfall>.

[4]DesignaRenewableFuture.TheEnergyLab.NovaLabs,2014.Web.28Feb.2015.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/lab/energy/research>.

[5]ElectroCity.Computersoftware.ElectroCity.GenesisEnergyNZ2007.Web.28Feb.
2015.<http://www.electrocity.co.nz/>.

[6]Gardner,Brian.PerceptionandtheArtof3DStorytelling.CreativeCowMagazine.

36

[7]Gee,JamesPaul."Goodvideogamesandgoodlearning."PhiKappaPhiForum.
Vol.85.No.2.TheHonorSocietyofPhiKappaPhi,2005.
http://dmlcentral.net/sites/dmlcentral/files/resource_files/goodvideogameslearning.pdf

[8]Gill,DavidV."StudentLearningThroughEngagedUseof3DModelingand
AnimationSoftwareinaHighSchoolArtClass."MarilynZurmuehlinWorkingPapersin
(n.d.):n.pag.Web.<http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1387
&context=mzwp>

[9]Jennings,AshleyS."TheVSEPRChallenge:AStudent'sPerspective."Journalof
ChemicalEducation87.5(2010):1357361.Web.1Mar.2015.
<http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ed100148e>

[10]Jennings,Ashley.ChemistryVSEPRTheory.Youtube.Youtube,12May2009.
Web.1March2015.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3FCHVlSZc4

[11]Reinhart,ChristophF.,TimurDogan,DiegoIbarra,andHollyW.
Samuelson.LearningByPlayingTeachingEnergySimulationasaGame.Harvard
University,n.d.Web.1Mar.2015.
<http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/research/gsdsquare/Publications/LearningByPlaying.pdf>.

37
[12]SlaveryFootprint.MadeinaFreeWorld.MadeinaFreeWorld,n.d.Web.31Mar.
2015.<http://slaveryfootprint.org/>.

[13]Squire,Kurt."Fromcontenttocontext:Videogamesasdesignedexperience."
Educationalresearcher35.8(2006):1929.<http://www.arcadetheory.org/wp
content/uploads/2014/03/2006squire.pdf

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Lamppostunityasset<https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/49221>

Trashandlitterunityasset<https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/708>

Bottlesandcansunityasset<https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/17899>

CinemaEffectsunityasset<https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/20394>

Skyboxunityasset<https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/4042>

Skyboximageunityasset<https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/18353>

Fenceunityasset<https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/2437>

Treesandrocksunityasset<https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/22755>

ImageusedfromEarth,APrimer<http://a3.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Purple69/v4/e6
/5c/29/e65c29ea8e9696ba7617420908cc2a8d/screen1024x1024.jpeg>

Informationregardingthecostandefficiencyofmodernpowerplantenergysources,
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39

Runningmanunityasset<https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/32665>

Girlunityasset<https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/29666>

Dogunityasset<http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/downloads/characterrigs/c/dog>

Scriptingexampleformakinganobjectmoveinacircle<http://answers.unity3d.com/
questions/517868/chowtomakeanobjectmovetowardinacircular.html>

Scriptingexampleforgamestates<https://www.packtpub.com/books/content/creating
simplegamemanagerusingunity3d>

Scriptingexampleformenuscreens
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Scriptingexampleforfadingscenesinandout<https://unity3d.com/learn/tutorials/
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Cameralookscript<http://answers.unity3d.com/questions/397745/howtomakean
objectlookatanotherobjectover.html>

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Soundeffectfordog<https://www.freesound.org/people/keweldog/sounds/181767/>

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Soundeffect<https://www.freesound.org/people/Akacie/sounds/73723/>

Soundeffect<https://www.freesound.org/people/Krucifix1974/sounds/323636/>

Lockiconimage<https://cdn1.iconfinder.com/data/icons/hawcons/32/698630
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Hostingunitywebplayerwithdropboxinformation<http://answers.unity3d.com
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