This year’s workshop was the result of our successful partnership with Kanaeokana and Kamehameha Schools. Kanaeokana is a network of Hawaiian organizations that works to strengthen a Native Hawaiian education system, ingrained in ʻōlelo Hawai‘i (the Hawaiian language) and ʻike Hawai‘i (Hawaiian worldviews). Kamehameha Schools directly educates over 6,900 K-12 Native Hawaiian students at multiple campuses and pre-schools throughout the state; they reach an additional 40,000 learners through other collaborations and programming.

The AbTeC staff are comprised mainly of Concordia students. We feel very lucky to have such talented and caring young people that we can bring with us into an experiential learning environment. We believe that while they are helping us deliver the workshop, they learn about teaching and cross-cultural communication, hone their own crafts and, we hope, make lifelong connections.

In this light, we asked the five Research Assistants who joined us to share their experiences and write about what they learned at He Au Hou 2 / Skins 6.0.

In gratitude,

[Jason Edward Lewis and Skawennati, Co-Directors]
Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace

Maize Longboat

My name is Maize Longboat and I am Mohawk from Six Nations of the Grand River. I served as the Assistant Producer of Skins 6.0 in the periods leading up to and immediately following the workshop. Under Nancy’s expert direction, my responsibilities included organizing curriculum documents, managing the packing of vital equipment and materials, conducting communications and liaising with participants and staff.

My Master’s research takes a practice-based approach to the study of Indigenous video games. Because of this, Jason and Skawennati offered me the possibility to attend this year’s workshop as a Participant. Having the opportunity to not only support the organization of the workshop, but to also get hands-on experience was very important for me. I especially valued learning the details of what it takes to actually make a game from beginning to end. From story and art, prototyping to programming, making games requires a lot of varied expertise and interdisciplinary cooperation. Being a part of Skins was vital for my personal growth as a game developer and researcher and I’m so thankful to have been a part of the game’s creation process.

I learned that I really enjoy prototyping game mechanics that align with the broader themes of game narrative. I worked closely on our Loko I’a (fishing) mini-game alongside another participant, Charmaine, to develop game mechanics that reflected managing food supplies. We wanted to teach players how to take only what they need, in order to ensure a bountiful future for their descendants.

Lastly, I learned that my fellow IIF Research Assistant colleagues and workshop instructors are patient and thorough mentors who cared about everyone’s learning experience. I thank them deeply for their generosity, guidance, and friendship during and after the workshop.

My fellow participants brought their good minds and work ethic into the workshop space everyday. Their desire to create a game that everyone could be proud of is clearly visible in the final product; it was because of their dedication and abilities that this game is as awesome as it is. I’m also happy to say that I made great friends along the way and I’m looking forward to witnessing how everyone utilizes the skills learned in this workshop in the future.

Speaking of skills, I learned that programming isn’t as complex as I thought that it might be! Obviously, it takes a lot of time and practice, just like any other language, but I now feel prepared to work with game code in my future projects. What a pleasant surprise!

I hope to see the partnership between IIF and Kanaeokana flourish as they conduct more collaborative creative projects. The two games produced in the past two years are fantastic examples of what Indigenous peoples can do with new media technologies when encouraged to build their capacity as creators. Nia:wen for the opportunity to contribute as both an IIF staff member and workshop participant!

Raymond Tqoqweg Caplin

My role in Skins 6.0 was the 2.5D Cinematics Tech Lead and Instructor, which included camera work and the creation of background assets in the game’s cinematics, as well as instructing participants in how to write, design, and construct the artwork. My other responsibilities included teaching Photoshop and After Effects to participants, as well as lending my artistic skills when necessary.

I taught alongside one of the local staff, Vance Martin, who has decades of experience in television and corporate film production. We made a great team; his experience in technical production, coupled with my experience in artistic vision and expression, complimented each other, providing a balanced learning experience for the participants.

I learned several things during the workshop. For instance, being comfortable with speaking in front of others: I’ve always had trouble accurately expressing myself in front of large groups. Two things that really helped me through the course of the workshop were being better prepared before speaking, and, with each day, becoming more familiar with the participants.

The participants who were a part of the Cinematics team were friendly, passionate, and came well equipped: all had a basic knowledge of the software we were to work with, so it was enjoyable to expand on that knowledge since they were so eager to learn and help with the project.

Thanks to Vance, I gained a lot of experience in After Effects and general rules of production workflow. He consistently showed me things I didn’t know about the programs or workflow planning. His many years of experience left a great impact on both the participants and I.

Sam Bougault

Hello! My name is Sam and I was the Programming Lead for Skins 6.0. This role involved teaching lessons to familiarize the participants with Unity 3D, the game engine. I also taught some programming lessons to introduce the basics of code logic. I worked closely with Skins instructor Victor Ivanov and local instructor Corey Chang, which helped us give coherent lessons.

During these three weeks of fun and hard work, I realized how important it is to create a warm social context to foster learning. We were encouraged to share thoughts, food and free time with the participants, which really strengthened our ties to each other. This group cohesion was visible in the participants’ enthusiasm for the lessons. I also noticed that it is more productive to congratulate learners when they’ve achieved something they hadn’t tried before, rather than getting lost in the details of any given topic. In this way, participants build confidence and aim to tackle new challenges.

The participants of Skins 6.0 were striking in many ways: always motivated to learn new technical skills, emotionally intelligent, and culturally wise. They made me think a lot about my own culture, my relation to the land and my links to colonization. The whole experience deeply inspired others and myself. I believe that, in the end, inspiration is the most valuable thing we have to trigger changes.

Victor Ivanov

My name is Victor Ivanov. For Skins 6.0, I took on the role of Level Design Lead, and I played active roles in the programming and audio units of the workshop.

I taught Level Design Theory, covering topics such as how narrative unfolds through environments, stylistic choices, and mood; through this, participants learned how to achieve these effects on a practical level. I also taught some Engine lessons with Sam Bourgault and Corey Chang, where we focused on familiarizing the participants with Unity, a game engine, and its various components. Finally, I taught the Audio and Atmosphere lessons alongside Kauwila Mahi and Matt Sproat, two very talented artists who, with their expansive approaches to making music, created a very knowledgeable and well-rounded team.

I firmly believe that teaching is one of the best ways to learn, and the workshop only confirmed this theory! On multiple occasions, a participant would notice something I had not, or have an eye for design and make beautiful levels, or come up with an interesting way to solve a programming problem.

I was impressed by how adept participants became after such a short amount of time; that meant that we all were learning. Not to mention, the sheer amount knowledge about the Hawaiian world each of them held was extremely insightful. What was most impressive was how respectful, understanding, and mature everyone was throughout the entirety of the workshop. It allowed a large group of people from different walks of life to come together and make something greater than the sum of its parts, and for that we should all be proud.

Kahentawaks Tiewishaw

My name is Kahentawaks Tiewishaw and I’m Mohawk from Kanehsatà:ke. My role in Skins 6.0 was the 3D Lead. Along with my local counterpart, John Mervin, I taught participants 3D modeling, UV mapping, texturing, rigging, and animation.

Working with the participants was an absolute dream because everyone was as kind and welcoming, as they were talented and perseverant. Learning these skills in a very short time, and then jumping right into production is no easy feat! I’m extremely impressed with the work they all did.

Even though I was an instructor in this workshop, I ended up learning a few things myself. It provided me the opportunity to improve on my technical abilities and teaching skills. When Skins 6.0 began, I naturally had a few doubts about how good of an instructor I would be. Being able to do something yourself and being able to teach others how to do it are two entirely separate things! However, I guess you could say this experience was a bit of a trial by fire, as it forced me to look at things as if I was approaching the software for the first time. This granted me a deeper understanding of my craft.

After all, I’ve heard it said that the best way to see if you really know something is to try to explain it to someone else!

Right now, workshop participants and our team of Research Assistants are playtesting and iterating ‘Wao Kanaka, I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope’, the game made by Ka Lei Milikaʻa, during our workshop at Hālau ‘Īnana in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.

This means we are looking for and correcting glitches and bugs; fine-tuning animations and transitions; putting the final touches on visual and written content; and ensuring that the final game meets up with the vision of Ka Lei Milikaʻa, this year’s He Au Hou 2 cohort.

Check back for more news on the final version of the game in a few weeks!

Much love!

The Skins Crew

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