Week 4

I mostly focused on working on the presentation in preparation for week 5. I decided to focus on Tahtib as most of the feedback I got was on that over my other topics, and it had a lot of depth to it that could generate some interesting game ideas.

Research

I expanded my research to cover more of Upper Egypt than just the tradition of Tahtib. I looked at the roots of the clothing they wear, the music they make, and what they have influenced, such as belly dancing. Of course, I also looked into Tahtib itself and found more of its specific rules and core ideas. I also researched Modern Tahtib, which, unlike traditional Tahtib, is a formalised martial art.

Practical

I created some assets and scenes in Aseprite so I could portray the aesthetic that a game about Tahtib may have. I created a basic scene of two Egyptians (accompanied by a band) beginning a game of Tahtib by spinning their sticks around.

I also recreated a common pattern seen on Upper Egyptian shawls. This allowed me to better understand how these shawls are designed and just how detailed they actually are.

Reflection

By the end of this week, I was prepared for the presentation, and all but finished compiling my information. I just had to make a few touch-ups before it was time to present.