GCE's Lunch - A SWOT Analysis

For the final Action Project of the STEAM course Systems & Models, we were to utilize a SWOT analysis. What's that? Well out 3rd introduce a lot of different concepts, but SWOT is an acronym that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. I've made a presentation analyzing everything I could about GCE's lunch, the provided food, the off campus,  and even the smaller details. It was challenging to align everything with what we learned during class but I was actually surprised to see how quickly everything else came together. Originally, I was given the freedom to create this entire project out of memes, you know, those immature internet jokes? But I was rather unsatisfied with the result, it looked too rushed and the inaccurate illustrations didn't present the information the way I wanted to. Whilst given that option was an actual opportunity I appreciated, after going over it again, I thought translating it all into a simple slideshow would be much better. With that, I hope you enjoy my SWOT Analysis just below.

#BotLivesMatter

The hybrid course Equality has assigned us students our second Action Project. This time, we head a bit into the future to teach a lesson about equality that relates to race, class, or gender. The goal is to write a news article from 100 years in the future. This unit, named "Herstory" (in contrast to the first unit, which was named history), focused on how equality should be executed. A challenge that initially faced me was the actual inception of what to write about, as nothing seemed to resonate with me and I wanted to do something unique considering it was from the future after all.

Chapter 17: Trayvon Martin

In the STEM course called Equality, we've been served a very unique dish, one that only made us hungry for more. In this Unit named History, we've studied just everything that true equality can impact and whether or not it's here. The Action Project for this unit has us creating our own chapter in a history text book. There were many challenges I personally faced, such as finding an appropriate subject matter that I felt relate to the class, however in the end, I've managed to choose something I  could expand upon greatly, especially considering the impact this event has made to our modern society. Just below you can read though this mock text book, enjoy.

A Report Of Reflections

The second Action Project for Systems and Models has come, the STEAM course revolving around how we solve problems or ways to think of solutions. Here in Unit 2, our project is to make our own science lab project. Run an experiment and test it. It was actually a very free subject choice, so much so that I was able to relate mine to art, which is something I obviously have an affinity towards. Since we reviewed social experiments earlier in the class, I thought of something that I could easily complete with fair accessibility. I felt interest in an idea of seeing how people respond when they have a stylized drawing (known as a caricature) of them. There a few challenges such as connecting it directly with the lab report to have a substantial claim, but in the end, I'm proud of the product.

An Artist's Assessment

 We roll up into the Winter Term here at GCE and in the Math and Science course "Systems & Models" a new Action Project has dawned upon us students. We were to create a self-portrait of sorts that represents us, and create an identity which also aligns with the assessment of our personalities according to several tests, including Myers Briggs, Enneagram, DISC, and a few others. The first Unit had a heavy focus on understanding what makes us tick. How we work, and why we work like that, or at the very least, what to expect from those of us who cat like that. There were different levels that scaled just how much we can associate with these strong personality types, whether we associate with 2 at once or just a single type completely overshadowing all other traits. I was definitely proud of the statement I was able to pull from my self-portrait as I drew first and then assumed how it correlates. I didn't want an unnatural flow of my creativity, which is why I actually don't emphasize any particular traits or personality types. I wanted to keep it generalized initially, making sure that I wasn't stressing over conveying a specific message when talking about me, since I never did like focusing on myself. There were certain challenges in finding how to show every point, such as how my drawing relates in a big picture to my test results, but I was able to overcome some challenges by looking beyond the lines, and entering my own psyche to determine the exact message this neutral image is conveying. Just below you can find the artist's statement as well as my hand drawn image, and I hope you actually find yourself encouraged to find out more about yourself.

VG "V" 2017, Chicago

"V"

No. 2/HB Pencil(s) and standard ball point pen

Sketching paper 11.5" x 8.5"

I slowly veer off to my right, with subtle signs of interest. I don't show to much emotion because I wouldn't want to find myself in a situation that would grow into a struggle or conflict. Yet simultaneously, if I can be of use by assisting others then I will search for said opportunity. This piece is very practical and literal, but with hints of fictional elements, as while I'm down to earth, I must imagine scenarios around me in a sense that intrigues me, and anything that can make me thing is something I enjoy, thus revolving around a perpetual lust for satisfaction. The empty background follows my many concerns for my own safety, or rather my reluctancy to ever leave familiar zones that I know I at least feel safe in. There's a specific lack of exaggeration in my expression to (ironically) express my fondness for my neutral relations with many, as I find myself to be lacking in bias whilst also maintaining a great sense of personal justice and equality. When I drew myself looking into 2 mirrors, I wanted to draw attention to everything and nothing, hence my simpler art style with clean, open negative spaces, but the inclusion of shading draws the eyes around the image

Click to enlarge

These notes directly correlate with the rather accurate personality assessment tests. One of them being the Enneagram Test, (The Enneagram Institute, accessed Jan, 2017) which assesses your personality type based on numbers 1-9, with each number representing drastically different kinds of people, yet sharing slight characteristics which act as wings to the personality. In this case, my results ended up being a major 9 with a 2 just barely underneath. I personally strong associate with personality type 2 as it's main descriptions are to have sense of value with your own life by being helpful and caring, and with some though, 9 is also an excellent fit, as it's to be patient and calm. To be peace with one's self to survive. The full list of results is honestly something I can say I identify with, after understanding what each type is in its simplest of forms. Reflected in my art with a calm look that has peaked interest over to the side.

Now the TKI (Thomas-Kilmann Instrument) test I also have somewhat of a agreement with. As I stated early, despite the fact I was merely drawing based off of impulsive instinct alone, I managed to create a piece that represents me well, not focused on what's in front, but also not in, or doing any, major action. It show's off my observant nature, but the raised eye brow also displays some slight concern, which easily relates to how I have a strong desire to help others when they need assistance, and that's why my eyes quirk in that direction with such interest.

The process of creating the image was honestly just to draw from the heart. I made what I saw fit as comfortably as possible, and that's why this image resonates with me so much. It's how I see myself during a specific action that I do the most, observe my surroundings.

My set up had 2 small mirrors near each other at such an angle in which I was able to actually see myself looking at the one mirror with would give me the unique angle and eye focus. I felt that it was critical to make this realistic in my own sense, which is why I used a pen outline but utilized pencil shading, since it gives off a smoother feel for the already bright room that I was drawing in, effectively replicating the lighting that was present in that room at the time. It was bringing reality into my world of illustrations and that is why I decided to draw from life rather than a captured image of myself. As my good friend, "double A", put it, "when you're making yourself, you're not drawing what other people think they see, you're drawing what you want to see", and that definitely influenced my decision on sticking to my anime-esque art style, with the cartoonish eyes and such.

A face that doesn't speak out many stories but clearly takes several in. That it my self-portrait.

A Role-Playing Board Game Adventure

The second Action Project for Game Changers has arrived, and this one dives much further into game design. You see, earlier, this term, within the first two weeks we actually designed and prototyped our own board game

So imagine you're in a world that's filled with knights and dragons, but there's one dark lord who rules with an iron fist, terrorizing kingdoms with his monster army... Now imagine everything being set in the future, with multiple planets at stake and such. That is the game of Rizzuto, and in order to win this RPG Board Game, you must deliver the killing blow the the one and only boss, Rizzuto. Choose a class and travel across the board, leveling up, gathering items, and completing side quests, with twists that can change for better or worse by merely tossing a die. Have your fate change and experience something new every play through. Work together, or against one another, to put an end to Rizzuto's horrifying reign.

And here just below we have brief video that give and example of how it plays, live. Making this game was quite fun at first, but since there was a deadline, I found myself scrapping many concepts, and other such features. Honestly, in comparison to the final product I envisioned, this is comparable to an alpha build. However through play testing sessions, I will say that there were definitely aspects that were improved. An example would include the stats, as before, SR (strength) was based on numbers and enemy health, but that's a lot to keep track of for what's supposed to be a simplified role-playing oriented board game, so I changed it to a similar system that everything else is based on "every +5 points in this attribute increases it by a specific chunk/usage".

Despite the fact that I feel like I can develop this much more in the near future, this execution got the main functions across, having each space activate something different when you land on it, along with having the singular 6 sided die determine what happens next.

Fun Fiction

The first Action Project for a brand new term has arrived. Here, in the course named Game Changers, we've looked at all kind of games and their multiple aspects and functions. What kind of games? Tabletop games, like Scrabble, Uno, and in general, any game you may play on a "family night" of sorts. During this class, we've learned about what makes a game, whether it's how you win, how you move, how you stay relevant in the game, just about anything and everything you could think about from a design point of view. Some other things we learned revolved around skill vs probability, and which works best for what kind of game. A regular 6 sided die is called a d6 whilst other may be called a d4 or a d12. Sometimes, a game should only have strategy elements and other times, randomness adds to the fun. The project itself was to find a situation where we compare 2 titles and see which one is more optimal for a specific situation. Initially, as a (video) gamer, there are likenesses in all games that I am interested in, as all games have the desire to be fun. Some challenging aspects about this project include finding the right games that would suffice the situation, but luckily, I found an exact match for what I was thinking of.

My situation was a book club wanting to draw people in by showing them that reading can be fun, and what's more fun than a game? As it's a simple club, the ideal pricing would be set for lower budget and for an ambiguous amount of in simultaneous play. So the book club has a couple of options on how they can show others the fun of fiction and stories through a game that accommodates any amount of people for about 5 minutes per round of gameplay.

Between all the word and story based games out there, 2 came across as very fitting for this scenario. One game is the famous Mad Libs, and the other is the one and only Bring Your Own Book. This is a reference sheet in presentation format so you know what each game is all about, as well as my general thoughts about them.

Both of these word oriented games can attract all kinds of audiences, even if they don't read books as a hobby, or anything of the sort, often. It's rather self-explanatory, but Mad Libs is all about creating and making a story, and then to read such a narrative brings you the excitement that an author would get when reviewing their own works. And Bring Your Own Book shows off what these stories have. One is the process, the other is exposure.

Initially, Bring Your Own Book is far more appropriate for a book club considering that a book club would be about exposure to different stories so they may be discussed upon rather than an encouragement of writing your own stories. While Mad Libs may be a bit more fun to the non-reader, I'm sure the challenge of using someone else's book to find randomized phrases would bring further joy to the participants as it's an actual exercise of skill. That's why Bring Your Own Book would be the best low budget, quick, multiplayer for a book club looking for more members.