So you want to make a video game? You maybe even have an idea of what game you want to make and what it might look like. But stop there and think.Before you invest weeks of development time, blood sweat and tears on this idea, is it any good? How do you know it’s a good idea? Right now, you should have more questions than answers and you have to explore every perspective before you commit to the design and development of this idea.

Decide on a big question that you don’t know the answer to yet. Examples could be something like:

“What makes a game fun?”

or

“Why do people play games?”

Now make a mindmap. Use A3 Paper or mind mapping software to explore this question and generate more questions and interesting points. The mind map can go in any direction YOU choose. This will give you the basis for your research so you can start looking into some of the other questions that you came up with.

Screenshot or take a picture of this and add this to your document in appendix 1

Start a blank document to record all your research. 

Now, using the questions and assumptions you generated in your mind map, start trying to find some answers to your questions. 

If you are using AI, make sure you validate the AI’s answers and ensure you keep a record of your links, sources and references!! 

You should have worked out a refined area of focus for your inquiry by the end of this stage.

Add a summary of your research and links to Appendix 2 of your document. Submit this record to your teacher to meet the first milestone.

Begin your final report summary. This report should reflect a wide ranging and comprehensive reflection and discussion on your research- it should be approximately 5+ pages when finished. A simple template is included in your document but feel free to change it.

It could look like this:

• Introduction- lead with the big question.

• Discussions- what interesting information did you find out in your research. Make sure you fully discuss each interesting finding. (Using the TEXAS writing framework might be helpful here)

• Summarise findings- Succinctly and in detail, summarise what you have found out.

• Include a Bibliography of all research sources that you looked at.

Complete the "Inquiry Final Report" now. Submit this section for feedback for milestone two.

What are you going to make? 

You have hopefully been able to use your research to inform you and will now have a clear idea of what you can make. It should integrate some of what you have learned.

Write a succinct proposal in your document explaining what you will make. A proposal does not include why you decided to make it (that comes later).

Submit your document for checking for milestone three.

Write a justification of your proposal in your document.

This must include:

• How your proposal addresses your research question(s)

• What risks are there in making what you proposed and how you might mitigate those risks.

Submit the final document for marking. 

Annotated Exemplars by NZQA