Design & Psychology
Gaming & Animation Industry
Game Design
Character Design Challenges
Animation
Environment & Worldbuilding Challenges
Video Game & Animation Trivia
Game Theory & Game Analysis
100
"As game designers and animators, we care more about how things feel and less about what is really true."
Can you come up with one example of something in a game or animation that represents this concept?
What is:
A game character's enemy hitbox being slightly larger than its actual body to make the gameplay feel smoother.
100
What's the job of a Technical Artist?
What is:
Bridge the gap between art and programming, combining artistic vision with technical expertise.
100
What does the concept "uncertainty of outcome" mean in game design and why is it important to have?
What is:
It's the idea that a game must have an unpredictable outcome or else players will lose interest.
100
Pretending you don't know these characters, what are at least two things you can infer about them based on how their characters were designed?
What is:
Square shapes represent rigidity and stubbornness, vs. round shapes representing approachable, light-heartedness.
100
In lots of Mario games, they increase the size of his fist when he punches. It's barely noticeable, but what's an animation term for this effect and why do they do it in game design terms?
What is:
Exaggeration, Readability, Anticipation, or Squash & Stretch.
It's done to create more accurate feedback and make gameplay look and feel more satisfying.
100
What franchise does this environment exist in and what hints allow you to make an educated guess?
What is:
Mushroom Kingdom from Super Mario.
100
Name the element types for all three of the fully-evolved starter Pokemon from the Diamond and Pearl (Sinnoh) series.
What is:
Torterra: Grass, Ground
Infernape: Fire, Fighting
Empoleon: Water, Steel
100
What does GEN, GNS, MDA, and DDE stand for?
What is:
GEN: Gamis, Exploratory, Narrativism
GNS: Gamism, Narrativism, Simulationism
MDA: Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics
DDE: Design, Dynamics, Emotion
200
What does it mean to capture the "essence of an experience" in an animation or game? What is the Essential Experience?
What is:
Every memorable experience has some key features that define it and make it special. Focusing on the those elements that really define the experience you want to create and find ways to make them part of your game or animation, regardless of whether or not they're realistic.
Example: Swinging the baseball bat in Wii Sports.
200
Which two popular companies participated in a fierce rivalry in the 1990s that fostered massive innovation in the gaming industry?
What is:
Nintendo vs. Sega, Mario vs. Sonic, Sega Genesis vs. NES.
200
Riot Games designer Marc Leblanc declared 8 different types of fun that players have when playing video games, can you name four different types?
What is:
■ Sensation
■ Fellowship
■ Challenge
■ Fantasy
■ Narrative
■ Discovery
■ Expression
■ Submission
200
Pretending you don't know this character, what might you assume about him based on his character design? Either about him thematically or gameplay-wise. Name at least five things.
What is:
Music-based abilities.
Quick movement, wall-traversing.
Outgoing, loud personality.
Friendly, personable shapes (round shapes).
Bright, personable colors.
Belongs to a technologically-advanced universe.
200
Give three solid examples of a character (in film or gaming) who expresses an element of their personality or backstory through the way they move. Explain how.
Animation communicates how a character is; timid, confident, clumsy, graceful--shaping player perception instantly.
What is:
Gollum/Smeagol: Crouched, slinking, unpredictable.
Spider-Man: Energetic, quippy, fast-thinking.
Scar vs. Mufasa: A slithering slowness vs. a smooth, confident slowness.
200
What franchise does this environment exist in and what hints allow you to make an educated guess?
What is:
Call of Duty: Black Ops, Nuketown. Lots of cover indicating FPS, realistic graphics and iconic camera angle indicating CoD, as well as iconic props.
200
In League of Legends, what is the term for leaving your lane or the jungle to help another lane get a kill?
What is:
Ganking
200
Define and give an example for Power gaming, Tactical gaming, and Meta gaming.
What is,
Power gaming: RPGs, Pokemon
Tactical gaming: Zelda, Animal Crossing
Meta gaming: Chess, Street Fighter
300
What is anthropology and why would it be helpful in game design and animation?
What is:
The study of peoples’ ways of life, all of which can be helpful in creating a meaningful "experience".
From the way people talk, how they move, what they wear and why, and other worldbuilding aspects.
300
Name at least 5 of the steps in the game development & distribution process that we talked about in class.
What is:
Concept & Design
Game Programming
Art & Asset Creation
Audio Development
Level Design
Testing & QA
Game Balancing & Iteration
Publishing & Distribution
Post-Launch Support
300
If I wanted to make Tic-Tac-To playable for more than 2 people, what are 4 other mechanics that I might have to change or add to compensate for more players?
What is:
- Increased squares
- Increased playable pieces
- Increased icons in a row requirements
- Each square becomes their own minigame
- More required rows to win
300
Pretending you don't know this character, what are something you may infer about him solely based on his character design? They are in chronological order. Name at least four things.
What is:
Scarred, possibly representing hardships.
Growth, possibly represented by his hair patterns.
Growth, represented by his demeanor.
Cultural significance, represented by his red clothes.
Complicated, given by his change in status across pictures.
300
How do animators use anticipation to guide player perception in competitive or cooperative gameplay? Give your own example.
What is:
By signaling upcoming actions (like a boss telegraphing an attack), giving players time to react.
Example: Regi Gigas lifting its leg before delivering an attack in Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia.
300
What game franchise or real-world place is this game environment inspired by?
What is:
Overwatch, Ilios
300
What's the name of the main charcter in the Half-Life series?
What is:
Gordon Freeman
300
What does each element of GNS theory prioritize? What would be an example for each?
What is,
G: Balance
N: Story (plot armor)
S: Realism
400
What is the difference between a behaviorist and a phenomenologist?
What is:
Behaviorists are focused only on measurable behavior. Their primary tool was objective, controlled experimentation.
Phenomenologists are focused on “the feeling of what happens.” Their primary tool is introspection—the act of examining your experiences as they happen.
400
What was the very first video game created for commercial release, and in which decade was it released?
What is:
Pong, 1970s (1972)
400
What does each element of the MDA framework stand for and give an example of what this would look like when fully assembled (the fully assembled bicycle).
What is:
A spawn system (mechanic) that causes spawn camping (dynamic) that leads to frustration (aesthetic).
400
What are ten things you can correctly infer about these characters based on nothing but their character design and why?
What is:
1. They exist in a historical Japan setting (clothes).
2. They're all fighters with different styles (poses).
3. Personality conflicts (expressions, colors).
4. Nezuko and Tanjiro compliment each other (high contrast colors).
5. Inosuke is wild and reckless (pose, style).
6. Zenitsu is fearful, with a flashy style (colors, expression, pose).
7. Nezuko is quiet (a thing in her mouth).
8. Nezuko's fighting style is drastically different from the others (no sword).
9. Nezuko's circumstances are drastically different from the others (hairstyle, clothes, no sword).
10. Tanjiro is a balanced and stable character, probably the MC (balanced shapes, colors, expression).
400
What’s the difference between keyframe animation and procedural animation in game development?
What is:
Keyframe = animator creates poses manually Procedural = movement generated by code/physics
400
What franchise does this environment exist in and is there any worldbuilding that allows you to make an educated guess?
What is:
Hogwarts Legacy, with Hogwarts-themed signs.
400
What is the full name of AI companion in Halo?
What is:
Cortana
400
Define Senses, Cerebellum, and Cerebrum as part of the "Emotions" element in the DDE framework.
What is:
Senses: Looks, feel, sound, etc.
Cerebellum: Emotional appeal
Cerebrum: Intellectual appeal, stimulation
500
Define the Heisenberg Principle in psychology.
Hint: Some refer to this otherwise as paralysis by _______.
What is,
"Paralysis by analysis." The nature of an experience cannot be observed without affecting the nature of that experience.
Quantum mechanics: implies that the attributes of a particle cannot be observed without affecting those attributes.
500
What was the first animated feature film, released in 1937?
What is:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
500
What is The Paradox of Control, as defined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi?
What is, it’s not possible to experience a feeling of control unless the outcome is unsure, meaning that the person is not actually in complete control.
“Only when a doubtful outcome is at stake, and one is able to influence that outcome, can a person really know they are in control.”
500
Use this character's design to guess info about him, all info must be justified by an element of his design. Name at least five things:
What is:
Time-based abilities, hourglass on his back and face paint.
Intelligent, his accessories look high-tech.
Inventor, he's wearing a satchel around his waist, presumably for his tools.
Adventurous, possible reckless, with an athletic build, and wild and free hairstyle and clothes style.
Regrets from his past, based on his fixation on time.
500
What is “inverse kinematics” (IK), and why is it important for character animation in 3D games?
IK calculates joint angles automatically so hands/feet reach a target (e.g., placing feet on uneven ground).
500
What franchise does this environment exist in and what hints allow you to make an educated guess?
What is:
The Legend of Zelda, Goron City. You can tell by the distinctive appearance of the Gorons.
500
Which RPG series features the recurring spell names “Firaga,” “Blizzaga,” and “Thundaga”?
What is:
Final Fantasy
500
Define all 4 types of UI and give an example of each.
Diegetic UI
Non-diegetic UI
Spatial UI
Meta UI
Diegetic UI: Car damage in GTA
Non-diegetic UI: Inventory, HP Bars
Spatial UI: Glowing arrows
Meta UI: Bloody screen overlay