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Learning Journal
The beginning of class was spent going over the requirements for our final Learning Journal entry in Week 13, in which we will need to reflect on the entire trimester and how we've tracked. I've realized that I have a lot of work to do over the next two or three weeks in order to hit all of my Learning Outcomes.
We didn't have much in the way of content this week, but we did an MDA Analysis on 'Mario Kart 8 Playthrough Part 1' (video credit: @Japancommercials4U2, 2014).
M - character selection/customization; item collection; use of items; different driving styles/abilities (including boost start); short and round-based; points and rank; cap on how many coins can be collected; can hold onto items and deploy whenever; item balancing depending on race position; personal best counter
D - suited to playstyles; upgrade and buy better vehicles; knock out the competition/give self advantage; allows for a ranked score; tactical use of items to boost self or disadvantage enemies; prevents overpowering the player and unbalancing the game; self-challenging; when the coin cap is reached, every coin after that becomes a tiny boost
A - personalized; exciting; competitive; light-hearted; cap makes it feel a little pointless; promotes sense of achievement when best score is beat; mastery
Japancommercials4U2. (2014, May 30). Mario Kart 8 Playthrough Part 1 [VIdeo]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyI6HwWqwIk
Mario Kart could be called a ludic experience in that after the coin cap is reached, the player continues the match either for their ranked score at the end or just for fun. It is a 'master-able' game, as it is entirely possible to win with little actual effort being exerted. The issue with the coin-cap mechanic - "skill reward mechanic" - is that it assumes the player has the skill to maintain the 10-coin limit. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the player to learn this skill atom.
After this, we moved on to polishing off our assignments and gathering playthrough data. I've kept track of our data in the form of a spreadsheet, which is linked on my Assignments page under Brief 3 - Standalone Complex, and also in my Final Reflection.
At this point, I don't have any other questions - primarily because I am wrapped up in finishing and submitting my assignments, and I don't have time to squeeze in extracurricular reading.
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