Lawson+Picken+Johny+V.

Major Mission Final

Nick Lawson & Samantha Picken
We began our Make a Better World mission with the desire to change how kids play video games and to get them out of the house and be active. As we thought into this option, we tried to think of ways in which kids can still play games but instead of sitting on the couch at home, get on their feet and start moving. If we could do this, we could create a gaming genre that would actually help prevent childhood obesity. This was our challenge as a whole in this mission: making a game that kids would as be motivated to play and get them out of the house.

With this idea we thought that it was critical to this game’s success that the story be able to capture and intrigue the child. So the first part of our mission was spent in thinking of a story and really refining it. We were able to come up with many characters and ultimately a story line that will be able to hold the child’s attention. We decided that the main character had to be a child, like the game player. This would promote the feeling that you are really in the game, creating a greater experience. From this we created Johny V. Johny goes on a quest to find the Golden Gato. Fighting off Professor X and facing obstacles all along the way. We added different twist and turns along the way to keep the child guessing and wanting to know what happens next. This will help keep them motivated to continue game play.

So now to the fun part: getting the functionality and idea of the IPhone app down so that it includes outdoor play. We realized that if this app were only purely outdoor based, kids might play once or twice. In our tests, children got bored and even tired from playing, which led them to get over the game pretty quickly. To combat this, we decided that we needed to have what we call “couch” game play. From here kids can play at home, but are restricted on how much “couch” play they have. When they hit a certain limit, the game will force them to complete the next mission in an active way. We are not sure if we should give them the option of doing it in their own home or if we should force them to go out to a park. Further testing will solve this problem.

Once the child is forced to become active, they will go to a specified location where here will be specific missions on a map. At each mission thee will be an active activity that ties into the story line. Whether it is fighting off henchmen or jumping rivers, it will force the child to be active. When they get to a specific mission they will see a video on what to do and the mission goals. Then, through audio instruction, they will participate in various activities to complete missions and goals. After all missions are completed on a map “couch” play will be re activated.

There will be a differentiation and challenge in the active play vs. couch play. Players will be able to play levels of the game in either couch or active mode. While they will have the ability to play the entire game in active mode, we think that there will be a want to play each level in each game play mode. Because we restrict the ability play all on couch mode, a player would have to play multiple times to experience each level and mission in “couch” mode. This will cause multiple game plays and create the need to play over and over. So that when you beat the game you don’t really fully beat the game.

As we worked through the challenges of this game, we were able to refine aspects and create a new realm of video game. A kid could just sit at home and play this game, but we felt there is a need to break free of this type of play. Kids need to be active and get outside. By creating this captivating story we can capture the child’s attention and make them want to keep playing this game. If we can get them hooked on the story, then they will be forced to keep playing when we restrict them from “couch” play. Hopefully other games will see this platform be successful and get kids to get out and play. If all video games had this platform, we could make a dent into childhood obesity and getting kids off the couch and outside.

=Story= Johnny is a boy who never knew his father, who was a treasure hunter. He had heard stories of his father’s expeditions but was shunned by his mother when he asked about it. She did not want him going down the same path and disappearing as his father did. One day while talking with his uncle (his fathers brother), he was finally told of the item that his father went missing looking for. It was the Golden Gato. The Gato was a solid gold shrine with powers beyond human ability. It was written that whomever looked into the Gato’s eyes lost the sight of the world and could never see again. This story intrigued Johnny, fueling his passion to pursue his father’s trade and find the Gato for more clues on how his father disappeared.

After constant badgering of his uncle, Johnny finally gets his uncle to give him the last thing his father left, which is the map to the first clue to the Gato. He said that his father left it so that no one could take it from him along the journey and use it to get to the Gato. He also tells him that his father had an enemy, Dr. X. Once Johnny began this journey Dr.X would find out and Johnny would be chased on this journey. Johnny takes the map, leaves in the middle of the night and begins his journey to find the Gato and answers to how his father disappeared.

The map sends Johnny to the Salinas Mountains. In the mountains Johnny fights his way through various tasks and attacks from Dr. X henchmen to climb up the mountain. Johnny makes it through all of these challenges to the top of the mountain, where he meets an old man who lives there. The old man gives Johnny a riddle, which he fails. Johnny begins his walk down the mountain in failure when he falls on his face. In doing so the fall gives him the answer. He sprints up the mountain and successfully answers the riddle. The old man on the mountain gives him a key. Johnny takes the key but has no idea what it does, while pondering what is next he meets a man who tells him that the next step of the journey comes at the Tion Temple in the jungle.

In the jungle he is on a mission to find the Tion Temple. After working his way through the jungle he arrives at the Tion Temple, when he enters the temple he has walked into a booby trap by Dr. X. After fighting it off successfully he escapes the attack and flees to the jungle. When all is lost, he looks at his key and sees an inscription. The inscription leads gives the clue to cross the ocean. So Johnny sets out to the harbor town.

Johnny arrives at the harbor town to realize he has no money for a safe voyage across the sea. He plays the captain of a boat in a sailor’s gambling game in exchange for safe passage. If the captain wins he gets the key to the Gato. In the game, Johnny outsmarts the captain, wins the game, and is granted the safe passage. While crossing the sea they get caught in a huge storm, where the ship capsizes, forcing Johnny to use the escape submarine. Lost and hopeless, Johnny finds an underwater city.

In this underwater city, Johnny finds out that the Gato was once housed there. Johnny again is faced with various tasks to find clues to the Gato’s whereabouts. He eventually finds a city’s elder who tells him that the Gato was hidden during war in the desert caves. The elder also gives Johnny special glasses to block the Gato’s blinding rays. Johnny travels to the desert caves where he immediately finds Dr. X waiting. Johnny is able to fight off the henchmen as Dr. X escapes. Johnny finds out that Dr. X had found the Gato’s whereabouts in the mountains Johnny had visited previously. Johnny makes his journey back there in a race against time.

When Johnny arrives he finds Dr.X hypnotized. Feeling confused, his uncle comes out and tells him that this was his entire plan to have Johnny do the dirty work to retrieve the items and find the Gato. Johnny then enters the final battle where he outsmarts his uncle by switching the glasses and having him look directly at the Gato. His uncle is blinded and defeated. Johnny receives the Gato and realizes it is more harm than good. He learns that the key is used to destroy it if necessary. Johnny does and returns home to tell his story to his mother.

= Active Play Map =

= “Couch” Mode =