Session 1: Before Playing
In the beginning, I wanted to play a game like Mario, as the character embarks on a journey by overcoming obstacles. I asked my cousin Cindy for suggestions and she recommended me a retro game called Lemmings. I expected Lemmings to be an RPG game, where you take on the role of a character and go through a series of challenges.
The objective of the game might be chase (as players must catch opponents), capture (players have to avoid antagonists) or exploration (players have to explore unknown area) (Fullerton, 2014).
At first glance of the poster, I liked the character as the design is simple and loveable. The drawing of the poster suggests that the game is obsolete since it is presented with 2D graphics (compared to recent 3D and VR games). Thus, the story line might be linear and simple, and the interaction pattern of the game might be either single player versus CPU or cooperative play between friends. The poster also indicated different tools that the lemmings are using (parachute, umbrella and bomb). I also noticed there is more than one character in the poster, which indicates that the character might have multiple lives in the game. As a player, what I need to learn is to familiarize myself with the rule of the game.
Session 2: Solo Play Through
Descriptive and Affective Notes
Unlike Mario, Lemmings is a PC game that is played on computer devices, as opposed to a games console. I found an online version of the Lemming game and started playing. I noticed the game didn’t have a story line element and player starts the game play immediately. Before playing Level one, the start page indicated the title of the level, which hints to the player what needs to be done in order to pass the level. The graphic of the game is simple using Bitmaps to create shades and layers. There is one entrance and one exit. I also noticed a tool bar at the bottom of the screen with Lemming icons. These lemmings seem to be equipped with tools and skills, yet for level one, only one skill(digging) is available. Above the digging skill icon, there’s a number on top and as I played the game, I realized that the number on top of the skill is the number of times plyers can assign the skill to help escort other lemmings to the exit. Next to the tool bar, there is a timer counting down and it shows the total number of lemmings in the game. The player’s goal is to save as many lemmings as possible using certain skills. With the limit of time and skills usage, this adds to the challenge and excitement for the game. As for the audio, the music is played using electro organ and the tune is the famous can-can music. Again, this adds to the sense of urgency which reminds players that they have limited time to complete the stage. I find the music to be a source of motivation, as if it’s cheering me on whilst I’m figuring out the best tactic to use to save all the lemmings.
Level 1
The graphic of level one shows an underground world with mud and little greenery. The game begins as the entrance door opens and lemmings start to drop from above. The tool bar indicated the only skill needed for this level is digging, hence I clicked on the icon then picked one lemming and click again. The lemming starts to dig and at the same time, the other lemmings kept falling from the entrance and some walking mindlessly into the hole I’m digging. Each dig can last about 6 to 7 times, then the working lemming will turn back into normal lemmings. Using 4 out of 10 digging attempts, I managed to escort all the lemmings (10 out of 10) to the exit. The result page also indicated how many lemmings’ players need to save to pass the level.
Level 2
The game title reads: Only floaters can survive this. The background shows four golden columns and the entrance door on the top left corner and the exit on the bottom right corner of the screen. The icon skill available for this level is the open umbrella with 10 attempts only. As the lemmings are dropping from the entrance door, I chose the skill icon and as the lemming is walking by, my cursor changed into a square block, surrounding the lemming. I then quickly clicked on my mouse to provide the lemming with the umbrella skill. As it walked to the edge of the fourth column, the lemming dropped, however, in mid-air, an umbrella popped open which helped the lemming land safely.
Side-note: whilst I was getting a screen shot for this assignment, I couldn’t pause the game because I couldn’t figure out the pause button, hence one lemming fell off the column without the umbrella and broke into pieces. I managed to send 9 out of 10 lemmings to the exit.
Level 3
Tailer-Made for Blockers
The game starts with many linear lines floating in the air. The only skill available is the blocker who needs stop and guide the lemmings towards the direction of the exit. Whilst I was playing this level, I failed to highlight one of the lemmings and it kept walking until it dropped from the edge of the line. As I was setting my blockers, I noticed the footprint icon and after testing it, I realized it was the pause icon. The green arrow icon helps speed up the lemmings as they walk. And the icon that looks like a red mushroom is the self-explosive icon, where all lemmings that are left in the game will explode on the count of 5. As the blockers are unable to move, I must activate the self-explosive icon in order to finish the game. The idea of killing one to save others is a bit cruel in my perspective. Fortunately, the graphic wasn’t gruesome, just a simple pop and vanish into small particles.
Level 12
We all fall down
This level was challenging for me and it took me 5 attempts to complete. The difficulty of the level comes from saving all lemmings, which means there’s no room for error. The only skill given is digging, hence each lemming must dig the platform and free fall so that they don’t crash due to height. As I was playing, I had to calculate the number of lemmings and provide them with the skill of digging. As the platform’s length is limited, I had to make sure the lemmings are digging closely to each other. That’s when sometimes the walking lemmings fell through the digging hole and crashed onto the platform. When that happened, I had to restart the game since I needed all 40 lemmings to pass the level.
Analytic Notes
The objective of the game is to rescue certain numbers of lemmings by assigning them different skill sets.
As a player, it took me some time to get the hang of the game, as each level has a target number of lemmings that need to be saved. The time limit and skills provided had me thinking: what would be the best strategy to use in order to complete the level? This provides players with learning opportunity as they will rethink and adjust their tactics as they play. Players are encouraged to explore with various possibilities instead of one linear solution. I found the pause button very useful as I was playing. I got into the habit of pausing at the very beginning of the game, scanning through the map, looking at the skills option and crafting the initial strategies in my mind. If it doesn’t workout the way I’m hoping for (i.e. miss calculating the height), I must change my tactics. This game provides positive emotions for players as they problem solve, just as Fullerton mentioned: “emotion affects performance…which rewards and motivate learning” (2014).
The progression of the game is reasonable and provides scaffolding for players as the game starts with one skill set, and later becomes more challenging as the players are familiar with the skills and tasks. The atmosphere of the game is very playful with anthropomorphic characters (the lemmings) which appear to be genderless. The game doesn’t have any form of enemies, other than the obstacles the lemmings must overcome. It is interesting to see how the game designer adopted the animalistic behavior of lemmings such as “following” their peers and vast population. It also made sense for the game setting to be underground and in forestry, as those are actual lemmings’ habitats. There are minor aspects of violence involved (self-exploding, crashing from above, sacrificing self to save the pack), though the graphic is not disturbing or gruesome.
Session 3: Video Observation
Descriptive Notes
When I watched the playthrough without the player’s commentary, my impression was that the player is extremely skilled at this game. He/she knew the functions of the skills and had great spatial awareness of the game.
Level 1
Unlike me who assigned one lemming at the time to do the task, the player assigned all lemmings with the skill of digging to speed up the process and completed the level in less than a minute. The player’s tactic was clearly more efficient than mine. Whilst I was still figuring out the features of the game and played through it carefully, the player executed the game flawlessly.
Level 2
I can tell that the player knew the objective of each level, therefore, he/ she immediately adjusted the number of lemmings to the maximum, then assigned the lemmings with the umbrella skill to prep them for free fall. It indicated that the player’s focus was on completion of the level in a fast and accurate manner (saving majority of the lemmings).
Level 3
The player was able to assign blockers and increase the number of lemmings dropping from the entrance at the same time. The procedures of guiding the lemmings ran smoothly and he understood the appropriate height the lemmings could drop without crashing.
Level 12
The player had a different approach to tackling this level. He sped up the number of lemmings, then whilst the lemmings were walking, he assigned the digger from back to the front. The lemmings started to dig and free fall, then kept walking until they reached the exit. Knowing that his tactic will successfully escort the lemmings to the exit, the player began to move the screen and explored the underground map. Without the commentary, I can still sense the player’s confidence and ease.
Affective Notes
For this section, I have chosen another play through video with commentary to make a comparison with. With the start of the video, the player sounded lethargic and didn’t show much excitement. When attempting to play the first level, he assigned one lemming with the skill and waited for the other lemmings to exit the game, rather than trying to pass the level quickly. However, while waiting for all the lemmings to exit, he started humming the tunes of the game, which indicates that he was at ease, but he also sounded overconfident and made sarcastic comments, which suggests that game players might find this game less challenging and boring. Yet for first time players who are still familiarizing themselves with the game, they will find the game rewarding. Throughout the game play-through, the player was constantly humming the tunes of the game, as the tunes adopted are familiar to the public’s ear. At one point, the player zoned out and had two lemmings fall off the edge of the screen. This again, suggests that the game can be too mundane and easy for avid players. On the other hand, I played this game cautiously as I was still familiarizing myself with the setting and function of each skills while formulating a plan to escort the lemmings to the exit. I was surprised to hear the player swear as he played the game since the objective of the game is simple with catchy background music to enhance the gaming experience.
Analytic Notes
As the game wasn’t immensely difficult for avid players, they didn’t encounter any problems (except for occasional mistakes in assigning skills due to being oblivious). When players revisit the game, they have better awareness of the objective for each level and what to expect, hence will aim to complete the level in an efficient manner. There is no opponent in the game but obstacles that players must overcome in order to complete the level. Lemmings is a hands-on game, easy to understand and can be rewarding when you save most of the lemmings. There was no race, gender and class issue mentioned in the commentary, however, the commentator did address the lemming as “nerf ball with green hair and wearing blue night gowns”. He also says that lemmings are “marching into oblivion” due to their nature of “following” each other without much thinking. It felt like a degrading comment, as the lemmings are given human-like appearance and quality. Though there were no mentions of violence, I found the skills, such as self-bombing and sacrificing certain lemmings to save the pack, a little disturbing. As the commentator is an avid game player, he probably played games that are more graphicly gruesome. It is interesting to see how different players tackle the same level and the possible reasons behind their decision making. The game scaffolds beginner players very well, it provides opportunities for novice players to get acquainted with skills usage and the maze at each level. For advanced players, the game level will eventually be more challenging as players have to save a certain number of lemmings while using a limited number of skills.
Bridge: Analysis / Summary
Lemmings is a single player game where players have to overcome obstacles in the level. The game also has a multiplayer option, where the objective is to send more lemmings home than your opponents. According to Fullerton, a game like Lemmings is considered a puzzle game (rule-based system) where the goal is to solve problems, as opposed to winning (2014). The idea of the game is for players to guide the lemmings, to help them travel from point A to point B safely. The objective is to come up with tactics to rescue the lemmings using limited skills set depending on the level you play. Fullerton states that rules define the game’s objectives, as well as limit players’ behavior. The main objective of Lemmings is to problem-solve which motivates players to come up with better tactics after each attempt. As for boundaries, the game has multiple settings depending on the level, such as the underworld, forestry and many others.
There are no story elements in the game as players begin the gameplay immediately. The only characters in the game are the lemmings, which makes the game more engaging and provides opportunities for players to experience different situations and conflicts that need to be resolved. The main conflict presented in the game are the obstacles at each level. The obstacles are in various forms (columns, rocks, blocks) that prevent lemmings from reaching the exit successfully. In this game, there are many resources (i.e. utility) that helps players achieve the goal, such as unlimited attempts at each level, various skill sets (climbing, digging, umbrella) and time. The skill sets are valuable to the players, as they help players achieve the objective of the game: save as many lemmings as possible.
Lemmings provides good scaffolding for novice players, as the game designer sets one or two skills at a time for the player to explore the geographical map of each level and come up with tactics to rescue the majority of the lemmings. The game becomes increasingly harder, thus giving novice players like myself time to get familiarized with how the game works. This aspect of the game encourages gameplayers as well as provides a sense of achievement when the solution works. However, for avid gameplayers, the slow progression of the game could be considered boring or less challenging.
References:
Fullerton, T. (2014). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, NY: Taylor & Francis (CRS Press)
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