Everyone is excited! Today is the day that the unveiling and play test of the new Hawaiian game Wao Kanaka, I ka Wā Mamua, i ka Wā Mahope developed by Hawaiians attending the Skins Video Game Workshop.

Kehau Abad spoke so eloquently about Hawaiian culture and the importance of building a stronger tie to culture. Introductions continued with each team’s developments which were blended together into the fantastic world of mo’olelo through a sharing of each team’s contribution to the whole game.

Every person had an important role in creating this gem including artists, programmers, teachers, Hawaiian language speakers, and musicians. Each of the mini games are based on the values and heritage of Kānaka Maoli. Fishing, literacy, and the story of the oli is to show the purpose of renewing connections to Aloha ʻĀina in the hopes that revitalization of culture is brought forward from the Ancestors of the past into this technologically advanced future and beyond. I could feel the pride building as the room was filled with ‘ohana family, friends in the community play test this morning.

For participants, the after workshop reality has opened a better script where doors were opened through the exploration of the software used and contributed to increase the confidence to try new things using their own personal devices and technology.

This workshop built strong ties and has created possibilities to work with peers from the other islands and of course lifelong friendships.

Some ideas to carry forward will be to create the true voice and art of Kānaka Maoli filled with Aloha ʻĀina.

We have all transformed our understanding of technology and our use of software to a better iteration of its usage to build the potential to bring it to the children and the future. The whole IIF team and the local instructors want to send our heart felt gratitude for letting us join you in your homelands on the start of your journey.

In closing I want to tell you that I truly feel blessed to have walked by your side while this fabulous game was created. It has been an honor for me to have shared my experiences through these blogs. Niawen’kó:wa, Owisókon

Mahalo Nui Loa  song

It certainly was a very busy week modeling, recording, drawing, colorization, reiterating, reiterating and reiterating again, then finally compiling finished folders, uploading and rendering it all to Gluon.

Functionality is the primary task this last day, with a small window to fix any issues, play testing by staff will begin today and end tomorrow with family and friends. Most of the day was pretty quiet with everyone working steadily at completing their own part. I t was very inspirational seeing the dedication of every individual contributing to the whole team. Last night some of the participants and staff stayed until eight o’clock finishing up their art assets and fine tuning the mechanical details to ensure smooth game play.

Tonight is another late work night with staff uploading Wao Kanaka, I ka Wā Mamua, i ka Wā Mahope onto all of the computers and checked then double checking to ensure that everything is in working order. Its going to be an exciting day tomorrow.

Aloha Nui

The Skins Video Game Workshop certainly is not just about creating a game. What skills have been developed?

It is building a network with other individuals who are like minded and who are also building great teamwork capacities. When creating games, you sharpen your critical thinking and multi-tasking skills. When you are involved in developing such a large project you must take charge of what needs to be completed- even if it was not what you signed up for. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone, to expand and explore, to try new things; to be innovative and learn new things.

Everything needs to run smoothly and communication is one key area that is used in every business and in every walk in life.

Using technology to coordinate all of the groups, works paces, files, and of course sending messages for quick responses heavily liberated the work space.  Building a video game certainly helps to test and improve your communication and leadership skills. Working with other teams has its rewards; two advantages are to develop better working relationships and to get all tasks completed in a timely manner.

Working and observing the participants, I have witnessed their love of a rich language and culture, beautiful hearts and hospitality. All of the Hawaiians I have had the privilege of being with during the Skins Video Game Workshop are extremely intelligent with creative minds. I believe that the kānaka maoli (Hawaiians) have a very important resource that is singularly their own. This valuable resource is their minds, their nature, their creativity, their Aloha ʻĀina. I can imagine all of the original and/ or historical reproductions that could incorporate readings from older Mo’olelo and historic documentation. Software learned have many purposes and should confidently be explored with ideas that are future dreams. Like the taro patch, this resource needs to be nurtured to enable it to unleash its creativity for its own gain.

In theater and film industries, storyboard creation is now being done using Blender software not only because of 3-D modeling and 360 views but also because lighting can be introduced and moderated. Of course there is also Photoshop which can be used not only for manipulation of photography and painting, but can be used for product placement, packaging and visualizations, marketing, and advertising, graphic design, web design and to create any print media and promotional docs.

In an earlier post I mentioned the software used for the Skins Video Game Workshop: Adobe Photoshop, Plastic Gluon, Unity, Blender 3Dsoftware, Reaper 64, Slack, Chrome, and Google Docs. What can you do with these new skills?

I could imagine using the features in Unity to create interactive Hawaiian based educational landscapes filled with cultural materials. If a large enough library of assets is created, I believe the possibilities to create interactive learning landscapes is unlimited.

Unity can be used in the design industry, architectural rendering and landscape design for simulated walk through, and instructional interactive demonstrations, training simulations.  In the Unity Answers webpage (https://answers.unity.com/questions/), Unity claims it can be used for non-game apps using their core features.

Of course there is also Photoshop, which can be used not only for manipulation of photography and painting, but can be used for product placement, packaging and visualizations, marketing, and advertising, graphic design, web design and to create any print media.

In any venture participants decide to explore using their new skills, I am confident that they will thrive. Happy explorations and many blessings on the amazing journey  in front of you.

Mahalo Nui

The focus of this game is about our responsibility to take care of the realm of men, the land. The title certainly has to be chosen no later than tomorrow from a possible nine suggestions. After much discussion during our day end meeting, the possible names were reduced down to five selections, then four, then two. After coming back together this morning, several polls were sent to the participants as a whole- this worked out great. The name selected is Wao Kanaka (realm of the people) with a subtitle of ” I ka Wā Mamua, i ka Wā Mahope ” which means the future is made possible by the past.

The team selected Ka Lei Milika`a as the name to recognize themselves as the developing team of Wao Kanaka, I ka Wā Mamua, i ka Wā Mahope.  We have had our first view of the actual game; it looks fun and more than a little challenging too. The game’s first playtest is a rapid in depth look at music, sound, cinematics. Travelling through the developmental stages of the mechanics within the four environments gave clear reason for feeling pride for everything accomplished so far.

Who would have thought that a simple program like Reaper 64 could become such a valuable tool for the creation of original mele no ka `oi. It is so beautiful, it’s melodic chanting made me emotional hearing it the first time, I was so moved by the music. It sounds fabulous! Thank you Matt for guiding and mentoring Kawila and the audio team in sound engineering and production. At the end of the day, discussing the current stage of development generated few questions due to the skills brought by the all participants and their teams. The day closed with prioritizing and planning next workday to bring everything to completion.

Kehau Agena, Sarah Beaver, Ikaika Bishop, Kahikinaokala Domingo, Lex Felicilda, Justin Gerona, Denise Karratti, ʻAʻaliʻi Kelling, Keoni Lagundimao, Kekai Mossman, Kanoelehua Nakata, TaraMarie Panoke, Tasha Tavares, Cody Vore, Charmaine Woodward, and Kiani Yasak. Congratulations on all your collaborations and with the development of this game which truly celebrates Hawaiian culture and values. Everyone is looking forward to the Saturday unveiling of Wao Kanaka, I ka Wā Mamua, i ka Wā Mahope and the play test of by their families and friends.

Native Hawaiians know the true meaning of Aloha ‘aina. Mahalo nui loa for sharing with us and for truly welcoming us into your lives to experience a’o aku a’o mai with you. Hawai’i is so much more than a tourist destination.

Mahalo Me ka ha`aha`a

The realm of the game currently in development has a focus on our responsibility as human beings to t o take care of the land and all that has been gifted to the peoples of Hawai’i. The title of this creations certainly has to be chosen soon and with a possible nine suggestions it will have to be reduced to the best one that tells the tale. After a round of exciting discussion, the names were reduced down to five selections, then four, then two. 

Today the sound team had a guest Hinaleimoana Wong to speak of the power of chanting. She gave a few short demonstrations to the power of voice, the power of tempo and the strength of the mo’olelo within the chant. There was a productive afternoon of recording with the recording team lead by Matt Sproat, Kawila Mahi, and Kanoelua Nakata.

Today was a smooth flow of work and low chatter as everyone was busy creating their individual parts from a long list of assets for their productive day.  All of the main characters are modeled, tomorrow they will work toward completing the rigging and adding textures. The team building the game mechanics main priority is functionality within the game play. These mini-games are almost completely programmed and ready for play testing. Populating the game is vital with only days left to complete the game. Play testing happens on Saturday!- No pressure.

This morning the space is filled with a flurry of activity with groups of three to six participants and staff collaborating on the tasks they have chosen to create for their game. Creating this game largely by Hawaiians who are living and working here plays a big part in the design and structures that are in this production phase. There will definitely be three levels of game play with actions and decisions made by the players to progress to the next level or restart a mini-game.

Everyone here is passionate about Hawaiian language.  The story within the game itself, is based on cultural values, with all dialog in Hawaiian and built on their mo’olelo (stories). As a player, you would have the opportunity to select the language in which the subtitles will play: Hawaiian or English. The in-game play is being developed with two possible outcomes for the players. There have been hours of development to create the linguistic prototype as well as unique newspapers built from historic readings written in Hawaiian.

The sound team has been busy too recording of dialogue, songs and Tutu speaking. Soundscapes are being worked on and  there is still much more to create to give the game an enjoyable play atmosphere.

The future timeline is created in beautiful concept art and the programming team is creatively building landscapes. The storyboards have been created for a fishing game in Adobe After-Effects.   Assets are being created and modeled in Blender along with UV mapping, modelling in color has begun which brings the assets to life.

If I thought the last two weeks were busy, I am seeing that there is so much more to be created. Everyone here is completely productive and no one is idle, as a matter of fact, scheduled breaks are planned to maintain a steady pace of creation and to keep everyone fresh. It was a long day and there is much sharing about their accomplishments. There were a lot of celebrating, everyone is working at a steady pace and are on track- Well done Teams!

Now, what will this compilation of talents name their game? What will their mo’olelo  be called?

Mahalo Nui

Another software that we are using for communication is Slack. Everyone on the team has connections to each other in a variety of capacities and teams. This interactive and private communication software has been instrumental in layering connections and developing the teams. Slack is to create a unified vision between the participants, the staff and of the different parts of the story script, character design, ambient sound, and Hawaiian linguistics.

Pleasant surprises of fully thought out paper prototypes seem to magically appear at breakfast, magnificent. And in real time, cheering and clapping in small group clusters to celebrate their solutions to game design challenges they are developing. It is amazing to see how motivated the participants are.

How does all of this influence potential game play? Iteration, iteration, iteration = solution. A steady stream of characters and asset lists along with many conceptual art drawings of Hawai’i, hale, and Tutu’s porch, loko i’a with many types of fish. This game will focus on restoring pono through the deep connection to Aloha ‘Āina. The key question to answer is: “Are you satisfied with this future?”

Since this whole afternoon was the beginning of production several breaks were taken to stretch little and to create good work habits to reduce and relieve body stresses.

Its Friday. This has been an intense two weeks of learning, discussing and planning. The intense learning curve is going to slow and the doors open to production! Full steam ahead on Monday, Day 11.

A hui hou, Mahalo

Audio and atmosphere
Designing sound
Tracking, mixing
Styling mood
Emotional
Play Pause

Engineering and animation
Player interaction,
Rigging, After Effects
Camera movement
Persistent Data
Play Pause

Managers and designers
Documents scripts
Planning, production
Prototype, playtest
Play, pause, iteration

And after gaining all that software knowledge, it is time for one more iteration of the game flow- Communication is the key, Knowing who is doing what will be vital as well as choosing a final production team to work with.

How will the game start? What is the tale in the cut scene? How do you get points? What are the rewards? What do you imagine your future to become? Is this what your Tutu imagined for you?

Stay tuned- Mahalo

Now that the software has been introduced, the participants will divide themselves into four streams of smaller groups to experience the direction they may wish to take for the development phase and for the creation phase to complete the game story line. ­­­­­­ Having had the opportunity to work with all of the software, it is time to reorganize the working groups to take on their final tasks. It is also time to finalize and to create the final story line up to the game play goals. Which of their proposed 4 mini games will stay and which one may have to be cut? They must make these important decisions that will impact on the direction of the whole game.

Iterative game play discussions are the process by which a proposed game is repeatedly proposed, prototype are play tested and re-evaluated prior to building. Iteration is key to working out any potential flaw and to review the asset lists to review the development in progress.

The play breaks are using both published games and proposed prototypes to provide vital testing feedback for the next prototype build. This will happen many times with different parts of the stories, game play, scoring and cinematic. And again iterations begin with play testing. At this point of the workshop, and after many iterations, beginning with the end in mind will help participants to decide their roles and responsibilities to the whole team. At a crescendo of iterations, choices are made by the whole group and it is decided they paths they are taking to create the final digital formats.

Mahalo

This morning I thought I would tell you about the software programs which the Skins Aboriginal Video Game Workshop is using to create the game that is currently in the design and creation phase.

Adobe Photoshop, Plastic Gluon, Unity, Blender 3Dsoftware, and Reaper 64 are in themselves challenges to learn. In this video game workshop, they are presented by specialists comfortable working in each software. Everyone is given shortcut sheets for each software that has been prepared for them. In less than 35 hours, participants are introduced to all five software programs that will be used to design, build and organize their game. This is an amazing feat given the short amount of instruction time.

Developing video games is a personal choice with a serious learning experience learning new programs. When you do decide to challenge yourselves with this level of learning you will have to build in regular break times to just relax. Another trick is to do some paper prototyping for a change of technique to stretch your imagination, prototype and to explore game play options.

Adobe Photoshop, Plastic Gluon, Unity, Blender 3-D software, and Reaper 64 are programs which have a free 30-day trial download and can be used to create a games at home if you want to give them a try.

So what do these do? Photoshop is not only used to manipulate and restore photographs, it is also used in design, web creation and both 2-D and 3-D projects. Having an organized workflow is vital to keep everything in a file system that is very user friendly, and will store code, branches and huge binaries seamlessly.

Plastic Gluon is great for game design which is definitely a team sport where artists, programmers and sound engineers have different roles, different skills with programming code and art created in different interfaces, but with a common goal. Blender is a fantastic 3-D program that allows the artists/ programmers to create virtual three dimensional objects and characters, “skin” them, and rig them for movement.

Unity can be used to create any environments imaginable which can be realistic or imaginary with levels, sound, and atmosphere. It is the mecca for creating the game play arena. Of course a great game has to have sound, Reaper 64 is powerful and is used to create multi-leveled engineered soundscapes only limited by the imagination.

Even with this monumental learning experience, here at the workshop, it is extremely impressive to hear real laughter, and a growing camaraderie among the work teams and staff. Well done everyone.

Mahalo