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CLASS EXERCISE #2 LAST LIGHT

Applying the Concepts of Premise and Story in Game Design


The Game

For this exercise, you will read the mechanics of a game named "Last Light" (not a real game) and come up with a fun, engaging and compelling premise that you undesrtand will engage the player and make this game replayable:

Last Light

Genre: Single-screen survival puzzle.
Players:Single player.

Core Mechanics

The Lamp: the player controls a single, stationary lamp in the center of a dark, circular room. The lamp has a finite light beam.
The Fuel: the lamp burns fuel. Fuel depletes constantly. When fuel reaches zero, the game ends. The player must keep the lamp lit for 5 minutes to win.
The Motes: small, glowing orbs that drift slowly toward the lamp from the darkness. When a Mote touches the lamp, it is absorbed and adds fuel. Different Motes give different amounts of fuel.
The Shadows: large, dark shapes that also drift toward the lamp. When a Shadow touches the lamp, it drains fuel rapidly. Shadows cannot be destroyed, only avoided.

Control

The player has exactly one action: they can rotate the lamp's light in any direction. The light beam is narrow. Whatever the beam touches is pushed away: Motes are drawn in, Shadows are repelled.

Conflict • Tension • Drama

  • The lamp's light is the only thing keeping the room visible.
  • The beam can only face one direction at a time. It rotates in 15º increments.
  • Motes and Shadows approach from all sides.
  • The player must constantly choose between gathering fuel (Motes), or repelling danger (Shadows).
  • No win condition beyond "survive 5 minutes": what happens after?

lastlight.png
A conceptual sketch of the game Last Light.

Select a partner in the class and start creating! Here are some guiding questions:

  • What is the lamp?
  • What are the Motes and Shadows?
  • What is the player fighting for?
  • What is the setting?
  • Who or what is the player?
  • What are the stakes?
  • Why do the mechanics make sense in this world?

Identify a premise and one or two paragraphs containing the game's story. Write down your answers as a team in this markdown template.

Report & Evaluation

Once your team is satisfied with your answers, submit to Kit your completed md template to Kit.

  1. One teammate uploads the template.
  2. Once the document is successfully uploaded, the team member clicks the I Worked With Someone Else option and "invite" the other team members.
  3. The other team member accepts the invitation.

DUE DATE: Wednesday of Week 3, by 11:59 p.m.

Exercise #2 is worth 4 points. The following rubrics describe the criteria I will use to evaluate your team's work:

  • Meets Expectations 4 pts.
  • Near Expectations 3 pts.
  • Below Expectations 2 pts.
  • Poor Effort 1 pt.
  • Not done/submitted 0 pts.
  • Exceeds Expectations [+1 bonus] 5 pts.

LATE WORK: Late submission is allowed for this assignment, but a -1 penalty will be applied to the total grade.



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