Theme decided

So my theme has been decided, i had it checked before completing my project plan to avoid having to redo it. Everything was fine though and Ben seems as interested in the theme as i am. The theme is now mental illness and debilitation with a focus on illnesses that affect memory.
The idea was to explore new ways of using memory in games instead of going to amnesia like most other games do as an easy cop out backstory. I will however have to be careful not to make bens game as that also involves memory, not in the same way but still.
I will have the project plan done by sunday so i can have it checked before i hand it in on the coming thursday.

Project plan

This is my project plan so far, it is mainly the basics and is incomplete due to needing to have my theme approved.

 Sorry if it's a little small. Also there is no schedule yet as that will come last.

Here is my first mind map for my theme ideas, took a little longer to get them into a mind map because my software wasn't working. Good start though. There were some other things from my first lesson thoughts but i chose not to put them in because they were too vague. I already have some game ideas sprouting from some of the themes, the physiological conditions and family members have been particularly favorable. I am also leaning towards the advertising and media manipulation and science themes.

I have been working on my project plan structure, it is basically the structure i use on my other project plans but with tweaks to make it more appropriate for this project. I will upload it once i have finalized my choice of theme and finished the first draft of the project plan.

First Lesson

Ok so the first lesson good, missed about 5 minutes at the start because i'm still figuring out the travel times after the campus move but i managed to get enough of the new tutors game to get a good idea of how he was teaching us to come up with designs.
The method of conceptualising ideas is similar to the way we were taught by Zuby taught us but he was always very unclear and didn't re-enforce why we should be doing it this way or how the best ways were to go about it. He mainly taught us the basics and then left us too it until we did it wrong, so it's nice to have clear aims and instructions.
The project is about conceptualising game ideas from a theme end the actual assignment will be to make a concept document for a game based on this theme and the research informing said theme. We don't have any internet in the uni currently so we did some brainstorming in class just from memory and influences. It was actually quite refreshing, i often have the view that you never have truly original ideas, great game ideas don't just pop out of your head so it always felt a little awkward when in previous years we were put into groups and just required to come up with a unique game idea in the span of 5 minutes. However after not having anything but my own memories, inspirations and the deeper thoughts and themes behind these inspirations, i found that i had much better and more creative ideas forming.

I'll list a couple of themes i came up with today on here now but i would ideally like to put them into a mind map and upload that onto here as well. It's late now though and i'm tired so that will be done tomorrow.

My first theme came from one of the Bands i am listening too at the moment called "Of Monsters and Men" (http://www.ofmonstersandmen.is/) and their single "Little Talks". Although a rather upbeat song it is actually about dementia. This game me the idea of memory and more specifically the loss of memory through conditions like dementia and alzheimer's.

Inspired by the Darren Shan book series "The Demonata" which takes place both on earth and in many different dimensions created by demons.

From some music, but more from the movie "The Esoteric Agenda" i came up with the theme of subliminal manipulation, most commonly through media and advertising. The Esoteric Agenda and the other movie with similar films called "Kymatica", both created by the same man Ben Stuart, talk about the world and the underlying connected themes and manipulation of people that happens in everyday life that most people are completely ignorant of.

I have more themes and will no doubt expand even further, but these are my favorite ones just from the brainstorming session today.