#if I don’t go I have no reason to struggle w the abstract due today for the lab group but also my brain hurts so so bad

[badolmen]

Debating whether or not I tell my advisor/prof for my class today that I’m just. Too burnt out/not feeling well enough to come in person today but I know he’s gonna ask/I have the ability to attend remotely but I don’t have the discussion questions done/submitted but like girl I am at my fcking limit

[itsjessicaveabctblr]

Creative Studio -3rd week, #14

Thursday 2nd

We have finally came up with a game concept. Yesterday when we were playing testing each other’s ideas we were interested in Moana’s idea of the tattoo’s and the reason why was because the patterns looked aesthetically pleasing. So we elaborated on the idea. On the cards Moana did the cultural tattoo on one side and on the other side she wrote the meaning of the tattoo. Due to our play test yesterday we ware not going to put the words on the back of any card because people tend to lay out the cards faced flat down so that they are able to read the sentence from left to right. We are taught that everything should start reading from left to right. However, in other languages its different as to where they start reading which is why we must be considerate of our target audience because some cultures read their sentences differently. “The Greeks decided that going from left to right was the easiest thing to do, the one that made the most sense” (D. W. (2002-2011). Reading Left to Right? No Reason. Retrieved from 

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/funfacts/readinglefttoright.htm) , which influenced other countries to read that way and it is why we read from left to right because we were taught that way. This is what I imagine was going through our play testers mind which was why she connected the words from left to right. 

However, today I did a play test with her again and she did the exact same thing but this time there wasn’t any words rather it had images on them. So I wonder whether or not we really do need the slots because we could use magnet and place them at the bottom so that you could not only see the full picture of the tattoo but you are also able to see clearly the connection and the “journey” as one of the people suggested we should do. So I understand that from this play testing that people do see these blocks as puzzle pieces and understand that they must place them together in order to get a shape. However, the thing we want them to do is build and not only face them downwards. The reason why I think they are doing this is because when the cards are placed face down they see the image as the right side up however, if they were to do it 3D they are confused as to where to start and where to go from card to card. This is another thing that one of our play testers said that they wanted to see the “journey of the tattoo” and not just an abstract art piece where you couldn’t read or see some of the patterns on it. So I wonder if we really do need the slots or we could replace it with another aesthetic connecting thing. However, right now most of the group wants to stick with the slotting idea and they have come up with a solution which is to put the image of the tattoo on both sides so that they can see the tattoo from all angles. We will test this tomorrow and see if it works if not then we are going with plan B which is to get the magnetics and stick them to the sides of the cards. 

However we did test and trial it with people and they found it really interesting what their tattoo meant. Our target audience we are focusing on is people who want to learn and or get a tattoo relating to the Polynesian history. This also can be a self discovery game for Polynesian and general people. Places we imagine this would be put in are educational centers for pacific history because the tattoo’s are the history carried by the people. Also we imagine that this tattoo game will be placed at tattoo and artist shops where people can fiddle around with them and probably decided which one do they want. Our play testers where base on the perspective of a pacific islander, mix group of cultures and also a person who was thinking of getting a tattoo. 

A few things I found interesting from today’s testing was that when the person who is thinking of getting a tattoo found a familiar tattoo that she was going to do for herself I saw her passion for that specific card. The tattoo was the image of a sun and she wanted to learn more about it. When we told her about what the tattoo meant she was really interested and told us that it was true in her life. This reminds me of the fortune telling card game called Tarot. We played used the game as research and found that it was really entertaining as each time we got our past, present and future cards we tried to connect the dots and to make it relevant to our lives. As said that “there's something dreamy, archetypal, and intense to tarot as if it touches a part of ourselves we don't care to admit exists,” (Ratner, P. (2016, November 01). Why Tarot – Yes, Tarot – Is Rising in Popularity. Retrieved from https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/why-tarot-yes-tarot-is-rising-in-popularity ). This is something that I experienced myself while playing this game and also with our play testing people. What they didn’t realize while we were playing this was that they were explaining to us what the cards meant in their lives. For each card they picked we asked them how does it relate to their life and they shared if they wanted or not. But this is the interesting thing about it which is that not only do you find self discovery but also we fellowship with other people and end up learning about things you may have not known before. Another thing that I imagine people will take away from this game is to feel motivated and inspired about their tattoo which will help them “focus better” ( Ratner, P. (2016, November 01). Why Tarot – Yes, Tarot – Is Rising in Popularity. Retrieved from https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/why-tarot-yes-tarot-is-rising-in-popularity ). So our game is sort of similar as it helps you understand who you are you get to understand whats best for you in your life. I’m not saying that after playing this game everyone will find their purpose in life and know exactly what’s best for them in their life rather I’m saying that now they have somewhat sort of motivational guidelines that will help them if ever they were struggling in making decisions or just in need of knowing who they are. The game is also used as an educational game which is good because I myself didn’t know much about the tattoo’s and where they originated from but now I do and I feel a sort of connection to the tattoo’s and it’s history.