Plaintext version:

Topic - Red Dead Redemption 2 is often hailed as one of the greatest games ever, due to its unmatched attention to detail and immersive storytelling. 

Explain - The expansive open world of the game is visually breathtaking and populated with vibrant, dynamic environments and characters that respond to the player's actions and decisions. 

eXample - For instance, in one mission, Arthur Morgan helps a stranger build a house, and over the course of the game, players can return to see the house slowly being constructed, with the family’s life evolving in real time. 

Analyse - This small but detailed moment creates a sense of realism and continuity, where the game world feels alive and responsive to the player's actions. Evolving details adds emotional weight to the experience, as players feel connected to the world and its inhabitants beyond just completing objectives. 

Summary - In summary, the evolving house and family in Red Dead Redemption 2 showcase how the game world reacts and grows with the player's journey, creating a sense of connection and immersion that few games achieve, reinforcing its status as one of the greatest games ever.

This paragraph gives a solid Level 1 answer with a sentence or two for each section of the essay.

Plaintext version:

Topic - At the end of the first development sprint I gathered a number of pieces of useful feedback on my design of my boardgame score tracker by inviting some of my friends who played wargames to test my system.

Explain - After playing several games we sat down to discuss the system with three of my mates and though overall it was on the right track, in particular there were improvements needed to general clutter and the secondary objectives card system. 

eXample - The score board it was decided was too cluttered with the dice holes being too close together which a number of times resulted in them getting bumped out of the board. The secondary objectives one of my playtesters commented “Though the reminder text was useful it was too blurry in its current state and maybe a sticker might work better”.

Analyse - The jostling of the dice was a problem that could be solved by increasing the gap between them and by adding a backing board so they were held more securely. Another thing that was clear was that the laser was unfocused at some points possibly due to the bending in the cardboard. This resulted in some blurry areas of text, this should be less or an issue with the wood as it will flex less on the laser cutter.

Summary - The feedback was useful for developing my plans for sprint 2 and I am going to create more distance between the dice, add a backing board to increase stability, and try cutting the elements in wood rather than cardboard to see if that improves readability. 

This would be a solid summary of feedback for all levels of NCEA. There is a clear link between how the feedback was gathered, what it said, and how it will be actioned in the next sprint.

Plaintext version:

Topic - The Corrupted Blood Incident in World of Warcraft is a fascinating case study of how virtual events can mirror real-world epidemics. 

Explain - In 2005, a programming glitch caused a debuff called "Corrupted Blood" to spread uncontrollably beyond its intended area, infecting both players and NPCs. The debuff, which dealt continuous damage, was originally tied to a high-level raid but was accidentally carried out of the raid zone by players’ pets. Once introduced to major cities, the debuff spread rapidly, creating chaotic scenes of mass in-game deaths. Players reacted in various ways—some fled to remote areas, others stayed to help the "infected," and a few intentionally spread the debuff further, acting as virtual "super-spreaders."

eXample - This unexpected outbreak spiraled into what resembled a real-life pandemic, complete with panic, altruism, and misinformation. The incident gained attention from epidemiologists, who saw it as an unintentional but valuable model for studying how people behave during outbreaks. 

Analyse - Researchers used the incident to analyze human responses to crises, such as the spread of misinformation, risk-taking behaviors, and patterns of altruism versus self-preservation. It even highlighted the role of "asymptomatic carriers" in disease spread, as some infected characters appeared healthy but continued to transmit the debuff. These findings have been applied to real-world epidemiological models, including studies of outbreaks like SARS and COVID-19, to better understand how human behaviors influence the spread of diseases.

Summary - The Corrupted Blood Incident was more than just a gaming glitch—it became a groundbreaking case that showed how virtual worlds can provide valuable insights into real-world scientific and social challenges.

This would be a good body paragraph to be incorporated into a level 2 or 3 Inquiry.

Plaintext version:

Topic - During the first sprint I implemented a platform style controller for my main character which came with a few challenges, but they were resolved with adjustments to the code and physics engine. 

Explain - One issue was making the player character move smoothly during running and jumping, as the movement felt "floaty" and hard to control at first. Another problem was with collisions—sometimes the player would get stuck on platform edges or fall through them. 

eXample - To fix these problems, the movement system was updated to use the physics engine rather than moving the positions directly, making the character’s movement feel more natural. For collision problems, tweaking the hitboxes and collision layer settings were used to make detection more accurate. 

Analyse - These changes improved how the player controller worked, making it smoother and more reliable for gameplay. Fixing issues like movement and collisions ensured the game met the principles of Kaitiakitanga, and addressing the relevant implications of functionality and usability, as the player now operates correctly, creating a better overall experience. This also demonstrated Manakitanga to my playtesters, as they no longer had to deal with obvious issues and could instead focus on providing useful feedback. 

Summary - Addressing these challenges helped ensure the player controller met the needs of a platformer, with better movement and collision handling. 

This would be a solid explanation for a sprint development at level 1. At level 2 and 3 there would be multiple of these paragraphs.