PROPOSAL FOR A HERCULES GAME







A games design document for a game based on the Greek legend of Hercules.

PREPARED BY KATIE PAXTON-FEAR
SUMMARY
This game gas been designed top reinforced the keystage 2 work on Greek mythology. It is an education puzzle game which teaches the story of Greek Mythology in a inactive way. To be played on the PC. It combines the story of Greek mythology with a roleplaying theme which is based in a puzzle environment.

PROPOSAL
Children in the KeyStage 2 curriculum learn about Greek Mythology. However their first experience with Greek Mythology is the Disney movie Hercules. The Disney version of the myth is incorrect and hardly follows the original story. Disney also created a game to follow the movie. The game however does not follow the myth or the movie and is not intended to be educational. This leaves a gap in the market for a new educational Hercules based game. It could be used both in classrooms as a teaching aid to educate and have fun. It could also be used in homes to reinforce the teaching learned at school.









RESULTS OF RESEARCH

FILMS CHILDREN ENJOY
Toy Story 3, WALL-E and Spirited Away have all been highly rated in the movies industry that has been aimed at kids around the ages of six to ten. Children love a variety of films. Many films children enjoy include cute or friendly characters with a bright colour scheme, such as orange and a light blue. While the bad characters use dark blue and black or dark colours. The plot also includes a theme of love or friendship using various twists and turns in a plot. Most also have a comedic and musical parts. Hercules also carries these traits, with a musical and comedic parts as well as following a colour scheme.

TOYS FOR CHILDREN
When a children’s movie or TV show is popular toys are usually released. During the Christmas period, more toys are released as people usually consider them for presents; this is also true about games. When Toy Story was released a toy called ‘Buzz Light Year Jetpack’ and may other merchandise for the movie, including games. It has been selling very well and made the Christmas toy number one.
GAMES FOR CHILDREN
Successful games for children include: Big Brain academy, Lego games series and the Mario gaming series have all been highly rated as the best rated games for children. Games for children usually include friendly hero characters with simple controls. Gameplay is generally very visual and easy controlled, such as platform games with a simple and direct story line. Alternately children also enjoy puzzle games where they can actively solve puzzles to complete tasks to fo  rward a story. Popular games include New Super Mario, Toy Story, Lego Harry, LittleBigPlanet, Shrek Forever After, Sonic The Hedgehog, Ben 10, FIFA 11, Runescape MMORPG. These all follow the previous points.
LABOURS OF HERCULES
We conducted research into the correct myth so we could compare the film’s version and so we could get a feel of the story of the game we would be creating.  By using both the internet and books we found.
Heracles was a illegitimate child of Zeus and a mortal woman. Hera was angry with Zeus’ infidelity and so set out to destroy Heracles. First she sent snakes to his crib to kill him, however Heracles killed them and played with their corpses. Heracles then married and had children with a woman called Megara. However Hera sends him into a madness and he murders his family. When he recovers he goes to the Oracle of Delphi and he is told to serve King Eurysteus for a total of 10 years.
Eurysteus gave Heracles a set of ‘impossible’ labors for him to complete. The first labor was to kill the Nemean Lion, the Lion had impenetrable skin. Heracles killed it by strangling it with his bare hands. He then wore the skin as armor.
The second labor was to kill the Lernaean Hydra, he tried to destroy it by removing its head’s however two grew back as soon as he cut them off. He enlisted the help of Iolaus, his nephew to singe the heads with a torch to prevent them growing back. When he returned to Eurysteus, he was accused of cheating because he had help from Iolaus.
The third labor was to bring Eurysteus the Ceryneian Hind, a huge doe with golden antlers. It was scared to Artemis. Artemis was angry at Heracles for capturing it, Heracles begged to Artemis and promised he would return it to the wild. He captured it without harming it and told Eurysteus to come out to get it. He let it go and before Eurysteus could grab it, it ran off to Artemis.
The fourth labor was to bring the King the Erymanthian Boar, which resided on Mount Erymanthos. He asked a centaur called Chiron for help capturing it. He advised to drive it into thick snow to bind it. When he returned to Eurysteus, Eurysteus was so scared of the boar he hid in a pithos. He then sent Heracles on his next labor 3 days after.
The fifth labor was to clean the Augean stables in one day. He was promised one-tenth of the cattle if he could do it and was watched by Augeas’ son, Phyleus. Heracles did this by redirecting the river, Alpheus and Peneus into the stables, washing them out. He returned to Augeas who did not believe him. His son confirmed Heracles’ feat and was banished. Heracles accepted payment so Eurysteus did not count it as one of his labors.
The sixth labor was to slay the Stymphalian birds. The birds were man-eating and had beaks of bronze; they also had metal feathers they could launch at people. Heracles headed into the swap where they lived, but he could not get close to them because it would not support his weight. He was helped by Athena, she gave him a rattle to scare the birds into the air. He did this then shot them with arrows, he killed a few but many flew off never to return. He took the dead ones to Eurysteus.
The seventh labor was to capture the Cretan Bull which had been wreaking havoc on the island of Crete. Heracles sailed to Crete and King Minos let him take it away. To capture the bull he snuck up behind it and strangled it. He then shipped it to Athens and took it Eurysteus, when he saw the bull, Eurysteus jumped into his pithos. Eurysteus wanted to sacrifice it to Hera but she refused to let Heracles have any glory for his labors. The bull was then released and wandered into the marathon, it became Marathonian Bull.
The eighth labor was to steal the Mares of Diomedes. They were man eating horses who were said to breathe fire, they belonged to the giant Diomedes. They were mad with human flesh. To capture them Heracles he dug a trench and filled it with water making it an island. Diomedes arrived and Heracles killed him with an axe and fed the body to the horses, he then bound their mouths. Eurysteus dedicated them to Hera. The horses now permanently calm were allowed to roam around Argos.

The ninth labor was to retrieve Hippolyta’s girdle, Hippolyta was queen of the Amazons and the girdle showed her authority. He was greeted warmly by the Amazons and Hippolyta agreed to let him take it. Hera was annoyed at this and she disguised herself as a Amazon and ran through claiming that Heracles was going to kidnap Hippolyta. The Amazon’s ran after Heracles as he left. Fearing he had been betrayed, he kissed Hippolyta and then killed her, taking the girdle and setting sail for Athens.
The tenth labor was to capture the cattle of Greyon. Greyon was the grandchild of Medusa and he had three heads and one body. As Heracles landed on the island he was greeted by a two-headed dog, Orthus, a watch dog of Greyon. He killed it with one blow from his olive club. Greyon alerted came to kill him. He followed Heracles to the river before Heracles shot him in the foreheads with a poisonous arrow. Heracles herded the cattle onto his ship and returned to Athens.
The eleventh labor was to find the golden apples of Hesperides. He found the God known as The Old Man of the Sea, who told Heracles where find the garden. When he arrived he met Atlas, the Titans who was the hold up the heavens. However he was the only person who could get the apples from the tree. Heracles tricked him by offering to hold up the sky for a while. Upon return Atlas decided he didn’t want to hold up the sky, he offered to take the apples back himself. Heracles agreed but asked Atlas to hold up the Heavens while he adjusted his cape. Heracles left and Atlas continued to hold up the sky.
The twelfth labor was to capture Cerbeus, the protector the underworld. He entered the underworld and avoided Charon. He met Theseus and Pirithous, they had tried to kidnap Persephone and Hades had ensnared them. Heracles saved Theseus and left Pirithous. Heracles met Hades who told him he could have Cerbeus if he could capture him without the use of weapon. Heracles did so and returned to Eurysteus, who hid in his pithos at the sight of the beast. He released Heracles as soon as he returned it to the underworld.


MARKET RESEARCH

QUESTIONNAIRES
Questionnaires are the most appropriate way to conduct market research. We can ask a series of questions appropriate for the information we need to find out. Questionnaires allow people to answer chosen questions and after completion allow us to create a report of their opinions. A questionnaire question may  be:




The multiple choice questionnaire means that we can plot results on a graph and use the most popular choices to help us build our game. It also gives a us a good idea on how much they know about the myth and the movie in general. Our questionnaire was designed for young people, aged 6-10 and uses basic language ensuring they can read and understand the questions.

REVIEWS
Using game reviews allows us to have a wider understanding on what people think of the current market. Reviews also point out what ideas people like or enjoy. This can help shape our game as it shows what people are interested in and enjoy.