User:Thijshijsijsjss/Human Parser/Thesis Outline

My project Human Parser consists of a game and an accompanying manual. I intend for the manual to provide space for a variety of things: gameplay insights and 'traditional game manual content', some of the gameplay might happen inside of the manual a reflection on what manuals are, specifically in a social context, it could provide context on the creation of the game

In particular, it is an opportunity to house the thesis[1]. The format of game manual has several implications for the thesis. As the thesis will need to stand on its own -- being assessed in isolation from the manual -- this format invites the thesis to be a collection of components for the manual, that are then 'disassembled' when put into the game manual. I envision each chapter to be one such component.

This page is dedicated to elaborating on what these components might be, documenting some decisions that have been made, and formulating some questions that are still open.

Notes

Could the Manual and Thesis be One?

[1] One might ask: why would it house the thesis? Can the manual not be the thesis? The answer to this question could be yes. However, I am hesitant: in many ways, the manual will be in part a work of creative writing. If manual and thesis are one and the same, it would mean the thesis is a work of creative writing. As 'the presentation of a text as a body of creative written work' was discouraged by the GRS tutors, I am more inclined to have the thesis be part of a bigger whole, which should allow for more freedom of format in the manual without inhibiting the thesis. Moreover, the thesis has an 8000 words limit. There is a high likelihood that any manual would require many words that are not directly contributing to a thesis's message (e.g. an overview of commands in the text adventure game). Designing the thesis as its own work will make this a more coherent, to the point writing while at the same time allowing, again, for more creative freedom in designing the manual. At the same time, this structure enables me to do the bulk of the writing for the manual through the thesis, and ensures I'm not doing double work by having to design a manual from scratch on top of the thesis. So, given the limited timeframe of the project, the requirements of the thesis and the thematic considerations for this project as a whole, I deem it best for the manual to house the thesis.