Morten Holland
Wayne Gallear
BTEC Games Design L3
Assignment 1
Genres in Video
Games
FPS (First-Person
Shooter)
The goal in
any first person shooter is to kill enemies through the eyes of a character,
usually a soldier. The enemies can be AI or in some modes other players across
the world.
The ‘Call of
Duty’ series is a perfect example of this genre. This game has a very linear,
fast paced campaign where the player advances to the next part by clearing the
current stage. The story for this game is that the player follows two different
soldiers in different wars. One soldier’s story is set in 1986 to 1989 in the
cold war, and the other soldier’s story is set in the year 2025 when the second
cold war starts.
The very popular part of this game is the
online player versus player modes where 2 teams are competing in game modes
such as capture the flag. The player also levels up by killing players and
helping with the objective such as capturing the flag or planting a bomb on
enemy equipment.
This game
uses the ‘Black Ops II engine (Heavily Modified IW 3.0)’ to create the playable
environment and the character models in the game.
This game’s
competitor is the ‘Battlefield’ series. Both games compete to be the more
realistic and fun first-person shooter. Both games are incredibly similar, but
each game has something that the other doesn’t or maybe doesn’t excel in.
‘Battlefield’ is commonly saw as the more realistic looking game with its
graphics, but ‘Call of Duty’ is commonly saw as a fast paced type of fun.
RPG (Role Playing
Game)
Role playing games involve controlling a pre-made character
or a player created character through a story or set of quests which tell a
story and level up the character. These games usually are set in a fantasy
world or a science fiction world.
The game ‘The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’ was developed by
‘Bethesda Game Studios’ using the Creation Engine, built specifically for the
game. This engine was made to create future ‘Bethesda’ games and replaced the
‘Gamebryo’ engine.
“The game takes place in Skyrim, a province of the Empire on
the continent of Tamriel, amid a civil war between two factions.” The two
factions are the ‘Stormcloaks’ and ‘The Imperial Legion’. The first scene
starts with the player on his way to be executed, when a dragon interrupts the
process and allows the player to escape and start his or her journey.
In my opinion, I don’t think this game has any competitors
but ‘Fallout 3’ is a very popular RPG. It uses very similar features to ‘The
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’ and many who like either game, will like the other.
Simulation
Simulation games try to make the most realistic scenarios
and most of these games don’t have a set goal. The game lets the player control
the character play freely.
A good example is ‘Train Simulator 2015’. It doesn’t give
specific goals but lets the player do what they want to. The game uses a first
person camera and lets the player interact with the dials, buttons and levers
in the train.
The game is developed by ‘Dovetail Games’ and was created on
the ‘PhysX’ engine. These simulation games mostly release on ‘PCs’ and ‘Macs’
due to the many buttons on the keyboard representing the many in-game controls.
This game doesn’t have any competitors is a sense, but there
are a lot of simulation games out there about other experiences such as farming
in ‘Farming Simulator 2015’. Lots of these simulation games are made by the
same companies.
Strategy
Strategy games involve the player to advance armies and
cities to become stronger so that the player can then fight over armies.
‘Civilization V’ is a strategy game where the player leads a
prehistoric army to advance across a generated map, expanding their cities and
upgrading defenses. The game is turn-based meaning that the player has a
limited amount of options before the computer controlled army will take their
turn. The game will end when x number of turns have ended, and the player with
the better civilization will win.
The game was developed by ‘Firaxis Games’ on the ‘Firaxis
LORE’ engine. This engine belongs to ‘Firaxis Games’ only and is used to create
lots of strategy games.
‘Hearts of Iron 3’ is a competitor of many strategy games like
‘Civilization V’. Both games fit very well in the strategy game genre.
Sports
Sports games involve fast paced, highly competitive gameplay
in which the player controls one or more athletes in various sports such as
football, basketball, golf etc.
‘FIFA 15’ is a popular choice in sport gaming. This football
game lets the player play ready-made teams against other teams or player
created teams. The player can choose to do career mode which is against AI or
play other gamers online across the world. The ‘Player versus Player’ game mode
is the reason this game is so popular due to the high competitive play against
friends or strangers. The player can improve their team by buying packages in
the store which contain players which have higher skills in certain areas. The
reason why ‘FIFA 15’ makes so much money is because players can buy packs with
in-game currency earned, or use real money to buy packs which saves time
earning them. This game’s competitor is the ‘Pro Evolution Soccer’ series.
The game was developed by ‘Electronic Arts’ on two different
engines. ‘Ignite Engine’ for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, and the
‘Impact Engine’ which is for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 users.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_15
Music / Rhythm
These games get the player to press buttons to a rhythm.
These games can usually be played with others in competitive or co-op modes.
‘Guitar Hero 5’ is a rhythm game which has five colours
running down the neck of a guitar. The game has its own controller in the shape
of a guitar for more interesting gameplay. The player must press the correct
colour when it hits the bottom of the neck and strum the guitar at the same
time. The game includes real songs by real artists such as songs by ‘ACDC’ or
‘Kings of Leon’ and has five difficulties which the player can progress
through. The aim of the game is to get as many points as possible by correctly
hitting as many notes as you can, and to pass the song by not missing too many
notes. This game’s competitor is ‘Rock Band’ which is also a rock based music
rhythm game.
The ‘Guitar Hero’ series was created by ‘Neversoft’ and
published by ‘Activision’. The game ‘Guitar Hero 5’ runs on the ‘GH Engine 2.0
’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero_5
Fighting
Fighting games use a side on camera to view the fight between
two characters. The health of the characters are displayed at the top of the
screen and the time left is also displayed.
‘Super Street Fighter IV’ is a classic and a great example.
This game involves choosing a character (pre-made), and then fighting other
characters in the game. The game has lots of combos to learn so they can do
more damage to the other fighter. The game also has a ‘player vs player’ mode.
This mode is used in many fighting game tournaments, just like its competitor
‘Mortal Kombat’.
Puzzle Games
Puzzle games are games that make the player think of a
solution to a situation so they can progress to the next part of the game. They
can use lots of different camera angles such as birds-eye-view, first person or
maybe third person.
A very popular game such as ‘Portal 2’ is a good example of
a puzzle game. The plot to ‘Portal 2’ is that you are a test subject and have
been forced to participate in tests so that the player can progress to the next
room. The main tool you use is a gun that shoots portals that the player can go
through and transport to the other portal. This may seem like a simple idea,
but the testing chambers can actually get very difficult.
The player is deep in
a huge testing lab, and in portal 2, a story element is added, in which the
player tries to escape the testing facilities. The game also had a co-operative
game mode, where the player can play with another player to progress through
the testing chambers.
This game doesn’t really have any competitors due to its
originality. But here’s another great puzzle game anyway. ‘Thomas Was Alone’.
Text-based Games
Text based games are games that involve lots of reading and
decision making. The player is told a scenario, and the player must write what
they think the character(s) should do.
The most famous games for text based games are ‘Zork’ and
‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. These games are both quite old now but
are still games that come straight to people’s minds when the words ‘text based
games’ are heard.
Trivia Games
Trivia games are games where the player or players are asked
questions and the players must answer to gain points. Lots of trivia games are
based off of television shows.
‘Trivial Pursuit’ is a trivia game that is based off of a
television show. In this game, the players gain points which eventually make a
‘wedge’ which can be slotted with 5 other wedges to create a circle, winning
the game. The game has six different topics of questions. ‘Entertainment’
‘Sport and Leisure’ ‘Art’ ‘Science’ ‘Geography’ and ‘History’. This gives
everyone a chance to show their knowledge of a subject.
Impacts and Psychological Factors in Video Games
Negatives
Excessive playing
time:
Playing a game for an extensive time can be seen in a
negative light and viewed positively for a number of reasons. Many people view
long gaming sessions badly due to it decreasing the amount of social and
physical interaction, which could lead to the gamer not knowing how to socially
interact anymore, or for the person to become lazy or gain weight. In some
cases, people have been known to die due to the fact that the gamers are not
getting any exercise or meeting their diet requirements. This link talks more
in depth about all the reasons why extensive gaming is bad.
http://www.babycenter.com/404_can-spending-too-much-time-playing-video-games-hurt-my-child_69631.bc
Social Isolation
Gaming can lead to social isolation if gamers do not talk to
people (in person or online) which can have lots of negative effects on young
people. It may lead to kids and teens becoming social outcasts and the gamer
may not be able to function in social interactions. Many people think this is
the main cause of gamers performing violent acts on others in the world. They
spend many hours a day on their own in most cases, with only the violent
characters in video games to interact with. This gives the impression that the
gamers are being heavily influenced by the characters in video games. This link
provides facts and figures as to why this idea may be wrong, and it also
highlights the good that can come from gaming.
http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/104226/gaming/video_games_as_isolating_activities.html
Cost
Many people view gaming in a bad way due to the fact that
gaming takes a lot of some people's’ time away and not getting anything useful
at the end of it. Some may also agree that gaming can cost an astounding amount
of money per year on the gaming system, the games and the accessories. This can
add up to a significant amount when you factor the broadband costs, electric
bill and the cost of television or monitor being used. This link shows just how
much the gaming community is willing to spend on their systems in order to
game.
http://www.andovercg.com/services/waste-money-on-gaming-computer.shtml
Separation from
Reality
Playing games too much can eventually blur the lines between
reality and gamers’ obsessions. Many cases have been looked at which portray
gaming negatively due to the separation of reality, such as the many stabbings
from game releases such as ‘Manhunt’ by a company called ‘Rockstar North’
(which has been banned in many countries), and the highly infamous ‘Grand Theft
Auto’ series. This in particular game series is widely viewed as the main
reason why games are bad for you. People see that suspects play video games and
they jump to the conclusion that the reason for the crime is gaming. It is a
common stereotype among gamers. Separation from reality is some forms can be
good, for example some people use gaming as a coping mechanism and as escapism
against their real world problems, such as depression. This link is about just
one of the crimes committed which blamed gaming.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/3934277.stm
Positives
Benefits (hand-eye
coordination, brain training)
Gaming has been known to increase people's’ hand-eye
coordination due to video games needing fast reactions. A good example of
increasing hand-eye coordination is the ‘Nintendo Wii’. This console requires
the user to mimic realistic stances to perform various tasks, such as playing
golf in a game called ‘Wii Sports’. Some
modes in this game need fast reflexes such as skiing, which is something that
can even be put to use in the real world. The ‘Nintendo Wii’ has also been used
in the rehabilitation of patients, helping them recover quicker and improving
in body movements. Some games such as ‘Brain Training’ on the ‘Nintendo DS’
even train the brain to develop in some ways such as reading and mathematics
skills. This link talks more in depth as to what gaming can help people in.
http://www.contentedwriter.com/games-hand-eye-coordination/
Thinking and Strategy
Skills
Studies show that gaming has greatly increased many gamers’
strategic skills. There is an article which talks about how a British study
from Queen Mary University of London and University College London. They made a
group of people play ‘StarCraft’ which is a fast strategic based game in which
the player controls a troop to fight enemies. They made the other group play a
non-strategic game called ‘The Sims’ which is about creating a character and
live a normal life in a house constructed by the player. After and before both
groups had played 40 hours or more on the games over a six to eight week
period, they were tested to see what their current skills were like. The results
were that the ‘StarCraft’ players were quicker and more accurate in performing
cognitive flexibility tasks than those who played ‘The Sims’. The whole article
holds more information and is in the link below.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/playing-video-games-boost-strategic-thinking-article-1.1433812
Future Impact
The gaming industry is continually growing, creating more
jobs for gamers. People are creating thousands if not millions from putting
their content of them playing and talking about games on ‘YouTube’. A great
example of this is a Youtube channel called ‘Let’s Play’ or ‘Rooster Teeth’.
The creators such as Geoff Ramsey have built a company from the ground up and
employed many gamers to work for them, helping them create content for the
viewers. Also, a new service is available for gamers called ‘Twitch.tv’. This
is a service where people can play games and viewers can watch it live and
interact with the player by typing in the chat, donating to them or subscribing
to their channel. Here’s a link to some information on the growing gaming
community.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/sean-plott-explains-why-twitch-is-so-successful-2015-3?r=US&IR=T
Impact on
‘mainstream’ Application Development
The gaming world is always expanding, such as the invention
of the ‘Xbox One Kinect’, or the ‘Nintendo Wii’ game remote. These devices
basically try to turn the gamer into the controller, reacting to their
movements. This not only can be fun for
gamers but also helps some keep fit. Other inventions such as the ‘HoloLens’
creates holograms of the in game world. Many inventions can impact gamers and
companies very positively, giving the gamer a more immersive and fun
experience, and the companies make millions from the thousands of purchases.
This link explains the ‘HoloLens’ more.
In conclusion, the majority of the gaming industry and
community is great, with the exception of few murders and game addictions that
are all caused from excessive playing time and the separation from reality. in
my opinion, the gaming industry is viewed in two ways. one way in which people
don’t know how much good can come from gaming such as charity live streams
(this is mostly viewed as by the older generation), and the way where people
know how much good can come from the gaming industry.
My Game
So this is the sketch I made for my 2 dimensional plat
former game on ‘Paint’. The graphics aren’t great and there isn’t a lot of
detail but changes can be made in the future. The art style I chose to go for
is a ‘Retro’ or ‘8-bit’ and I chose this art style because i am a huge fan of
that style, and it is fun and easy to create characters or objects in the
style. The first level area is in the confines of the grey walls.
The character in the orange outfit is you, and you must traverse the level without touching harmful objects such as the spikes, or being caught by any other characters. To the left of the playable area, you can see my idea process and the inspiration I took from other games or images. I have also used arrows on some parts of the image to show where a moving object or character will move to and from, such as the blue enemy.
The character in the orange outfit is you, and you must traverse the level without touching harmful objects such as the spikes, or being caught by any other characters. To the left of the playable area, you can see my idea process and the inspiration I took from other games or images. I have also used arrows on some parts of the image to show where a moving object or character will move to and from, such as the blue enemy.
The player will be moving and jumping to traverse the areas and I have had thoughts of adding in features such as pressing buttons on walls to open doors. I have also had ideas for the final room of the game, such as a boss battle in which the player will have to dodge projectiles and press buttons to kill the boss enemy. Also, for the background of the indoor levels, i will use a grey tiled texture so it looks like flooring, and for the outdoor levels, i might use a dirt or mud texture to show you that your outside.
Story
For the start, I was thinking if I can create a small cut
scene in which you see the player being thrown into a prison cell and him
shouting “I’m not supposed to be here!” and a prison guard says something like
“How original. That’s what they all say.”
But Dave was not supposed to be there. He had been framed
for a crime he hadn’t committed. Dave never could have killed someone… until
now. Dave’s entrapment in prison had screwed with his head, and now all he
wants is revenge on the man who framed him.
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