Story in games
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130770/what_every_game_developer_needs_to_.php?page=2
Story is important in games because it is something memorable and gives players a reason to keep playing with a pay off at the end of the game. If a game is fun but has no story then reaching the end will almost be disappointing because it's over but if the story is good then there could be a huge pay off at the end to reward players for finishing the game. Stories in games have the same elements as stories in film and TV. There is typically a protagonist, antagonists, an inciting incident and something for the protagonist to overcome. Not every story follows these but they are outliers.
The character also needs to have a personality, there are plenty of games where the protagonist has no personality and is just a drone the player controls in the world and these are boring, we need to know about what type of person the character is in order to identify with them and follow them along throughout the story. The conflict in the story can be either internal or external, is someone trying to kill the protagonist or are they trying to overcome a personal battle within themselves. Normally the conflict is external, there is someone the protagonist must overcome or something along those lines however internal conflict is a big theme in Hamlet as he tries to overcome his own personal demons to avenge his father. Both work and both can be great.
The artical uses Halo as the story it mentions as an example, not a game known for great story but it shows how core it is to any game. They have you fight along side marines however at one point a marine attacks you and you choose to kill him or not which makes up your character, are you merciful or not?
Games also show and don't tell quite often, Dark Souls is a game in which nothing is told to the player, they must piece together the story themselves by observing the world around them. It is very possible to complete dark souls and not know what is going on because you didn't search for a story yourself.
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130742/into_the_woods_a_practical_guide_.php
Article 2
This article is about the hero's journey and how it plays into the story of a game. If a hero just stays in the same room for an entire story then it'll probably be boring. Changing scenery and setting keeps new things in the story for our hero to engage with so we can learn more about their character, the world and the story.
According to the article a hero typically possesses a couple qualities such as: courage, intelligence, a special talent, a motivation and an obstacle to overcome, to name a few. We can see that any successful story has a protagonist with at least a few of these or the story is based around them not having these, these qualities are integral to story.
The article also mentions villains. What makes a good villain? A good villain is someone that people root against, in the pro wrestling industry they're called a heel. A good hell makes people dislike them by being cocky, arrogant, a coward, deceitful, rude, wins by cheating and dishonorable tactics. This generates heat against them and makes people root against them. These can all be applied to a villain in a story. Look at white goodman from dodgeball for example, Cocky, arrogant, bought the best dodgeball team instead of earning one and mocked the average joes the whole film. A great villain and that was for a comedy, in a serious role someone like that could be more fleshed out and hated.
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Reading and writing week 9
Reading and writing.
I'll open this post with a little bit of honesty, I've missed a reading or 2 in my day so take all this with a grain of salt.
My experience with the readings and the writing in this semester has been mostly positive, typically you can do a blog post rather quickly if you know what you're talking about and the marks do add up. It enables self reflection which can serve as a way to drive yourself as it's very easy to turn in a project and never think about it again. This is not really possible here because you will turn something in and then you need to write about it and I imagine it would be quite difficult to turn in something you rushed and hate and then write a couple hundred words on it so it almost serves as a motivation.
The negative things about the blog posts are that looking at the moodle calendar is annoying because there is something due almost every day and it's a little demotivating but that's just me. Also the sheer volume of posts can be annoying, seeing so many posts due can be annoying even if they can be done in 5 minutes each it will still be annoying to see 6 things due in one day. It can also be slightly repetitive but I guess that's on me for not coming up with something better to say. My final criticism is the grace period in which you get an extra 12 hours on any posts you want seems pointless, why not just have the due date be 12 hours later?
overall I like the blog posts but sometimes it feels like there are just too many and the grace period system seems like it could be improved. I do like the self reflection that the blog posts force me to take part in as I feel it helps me learn more about myself and be more critical of myself when it would be quite easy to lie to myself otherwise
I'll open this post with a little bit of honesty, I've missed a reading or 2 in my day so take all this with a grain of salt.
My experience with the readings and the writing in this semester has been mostly positive, typically you can do a blog post rather quickly if you know what you're talking about and the marks do add up. It enables self reflection which can serve as a way to drive yourself as it's very easy to turn in a project and never think about it again. This is not really possible here because you will turn something in and then you need to write about it and I imagine it would be quite difficult to turn in something you rushed and hate and then write a couple hundred words on it so it almost serves as a motivation.
The negative things about the blog posts are that looking at the moodle calendar is annoying because there is something due almost every day and it's a little demotivating but that's just me. Also the sheer volume of posts can be annoying, seeing so many posts due can be annoying even if they can be done in 5 minutes each it will still be annoying to see 6 things due in one day. It can also be slightly repetitive but I guess that's on me for not coming up with something better to say. My final criticism is the grace period in which you get an extra 12 hours on any posts you want seems pointless, why not just have the due date be 12 hours later?
overall I like the blog posts but sometimes it feels like there are just too many and the grace period system seems like it could be improved. I do like the self reflection that the blog posts force me to take part in as I feel it helps me learn more about myself and be more critical of myself when it would be quite easy to lie to myself otherwise
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Games GDD
Games GDD
http://www.thegamesjournal.com/articles/DesignConsiderations.shtml
The main thing I pulled from this article is that the presentation of a game is extremely important to some people. The article was about a board game and some of the simple things were things that would seem obvious but could easily be missed such as making pieces smaller than their place on a board, using strong contrasting colours and things like that. This made me think about the games I will be making, board games aren't necessarily on the menu at the moment however these principals could be applied to the UI in any video games I make in the future.
https://learn.canvas.net/courses/3/pages/level-5-dot-0-generating-ideas?module_item_id=44545
This article posits that to design a game you should start with a simple idea, set of rules or something else important and work from there, this will root your game in reality and not lead to you making a huge idea and having to taper down. Know you're aim and your limits before beginning. Start with a realistic idea and do it well, a simple game made well is far better than an overly ambitious game done poorly. The core idea is idea generation because once you have a solid idea you can work from there.
http://gamingconceptz.blogspot.com/2011/12/simple-and-elegant-essence-of-game.html
This article focuses on PONG, one of the first successful games ever. It points out the pure minimalism of the game design and the extremely simple rules of the game. Requiring 2 players makes it a social experience and the article goes on to state that solid game design can stand the test of time as pong has.
https://www.traininginchennai.in/3d-animation-training-images/game-design.jpg
http://www.thegamesjournal.com/articles/DesignConsiderations.shtml
The main thing I pulled from this article is that the presentation of a game is extremely important to some people. The article was about a board game and some of the simple things were things that would seem obvious but could easily be missed such as making pieces smaller than their place on a board, using strong contrasting colours and things like that. This made me think about the games I will be making, board games aren't necessarily on the menu at the moment however these principals could be applied to the UI in any video games I make in the future.
https://learn.canvas.net/courses/3/pages/level-5-dot-0-generating-ideas?module_item_id=44545
This article posits that to design a game you should start with a simple idea, set of rules or something else important and work from there, this will root your game in reality and not lead to you making a huge idea and having to taper down. Know you're aim and your limits before beginning. Start with a realistic idea and do it well, a simple game made well is far better than an overly ambitious game done poorly. The core idea is idea generation because once you have a solid idea you can work from there.
http://gamingconceptz.blogspot.com/2011/12/simple-and-elegant-essence-of-game.html
This article focuses on PONG, one of the first successful games ever. It points out the pure minimalism of the game design and the extremely simple rules of the game. Requiring 2 players makes it a social experience and the article goes on to state that solid game design can stand the test of time as pong has.
https://www.traininginchennai.in/3d-animation-training-images/game-design.jpg
Games MDA
Games MDA
https://vimeo.com/288331391
The main thing I took away from the reading this week was the various different types of fun and how I, as a game designer, could implement them into any future games I make and how I could go about doing this.
The 8 types of fun are as follows:
Sensation - Games as a sense of pleasure
Fantasy - Game as make-believe
Narrative - Game as Drama
Challenge - Game as obstacle course
Fellowship - Game as social framework
Discovery - Game as uncharted territory
Expression - Game as self discovery
Submission - Game as pastime
This intrigued me as I started to think about what it was that my favourite games did that made them fun and fitting them into the categories was quite interesting as I found the 2 most common types for me were fellowship and challenge.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-08-why-are-video-games-fun
This article posits that it is almost the simulation aspect which makes a game fun and attractive for people. Saying it gives them an opportunity to "try on new hats" and to become their ideal selves. This also interests me because video games definitely give people an opportunity to do things they would never do in the real world and to take risks that in a realistic setting they would certainly not take.
https://venturebeat.com/community/2013/04/16/why-do-we-love-video-games/
This article puts forth that the reason we find video games fun is because they offer an escape. This ties back to the second article that says it's about trying new roles we would never be able to in the real world. It also states that it is the sense of accomplishment which drives people to play video games, it gives them something to work towards which I suppose ties back to the "Challenge" type of fun. Players will work towards a goal for a while and upon achieving it will feel a sense of accomplishment that you simply don't get with TV and movies.
https://www.officevibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/why-fun-copany-culture-goodi-for-business_quote2.png
https://vimeo.com/288331391
The main thing I took away from the reading this week was the various different types of fun and how I, as a game designer, could implement them into any future games I make and how I could go about doing this.
The 8 types of fun are as follows:
Sensation - Games as a sense of pleasure
Fantasy - Game as make-believe
Narrative - Game as Drama
Challenge - Game as obstacle course
Fellowship - Game as social framework
Discovery - Game as uncharted territory
Expression - Game as self discovery
Submission - Game as pastime
This intrigued me as I started to think about what it was that my favourite games did that made them fun and fitting them into the categories was quite interesting as I found the 2 most common types for me were fellowship and challenge.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-08-why-are-video-games-fun
This article posits that it is almost the simulation aspect which makes a game fun and attractive for people. Saying it gives them an opportunity to "try on new hats" and to become their ideal selves. This also interests me because video games definitely give people an opportunity to do things they would never do in the real world and to take risks that in a realistic setting they would certainly not take.
https://venturebeat.com/community/2013/04/16/why-do-we-love-video-games/
This article puts forth that the reason we find video games fun is because they offer an escape. This ties back to the second article that says it's about trying new roles we would never be able to in the real world. It also states that it is the sense of accomplishment which drives people to play video games, it gives them something to work towards which I suppose ties back to the "Challenge" type of fun. Players will work towards a goal for a while and upon achieving it will feel a sense of accomplishment that you simply don't get with TV and movies.
https://www.officevibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/why-fun-copany-culture-goodi-for-business_quote2.png
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Games MDA
What makes up a game?
It's a question that I tried to tackle in one of my initial blog posts way back in the day. It is a difficult thing to answer because the true definition of a game is a difficult one to nail down. However upon reading the readings it has helped me surmount this impossible task of discovering what it truly is that defines a game. The readings handily broke it down into a simple bullet pointed list with items such as rules, objectives and themes. These are the main 3 in my opinion
https://www.familyeducation.com/fun/making-family-time/importance-rules-games
Above is an article about the importance of rules in games, it basically boils down to leaving all players on equal footing and maintaining order in the game. It also kind of ties into the objective as the two work hand in hand in order to guide the players to what it is that the game wants to accomplish.
https://www.publicmedievalist.com/game-objectives/
Objectives are what drives a player to do what the game wants them to do. An example is if a game asks you to defeat an enemy to advance then the player will try to advance by defeating the enemy. Certain games like minecraft have been both praised and criticized for a lack of objective at least before the ender dragon was added which is a pretty loose objective that a lot of players choose to ignore or at least not have it as a priority.
https://www.giantbomb.com/profile/raddevon/blog/how-important-is-theme-in-video-games/31223/
Theme is very important.Is your game a first person shooter, an RPG, a strategy game etc. This let's
people know what to expect from the game when they are heading in to it for the first time. This can also help set the tone for a game, an RPG will normally convey a better story than a first person shooter, not always but most of the time. Theme also sets the tone as the two are very closely linked, for instance a game focused on being a balanced, competitive game such as overwatch or League Of Legends will not put much if any time into a story and will solely focus on gameplay and balance.
It's a question that I tried to tackle in one of my initial blog posts way back in the day. It is a difficult thing to answer because the true definition of a game is a difficult one to nail down. However upon reading the readings it has helped me surmount this impossible task of discovering what it truly is that defines a game. The readings handily broke it down into a simple bullet pointed list with items such as rules, objectives and themes. These are the main 3 in my opinion
https://www.familyeducation.com/fun/making-family-time/importance-rules-games
Above is an article about the importance of rules in games, it basically boils down to leaving all players on equal footing and maintaining order in the game. It also kind of ties into the objective as the two work hand in hand in order to guide the players to what it is that the game wants to accomplish.
https://www.publicmedievalist.com/game-objectives/
Objectives are what drives a player to do what the game wants them to do. An example is if a game asks you to defeat an enemy to advance then the player will try to advance by defeating the enemy. Certain games like minecraft have been both praised and criticized for a lack of objective at least before the ender dragon was added which is a pretty loose objective that a lot of players choose to ignore or at least not have it as a priority.
https://www.giantbomb.com/profile/raddevon/blog/how-important-is-theme-in-video-games/31223/
Theme is very important.Is your game a first person shooter, an RPG, a strategy game etc. This let's
people know what to expect from the game when they are heading in to it for the first time. This can also help set the tone for a game, an RPG will normally convey a better story than a first person shooter, not always but most of the time. Theme also sets the tone as the two are very closely linked, for instance a game focused on being a balanced, competitive game such as overwatch or League Of Legends will not put much if any time into a story and will solely focus on gameplay and balance.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Game Design
Game Design
As a person who has played my fair share of games over the course of my life I was quite surprised when I discovered that I didn't really know what a game was. I could tell you a game if I saw one but if I had to explain the concept to another person who somehow had never heard of a game then I would struggle. I would have probably just said something along the lines of "it's like when you want to do something that doesn't really matter for fun against someone" but that doesn't really make sense so the readings have definitely made me clear up the exact vernacular I would use if I ever find myself in that situation.
The dictionary definition of a game is as follows "an activity that one engages in for amusement or fun." This definition isn't great as things like cooking, watching tv or sleeping fit the description and when someone says they like games nobody expects that to be the extent. The reading has many more parameters for what makes a game but the main four I like are "games are an activity with rules, goals and decision making" there may be a couple non game things that fit those rules but I feel that those are the four main ones.
Now that I can nail down a better explanation of what a game actually is I should be more equipped to create a game of my own as I can check back to the rules and make sure my game has followed them. Without this my game may lack something important and I could end up making some sort of visual novel or an interactive movie which isn't exactly what I'm aiming for, however I am still not entirely sure what exactly it is which I am aiming for when I make my first ever game in unity over the coming weeks.
However knowing what a game is isn't enough. I need to know how to design a game. I need to spend time thinking about how my game will begin, what will happen in the middle and how it will end along with the transitions between these. If my game has story as a core element then I will need to figure out how to lead the narrative through these stages and if gameplay is more at the helm then I will need to find a way to keep it interesting throughout.
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-making-of-divinity-original-sin-2/
That is an article about the making of divinity original sin 2, in my opinion one of the best games ever. The article has the developers mention prototypes that were used before making the game full scale, this is something that could certainly prove useful to me. They also mentioned repeating the great parts of earlier games they made but that isn't really an option for me.
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/182380/postmortem_mcmillen_and_himsls_.php
That is an article about an indie game named "the binding of isaac" the part which stood out to me most was when they mentioned that they drew inspiration from the legend of zelda's dungeon system and expanded upon it to create something that hadn't really been done before, at least not to that extent. This simple idea led to one of the best selling indie games of all time and has spawned a sequel and a spin off is currently in the works too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvm0CN3tQFI
That is a video about the making of "oblivion" an open world RPG which I have personally put countless hours into. Around the 12 minute mark they mention that some things they make for the game don't make it in but it's just fun to make crazy, cool stuff. this leads me to think that I shouldn't be too serious about everything I make for my game, if I make something cool and it can fit in then sure, throw it in. If I make something that has no place in the world, perhaps I modify it or learn from it when making other parts.
https://iifamultimedia.in/images/slider/new_game_designing.jpg
As a person who has played my fair share of games over the course of my life I was quite surprised when I discovered that I didn't really know what a game was. I could tell you a game if I saw one but if I had to explain the concept to another person who somehow had never heard of a game then I would struggle. I would have probably just said something along the lines of "it's like when you want to do something that doesn't really matter for fun against someone" but that doesn't really make sense so the readings have definitely made me clear up the exact vernacular I would use if I ever find myself in that situation.
The dictionary definition of a game is as follows "an activity that one engages in for amusement or fun." This definition isn't great as things like cooking, watching tv or sleeping fit the description and when someone says they like games nobody expects that to be the extent. The reading has many more parameters for what makes a game but the main four I like are "games are an activity with rules, goals and decision making" there may be a couple non game things that fit those rules but I feel that those are the four main ones.
Now that I can nail down a better explanation of what a game actually is I should be more equipped to create a game of my own as I can check back to the rules and make sure my game has followed them. Without this my game may lack something important and I could end up making some sort of visual novel or an interactive movie which isn't exactly what I'm aiming for, however I am still not entirely sure what exactly it is which I am aiming for when I make my first ever game in unity over the coming weeks.
However knowing what a game is isn't enough. I need to know how to design a game. I need to spend time thinking about how my game will begin, what will happen in the middle and how it will end along with the transitions between these. If my game has story as a core element then I will need to figure out how to lead the narrative through these stages and if gameplay is more at the helm then I will need to find a way to keep it interesting throughout.
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-making-of-divinity-original-sin-2/
That is an article about the making of divinity original sin 2, in my opinion one of the best games ever. The article has the developers mention prototypes that were used before making the game full scale, this is something that could certainly prove useful to me. They also mentioned repeating the great parts of earlier games they made but that isn't really an option for me.
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/182380/postmortem_mcmillen_and_himsls_.php
That is an article about an indie game named "the binding of isaac" the part which stood out to me most was when they mentioned that they drew inspiration from the legend of zelda's dungeon system and expanded upon it to create something that hadn't really been done before, at least not to that extent. This simple idea led to one of the best selling indie games of all time and has spawned a sequel and a spin off is currently in the works too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvm0CN3tQFI
That is a video about the making of "oblivion" an open world RPG which I have personally put countless hours into. Around the 12 minute mark they mention that some things they make for the game don't make it in but it's just fun to make crazy, cool stuff. this leads me to think that I shouldn't be too serious about everything I make for my game, if I make something cool and it can fit in then sure, throw it in. If I make something that has no place in the world, perhaps I modify it or learn from it when making other parts.
https://iifamultimedia.in/images/slider/new_game_designing.jpg
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