Happy Blog

Since I neglect my blog what better way to celebrate the fact I didn’t fail miserably by posting and hopefully upping my grade a bit.

I’m finding all the information from Ben Mathers insanely useful. Just watching him make something in 3DS Max has made me feel a little bit happier about working with the program. I also tend to understand it a bit more as well. Though it’s a long winded thing to watch I’m actually enjoying watching what he’s making.

Going to miss the film tomorrow. I loved watching all the crazy dystopian fantasies so I’ll have to maybe go out to the library and find some more funky films otherwise it’ll be Star Wars repeats.
My god this was really a pointless blog, but then again I have a thing about being bad when it comes to blogging. I never know what to talk about. So I think I’m gonna leave it there with a nice picture by the artist Brom, since i love his work and Ben mentioned him today.

Gameplay?

Gameplay. I remember searching for a definition for that word a couple of blogs ago and finding it hard to find a definition. Without it would a game be interesting or even possible? While searching through definitions all of them mention the game and the user, saying how it is how the user interacts with a game or how the game responds. If this thing was removed how would a game be played if not played at all. In a game of chess if there was no gameplay you could not move the chess piece so surely it is an key thing.

Gameplay keeps a user involved and interested. It’s the thing that keeps us playing when it comes to gaming. When it comes to rules I don’t think it has any. It’s more about how the user interacts with the game in general, it’s the connection the user has with the game. Gameplay could be designed into a game, Chess could be one of the games solely based on gameplay. In chess the user has to move the chess piece, the user has to interact with the pieces and board otherwise the game would not be playable. Without gameplay the chess pieces could not be moved, maybe even the thought of moving them would also be none existent. I also believe that a game could not be successful without it, making it very important. Without it the interactions between the game and user would not exist meaning that one connection with the game the user had would vanish, sure the graphics and sound would be there but it would be as though the controller would not exist.

Characters

Characters, one of my favourite things in a game, film or book. Ever since I was little I always wanted to be an archaeologist like Lara Croft or be able to levitate a stone like Luke Skywalker. I enjoy seeing development and designs of characters, seeing how they evolve and how they evolve even further within the world they exist in.

One of the first characters I ever got attached to was Lara Croft. I can remember playing Tomb Raider and just wishing I could climbs rocks like her and somersault. What made her even ‘cooler’ was the fact she had guns. Not only could she do the gymnastics but she was lethal as well and she was a woman. Sure she had the short shorts and the big pixelated boobs but who cared she could kick ass. As more Tomb Raider game came out Lara could do more things, making her even more cooler. The older I got the more I realised it was that she was ‘cool’ it was the fact she could do all these things that I could never do.

For me the main reason for liking characters is because they can do things I can’t. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nariko from Heavenly Sword, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars could all do things I couldn’t and just being them for a moment through watching TV or playing a game gave me that quick escape from reality. Fantasy stories are my favourite purely because I can read into the character and escape that reality that glooms over.

When it comes to interesting characters I think an appearance is key. They have to look interesting but not out of place. Also they need to have some form of personality. When it comes to films a script is definitely needed aswell as an actor and I also feel a lot of games need actors and scripts. I loved the character design for Nariko and the fact that had a proper actor to voice her meant she was more interesting. An example of needing some form of acting skill would be the original Devil May Cry, when Dante screams out “I should have been the one to fill ur dark sould with LIGHT” the actor was so bad, it just sounded so fake and amusing. (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=H8qG4AlK1qk&feature=related)

Consoles

When looking through the video console timeline it’s amazing to see how they literally go from box to more streamline, rounder designs. Also the controllers were a lot more simpler compared to what they are today. The controllers had what seems to be two or three buttons now controllers have shoulder buttons, directional buttons and so on.

When it comes to consoles they are so different from what they were a long time ago from the “Brown Box” to the Playstation 3. When it comes to playing games myself I much prefer some form of controller, especially a play station controller. As I’ve mostly been a play station gamer and the controller has hardly changed shape throughout the years I find it most comfortable to use. I also find it much easier to use then a Wii remote which I usually end up flailing about with trying to get through one level.

When it comes to looks I find that Sony, though the Playstation 3 is massive, have the better looking console. The play station 3 has no sharp edges, it’s all rounded and shiny. The Playstation Portable is streamline, small and it looks much nicer compared to the Nintendo DS. The PSP I own is also a limited http://www.techgadgets.in/images/sony-crisis-core-final-fantasy-vii-psp-bundle.jpg) which is another reason I prefer the look of the PSP.

When it comes to interacting with a console eventually I believe that it’ll be done via headsets and electronically gadgets that’ll attach to peoples hands so the person can be placed in the game. The visor will allow the person to see the game in 3D and the other gadgets will map out parts of the person so they can interact within the game. I do believe though there will be some from of original hardcore gamers who will stay to the joystick and keep it alive. It won’t completely die.

Once upon a time...

Stories are such an amazing and powerful thing from the first tale to sci-fi futuristic films which no one can comprehend at the time. In a game I much prefer to have a story. I enjoy being Lara Croft crawling up a side of a cliff hoping to stop the evil Jacqueline Natla from making a race of mutants or even Cloud travelling around hoping to stop Sephiroth destroying the world.

I don’t think it is necessary for a game to have a storyline. Some games like The Sims, World of Warcraft and Second Life don’t have a definite story but they are incredibly popular and are just as good as any other games which have a story. In the games which don’t have a definite storyline there is usually a goal. While a player goes through the game trying to reach the goal they make their own decisions, meaning the player must make the story. This is different in games like Tomb Raider where the storyline is set and the player must follow it.

In the game Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne there is a story present. As there is a story within the game more is known about the character. When there is a storyline in a game I feel that there is a greater emotional tie to the characters in the game. This is much useful for a game franchise with a well known character rather then a Sims game, imagine the horror of little kids bawling their eyes out because their favourite Sim just died of old age.

check your links!!!!!

Firstly all that information from the first link (http://www.bioware.com/bioware_info/jobs/positions/art_director.html) wasn’t that useful considering the page could not be found…anyway onto the blog.

After reading a few of the other links it seems the art director is just like Captain Kirk of Starship Enterprise. They’re responsible for quite a few things it seems. They are important for such things as game style, visual tones and so many other things as well as being indirectly responsible for objects, characters, textures and the list continues. Art Directors oversees what goes on in the art department.

When Art Directors get to draw things or create something it’s going to be creative but there would also be like an overseers role. Artists that work underneath the director will have to be watched so they keep on topic. It will be the overseeing part of the Art Director’s role that will be similar through other Directors roles. An Art Director would be focused solely on the art side of game design, this would be considered quite different to a film Director who focuses on the whole film.

To become an Art Director a key qualities must include being able the work in a team, leadership qualities, good communication skills and preferably being able to draw and use the correct equipment needed. As an Art Director oversees the team communication skills would definitely be needed and leadership skills would be needed to lead the team. Being able to work in a team would be useful as an Art Director works with other people.

game design yay!

Gameplay:
Something that seems to be difficult to define. After having a gander over a few sites and trying to find a suitable definition to mutate into my own it seems all I can make of the word “gameplay” is gamer interaction with elements in a game. An appalling attempt at a definition on my behalf but I found a much better attempt which I liked:
“A general term that's difficult to define, but on the whole relates to the way a game responds to a player's control, and how enjoyable the overall experience proves as a result.” (http://www.game.co.uk/lowdown.aspx?lid=7771&cm_sp=contenthub-_-topnav-_-jargon)

The leading lights in game design could be anyone in the game design world. Surely every company has made a brilliant game in the eyes of at least one person. But within the companies an artist would be key in design but not the only component. They would need to design characters, and places but another person would be needed for plot. This means game design is not just a single persons responsibility.

Game design takes place after preparation. Much like how Chris Crawford lays it out. A goal must be chosen first and the correct research carried out before the game is actually designed. The designing of the game is just one of the many phases there is in creating a complete game. Different genres may have different goals and different research would be needed.

When I play a game I want a game that will grip me from the beginning to the end. Though I like graphics, it’s not important. The environments have to be imaginative and the characters have to be original. A key importance is the plot. It has to twist and turn in unexpected ways to keep me hooked.

Review Ramble

NGJ? What’s that?

Well when it came to reading reviews in magazines I hardly ever bothered, I preferred the pretty pictures and the summaries but now reading through a few of the reviews and Wikipedia I’m beginning to understand New Games Journalism. I noticed that they are less of a straight to the point review. The writer seems to be more involved and tends to go back on past experiences. They seem to lack a definite scoring of the game, giving a more personal opinion. I much prefer this way of reviewing since it lacks a definite ranking for the game and gives a more general over view of the game.

I feel an objective ranking systems is not necessary for gaming sales. This is because there must be people out there who either ignore ranking or know their tastes well enough to pick a game without taking a second glance at ranking. Also if a game has a good design and is advertised well enough there will be atleast one person wanting it.

Finally I would like to touch up on other reviews and reviewers. I hardly buy magazines or reading a text so I’m terrible for finding game writing but I do have a liking for many video reviews of games. I tend to watch a lot of Zero Punctuation. It puts games through the ringer and is rather humorous.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation
He likes his swearing but none-the-less puts together humour and reviews ever so well.

Now I’m hoping this blog makes sense because I hated this and the last blog since my brain had become all clogged with junk and kept wandering off.

Errmmmmm....

I’m not too sure where to start with this blog. Though I love gaming I have never really been one for reading reviews or magazines.

I looked over Kieron Gillen’s blog and I just love how he engages the reader. A small chunk of his review goes over how limitations affect the game journalists. He picks up about timing from the start of making a magazine to finish, meaning journalists have a only a short amount of time for contemplation. I feel personally time is a huge deal. Without deadlines the writing could be continually refined and more thought could be put into it. He wrote through past experiences rather then straight to the point.

After looking over Kieron Gillen’s review I looked over a review for Project Gotham Racing 3. As I read it I felt it was written less formally as the previous piece of text. I felt they had written it more as a fan then a reviewer. The text was much shorter and didn’t engage the reader as much as Kieron Gillen but it was right to the point.

When it comes to writing I myself am not comfortable. I much prefer trying to relay messages through drawings much like the next artist does. When it comes to writing I find myself prefer subjectivity to objectivity.

The now and the futurific

The most recent history of video games focuses around the sixth generation and seventh generation of console. At the start of the millennium the Playstation 2 reigned supreme in the market, the Dreamcast was fading away, the GameCube was lacking mature games and the Xbox made it’s debut. There was also mutliple alternative controllers such as the dance mat for games such as Dance Dance Revolution, Maracas for Samba de Amigo and a Guitar for Guitar Heroes. Many people also turned to online massively multiplayer online role-playing game playing World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XI.
In 2004 the seventh generation of consoles started as the Nintendo DS and the Playstation Portal were released. The major consoles then followed suite as the Xbox 360 came out along with the Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. All three consoles are all quite different when it comes to playing and due to this the battle to be number one console has become tougher. A trend that has started to appear these days is exclusive games being released on other consoles which has meant that similar games have been released on all three consoles.

When it comes to future gaming I tend to keep my mind open and look at anything that takes my interest. I’m hoping to play the next Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy games and a game that has caught my eye that is to be released next year is Bayonetta. But when it comes to things as future consoles I would love to be able to play games on a system much like the one shown in the games and anime series .hack where the player wears a virtual reality headset and uses a controller making them seem like they are actually in the game. Even more farfetched from that idea is to be transported into the game directly making game play seem even more real and tangible.

The middle bits and gap filling

In the early 1980s many of the first gaming computers were released, this included the Commodore 64, Apple II and Sinclair ZX Spectrum. The 80s was also the era where the arcade games reached the golden age. In 1983 there was a crash in the video game company, which brought the end of the second generation consoles.
After the crash the Nintendo Entertainment System(NES) was released with the game Super Mario Bros. and it instantly became a hit. Along with the Super Mario Bros. coming out in the 80s many well known games were also brought out for the NES including Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda and Metal Gear.
Right at the end of the 80s the Sega Mega Drive was released starting the fourth generation of consoles. Nintendo released the Super NES in response to Sega’s console. It was on the fourth generation consoles that the first basic three-dimensional graphics entered the mainstream and this was visible in such games as Virtua Racing and Star Fox.
The fifth generation consoles appeared in the 1990s including the Playstation and the Nintendo 64. It was cartridge Vs. CD-ROMs throughout the 90s and though cartridges were unique among the consoles it was the CD-ROM that won, and by the end of the era Sony had become the leader in the video game market.

Throughout my history of gaming, after Duck Hunt, the NES console was updated to the SNES. This was when I was introduced to the game Star Fox. Other games that I played on the SNES included Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Indiana Jones, Taz The Tasmanian Devil and the first game I ever completed which was Donkey Kong Country. While the SNES actually belonged to my brother I was brought a Gameboy in which I played Pokemon non-stop. I had a few other games for the Gameboy but they were hardly ever played.
It wasn’t long until my brother decided to buy a Playstation and I got introduced to the Tomb Raider series and the Final Fantasy series. Ever since playing the Playstation I have continued collect the Sony console allowing me to continue playing the Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider series.

Gaming, the early years and my rambling of games

Video games seem to have started within the 50s when technology was definitely not at its finest but that never seemed to have stopped mankind. It was OXO, a version of tic-tac-toe created by A.S. Douglas was the first game to come out but a few years later William Higinbotham brought out “Tennis for Two” which was created for entertainment purposes rather then scientific. In the 60s SpaceWars! and Chase came out and it was in the 70s when Pong was released. If it wasn’t for the people from the 50’s who created dots and lines on computer screens I doubt that games would be as advanced as they are now and I wouldn’t be playing the games I play now.

The first game I ever played was Duck Hunt for the Nintendo Entertainment System where the aim was to shoot pixelated ducks with a gun, which for me was exciting more because of the large orange gun that came with the game and the crazy dog that poked its head out of the grass . This is a contrast to the game I have most recently played which is Dragoneer’s Arias for the Playstation Portable, a role-playing game which resembles a game I feel kept me playing video games. Though Duck Hunt is important in my gaming life it was Final Fantasy VII that got me truly hooked on video games. I can remember so vividly the opening sequence: the music starting up, the screech of the train brakes, the dingy lighting and eventually the main title. It was this game with it’s crazy plotline that made me continue playing Playstation games.