Young Designers 2011

		Young Designers 2011
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Prarthna Ahuja | prarthna7@gmail.com

Research and Design for a Game Title on History

Toy and Game Design | PGDPD
Guide: Gayatri Menon
Sponsor: Lakshya digital Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon

Keywords
Game design
Mughal empire
3D channel
Educational games

The project began with the idea of designing an educational game for children on a subject, which could be made exciting and yet not be ‘educational’. A 3D game title had to be developed for the web as well as for a low-cost console. These games were going to be part of a bigger portal of a paid subscription model. It would have multiple channels, each with its unique feature and topic.

I was responsible for the 3D channel, Realms of History that focuses on stories and games from world history, with scenic backgrounds and supported by 3D graphics. The game had to cater to an audience in the target age group of 11-14 years, with little or no experience of digital games. I chose to begin with Babur, the first Mughal Emperor.

I developed a fictional story based in the Mughal era, designing the characters, challenges and situations. The story revolves around a heroic character, Bahir, a warlord responsible for war supplies. His task is to locate and retrieve five stolen horses. The player has to tread through the locations, tackle challenges, fight enemies, follow spies and retrieve all five horses before the war. The experience translates into an exciting journey where the player unconsciously becomes acquainted with history. The episode is called KHAMSA, which means five in Arabic.

The project gave me an opportunity to work with a team of very skilled designers who would bring to life my detailed concepts and stories. The transition from a casual gamer to a serious one and finally a game designer has been exciting and challenging. I would like to design a TripleA title someday.