As part of my work in Designing Games for Learning, I’ve been developing a narrative learning game inspired by my experience mentoring students in media production labs. This post documents the first phase of the design: framing, story building, and mapping decisions, which aim to teach teamwork and time management in a creative setting.
Framing the Game
My target audience is undergraduate students in media and communication courses, particularly those working on group video projects. These learners often underestimate how deadlines, limited resources, and interpersonal dynamics shape project success.
The learning topic is teamwork and project management in video production. The core problem is that new students may focus only on technical skills (cameras, editing software) and overlook planning, communication, and negotiation.
I drafted a learning objective in Mager format:
Given a simulated video-production scenario with limited resources, the learner will assign tasks and manage a small team to complete a short film, meeting at least 80% of project milestones without major conflict.
This framing helps keep the story aligned with measurable outcomes.
Building the Story
Proposed Title: Final Cut: A Media Lab Story
Setting & Point of View: The game takes place in a contemporary college media lab and nearby campus locations. The player acts as a student film director responsible for guiding a small team.
Characters:
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Director (player) – balances quality, deadlines, and morale.
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Cinematographer – talented but perfectionistic.
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Editor – quick with software but prone to distraction.
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Sound Technician – steady but anxious about equipment.
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Actor – enthusiastic but juggling classwork.
Conflict: The crew has only one week to finish a short film for a festival submission. Obstacles include equipment failures, clashing schedules, creative disputes, and unexpected weather.
Plot Overview:
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Beginning: The player assembles the crew and receives the brief for the festival project.
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Middle: Challenges escalate—batteries die mid-shoot, an actor misses rehearsal, and a storm ruins outdoor scenes. The player chooses how to reallocate resources and keep morale high.
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End: Outcomes vary. A well-managed crew submits a polished film on time. Poor management may lead to missed deadlines or a fractured team.
Decision Mapping and Design Lessons
I sketched an early branching map showing how decisions (e.g., reshooting a scene vs. editing around a mistake) feed into morale, schedule, and quality. The
se branches helped me align the story with my learning objective: to reward players for thoughtful planning and fair leadership rather than just technical perfection.
Insights from the games I analyzed shaped these mechanics:
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From Egypt: Old Kingdom, I borrowed the idea of systems thinking—resources, time, and morale act as interconnected variables.
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From Spent, I learned how small, high-stakes prompts can make players empathize with pressures behind each decision.
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From Gods Will Be Watching, I adopted the concept of moral trade-offs: sometimes every option carries risk, which mirrors real creative teamwork.
[Early decision map sketch for Final Cut. Subject to change]
Decision Types and Emotions
The primary decision types in Final Cut are resource allocation and trade-off/moral choices. Players decide how to spend time, who to push or support, and when to compromise on artistic vision to meet the deadline.
I want players to experience a mix of urgency, empathy, and satisfaction—the tension of a ticking clock balanced with pride when a well-coordinated team crosses the finish line.
Next Steps
My next milestone is to prototype a simple scene in Twine. I’ll start with one branch of the story (an equipment crisis mid-shoot) and experiment with how different responses affect time, morale, and final quality.
As I refine the game, I’ll continue blogging progress so classmates and peers can give feedback on how well the story supports the learning objective. My hope is that Final Cut: A Media Lab Story will encourage students to see collaboration and planning as just as vital as camera skills or editing tricks.
Check out my earlier post comparing narrative elements in the games that inspired this design: [The Quest Log: Gaming for Learning & Fun: Comparing Narrative Elements in Games: Lessons for Learning Design]
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