I have participated in Tallinn University’s Winter School in a course called “Gamification and Design of Serious Games”. I have learned a lot on this topic and made a concept of a game “Art&History” for artists and people who are interested in art. In this post I am going to explain its mechanics and gameplay.
Art history is a very interesting subject and one of the ways of learning it is through yourself. This is what my game is focused on. I want people who enjoy drawing to learn stylistic features of various artists by creating their own art.
The gameplay:
At the beginning of this game, you choose a style of paintings which you would like to learn.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1PNG-1-1024x576.png)
Then, you are given an overview on this art style.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2-1024x575.png)
After it, you need to create a picture in this style.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/3-1024x575.png)
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/4-1024x576.png)
You are given a canvas and a toolbar with 6 different brushes. After you finish drawing, you are given some more information about this particular style, including artists who worked in this style and its main stylistic features.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Снимок-1024x576.png)
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/44-1024x573.png)
Then, you are asked if you think that your artwork was drawn in this style and if not – you can go back and redraw or add something. After you’ve finished, you unlock an achievement and gain access to a “Bonus Question”.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/222-1024x573.png)
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ll-1024x575.png)
If you answer correctly – you unlock a new brush, which you can use in later drawings.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/corr-1024x578.png)
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/hhh-1024x576.png)
If you answer incorrectly – you don’t gain a new brush, but you can answer a different question in a main menu later and if the answer is correct this time – you unlock it.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jjj-1024x575.png)
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/kkkk-1024x571.png)
Let’s stop on “Achievement” mechanism and how they are given to a player.
1. A picture is drawn in this app.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/4-1-1024x576.png)
2. It is loaded to Google Images search. Google gives a result which is assigned to a player as an achievement.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ss2-1024x403.png)
3. It is processed using AI to make an Achievement title.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ll-1-1024x576.png)
Because the search result is based on the selection by a Google Images database (which includes all cultural heritage) – this is why the result of each comparison will be unique.
It creates a potential for player to share their Achievements and launch a Telegram channel with players’ titles.
![](https://kate.kartseva.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/kkkkkk-1024x566.png)
You can also view a Figma prototype of this game with clickable buttons and an overview on a gameplay.