Programme Management for Channel 4 Television
INTRODUCTION
Channel 4 is a British, publicly-owned, commercially funded public service TV broadcaster. Channel 4 Educations delivers interactive digital projects aimed at 14-19 year olds in the UK, helping them to understand the world they live in, fulfil their personal potential and make the decisions that affect their lives.
Channel 4 Education commissioned research to investigate teenage mental health and happiness. The report identified resilience as an area of psychology which could be learned at any life stage. More importantly, it revealed that improved resilience increases overall happiness and well being. In response, the cross media production agency SomethinElse developed the concept of SuperMe - a meta-game of many facets, including games, short videos, quizzes and written content - focusing on helping teens to improve and develop their personal agency, reflection, connectedness, signature strengths and grit.
THE CHALLENGE
Programme Management for the full project lifecycle to manage a team of game designers, art directors, designers, writers and technologists to deliver 4 Flash based games that form the core of the SuperMe experience. Deliver the following games:
Proximity - is a multiplayer game. The aim of the game is to fly in as close a formation as possible with your teammates, hitting all of the gates. The better the team plays together, the higher the score. If a player breaks formation or races ahead, the team will score fewer points. The game is designed to reward collaborative play. Players collect connection points by reaching a target score in Proximity.
Flomo - The aim of the game is to practice flow. Flow is a mental state in which a person is completely focused and motivated within an activity. In a state of flow there's a feeling of spontaneous joy and rapture, according to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihaly. Once "in the zone" players are rewarded with beautiful visuals and sound, but if they lose focus and drop out, the game reverts to monotone and low-grade sounds. Players collect ability points by reaching a target score in Flomo.
Linkem - Players are given beads and rings to shoot into the canvas. The aim is to make lines of positive connections with the rings, and to try and make the negative beads drop out of play. It's a tactical game and an abstract way of getting players to think about positive and negative connections in life, and how many positive connections make us richer in life, in the same way we score more points within the game. Players collect connection points by reaching a target score in Linkem.
Swerveball - Gameplay involves shooting a bead through an environment where there may be magnets, or other pushing and pulling forces, which affect the bead as it travels towards its goal. The player has to direct the angle and the force of the bead through the levels. Between levels players are asked to recall how they've played, and where they've done well and not so well. The game is designed to get players thinking about the past more accurately. Scores are based on the players ability to complete the levels and accurately reflect. Players collect wisdom points by reaching a target score in Swerveball.