FYS 187-4 - Games and Computation 4th Hour Project: Collaborative Game Book Writing

Collaborative Game Book Writing

For our fourth hour project this semester, we will collaborate on the writing of a game book together using the same MediaWiki software that underlies Wikipedia.  Note that since we do not meet weekly for this fourth hour, your work on this project should be (on average) 3 hours/week.  Note that some weeks (e.g. research/writing) may take more time whereas other weeks (e.g. revision) will require less. 

In general, for any class hour (including this "fourth hour"), you should budget two additional hours beyond class.  Thus, for any 1-credit class, you should expect to work 12 hours per week.  In our course, 3 of these are allotted to class time, so the remaining 9 should be distributed between readings, homework, quizzes, exams, and the 4th hour project.

We will approach the writing in weekly stages.  The work of each week will be due at the beginning of every other class at 1:10PM.

Week 1 (due at the beginning of class #3, 9/4): 

Wikimedia registration and login, edit and claim game, play and log games.

• Bookmark (but do not share) the address of our course wiki page (emailed to you at the beginning of the semester).
• [Register yourself on this course wiki with a username that others can easily identify you with.  I recommend uppercase camelCase usernames, e.g. FrodoBagginses and ArthurDent.] We may switch to my registering you instead.  Stay tuned...
• Follow the link to our wiki page and read the introduction to our semester-long, collaborative game book writing project on the wiki.
• Explore the different game links and see which games you might most enjoy exploring and writing about.
• Commit to writing about a game by editing the wiki page with your name to the right of the game on the first game list.  First-come, first-served.
• Our library tutorial session with Kerri Odess-Harnish: Thursday, August 31, from 11:30-12:30 pm in Musselman Library, Room 014.  Here, you’ll learn many of the skills you’ll use to research the origins, rules, and strategies of the game you’ll be writing about this semester.
• Devise a notation to log any moves, chance events, etc. so that you can effectively reconstruct the game from player notes.
• Find another player (for non-solitaire games), play your game at least two times, and log the games using your notation.
• Bring your game logs to class.

Week 2 (due at the beginning of class #5, 9/11): 

Research sources for game rules, history, strategy, research, etc.

Your goal for the semester will be to writing not merely game rules, but to teach the games history, draw the reader into an understanding of the basic strategy and decisions, and excite in the reader a desire to play your game and learn more about it.  To this end, your first major step will be to research good sources material.

• Research sources for game rules, history, strategy, research, etc.  These can include:
  • Rules others have written for the game
  • Historical information about the game
  • Information about the game's "family":  Which games were the parents (i.e. design influencers)?  Which are closest cousins (i.e. very similar)?  Which are siblings (i.e. variants of the same game)?
  • Research papers on the game or its close family members (Note: Sometimes, little has been written about research on the game (e.g. Jotto), yet there are cousins for which much has been published.  Digesting these can provide surprising insight to your game.)
  • (Note: If you are having difficulty finding sources, first ask questions of the library staff.  If they're stumped, see me for search tips.)
• After you have dedicated significant time and effort to gathering research sources, come to some of my posted office hours to share what you have found and see if there is anything I would suggest that you add to your sources.
• Create the MediaWiki page for your game.  (Follow the red link and save a trivial addition of content to the page in order to start things off.)
• Add your sources to your MediaWiki page.  Use my Pig wiki example, our mediawiki "FYS 187-4 Game Book Writing Essentials" tutorial (or video tutorial), and/or the Wikipedia cheatsheet to see how to easily add your references.  The text that makes the reference up top can be any placeholder for now.  The bottom reference section, however, should be complete and polished.
• You will be graded on the quality of this reference section.

Potentially helpful resources:

• Gettysburg College Library Research Guide - Kerri Odess-Harnish's guide to library research
• Chicago Style of Citation:
  • Chicago Style of Citation Quick Guide
  • Citation Machine and other online generators for Chicago Style references
• BoardGameGeek.com - the IMDB of games
• Pagat.com - the best online source for card games

Week 3 (due at the beginning of class #7, 9/18): 

Begin draft of rules, learn wiki authoring and figure creation skills, and add figures to your game page.

Your first draft (minus the more detailed strategy section) will be due next week, so this week you should:

• Use my Pig wiki example, our mediawiki "FYS 187-4 Game Book Writing Essentials" tutorial (or video tutorial), the Wikipedia cheatsheet, MediaWiki reference card, and/or any MediaWiki tutorials (e.g. YouTube videos) you may find useful to get comfortable with your basic wiki authoring skills.
• Begin the first draft on your game rules, history, etc. without getting into deeper strategy portions.  This will likely suggest figures that will be useful to illustrate your rules.
• Become comfortable with software that will enable you to create high-quality, high-resolution figures to illustrate your game.  You may use and share figure resources you find that have licenses which allow us free use.  This can include licenses that require author attribution as long as that attribution is made.
  • One possible route is to become familiar with the figure-editing features of Microsoft PowerPoint (e.g. insert shape, edit shape properties, group/ungroup, align, distribute, etc.).  Then one can zoom in on a figure, use the Windows "Snipping Tool" to grap a partial screenshot, and save it in a common image format.  Avoid compressed formats (e.g. jpg), and prefer uncompressed formats (e.g. gif, png).
  • Another possible route is to set up game situations, take pictures, and upload pictures to illustrate your rules.
  • All those who are writing about games that share basic materials (e.g. card games especially) should come to a consensus on the best free images available for common use.  For example, we would want to avoid having several different card deck image sets in use.  However, one card game writer might use images, and another might have figures with notation (e.g. Bridge puzzles).  Note that there are special characters for card suits.
• Create at least two figures in your partial draft that illustrate your game clearly and attractively.
• You may but are not required to stop by office hours to get feedback on your figure design.
• Your partial draft will not be graded at this point.  However, the quality of your draft figures will be graded at this stage. 

Week 4 (due at the beginning of class #9, 9/25): 

Complete your first draft of game rules and history.

• This will be your first draft of all except the major portion where you teach an appreciation for some of your game's strategy.
• You should effectively use figures and/or examples to clearly illustrate the rules of your game.
• This will be peer-reviewed and refined over the coming weeks, but each draft should be well-polished.  Trivial mispellings or grammatical errors should not be left to the reviewers.  Reviewer focus should be on the clarity and ease of engaging the game through the writing.

Week 5 (due at the beginning of class #11, 10/2): 

Review the work of three other students, and offer at least three specific and concrete suggestions to improve the writing of each. Seek further revision feedback on your writing from the Writing Center.

• You will review the next three students on the game list on our course wiki page (wrapping around the end as necessary).  You'll skip over the "Pig" entry (mine used to provide examples).
• Your suggestions will be entered under the Discuss tab of each page you review and you'll sign your suggestions using the "~~~~" auto-signature feature.  (Try it!)
• Specific and concrete suggestions:
  • Don’t say “fix some grammatical errors”; quote specific errors and provide suggested corrections.
  • Don’t say “add more figures”; suggest specific figures that would be helpful and explain why.
  • Don’t say “include references”; suggest what specifically needs to be referenced and include a reference if possible.
  • Provide the help you would want in their place to improve the writing.
  • While praise is great to include as encouragement, note that it does not constitute a concrete suggestion for improvement.
  • Even well written material can be improved.  Suggestions of improved rephrasings, requests for helpful examples of difficult concepts, and descriptions of misunderstandings when reading are all helpful feedback.
  • Remember to review your writing to see that you've provided at least three specific and concrete suggestions for writing improvement.
• Follow the Golden Rule of reviewing: Offer constructive criticism just as you would want constructive criticism offered to you.
  • Suggest improvements, but bear in mind that it is their work, not yours.
  • Praise what is praiseworthy, and suggest possible improvements with gentle language.  I've heard it said that "criticism is heard at three times the volume of praise."  This doesn't mean you should avoid criticism; rather, you should express criticism with care.
  • Use "I" language to approach difficult observations.  Good example: "I found the prose to be very clear and helpful up to ____ paragraph.  I then found it difficult to parse ____ lines and understand rule _____.  The following paragraphs and examples made this rule clear, but I believe these lines can be improved.  Here's one possible revision: _____"  Bad example: "I found your rules unclear. Revise."
  • Offer your observations in a spirit of generous helpfulness.  Again, treat others as you would want to be treated in a review process.
• Get direct verbal feedback on your writing from a volunteer of the Writing Center as early in week 5 as possible.  The Writing Center is on the ground floor of Breidenbaugh Hall and is staffed with student volunteers Sunday-Thursday from 4-10PM.  (The student writing tutors will complete paperwork on your Writing Center visit which will result in an email to me verifying your participation in this step.)

Week 6 (due at the beginning of class #13, 10/11): 

Read your reviews, revise, and add at least 2 examples of strategic gameplay with figures.

• The application of the Golden Rule to reading and acting on reviews consists of multiple facets:
  • First, assume that the reviewer is seeking to be helpful.  Do not assume antagonism when receiving suggestions for change to your writing.  You have a common purpose with the reviewer: Both of you want your prose to be as polished and effective as possible.  You're on the same side.
  • Second, do not quickly jump to your own defense.  "I thought my original phrasing was far superior to my reviewer's suggested revision!"  Begin with the humble assumption that your prose will not be everything to everyone, and that alternative perspective are valuable in aiding you to effectively communicate most broadly.
  • Look keenly for deeper insight to possible improvements when others see the possibility.  If something even hints of lack of clarity, verbosity, or other writing weaknesses, embrace the challenge of change and improvement.  With reflective practice, you will improve as a writer.
• Next, add at least two play strategy examples or puzzles with figures.  Your purpose here is to show why the game is interesting.  Rules alone are inadequate to unfold a game to the reader.  Well chosen examples can really draw the reader into the game.  This is where you have the best chance to really make your game appeal to the reader.  Remember that your goal is to have a general audience reader become interested in the game and desire to play it, furthering their understanding and appreciation.
• A practical way of approaching the writing of this section is to play your game a lot and/or read gameplay transcripts and first identify a specific game situation that offers a difficult, interesting decision.  For each such situation you identify:
  • Create a figure that illustrates the situation to the reader.  It is at this point where your earlier work on developing/discovering game notation can be helpful in connecting your article text to your figure.
  • Discuss possible plays and their merits and/or drawbacks.  Specific, concrete examples are powerful for drawing your reader into the game.
• Repeat the previous step at least twice.  Best is to cover the basic strategies you would want to know in your reader's place.
• (If, at this point, you still don't fully understand rules and/or basic strategy for your game, please visit office hours and seek assistance.  You can't help a reader understand strategy that you don't understand.)

Week 7 (due at the beginning of class #15, 10/18): 

Review the revisions and additions of the next three games on the class list.  Seek further revision feedback on your writing from the Writing Center.

• Follow the same procedure as week 5, but review the next three games after the ones you reviewed in week 5 on the list (skipping Pig and wrapping around the end).  Again, sign your work with "~~~~" and preview to make sure your auto-signature reflects your user ID, time, etc.
• Create a new "Phase 2 Review" heading under the Discuss tab to separate older reviews from newer reviews.
• Continue to practice the application of the Golden Rule to reviewing.
• Get direct verbal feedback on your writing from a volunteer of the Writing Center as early in week 7 as possible.  The Writing Center is on the ground floor of Breidenbaugh Hall and is staffed with student volunteers Sunday-Thursday from 4-10PM.  (The student writing tutors will complete paperwork on your Writing Center visit which will result in an email to me verifying your participation in this step.)

Week 8 (due at the beginning of class #17, 10/25): 

Read your new reviews, revise again, and add at a "For Further Reading" section.

• Read your new reviews and create a third draft of your game rules.  You are nearing the final draft, so take special care to polish your prose.  Come back to it again and again with fresh eyes.  Again, imagine yourself as a reader who is entirely unfamiliar with any aspect of your game, and ask yourself "Could I clearly understand how to play this without additional references?"
• Add a “For Further Reading” section.  In many cases, there will be favorite references or even unused references that are interesting but are beyond the scope of your writing.  This is a section where you recommend to your reader where they would best learn more about your game.
  • In the case where references are few for your game, you can see me for suggestions, or you can suggest more general reading about related games.
  • Each recommendation should come with an explanation of why you recommend the reading and what the reader could expect to gain from reading it.

Week 9 (due at the beginning of class #19, 11/1): 

Review the revisions and additions of the next three games on the class list.   Seek further revision feedback from the Writing Center.

• Review rules and examples of the next 3 games on the list after the ones you reviewed in week 7.
• Discuss tab entry of reviews under “Review Phase 3” heading.
• This is the final review cycle, so be sure to help your peer with as many final polishing edit suggestions as possible.
• Get direct verbal feedback on your writing from a volunteer of the Writing Center as early in week 9 as possible.  The Writing Center is on the ground floor of Breidenbaugh Hall and is staffed with student volunteers Sunday-Thursday from 4-10PM.  (The student writing tutors will complete paperwork on your Writing Center visit which will result in an email to me verifying your participation in this step.)

Week 10 (due at the beginning of class #21, 11/8):

Read your new reviews, and revise your third draft.

• This is the time to make your article a complete, finished product.  At this point:
  • You should have the good observations of 9 reviewers.
  • Your prose should be an excellent standalone introduction to your game.
  • Your reader should ideally get a rudimentary feel for the game and be motivated to play it!
  • Your figures should be well-polished, sized appropriately, and look good in print.  (Try printing the webpage to a PDF file to get a sense of it.)

Week 11 (due at the beginning of class #23, 11/15):

• Prepare a 5-minute PPT presentation of your game and post slides on our wiki index page:
  • Add your presentation using the Upload File option on the left bar.  This will allow upload of files with common presentation extensions: ppt, pptx, odp, fodp, and pdf.  If there’s another common presentation extension that you need that I have not included, please let me know.
  • To the right of your name in the game index, edit and add and the following thereafter: ([[media:yourUploadedFilenameHere|presentation]])  (substituting your uploaded filename for the yourUploadedFilenameHere text, of course).
• Please address any remaining article issues raised by peer reviewers, the Writing Center students, and my emailed comments.
• [My task: Distribute PDF book, all read remainder of book and check on prior review recommendation implementations]

Week 12 (due at the beginning of class #25, 11/27):

• Suggest at least 3 improvements to PDF book via email. These may be concrete edit suggestions for individual articles, or concrete suggestions for PDF book generation, but should be focused on what would most improve our final game book.
• I will bring these together into a single email I will send to the class (with feedback anonymous this time).
• This will serve all of us for final game book revisions next week.
• Please address any remaining article issues raised by peer reviewers, the Writing Center students, and my emailed comments.

Week 13 (due at the beginning of class #27, 12/4):

• Presentations for all games at Game Club (TBA)
• Make final revisions to your wiki article for our PDF book final draft.
• (The final draft of the PDF book will be generated and distributed before the last class #28, 12/18.)