Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection

This essay analyzes the immense popularity of the online video game The Sims through the lens of Sigmund Freud’s theories about desire. Specifically, it utilizes the concepts of wish fulfillment, the pleasure and reality principles, and the life and death drive to draw conclusions about why the game is so appealing. The two main aspects of the game that this essay analyzes are the game’s extreme customization of the mundane and its endless design. It asserts that these aspects provide a unique opportunity for players to choose to engage in wish fulfillment, in either the pleasure or the reality principle, or in either the life or the death drive. These choices are unique to the game because, in the real world, these principles are inextricably linked, so the separation of these principles from each other allows players to fulfill their desires in unique ways. The essay challenges Freud’s theories by exhibiting how these principles appear differently in a virtual space, compared to reality. It explores how these challenges improve the player experience by providing a space for them to explore their desires and drives in a safe and controlled setting in their customizable, virtual world.

In Isle of Thrones, you must build up your kingdom to avoid being dominated by your opponent. Players start with a castle as their initial piece of land and draw cards from two decks, Event and Effect, which can influence the game. Each turn involves drawing an Event Card, playing Effect Cards, taking actions such as placing land tiles strategically on the board to expand territory, and potentially drawing more Effect Cards. Players earn points by placing land tiles with different named pieces of the same point value next to each other, and the game ends when the board is filled or when a player can no longer place more pieces. Land pieces can be destroyed and returned to the Land Pile, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

This creative honors thesis explores game design by going through the game design experience to produce a prototype of an original board game. From being a casual board game designer to creating one herself, here is a re-account of the experiences it took to design Descent into the Deep. The game design process involved intensive research of game mechanics, learning design tool skills for prototyping, and playtesting to create a playable original board game. Descent into the Deep is a hand management/path game that has players balance their resources to stay alive while considering the opportunity costs of their decisions to earn the most research points. Descent into the Deep has players push their luck and brains to collect research cards for points or offense and defense attacks against other players. The documentation includes the game's rule book, design process, and journal.

In accordance with the practices of Digital Culture, Chrononaut Canyon is an interactive art experience that demonstrates how digital design practices can influence change, and innovative solutions to global problems. Digital Culture is defined as the arts, tools, customs, and values of the digital world and how they interact and overlap with the physical world. As computerization and technological innovations rapidly increase and permeate into everyday life and the physical world, the need to understand the role of digital tools becomes imperative in designing solutions to global problems. This includes using digital technology and design as communication tools to aid in the awareness of global problems, such as climate change and environmental degradation, in order to create sustainable solutions whilst embracing the twenty-first century’s digital culture.