Story in Games: A Guide to Narrative in Video Games PDF

Story In Games: PART 1: META, Character, and Plot Before we begin… Let’s be clear: not all games have/need a story or narrative. Certain puzzle games or endless runners follow this convention: there is no background detail, no plot, and (at times) no characters. Why are bloc...

Story In Games: PART 1: META, Character, and Plot Before we begin… Let’s be clear: not all games have/need a story or narrative. Certain puzzle games or endless runners follow this convention: there is no background detail, no plot, and (at times) no characters. Why are blocks falling? Why do I need to cut this fruit? You do it because it’s fun! In fact… Some designers are VIOLENTLY opposed to the ‘necessity’ of “story” in games. These designers put gameplay—MECHANICS—first. They feel games begin and end (and live an die) by their level of interaction as opposed to story. Others feel differently: to them story is everything. Who is right? No one knows. But what we do know is that VG’s are a unique media—a medium that allows us to tell a story via interaction. How much of that story you wish to develop (and how interactive it is) is your choice. That said…. Even the most basic games benefit from some kind of story (and protagonists and antagonists) Consider Angry Birds: Protagonists: Angry Birds (9 characters) Antagonists: The “Bad Piggies” (10 characters) Plot: The colossal army of green pigs constantly steal the Birds’ Flock's eggs to please their monarch, King Pig  Gameplay/Mechanics: The objective of the game is to eliminate pigs and destroy their buildings and structures at the same time. This is done by the birds launching themselves out of a giant slingshot and hitting the pigs' various constructs, henceforth eliminating them. Each level allows the player a certain number of birds, which must be used in the order provided Consider all the Meta-Narrative (that enriches the game)…. Pac-Man No plot, only gameplay. And yet we have protagonists, antagonists, and a basic (if not implied) storyline. Pac-Man Intermissions Look at it this way… If you don’t create a story (or elaborate on it) someone is going to do it for you, and you might not always like the results. Pac-Man 1980s Cartoon Theme Donkey Kong One of the very first (arcade) titles to have a logical narrative with a beginning, middle, and end. A brief cut scene sets up Kong’s kidnapping of Pauline. The actual gameplay comprises Mario’s struggles to reach the top and save her. The animation in the ending screen shows Donkey Kong falling and Mario and Pauline’s heartfelt reunion. WHY IS STORY SO IMPORTANT? Carl Jung – “They set the stage for how we develop as people” Story is fundamental to our existence and essential to understand our past and our present. Muriel Rukeyser – “The universe is made of stories not atoms” It is a method of passing history and creativity and things that may yet come to pass… Regarding the Player….. Story can create immersion: the player perceives the game world as alive; they take ownership of the world; they feel invested in the game’s outcomes (ie: NPC interaction; side quests) Without story, your games may seem too chaotic or random, and player motivation without purpose. Is even “some” story better than none? How Do Games Tell Their Stories? Externally (META): Instruction booklet/box, trailers, fan culture, emergent aspects Internally (in game): Franchise, character expectations, mythology, dialogue and interaction with game world and characters, environmental narrative, lore, collectibles. Internally (out of game): Cut-scenes, Pre-rendered openings/introductions, In-game sequences, Endings/Credit sequences External: The Box and Instruction Booklet Technical limitation often prevented detailed plots in early games: Consider the “plots” of these early Atari games and how they inform player motivation… From The Witcher 3 “The Witcher Universe Compendium” included with the game. Cyberpunk 2077 came with a large manual and map as well! External: Game Trailers A trailer is a fancy word for advertisement or preview of a work of art (ie: film, game, TV series, album) by broadcasting excerpts or details in advance of its release. Regarding video games, two types of trailers are common: Gameplay trailers (showing, duh, gameplay) Atmospheric or expository (explaining or embellishing a game’s setting, conflict, or plot) Expository players can add layers of story to your game that aren’t even programmed into the official game. While emotionally engaging, Dead Island’s trailer was vastly different than its game Dead Island Trailer - YouTube which had none of the pathos of its trailer. Fallout 4 Trailer Gears Trailer External: Promo “Shorts” (ie: Films) TF2: Meet The Sniper Short Culture: Cartoons, Comics, Books…. External: Fan Theories/Wikis The Fictional World: Setting as “Character” Most video games are placed in a setting that not only frames the player’s actions but is also engaging enough to rightly be called a “character” in itself (and thus add to the mystique of the character/game franchise.) This is no different than Oz, Middle Earth or Westeros; of course, even without geography, these stories’ main characters still have distinct personalities. Los Santos in GTA V Boston in Fallout 4 Rapture in Bioshock Bioshock: A Case Study An “important” video game Game of the year 2007 Restricted Narration: player only knows as much as the protagonist Unknown protagonist Story based on an engaging environment (Rapture), antagonist (ie: Andrew Ryan) and a combination of various real philosophies/writing (ie: objectivism, genetic research). Ken Levine, Game Director Bioshock: A Case Study Core gameplay mechanic idea based on three groups of forces: drones (little sisters) that would carry a desirable resource, protectors that would guard the drones (Big Daddy’s), and harvesters that would attempt to take the resource from the drones (Splicers). Publisher funding based on this core idea. However, visual elements became integral to the game’s personality and experience—I would argue they were paramount. Andrew Ryan Philosophy Consider your Favourite Fictional World… Specific geographical locations you like? Consider how the setting adds to your understanding of the game’s plot and characters beyond mere ambience. The Fictional World: Franchise and Mythology A successful pop culture mythology is based on a fictional world filled with a rich sense of geography and history. Of course a large supporting cast of complex characters also helps. Only then does an audience care about prequels and non-main character focused sequels. Consider franchises such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, GoT and LOTRs: here you have geography, history, philosophy, and of course various complex characters all with emotional depth. Do these video game franchises rival other pop culture franchises for geography, history, philosophy, and complex characters? The Fictional World: Prequels and Genre Expectations. Particularly useful in game sequels, prequels, and genre spin-offs. Halo Racing, anyone? Story: Internally, in-game: Character Unlike film, players need not “relate” to anything onscreen to enjoy a game (ie: Tetris) However, immersive video game stories require complex characters, both good and bad. Sometimes even shallow characterization is better than nothing. But it’s not preferred. What is a Complex Character? To be complex, a fictional character (protagonist or antagonist) must do at least some or all of these things: Express a range of emotions and personality traits—some even contradictory. Have meaningful interactions with other characters, for better or ill Have both weaknesses and strengths Undergo significant change in a story or advance the plot in a meaningful way, for better or ill Compared to literature and film, how many characters in video games can you think of that fit all of these descriptors? TYPES OF CHARACTERS: A PRIMER FLAT: Does not change throughout the story. Little emotional depth. Think Mario or Master Chief. ROUND: A complex character with a range of emotions. Think Geralt from The Witcher 3 or John Marston from RDR. DYNAMIC: A complex character who changes throughout the story. Think Joel from The Last of Us or Max from Life is Strange. STATIC: Can be flat or round. Someone who doesn’t undergo a significant change in a story. Think Link from TLOZ games or (potentially) Nathan Drake from Uncharted. What is a Complex Character? To discuss VG heroes and villains is to ROUGHLY study the progression of narrative complexity in the medium. P1: Simple plot, character, story (1970-1985) P2: Average plot, character, story (1985-2000) P3: Complex plot, simple character (2000-2006) P4: Complex plot, complex character (2008-now) P1: Simple plot, character, story (1970-1985) Some characteristics: Unknown/absent protagonist/antagonist Plot information given by box art and instruction booklet Gameplay fueled popularity as opposed to character. Phase #2: Plot, character, story—average complexity (1985-2000) The Era of video game protagonist as “mascot”—still used today…and there’s nothing wrong with that… Hero and Villain as opposites—stock characters, predictable LINK Fighting games: notorious for large casts of Fighting games: characters with minimal backstories. notorious for large casts of characters with minimal backstories. And yet, it all begins with solid writing… In the days before mo-cap cut scenes, full audio character dialogue, and memorable voice actors, all VG’s had were basic visuals and writing. Consider the emotional impact and level of story-telling in this 16-bit cut scene from FF3 (1994): Sabin and Edgar Coin Toss …Fast forward 26 years later to Stardew Valley (2016) No voice acting, no CGI or mo-cap. Just compelling characters and emotional arcs based on—you guessed it—great writing Phase 3: Complex plot, flat/static character (2000-2008) The arrival of the PS2 (2000), Gamecube (2001) and Xbox (2001) allowed for (obviously) even more sophisticated graphics. Gameworlds and gameplay became more complex. More notable gaming icons rose to popularity—but could they truly be Old school Kratos: a one called complex characters? dimensional rage-filled rage monster. Full of rage.  Isaac Clarke Isaac Clarke: Begins as voiceless protagonist, eventually gets “personality”. Gordon Freeman Why Is Gordon Freeman So Popular? “strong and silent type” (Game Daily) “the character is the quintessential geek fantasy” (Empire) “an MIT graduate, donning black-framed glasses and a goatee, he's not the guy you'd picture decimating the alien threat.” (UGO) “I'm sure some people love the fact that they can become Gordon Freeman -- I just think I'd be a little happier if there was anything there to become.” (1UP.com)  Ryu Hayabusa: Ninja Gaiden Male Power Fantasies and the Power of Projection. Or what I call “Lazy Characterization.” Kratos: God of War Agent 47: Hitman Master Chief and “The Covenant” Elite Grunt Flood Jackyl Hunter  “a character similar to Clint Eastwood and of few words.” “Chief isn’t the strongest or most crafty hero, and he isn’t particularly charismatic or intelligent or playful. But when civilization is on the line and all other options have been exhausted, Chief is the guy who’s going to get you through.” (Games Radar) Gears of War: Marcus Fenix, Dom, and unearned drama? At first glance the relationship between DOM and MARCUS seems emotional, not to mention DOM’s ultimate character arc and quest for his wife, and yet the whole story is rather—easy. Unearned drama given its gameplay. Sure, players sympathize, but in the end Marcus and Dom aren’t particularly complex characters and DOM’s “dynamic” character arc is kind of a well worn cliché. DOM is flat/dynamic in a way. Samus Aran and Lara Croft All discussions of body image aside, the character development of both lead gaming female icons is mixed: with Tomb Raider’s reboot, Lara has become a more complex character. Samus, on the other hand, is more the strong silent type…and now with long blonde hair in a blue lulu lemon body suit. Commander Shepherd: Mass Effect The best way players get to know a character is through speech: characters with more dialogue and NPC interaction have more emotional depth Phase 4: Complex plot, complex character (2008-now) Narrative Pacing: Complex Characters and Complex Plots Modern games are often LONG with numerous lines of dialogue. Characters reveal themselves to players gradually and with purpose Narrative pacing is now a concern and an art Players get attached to characters— complex characters who could exist Clementine from (and be interesting) even in the real TWD; Colt Vahn in world. Deathloop Kassandra from Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Dani from Far Cry 6, and V from Cyberpunk 2077. All female voice actors were (generally) considered cannon characters. All great performances. And yet, were they the pinnacle of complex characters in modern games? Hard to tell.  The last two games I played with a compelling plot and numerous complex characters were Persona 5 and RDR2 CLASS REFLECTION Discuss your favourite protagonists and antagonists in gaming? Why were you drawn to them/angered by them? Were these character fully developed or did their development rely on one dimensional aspects? How do you feel about shallow characterization? CASE STUDY: John Marston, Red Dead Redemption PLOT: John Marston’s wife and child are being held captive by government agents. To get them back he must work with these agents as a bounty hunter and “bring to justice” three members of his former gang. We learn about Marston through his behavior, dialogue, and his interactions with various NPCs in RDR. John Marston could be described as an anti-hero: someone who works towards the overall good, but does so in ways that are not morally right, and usually at best, morally ambiguous. Why is John Marston engaging beyond gameplay? In 2010, GameSpot described Marston as "a fascinating, complex character" due to his attempt to abandon his life as criminal. IGN commented on his sarcasm and his “struggle between good and bad behavior that makes him such an interesting and believable person.” Marston is portrayed as exceptionally honourable to women, suspicious of religion and other authority, and eager to defend the weak—a true hero but without the wishy-washy aspects. Marston and Dutch Dialogue NPCs in RDR Non-Playable Characters add colour and flavour to the game world, be it side missions or random NIgel West Dickens dialogue. Recurring NPC’s act as supporting roles, advancing the plot and also showcasing the personality of the protagonist. Seth Briars Michael Mando and Steven Ogg: if you want complex characters in your VG, it certainly helps to have great character actors as their basis and voice CASE STUDY: Trevor Phillips in GTA V. PLOT: Michael lives under witness protection with his family in Los Santos, San Andreas, but re-enters a life of crime with his old partner Trevor (and Frank). CHARACTER: Trevor is a sociopath and a cannibal. He is also surprisingly friendly and compassionate at times. Volatile, humourous and unpredictable. Trevor and Michael Discuss Brad Trevor and Michael Fight CASE STUDY: Vaas in FarCry 3 PLOT: Jason Brody and friends vacation in Bangkok. Eventually all are capture by pirates led by Vaas. Jason escapes and must free his friends, as well as liberate the island of Vaas’s control. CHARACTER: Much like Trevor, Vaas is a maniac, but charismatic and believable. Truly terrifying— what you want in a villain. Vaas: Real Life Vaas Opening Monologue Definition of Insanity CASE STUDY: Geralt from The Witcher 3 PLOT: An outcast from society, Geralt makes his living by helping track and dispatch monsters. He is feared and even hated. He is also trying to find Ciri, his surrogate daughter. CHARACTER: Geralt could easily be mistaken for the strong silent type, and yet as The Witcher 3 progresses—all 200 hours of it— Geralt does show a range of emotions based on his context. CASE STUDY: Nathan Drake in Uncharted PLOT: Adventurer type combing the world to solve ancient mysteries and reap rewards. Quick with a wise-crack as well as a pistol. Uncharted games are known for their intricate plots, realistic dialogue, and notable NPCs. That said, Nathan Drake isn’t particularly emotionally complex nor are his games’ villains. Uncharted games are more plot- driven than character driven (although #4 breaks this pattern). CASE STUDY: Joel and Ellie from The Last Of Us PLOT: Suffering from the pain of his daughter’s death, Joel guides Ellie across the country in an effort to save humanity from a virus. CHARACTER: Joel is quiet and composed but earns his drama. Ellie is also a marvel to watch, and the way their relationship blossoms is a thing of magic rarely seen in video games. CASE STUDY: Max and Chloe from Life Is Strange PLOT: Max discovers she has the power to reverse time. She with her friend Chloe must solve a mystery and possibly save their town from destruction. CHARACTER: Excellent. Many engaging characters, believable dialogue, and a unique plot for a game. Max and Chloe are fully developed and grow as people. Narrative Exposition Via main NPC’s: Tritagonists Sometimes a third character that is neither the Protagonist nor Antagonist will fill in the Lester in GTAV story to the player or to be a walking tutorial. Dandelion in Zobek in Castlevania: LOS The Witcher Internally In-Game: Plot Structure Not all games have a plot, but those that aspire to story-telling status certainly need one. Plot progression comes in many forms, but the most often referenced is the “short story plot” diagram which basically looks like a mountain… Of course applying a “literature” based graph to an interactive medium can present problems. Narrative: Purpose of the Side Mission The archetypal plot diagram is especially useful when discussing video game side-missions as they tend to follow it much more closely, but again not always: sometimes the rising action is gameplay sometimes the climax is gameplay Sometimes there is no falling action Side missions are often used to add depth to a game’s world, or can be used as added character development. At worst, they are busy work—fetch and carry. GTA V: Paparazzo - The Sex Tape (6:00 completion) Exposition: Franklin approaches Beverly near Downtown Los Santos. Beverly has heard that Poppy Mitchell is having sex with one of her co-stars in the Gentry Manor Hotel, and wants to catch it on video. GTA V: Paparazzo - The Sex Tape Rising Action: Beverly leads Franklin through a nearby hotel, then gives Franklin a camera. Franklin discovers Mitchell engaged in the sex act and proceeds to record the encounter from a nearby location, hidden. GTA V: Paparazzo - The Sex Tape Climax: Soon, Mitchell and her partner spot Franklin. Franklin and Beverly flee, followed closely by Mitchell. Franklin hops in Beverly's car, and a car chase ensues. While Beverly drives, he demands that Franklin continue to tape the pursuing Mitchell. Franklin must keep the camera centered around Mitchell's face until the chase ends GTA V: Paparazzo - The Sex Tape Falling Action and Resolution: Poppy chases Franklin and Beverly until she gets in a head on collision at a construction site. Franklin and Beverly drive on while Beverly imagines the headlines accompanying his videos. Franklin expresses disgust with his actions while Beverly spouts the joys of his job and Franklin’s participation. Consider your favourite side quests in gaming and how closely they followed the traditional plot diagram… Plot on a Macro Scale: THE HERO’S JOURNEY Concept popularized by Joseph Campbell in his book A Hero With A Thousand Faces Calls this the Monomyth or Hero’s Journey—essentially a metaphor for growing up or innocence to experience. A great framework to understanding plot development of epic games, and a fantastic example of when to break rules to avoid cliché. STAR WARS: THE HERO’S JOURNEY Hero’s Journey: Red Dead Redemption Again, consider all “plot diagrams” as guidelines. To follow too closely is to create a predictable cliché. Let’s consider Red Dead Redemption in regards to epic plot structure and characters: Three-act structure: South Texas, Mexico, North Texas The Enemy: Marston’s old gang members, government agents The Comic Relief: Seth Briars, Irish, Nigel West Dickens, Jonah Shape-Shifter: Abraham Reyes Sage Figures: Bonnie MacFarlane, Leigh Johnson, Landon Ricketts Red Dead Redemption’s plot doesn’t hit all the epic points of the HJ but it does culminate with Marston achieving his goals and returning home a wiser person—innocence to experience (not that Marston was that innocent to begin with). Video Games and Plot Climax/Final Boss? Most games have a climax—the moment of truth for the character or a “big reveal” or the final confrontation between protagonist and antagonist. Avoid predictable climaxes where possible, but don’t be afraid to create a satisfying ending. Video Games and Falling Action/Resolution Often times neglected in games and side missions: the point of the story where the conflict decreases leads to the resolution allows for the tying up of loose ends Is less dramatic than the climax helps satisfy the player’s curiosity Consider how RDR could have ended with Dutch’s death and Marston returning home—then, cut to black. Instead Marston tends his farm, raises his kid, interacts with his wife—we see him at peace. Persona 5 had MUCH falling action after the story’s climax… Conclusion: Meta-narrative, Character and Plot Much of a game’s story can be told out of the game, but the fanbase might take control. Players interpret missions, goals and outcomes from story, whether it is told to them as being important, or they have created their own emergent narrative to create value Many iconic and notable VG heroes and villains have accumulated since the medium’s inception: understand the difference between superficial characterization and complex characterization—and when one is more desirable than the other.  Game Mechanics and Aesthetics: PART TWO : GRAPHICS, SOUND, & PERSPECTIVE Video Game Aesthetics: Visual The definition of “aesthetic” (according to the Can. Oxford Dictionary) is “the philosophy of the beautiful, especially in art,” or “aesthetically pleasing elements.” Calling game aesthetics (ie: visual style, perspective, and audio) “mechanics” isn’t technically correct; however each is important when considering how players approach and interact with video games. PART TWO: AESTHETICS (visual) This is more than just the pictures and characters that are on the screen; it is the entire visual aesthetic including: Colour palette Lighting Theme Mood Era Visual Cues Super Mario Odyssey: (2017) Graphics Vs Gamplay Advanced graphics can allow for more detailed gameplay, but graphics should never take the place of solid gameplay. The Mario Series (for better or worse) has used technology to improve gameplay with each release (as opposed to just prettying up the graphics) Terraria (2011) UNDERTALE (2015) STYLE: Pixellated Stardew Valley (2016) Minecraft (2011) Minecraft  Octopath Traveller (2018) Celeste (2008) Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (2011) Dead Cells (2017)  Cel-Shading: “type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make 3-D computer graphics appear to be flat by using less shading color instead of a shade gradient or tints and shades.” STYLE: Cel-Shaded Borderlands (2009)  The Wolf Among Us (2013) Persona 5 (2016) A Wolf Among Us Wind Waker (2002) Okami (2006) STYLE: Cartoony CUPHEAD (2017) Rayman: Legends (2013) Hollow Knight (2017) Ori and the Will of the Wisps (2020) Don’t Starve (2013) STYLE: Photorealism COD: MW TLOU PART 2: (2020) RDR 2: (2018) FarCry 5: (2018) Uncharted 4: (2016) An entirely different subject is game remasters. Consider graphical and control improvements compared to the original. Consider omissions and revisions. Consider nostalgia and fan backlash. FF7 Pictured (2020 Vs 1997). Gamers are passionate about art styles!! 2023. A new Monkey Island game is in development. The problem? Fans revolt over the new art style of the game, flooding the devs’ social media with hate.  Untitled Goose STYLE: Minimalism Game: (2019) Limbo (2010) Inside : (2016) If Found (2020) SUPERHOT: (2016) Thomas Was Alone: (2012) Lighting DOOM 3 (2004) Outlast: (2013) Consider how lack of light can be incorporated as a mechanic: Outlast and its video camera “view” along with constantly depleting batteries. Era: AS: Syndicate and Odyssey, Bioshock and Witcher 3  Fallout 3 Mood/theme Consider the mood evoked in Fallout 4 via its score and numerous locations from desolate forests to abandoned towns to nuclear winters. Visual Cues Some games will give players visual clues regarding how to proceed. Tomb Raider (2013) used white lines for ledges, while Horizon: Zero Dawn and DOOM (2016) used yellowish/orange markers and green lights, respectively. RE:8 used yellow tape and ropes. The Unfinished Swan (2012): Art as Control Mechanic We’ve now reached a point where any visual style is accepted, no matter how basic or “low-fi” as long as the game has personality, be it a unique mechanic or engaging story. Consider West of Loathing, Baba Is You, Night In The Woods, and Return of the Obra Dinn (clockwise). Above is Hylics (2015), an indie game with clay models scanned into 3D---just a fever dream of a game. Right top is Pentiment (2022) whose art resembles medieval manuscripts and wood cuts. Right bottom is Hauntii (2023) whose art is hand-drawn minimalism. Segue: Consider Fonts and sound pitch for “voices” Don’t want to use actual speech for your video game? No problem! Undertale (2015) used different pitches for character speech in a type of “gibberish” spoken letter by letter. Banjo-Kazooie (1998) did this some 16 years earlier. Hollow Knight (2017) uses intermittent vocalizations (also in gibberish) with text. Pentiment (2022) has no vocal dialogue, but instead uses typography as “voices” for personality. PART TWO: AESTHETICS (sound) Sound can be more important than visual: Audio can evoke emotion and can tell its own story as well as accent other mechanics, like pacing. Audio is so deeply rooted in our being that sometimes we are unaware of the fact it is affecting us. That said, a lack of audio can be just as mesmerizing, engrossing, and disturbing. Consider the use of vintage recordings as soundscapes in both the Bioshock and Fallout franchises, and the mood each evokes. Dead Space and Sound Design: developers found that audio was MORE scary than the visuals, and thus deserved emphasis. Functions of Sound and Music Soundtrack: Main game music Themes: Battle, victory, boss, character. Ambient Effects: natural sounds such as weather or movement through buildings (echoes, etc). Vocalization: character dialogue Sound Effects: item interaction and event sounds. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice: noted for its use of audio to simulate the lead character’s mental illness and the voices in her head. Very well done.  ActRaiser (Super Famicom): Bloodpool - Act 1 - YouTube Actraiser: one the first early games to adopt an “orchestration” as the soundtrack. KNOW YOUR COMPOSERS: Kōji Kondō Hired in 1983. Composer for Mario Brothers and Zelda games. SMB Level 1-1 KNOW YOUR COMPOSERS: Hirokazu Tanaka Hired in 1983. By 1986 doing over 1/3 of all music for the NES. Famous for Metroid and Kid Icarus themes. YouTube - Metroid Kraid's Lair Music-Title Mega Man and Castlevania Megaman 2 - Dr Wily's Castle Stage 1 CastleVania III : Clocktower Two classic franchises noted for their soundtracks. Each game had several people working on the music. Nobuo Uematsu One of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community. Famous for scoring numerous Final Fantasy Games and Chrono Trigger. Final Fantasy III - Opening Credits - YouTube Martin “Marty” O’ Donnell Musical director for Bungie Composed music from Halo to Reach. Halo’s themes was especially unique given its use of tribal drums, organic strings, and even a gong—and all for a game set in space. Halo Theme Trent Reznor of NIN Did soundtrack for Id’s Quake on PC in 1996. In 2012, does theme for COD: Black Ops 2. YouTube - Quake one Theme Trent Reznor - Call of Duty Black music Ops II Theme - YouTube DUET Gameplay  Fallout 3’s radio, the Pip-Boy 3000, was hailed for deepening gameplay by allowing players to pick up radio stations when in range The soundtrack of GTA games is largely enhanced via in-game Consider RADIO radio stations listened to while STATIONS in Games driving various vehicles in the game. GTA 4 included 18 in-game radio stations and over 200 tracks (whether licensed or original). Using Studio Songs… Games featuring soundtrack songs with full vocals: “Far Away” by Jose Gonzalez from RDR “Still Alive” by Jonathon Coulton sung by Ellen PS2 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake McLain Eater “Take Us Back” by Alela Diane Portal "Still Alive" Official "Far Away" Music Video "You Were There" "Take us Back" - Alela Diane - Music “games” Mario Paint (1992) featured a music composing feature. Today Youtube features hundreds of videos by composers who used the software. Mario Paint Composer - SOAD - Chop Suey - YouTube Rhythm Games PaRappa the Rapper (1996) for the PS. The first “rhythm” game where players had to repeat a series of sounds by pressing buttons. Precursor to DDR and Guitar Hero games. are hat ve with ents. ld —the en, CONCLUSION: AESTHETICS—GRAPHICS & SOUND A game’s visual aesthetic combined with its score is just as integral to the playing experience as its mechanics--perhaps even more so! Any visual style is acceptable as long as it (ideally) complements the game’s design. Graphics and sounds can be used Consider the visual as mechanic for as mechanics in and of games using a ‘detective mode.’ Or themselves. consider the Silent Hill franshise’s use of radio static to alert the player of nearby enemies. Video Game Aesthetics: PERSPECTIVE Perspective: one of the first choices in game design A mechanic that directly dictates a game’s rules and states of interaction “Directly shapes how [players] perceive the game world and how close [they] can get to its characters and objects (or if [players] can relate to individual characters at all).” (131) RIGHT: FIRST PERSON (Bioshock: Infinite) and THIRD PERSON (Red Dead Redemption)  THIRD PERSON: “Over The Shoulder” Perspective: Point of view placed closely behind the game protagonist. Resident Evil 4: pioneer of this perspective  Punch-Out (1987) Super Punch-Out (1994) Isometric Perspective Used to show 3D objects in a 2D world—2.5D. Can be combined with top-down Allows for a less abstract perception of the gamespace. Zaxxon (1982) Paper Boy (1984) The Immortal (1990) Popular in RTS and role-playing games: “allows for a strategic understanding of the gamespace” (131) Diablo III (2012) The Sims 3 (2009) HADES (2020) Top Down (Bird’s Eye View): rarely employed by developers, but notable examples include Hotline: Miami (2012), 12 Minutes (2020), Darkwood (2017), and The Legend of Zelda (1986). LOZ: Link to the Past is more like a combo of isometric and top-down (see also Stardew Valley) Faking Depth: Parallax Scrolling Different layers of the game background moving at different Ninja Gaiden speeds. Ninja Gaiden 2 (1990) 2 Stage 2  Moon Patrol (1982) First use of parallax scrolling MOON PATROL arcade game by Irem 1982 From 2D to 3D: Depth DOOM used 2D models (raster sprites) which scaled back and forth in distance immersed in a 3-D environment In TMNT 4: Turtles In Time: the SNES’s Mode 7 allowed players to throw foot soldiers “out” of the screen: a perfect example of perspective as a game “mechanic” Super Paper Mario (2007): Perspective as interactive element/game mechanic. See also FEZ. Consider the graphical evolution of Castlevania games. Successes? Weaknesses? Did they still feel like Castlevania as the perspective changes? PERSPECTIVES: FIRST PERSON “First Person” as a game perspective has been around for decades. That said, it wasn’t until the release of DOOM and advanced 3D game engines that the technology lead to a “genre” of games all on Super Huey (1988) for the Atari 2600 its own. Shadowgate (1989), Mazewar (1973), Phantom Slayer (1982), Dungeons of Daggorath (1982) and Phantom Slayer (1982). YouTube - Ultima Underworld - Gameplay  Created by id Software. Faster than Ultima Underworld Famous for blood and guts— previously “fallen” game opponents had disappeared YouTube - Wolfenstein 3D  (1993) Lone marine who has to kill the Hordes of Hell. (demons, imps, etc) with various weapons Contained even more gore than Wolfenstein. Released through “shareware”— generated a huge buzz. The University of Wisconsin’s computers crashed twice from so many people downloading it. John Carmack and John Romero: co-founders of id Software and co-creators of DOOM BIRTH OF THE FPS ERA Doom truly begins era of FPS—future FPSs called “Doom Clones”. Downloaded by an estimated 10 million people within two years. More copies on computers in 1995 than Windows 1995. According to GameSpy, Doom was voted in 2004 by industry insiders to be the greatest game of all time.  Doom 2: Hell Doom 2 Level 7 - YouTube on Earth released in 1995 Seen as bigger and badder with more enemies and weapons John Vs. John After DOOM 2, Id develops Quake Romero and Carmack begin to disagree: Carmack is seen as a work-driven maniac Romero seen as a party boy. Romero leaves Id to found Ion Storm. Releases Daikatana to HORRIBLE reviews Id releases DOOM 3 and RAGE “Successfully” reboots DOOM in 2016 Errant Signal - DOOM 2016 - YouTube  Despite amazing graphics, DOOM 3 had its critics—for some the game was too much of a rehash with predictable enemy AI and standard traps. Halo Halo (XBOX) Released on November 15, 2001 More than five million copies sold worldwide. Master Chief—super soldier— becomes Xbox mascot and cultural icon. Praised as one of the best and most important games of all time. But why?  Gigantic open environments YouTube - Halo Combat Evolved Trailer Advanced AI Each enemy Covenant rank had its own AI: Lowly Grunts attacked en masse but scattered when caught solo (or when their superiors fell) Mid-rank Jackals took a craftier approach, rolling and strafing The Elites were aggressive Don’t get me started on the Hunters. Weapons and Vehicles Had a two-weapon limit: players forced to choose between human slug-throwers and Covenant plasma arms. The inclusion of vehicles enhanced gameplay exponentially. Warthog assault four-by-four Scorpion tank (complete with cannon) Covenant Ghost antigravity skimmer Banshee close-support aircraft. PlotLittle Twists and details Other Elements Two massive plot twists involving fungicidal zombies (“The Flood”) and cheerfully apocalyptic artificial intelligence (“guilty spark”.) Master Chief's mysterious background: “He’s here!" uttered by his fellow space marines or the terrified "It's him” shouted by enemies. Awards Awards and Fame and Fame According to Xbox.com, the game received a total of 48 awards. Reviewers praised the balance of weapons, the role of drivable vehicles, and the artificial intelligence of enemies. "numerous subtle innovations have been borrowed by countless other games since.” The game is often cited as the main reason for the Xbox's success, selling 1:1 with the XBOX Halo 5 & INFINITE As I’m sure you also know, Halo has seen many sequels, continued critical praise, and major fandom worldwide. It’s still Microsoft’s flagship title, integral to its success: case in point HALO: INFINTE (2021) Notable FPSs: see VALVE games, GoldenEye 007, COD—the list goes on…. Reasons Why FPSs SUCK? Too many of them: market saturation Too many all involving the same scenario: soldiers vs enemy (aliens, zombies, soldiers) Little story Reasons To Hate Modern FPS Games Too much emphasis on multi-player and DLC Too predictable: lazy programming with no surprises Too restrictive: you can never see what’s going on. The Success of Metroid Prime? Various third person ‘cut- scenes’ 3rd person morph ball Samus’ reflection in her visor Gameplay ‘uniquely’ suited to FPS? Via console commands, Portal 2 for the PC enables players to play the game in Third Person Perspective, but Portal has many effects that are only immersive because of the FPS perspective: such as when you pop out of a portal upside down and rotate back to an upright orientation.  FPS-MAN | First Person Pac- Man - YouTube First-Person Pac-Man: a surprisingly fresh take on the old “top-down” view of the game: adds all the elements of a great FPS survival horror game believe it or not! PERSPECTIVES: CONCLUSION Game perspectives inevitably influence game mechanics and aesthetics—in fact perspective can BE a game mechanic. Changing a game’s perspective can be a fresh innovation or, conversely, may destroy the “feel” of a franchise: GTA V, God of War, Metroid, Fallout, Skyrim. Of course, game design is all about risks. Imagine if Zelda stayed 2-D.  Game Mechanics and Aesthetics: PART ONE: INTERACTION AND CONTROL (pun intended) Game “Mechanic”: A Definition? How players interact with a game based on its rules and control scheme. Almost ANY aspect of a game can be a mechanic (sound, narrative, even death). Mechanics can include both tactile elements of a game (ie: button mapping) and also quasi- philosophical elements: how the game “feels.” In short, “game mechanics” is at once a deeply tangible and intangible term! Game “Mechanic” as Ludology The study of mechanics is called Ludology; it is the study of game player interaction with rules and, actions, and events (with an emphasis on rejecting games as stories or rejecting a game’s narrative properties as more important than their mechanics.) The term was coined by Gonzalo Frasca in 2003 in his essay Simulation versus Narrative: Gonzalo Frasca Introduction to Ludology (2003) Game “Mechanics” Defined By Genre? Yes and no, but game genres often produce expectations for game mechanics. Consider how films are defined by genre, but that game genres are (often) defined by their MECHANICS: Hack and Slash, FPS, RPG—and consider how the thematic genre is almost secondary to the mechanics (ie: an FPS can be both a drama—Firewatch—OR an action game!!) Also consider how game “genres” can be COMBINED (ie: survival horror + run and gun = Left 4 Dead) and how these genres can even have sub-genres. It’s all very confusing! SURVIVAL HORROR Characterized by feelings of helplessness and player vulnerability Dimly lit, claustrophobic environments. Scarce resources (Health and Ammo). Sometimes all you can do is run and hide! ROGUELIKE Named after the 1980’s game Rogue. Permadeath is the main mechanic. Also characterized by procedurally generated levels and “dungeon-crawling” environments. Rogue-Lite: sub-genre where some player progress is retained. HACK & SLASH Technically a sub-genre of action games Defined by combat using hand to hand weapons. Consider how the genre “changes” when combined with different game perspectives: FPS, side-scrolling, third person. Game “Mechanics” Defined By a FORMULA? INTERACTION + CONTROL MECHANICS = ________________________ ENVIRONMENT + MOTIVATION In short, game mechanics are a combination of what players can and cannot do in-game (interaction), how they are allowed to do it (control), where they are allowed to do them (environment), and why they are compelled to do them (motivation) based on both individual whims and intended designer goals and rules. Game Mechanics: INTERACTION Some players crave games with high amounts of interaction via their game systems; others are happy with low levels or fewer systems: Fumito Ueda: ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian “Design by Subtraction”: the idea of stripping away (subtracting) every part of your game that doesn't add to the intended experience. In short, a streamlined experience with fewer mechanics can be more effective than a bloated one with umpteen systems. Consider how JOURNEY, INSIDE and SotC make use of the following: music used at strategic moments; few lines of dialogue or no intelligible dialogue; few characters; small variety and/or number of enemies; interface, HUD, menu, and descriptions are highly simplified or absent; simple and functional control mechanics MANAGEMENT SIM The opposite of minimal design—maybe too much interaction/too many systems? Sub-genre of simulation games focusing on inventory and resource management for various goals. See also “SURVIVAL.” When all systems work together, can make for an enriching experience. At worst, the game can feel like one giant, over-whelming to-do list. MECHANICS & MEANING: EMOTION, FUN, & “REALISM” Good game mechanics should be deliberate and with purpose. Consider the following: Does the game allow you to kill NPCs; or does your avatar lower its weapon automatically. Can you even perform certain movements: jumping or sprinting? Frequently breaking weapons was How important is “realism” to in-game a REAL issue for players in the interactions. revolutionary LOZ: Breath of the Wild: a much detested mechanic! In Resident Evil 2, Leon doesn’t “sprint” so much as engage in a “slow jog” when the ‘sprint’ button is engaged. You can’t jump or crawl either.  At a key moment in God of War (2018), Atreus starts to rebel and won’t listen to Kratos; in-game, he won’t always respond when you press the “square” button anymore—a mechanical way to show his disobedience! A very subtle/cool detail!  To beat Psycho Mantis, a character who can read your mind, you had to move your PS controller from Port 1 to Port 2: A true breaking of the 4th wall Consider how the wonderful Celeste’s mechanics and difficulty COMPLEMENT its story and themes. It’s not hard for the sake of it—like Cuphead—but reveals deeper truths about self- doubt, mental illness, forgiveness, perseverance, and accomplishment—and all with a gorgeous soundtrack and visuals. Finally, consider how respawning is instantaneous—no lag at all to annoy players. PLAY IT. Missile Command (1980) Classic arcade games almost exclusively focused on mechanics (ie: Gameplay) often at the exclusion of story and aesthetics Consider the MEANING of Missile Command’s mechanics: Emotional turmoil Futility Sacrifice to increase player skill Extra Credits: Narrative Impeding doom Mechanics - YouTube REALISM VS QUALITY OF LIFE MECHANICS Quality of Life Mechanics: vary from game to game but can be loosely defined as usability features that make the playing experience more streamlined and enjoyable. Fast Travel options? Far Cry games making you hold a button to register a command to avoid mistakes. Or, compare traversing the landscape in GTA V to Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey: GTA V seems designed (at all times) to discourage players from being on foot. Red Dead Redemption 2’s “realism vs fun” debate was notorious and divisive among players given the game’s inconsistent and finicky mechanics [ie: picking up items one by one from a cupboard to only being able to call your horse over certain distances]. My advice? Always opt for fun over realism in game design. Fun is immersive in and of itself. Game Mechanics: CONTROL For some players, the controller or control scheme is a barrier to entry or breaker of immersion. Hardware: mouse + keyboard, controller, VR, phone? Consider complicated button combos for fighting games Consider QTE events Consider button spamming to “simulate” exertion Button input as “extension” of gameplay action? Both Heavy Rain and Detroit Become Human had their fair share of button spamming and multiple simultaneous button combos to simulate exertion and movement. See also Jusant’s climbing, and action sequences in Still Wakes The Deep. INNOVATION: CONTEXT DEPENDENT BUTTONS One of the most important innovations in game development was “CONTEXT” dependent controls: essentially a button that changed function based on in-game interactions. ZELDA OCARINA OF TIME popularized this concept as well as pioneering the idea of “Z-targeting” in a 3-D space, so combat would “lock-on” and flow naturally. POINT AND CLICK Genre defined by low levels of interaction. See also “Walking Simulator” That said, can be intense (see FNaF) or narratively rewarding. ENDLESS CLICKER GAMES Also called Incremental or Idle games Involve players clicking/pressing a button to spend on in-game items. Pictured: Cookie Clicker (2013), Make It Rain (2014), and Clicker Heroes (2014) Simple mechanics, low interaction, repetitive. Fun? Psychologically satisfying? Depends. WHAT ARE “JANKY” CONTROLS? Common video game term with a variety of meanings Can mean “unresponsive” or “awkward” or “clumsy” controls More philosophically, it’s a disruption between “expectations” and “outcomes” based on game rules and game controls: a lack of precision! Consider “hit boxes” in games or “safe pixels” for jumping on and off platforms. Consider games that demand you to take cover. Can “Jank” be deliberately designed? Deliberate JANK Changes of State: drunk, injured, environment (swamps/ice/wind), sanity meters, taking damage. Consider games that make controlling the avatar or vehicle deliberately difficult. PHYSICS GAMES Most games use physics, but this “Genre” is one where players succeed or progress by fighting a game’s pre-programmed physics based (often) on gravity or some other deliberate physics impairment, be they too sensitive or too imprecise. Game Mechanics: INTERACTION + CONTROL A perfect blend of these two properties —perfectly appropriate and responsive controls—leads to immersion: the 100% fulfillment of player expectations based on input and output Or, more simply: “This game Yes, yes, yes—all button mashing combat mechanics aside (see videogamedunkey), Arkham Asylum DID make players really makes you FEEL like…” “feel like” Batman: consider stealth, weapons, gadgets--- etc. Still, the button mashing was repetitive.  See also…. Game Mechanics as Narrative DEVICE Story can directly dictate mechanics MOVEMENT MECHANICS A delicate balance: too many button inputs can be frustrating and break immersion. Too few can seem unchallenging. MIRROR’S EDGE (2008) Innovative for the time, but damn—some of those controls were HARD to execute. Compare with…. GHOST RUNNER (2021) Also innovative First- Person platformer (!) highly praised for its precision and speed. Still photos don’t do the fluidity of movement in 2018’s Spider-Man for the PS4 justice. Swinging, wall running, jumping, flipping—it’s all FLAWLESS. But in some ways the game is a perfect mechanic in search of meaningful content. Yes the story is great and, yes, movement is fun. But (for me anyway) there are only so many times I can swing throughout the city collecting….nonsense. Same as previous slide: still photos don’t do the fluidity of movement in Phobia Game Studio’s Carrion justice. The movement is just so perfect— you really “feel” like a big slithery monster with numerous tentacles. A powertrip all the way. Vehicle Controls Does the level of control feel “satisfying” regarding the size and properties of the vehicle? Even the deliberate jank? OBJECT MANIPULATION In particular consider combat and weapons: hit detection and feedback. Fun Fact: Rock Star employees went to firing ranges to understand how various guns felt to fire. Game Mechanics: ENVIRONMENT Repetitive or simple mechanics can usually be forgiven as long as the game environment (or enemies) keep changing. OR consider how a “time” mechanic can be combined with a exploring the environment and tied into narrative. SUPERHOT (2016) SUPERHOT featured the “time moves only when you do” mechanic which was not only very cool and challenging, but allowed for some nice gameplay set-piece experiences too.  Time as mechanic is both prevalent in MINIT (VERY rewarding small scale progressions: you die after every 60 seconds) and Outer Wilds: Players replay the same 22 min loop before the earth explodes. Each play through they uncover more details about the plot. 12 MINUTES (2021) and DEATHLOOP (2021)) Two vastly different games, but each using time and repetition as a main mechanic: play the same 12 minutes trying to solve (complicated) puzzles to solve a mystery, or play the same 20 minute “day” trying to assassinate 5 key targets (itself like solving a puzzle). In both games, new knowledge is combined with prior knowledge to progress. A time management game? What Remains of Edith Finch MASTERFULLY blended unique animation, mechanics, and narrative to tell a moving and original story. A truly phenomenal feat of game design. PLAY IT. NOW. MECHANICS: CONCLUSION Anything can be a game, and anything can be the avatar in the game. Video games depends on rules and systems and player interaction: or, their mechanics—and ANYTHING can be a mechanic! MECHANICS = Interaction + Control + Environment + Motivation. Mechanics have meaning so use them purposefully and deliberately! Mechanics are often dramatically enhanced by a game’s aesthetics…….. Progressive and Emergent Gameplay The Difference, When to Use, and Benefits and Drawbacks of Each Progressive Gameplay: Definition One game event cannot occur until the one before it is completed Progressive gameplay can include non-linear gameplay moments but only when there is an underlying and defined “this leads to that” progression. Typically has lower replay value but can be mitigated based on difficulty levels or other mods and options. Many types of progression exist such as…… Types of Progression Progression in games can be related to: Geography or gamespace Skills Weapons, Armour, and Items Story Many video games will mix various amounts of progression, with some placing more emphasis on one type vs. another. For example…consider…. Dead Space Game is heavily dependent on all types of progression: narrative, weapons and armour, and geography. Portal Focuses on geographical and narrative progression. No skill tree; no weapon or armour upgrades. Left 4 Dead Focuses on geographical progression. No skill tree; no weapon or armour upgrades (but weapon swapping), and little story. Progressive Gameplay: GEOGRAPHY/GAME SPACE Can be tight and linear, wide and linear, or more expansive yet “gated.” Regarding tight and linear, consider side-scrollers or individual game levels that “feel” large (ie: zones) but are still compact areas essentially. Choice of progression is usually dependent on setting. Halo was notable for being one of the first games to have linear progression with big, open environments. Many years later, Naughty Dog games—such as The Last of Us 2 and Uncharted 4—always do a great job of making their linear environments feel much bigger than they are: mini-sandboxes, but just with little to do. Consider how geographical progression and environments have evolved via the original DOOM games vs. the reboots: both used keycards and coloured skulls but the original had many more claustrophobic environments. “Gated” Progression (linear) Progression that unlocks specific geographical areas of the game a little at a time, but usually used for larger sections or “zones.” Done to avoid overwhelming the player or—more importantly— so that developers retain control of a game’s pacing (in regards to narrative, skills and weapons/items). Geographical progression can be specifically tied to other types of progression for player access: for example—meeting a new character to unlock a new playable area, or gaining a specific item to allow access to a new area. Resident Evil 2 largely takes place in the Raccoon City police department, but expands below to the sewers and eventually an underground complex. Batman: Arkham Asylum followed a similar route for progression: specific areas around the grounds became accessible after key plot events. Many games—such as Far Cry 4—shade out their maps, revealing geography a little at a time. FC4 also had gated progression for its landmasses as well. Dying Light did this too, and also features 2 very large zones… The slums…. …and Old Town Red Dead Redemption’s map beautifully intertwined with its 3 act story: from Texas, to Mexico, to North Texas (ie: Blackwater) The same must be said for the Witcher 3’s gigantic world map. “Gated” Progression and “Hubs” Certain games allow player choice in how to proceed geographically or connect back to a “hub” or central player location. Mega Man games are famous for their player choice stage Super Mario 64 took place in Princess Peach’s castle with Mario select screens. (Mega Man 11) going into paintings to unlock new levels and areas. Bloodborne features “Hunter’s Dream”—the game’s hub for zone selection, level and weapon upgrades, among other purposes. Zelda games are (or were) famous for their mixture of gated geographical progression via temples, amulets, and items—with a “hub” overworld. The “Metroidvania” Game Games famous for tying geographical progression to item acquisition with an EMPHASIS on backtracking. Hard on the memory sometimes. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Ori and The Blind Forest Hollow Knight is perfect example of a modern “metroidvania” game, but it is HUGE with few fast travel options. Be warned: backtracking is a chore. Procedurally Generated Geography Games that spawn different geographical areas for each play session. Closely tied to the “perma- death” mechanic. Exciting for some; discouraging for Pictured: The Binding of Isaac, others. High Spelunky, Hades, and Dead Cells (Dead Cells allegedly marketed itself as a replay value. roguevania…) Procedurally Generated Geography: CONFUSION Remnant 1 and 2 featured procedurally generated worlds with no real GPS: the good, a unique experience each time! Yay! The BAD? VERY confusing with players often NOT knowing where to go and UNABLE to look up a proper walkthrough on Youtube. [my buddy and I abandoned the first game—we just couldn’t find where to go….]  Consider games that feature “radiant quests” like Fallout 4 and Skyrim— how often were you sent to the same place? These games often cannibalize their own geography. Beware procedurally generated side quests and repetition PROGRESSIVE GAMES: SKILLS Skills trees are an essential aspect of progressive gameplay. Concepts to consider: Full skill access vs. incremental upgrades Necessary skills vs decorative skills Design aspects that undermine their own skill trees “Less is more” Vs. “more is more.” The skilltree as narrative mechanic or tied to character builds. Ideally, all potential skills are desired and necessary. Players should feel a real burden of choice when tasked with selecting a skill. FarCry 4—how many of these skills lacked excitement for you? Perhaps I’m just an idiot or too old school for my own good, but I just found Spider-Man’s skill tree either overly complicated (based on the button combo) or mostly useless. I had very little incentive to upgrade given how great my main powers were. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Complicated button combinations are not ideal when paired with new skills. Borderlands games: famous for unlocking skills with incremental tiers. Annoying or enriching? Ori and The Blind Forest had an excellent skill tree: all desired and useful. And some with increments up to three with NOTICEABLE results. Dying Light did a decent job of making most of their skills desirable and useful Not only was Carrion’s skill tree compact with each one useful, but swapping them out was also incorporated into gameplay mechanics as players needed to resize (or drop “biomass” at specific areas) to equip them.  The skilltree in InFAMOUS doubled as a narrative mechanic in that players could choose to be a superhero or super villain based on the powers they picked.  Prey (2018) did something similar where players could pick “alien” powers—by bonding with alien material—or remain human. Enemies would react to you differently based on the amount of alien material in your body. Less is more: you can only swim in God of War after getting Poseidon's Trident—an excellent example of making players wait for a specific skill (tied to item acquisition). And sometimes less is just less: Level progression in Dark Souls is slow and laborious. You get 1 measly point per level- up. BUT the payoff is very rewarding. Slow and steady. Fallout games are notorious for their numerous skills and perks, many of which are solid and desired, allowing for various character builds. PROGRESSIVE GAMES: WEAPONS, ARMOUR, & ITEMS Concepts to consider: Used to unlock game space Used to advance narrative Used to scale player’s power Super Metroid: famous for weapon, armour, and item upgrades tied to geographical progression In Fact…..(FULL power to NO power to Progression) In various (or all?) Metroid games you start with all your powers, only to lose them all, and then proceed to re-collect them over the period of the game. Maneater did this too— giving players a TASTE of the powers they’ll acquire and wield by game’s end. Zelda games did the same thing The new Tomb Raider games—particularly the first one—had excellent weapon progression, usually tied to expanding the gamespace. Getting the grappling hook in Dying Light (at level 12) felt like such a monumental achievement: so many more movement options were unlocked. Less is more: Dead Space offers Isaac a mere 5 upgrades to his armour, but gaining each one feels like a monumental achievement—very satisfying. ICO: Less is more—only 3 weapons in the entire game. Horizon: Zero Dawn’s armour/weapon customization (to me) was frustrating. The game wanted to present the player with “outfits” but there were too few choices that scaled too quickly with little customization. Moreover, players are encouraged to buy numerous outfits and swap them for various perks which is too much busywork. Balance is very important when distributing items: consider Fallout 4’s “feast or famine” problems regarding fusion cores and stimpaks. Progressive Games: NARRATIVE PACING As previously discussed, progression is used in particular to tell stories. Fewer branching options make for a tighter story, but streamlined stories often have little replay value once all plot twists are revealed (however, combat, morality systems, and open world gameplay can help remedy this.) Emergent Game Design: DEFINITION Player created or self-directed gameplay In the past, was non-existent as most games were almost exclusively progressive. With technology came the ability to allow for more complicated design/player choice—now the norm. Preferred and desired by many (?). Two types to discuss: Designer Instigated (ie: intentional and encouraged) Player Instigated (ie: unintentional, sometimes game-breaking) Emergent Gameplay: INTENTIONAL Designer instigated freedom, choice, customization, and PLAY as dominant game features: Gameplay Styles Narrative Choice Weapon Customization Crafting/building Sandbox Environment “Emergent”Events Player Hijinx Emergent Gameplay: Gameplay Styles Perhaps the biggest and most common choice given to players in current action game design is STEALTH vs. GUNS BLAZING Emergence, thy name is Baulder’s Gate 3 Baulder’s Gate 3 was game of the year 2023, winning untold awards. Why? Emergence. Players not only had multiple dialogue choices and character builds (standard) but numerous story paths to pursue and numerous ways to engage with the world and in combat. Often surprising and inventive. Regarding narrative, consider games that allow branching stories based on player actions, morality, or dialogue choices—something we’ll discuss later in the course (but see next slide too!) Narrative Flowcharts: Detroit Become Human Detroit Become Human is famous for its emergent narrative; moreover, it also presented a flowchart at the end of each chapter so players could SEE the various paths their story could have taken. Very cool. NARRATIVE: Or consider games like The SIMS that truly allow you to make your own story from the ground up and populate it with your own characters. Emergent Gameplay: CUSTOMIZATION Customization of gear (or the ability to switch gear) is all the rage in contemporary game design, even for games that follow a very linear progression. Emergent gear doesn’t “scale” but often merely provides players options for looks and abilities. For example, in Witcher 3 you can even dye your armour various colours. Like Witcher Gear, the armour and weapons in God of War didn’t so much scale as they provided options for players depending on looks and playstyle “Fashion Souls”: FS games are FAMOUS for Emergent armour and weapons options but you’re sadly bound to their stats…. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey allowed players to customize armour and RETAIN its stats: no longer were players bound to ugly armour merely to keep a certain piece’s DMG rating or forced to spend tons of gold. Once you collected ANY piece of armour, its skin was added to the customization database. Weapon Customization appeals to many gamers but only if done correctly. Too many options can be overwhelming and not enough can be clumsy or unfulfilling. Dead Space 3 was criticized for the latter. Crafting: “Ultrahand” in TOTK and Dead Rising Dead Rising games were famous for their weapon and vehicle crafting combo options (blueprints needed). Pictured: The RollerHawg Ultrahand: Link’s ability in TOTK to manipulate/paste together up to 20 objects to create vehicles and structures. Consider how many games now offer “crafting” options for almost every conceivable item or dwelling. Pictured: settlement building in Fallout 4.  Some sandbox games feature very little progression and instead function more as “creation systems.” Consider Garry’s Mod, Minecraft, Little Big Planet, Mario Maker, and Sony’s newest addition to the genre—Dreams.  Many open world games are “games of emergence, with embedded progression structures” (Juul). Consider basically any open world game you want from GTA V to the latest Assassin’s Creed game to Animal Crossing: New Horizons to Untitled Goose Game. In fact…. In fact, no two games deserve more credit for reinventing themselves and perfectly blending progression and emergence than BOTW and Elden Ring. Who would have thought they’d both work as open world games? Emergent Gameplay: Random Events Scripted sequences in progressive games happen at specific plot points; however, emergent events are random and add ‘memorable chaos’ to games. Sea of Thieves: Play and Emergent Events Emergent Gameplay: Random Events Consider hunting or animal encounters in most open world games: used for progression but also instigators of emergent events. How many of you have been randomly attacked by a honey badger, bear, or cougar? Emergent Gameplay: Player Hijinx The “journey” to victory is your “story.” “Emergent gameplay with the sole progression being your own skill” Consider PUBG, Fortnite It’s all about “remember that time when….we drove on the railroad tracks in Ghost Recon as a shortcut but the train came and hit us!” Emergent Gameplay: UNINTENTIONAL Unintended physics or item use. Both good and bad: Good when players use game in unintended way to increase enjoyment or replayability of game. Bad when players use game to cheat, exploit, or ruin the gaming experience of others. See Steve Gaynor’s discussion about cheese wheels in Skyrim Deus Ex (2000): Proximity Mine Climbing Most famous example of unintentional emergent gameplay. Players discovered they could attach a proximity mine to the wall and hop up on it, attach another above—like a small ledge—and hop on that one, thereby climbing any wall in the game and escaping the game designers’ carefully predefined boundaries. Quake: Rocket jumping (using the explosion from a rocket combined with jumping to reach high places). Bugs, Glitches, Exploits Game design flaws which allow players to perform actions (often cheats of an exploitive nature) not intended by designers. Can be funny or just plain weird. Do these ruin the fun or enhance the game? Sequence Breaking “Sequence Breaking”: term first used in 2003 in online discussion regarding Metroid Prime. Thardus (a boss) was designed to be a mandatory encounter before the Gravity Suit and Ice Beam could be obtained—players found a way to bypass the boss yet still get the items. Players can exploit imperfectly designed game mechanics to do unexpected and unusual things that save time. Speedruns: Super Mario 64: 16 Star Run Mario normally needs to collect at least 70 of the 120 power stars before he is allowed to play the final level and fight Bowser A glitch makes it possible for a runner to access that level with only 16 stars. Super Mario 64 Speed Run Pacifist Runs & No Hit Runs Griefing/Trolling Players who take joy in deliberately destroying the gaming experience of others In 2003, Blizzard chose to cancel 400,000 accounts on the Battle.net portal. Accounts had been associated with a cheat program and were seen as harmful to Battle.net as a “fun and safe place.” 41% of players feel multiplayer gaming is often troubled by “saboteurs.”  “The Cloudsong” YouTube - Stole my Cloud Song EVE online: piracy, protection racketeering, theft, and ransom. Emergent gameplay: SOCIAL EVENTS Emotes—a relatively new feature, but now very common in game design—offer players all types of opportunities for emergent behaviours and social events: consider dances in Destiny, Overwatch and Fortnite, to playing music in Sea of Thieves. It’s all about expression for fun.  Weddings and Funerals Opportunities for love, mourning, and—sadly— unintended chaos. The Corrupted Blood Plague (World of Warcraft) (2006) In 2005, Blizzard added a new boss with a hit- point draining spell that affected anyone standing directly next to him. Since getting near the boss meant you were probably about to die anyway, they saw no harm in making the spell contagious. Bad idea: Players soon worked out how to teleport the plague out of the dungeon and into the real (fake) world. An MMORPG pandemic was born. Blizzard couldn’t stop it and had to do a hard reset of their servers Drawbacks to Emergent Games and Gameplay? Emergent narratives lack the emotional impact of linear storytelling. Players feel overwhelmed by branching narratives Too expensive to make Game breaking glitches and exploits Too much choice can lead to option paralysis Not P Vs. E, but P & E. Progressive and Emergent games appeal to various players Game design should try to strike a balance between both—between PLAY and GAME. The best games have flexible mechanics and allow for experimentation. Conclusion “On a theoretical level, emergence is the more interesting structure. It is where we find that it neither makes sense to describe games as open (the player free to do everything) or closed (choosing only within a number of options set up by the designer). So [intentional] emergence in games is the third way, somewhere between a designer completely specifying what can happen, and leaving everything to the user/reader/player. The concept of emergence is an attractive one, and it is helpful in understanding how the simple rules in a game can create the variety we often witness” (Juul).  Examining the Video Game Sales, Demographics, Industry: Records Trends and Stats Avengers: Endgame Vs. GTA V The one-day record holder for a movie premiere is Avengers: Endgame, which brought in $140 million (estimated) in ticket sales on its opening day (April 26, 2019) GTAV recorded sales of $800 million…on its first day (Sept 17, 2013) More GTA V Sales Records In its first three days of availability, GTA V set a worldwide record earning 1 billion dollars. Compare with… Star Wars: TFA ($1 billion in 12 days) COD: BO2 ($1 billion in 15 days) Avatar/Avatar 2 ($1 billion in 17/14 days) Even Deadpool and Wolverine took 3 weeks to reach a billion dollars. In fact… Over 90 million copies sold Has made over 6 billion dollars worldwide Regularly outsells newer titles, even now. 10 10 Best-Selling Video Games (of all time) Best Selling Video Games of All Time #1 Tetris (520 million) #2: Minecraft (300 million) #3: GTAV (200 million) #4: Wii Sports (83 million) #5: PUBG (75 million) #6: Mario Kart 8 (75 million) #7: Red Dead Redemption 2 (74 million) #8: Skyrim (60 million) #9: Terraria (59 million) #10: Witcher 3 (50 million) https://www.ign.com/articles/best-selling-video-games-of-all-time-grand-theft-auto-minecraft-tetris GTA VI Anticipation Most-liked tweet (now X) in the history of X: 1.8 million likes in 24 hours. Most viewed video game reveal on YouTube in 24 hours with 90,421,491 views Most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours (non-music) Most liked video game trailer on YouTube with 8.9 million likes in 24 hours. What Does This Mean? Do video games make more money than movies? Actually: Yes. Of course figures change based on AAA releases for all mediums, but as it stands VGs are not only the fastest growing entertainment medium, but they are also the most profitable. Not that money equals quality, ya dig?  “I can’t believe it!” (says completely ripped 8 year old kid…) Hardware Sales Totals: Last Gen and Current Gen Each year the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) publishes a PDF book of stats on the video game industry for the video game industry. Check it out in the course content section: KNOW your audience. What Is a Game? What is Play? DO YOU WANT TO PLAY A GAME? Why Should You Care? Why Should You Care? Because definitions influence (for better or worse) the style and conventions in the games one creates/plays. Limiting: “A game can’t be that!” Expanding: “Of course that’s a game! Maybe not in the traditional sense, but…” Consider the limitations placed on other art forms (ie: music) Consider how these definitions affect innovation and expectations Gone Home (2013) Subtitled “A story exploration video Game” Universally praised by all major (and minor) gaming publications Universally criticized by many for not being ‘a true video game.’ Gone Home: A Story Exploration Video Game SPOILERS HERE So! Is Gone Home a game? …let’s come back to that in a bit… What Is Play? On Play’s Importance Play develops physical and intellectual capacity: Language Imagination Bad Clip Art….. Empathy Facing fears Play instills basic social cues such as reading faces, determining when someone is hurt, and how to take turns. Play Defined (again) Play is an activity that one partakes in that is considered to be enjoyable or has an element of “fun”. The element of fun is fundamental to play. While it can be repetitive if one chooses, it typically has no defined structure or end goal beyond simply enjoying the activity Play must be voluntary: you cannot be forced to have fun. George Herbert Mead (1863-1961) Social Psychologist Play important to the “genesis of the self” Make-believe, role-playing Johan Huizinga (1872-1945) Dutch scholar 1938 publishes landmark book examining the importance of “play.” Concludes that play is intrinsic to many species, not just humans and play is an essential element to the formation of culture. “Play is free, is in fact freedom.” “Play is connected with no material interest, and no profit can be gained from it.” Play Is Instinctual--Innate Think of all the crazy stuff that animals do with no purpose other than to have fun. Yes, sometimes these actions mimic actions in their lives (ie: to hunt) but other instances, it’s just spontaneous nonsense. Raven Sliding Down Roof Roger Caillois (1913-1978) Theorist who set PLAY and GAME at opposite ends of a spectrum: PLAY: An enjoyable activity entered into voluntarily with no defined structure or end goal beyond simply enjoying the activity. GAME: A structured activity that has defined rules and a set goal but that has an essence of play Typically games have rules and consequences, outcomes, goals, and effort by the participants. Examples of Game: SPORTS Any sport is a game as sports have defined rules (may be altered but the basic rules of the game persist), goals and consequences. Teams and competition. Professional sports teams are more like “work” since their play is for profit and they must play Examples of Game: BOARD GAMES Any BOARD GAME is a game as they have defined rules (may be altered but the basic rules of the game persist), goals, and consequences. Some people take board games seriously! Examples of Game: CARD GAMES Any card game is a game because they have defined rules (may be altered but the basic rules of the game persist), goals and consequences. Examples of Game: “SCHOOL YARD” GAMES Hide and Go Seek Grounders Duck, Duck Goose Musical Chairs Red Rover Hot Potato Rock, Paper, Scissors Tag X’s and O’s Dodgeball 7-UP What Time Is It Mr. Wolf? Examples of Game: Party, Bar, and Other Bowling Pin The Tail on The Donkey Darts Spin the bottle Billiards Drinking games Laser tag Capture the Flag The Floor is Lava Ping Pong Tabletop Games Playing dominoes in Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) The Point? Regarding GAME. Think of have many of these games have either been turned into stand alone video games or been included in video games for added depth. Many, many VGs have featured internal card games. Any “unsafe” surface in a game is basically “the floor is lava.” (Super Mario World) Pictured: Gwent from W3—now a standalone game Hazelight Studios’ A Way Out (2018) featured a ridiculous amount of mini-games for added player enjoyment. Not shown: Swingset, shooting baskets, darts, balancing in wheelchairs (true!)…. Now, regarding PLAY. Consider how many games incorporate PURE PLAY—the ability to just mess around with people, animals, the environment, and objects (free of game goals)—as elements for added depth and immersion (and fun). Now let’s consider some examples of PURE PLAY and how these can add depth to your games or be used in game design. Examples of Play: MOVEMENT (involuntary/limited control)—JUST FOR FUN. Swinging (ie: swings) Bouncing (ie: trampoline, Bouncy castle) Sliding (ie: slip and slide) Being thrown (damage reaction) Rolling down a hill Vehicles: Driving, Flying, Hang gliding, Parachutes, cycling, skateboard Farcry, GTA, and Halo—wide assortment of vehicles—related to game goals, but obviously just fun to use all the time anyway. INVOLUNTARY MOVEMENT—JUST FOR FUN. Consider falling through portals in Portal or jumping and bouncing in gel in Portal 2 Consider staggering around, drunk on “grog” in Sea of Thieves. Consider how you “fight” the controls in certain games with hilarious results (ie: Octodad). Examples of Play: MOVEMENT (voluntary, controlled) Swimming Parkour Jumping Grappling Running Skating Climbing Dancing Balancing Swinging VOLUNTARY MOVEMENT—JUST FOR FUN. Consider climbing the tallest buildings and jumping off in Assassin’s Creed or Spider-Man. Consider the grappling hook in both Dying Light or Just Cause. Consider special moves where you teleport in Shadow of Mordor (“Shadow Strike”) and Dishonoured (“Blink”) Driving around in GTAV? Consider movements in game you do to achieve both game goals AND because they are fun to do—movement you do even when you don’t have to. Examples of Play: Object Manipulation Skipping Stones RC Cars and Planes Paper Airplanes Sprinklers Hoses/Power Washing Balancing a ruler/stick Leaves Blowing Bubbles in Milk Clicking Pens Flashlights Fly a kite Hula Hoop Frisbee Weapons/Items (guns, Catch arrows, boomarangs—used for more than just defense) Yes Luigi’s Poltergust 3000 is used for game goals, but just controlling a shining light and pointing it at stuff is fun too (not to mention sucking stuff up with a vacuum)---who hasn’t played with a flashlight as a kid? Same thing with Mario’s FLUDD—spraying a hose as a kid is fun….and in a video game, it is too. The best mechanics are related to game goals AND pure play, so you always do them even when you don’t have to. Game Design Game 101:101: Design Non-essential Interactive Non-essential Interactive Objects are FUN. Objects are FUN. Wolfenstein: The New Order has, yes, flushable toilets---and BJ even makes a 4th wall breaking comment if the player keeps doing it! For those of you old enough to remember, Mario 64 began with Mario’s face that players could pull, stretch, and otherwise distort—just for fun. Pure play all the way. DOOM (2016) gave the player secrets to find that unlocked game models which could be rotated and zoomed. Resident Evil 2 (2019) did the same. Fallout 4’s loading screen featured game models that could be rotated and zoomed. Consider BREAKABLE ENVIRONMENTS: Smashing stuff just for fun. Pots in Zelda? Barrels and crates in Dark Souls? Signs and debris in Hollow Knight? Do you have to break every window if they are indeed breakable? Do you hit fire extinguishers on the wall just to watch them explode? These are ALL elements of PURE PLAY in game design. Consider PROJECTILES: THROW and/or CATCH Ever shoot up a wall just for fun in DOOM or Left 4 Dead, just because? Ever throw Kratos’ axe in God of War or Cappy in and recall Super Mario Odyssey them just for fun-- repeatedly? Ever pick objects up with a telekinesis ability like in Dead Space or Control and toss them around just to watch them smash into stuff? Examples of Play: EXPLORATION Examples of Play: EXPLORATION Exploring is ALWAYS fun— satisfying curiosity. But pure play exploration is unrelated to side quests or game goals. OR, can consist of self directed goals. For example, do you avoid fast travel for better immersion? Examples of Play: CREATIVITY Playing in a Sandbox Playing with a cardboard box Playing in the bathtub Playing in the snow/snowman Playdoh Lego Chalk Musical Instruments Gardening Examples of Play: CREATIVITY Consider games that let you furnish a home, grow a garden, build forts or structures, or take selfies or photographs in various places. If they are all unrelated to game goals, then this is PURE PLAY put in the game for your amusement. Examples of Play: Human/Animal INTERACTION Playing with Pets/Animals Playing with a Baby LARP Any type of role play sans rules Zelda - Link to the past - Chicken Heck, consider House House’s Untitled Goose Game (2019): a game built around, yes, goals, but ALSO still providing ample opportunity for Pure Play in its environments. Genuinely hilarious and cute. Human OR Animal INTERACTION: Just for FUN Ever torment (ie: Dragon Shout) an NPC for fun or set elaborate traps for NPCs or non-essential enemies? Ever pet cats in Assassin’s Creed: Origins just because? Consider the twitter account @CanYouPetTheDog The Last of Us 2 had a brilliant moment of pure play where Ellie can make faces in the bathroom mirror. Elsewhere she can try on space helmets. In fact, The DLC “Left Behind” for the original game (right) had excellent blending of both play and game: fortune telling, photo booths, Halloween masks, and playing hide and go seek with water guns—all world building for the game. Back to Reasons, Definitions, and Consequences Consider the separate reasons people engage in “play” and in games: Play: relaxation, creativity—to take a break from “game.” Games: competition, feelings of accomplishment Can these co-exist? Defining (or analyzing what defines a video game) has consequences: Industry: consumer expectations, funding, publisher interest, profit (or lack thereof). Culture: games as art, the creative process Jesper Juul Prof at University of Copenhagen Developed “Classic Game Model” Defining point of definition is level of player “effort” and “attachment.” Juul’s Model SO—Finally—IS Gone Home a game? Having played it, I would definitely say yes. Includes player effort: obviously—the home isn’t going to explore itself! Includes player attachment to outcome: yes, you are trying to discover the mystery behind your missing sister Includes a variable and quantifiable outcome: variable depends on playstyle and quantifiable is the game’s conclusion. Includes negotiable consequences: yes, as playing the game has no effect on the player’s real life. Includes fixed rules: debatable as rules are implied; however, the object of the game is clear. Includes valorization of outcome: yes, players may miss the goal or not complete the story. And clearly completing the story is the game’s intended goal. In short, Gone Home may not be a sophisticated game—and one that certainly prioritizes narrative above other game elements—but a game it remains nonetheless. “Walking Simulators” Pejorative descriptor for games requiring little player interaction or few mechanics. But an insult at the root of a narrow-minded way to approach games and game design. Remember: the video game as experience. Is Gone Home A Game? Another perspective What is a game? And why it matters! | Game/Show | PBS Digital Studios - YouTube What Does The Developer Say? GDC Vault - Why Is Gone Home a Game?  Developing Video Games: An Overview Why an Overview? So much goes into game development that it’s impossible to cover it all in a small slideshow. And to be honest, most of the micro elements are…boring: endless meetings endless hours developing and refining assets and environments endless hours playtesting to locate and fix bugs. If you really care….  The Door Problem 2014 blog post by Ubisoft designer Liz England (Ubisoft Toronto) who describes game design as “The Door Problem” LIZ ENGLAND: “One of the reasons I like this example is because it’s so mundane. There’s an impression that game design is flashy and cool and about crazy ideas and fun all the time. But when I start off with, “Let me tell you about doors…” it cuts straight to the everyday practical considerations.” What influences game production? Available hardware/tech: game engines, VR Distribution/ Platform ownership: console, PC, indie, mobile, steaming, subscription The global economy: disposable income Competition between publishers: exclusivity Venture capitalists/ kickstarter: investors Cultural factors and trends: zeitgeist If you’re AAA: Money, money, money, and sometimes passion!!! If you’re Indie: Passion, love, art, creativity, and money!!! ISSUE #1: Console Wars—Over? Microsoft has adopted a games as service model: play anywhere, but in our ecosystem (xbox, PC, xCloud, mobile). Gamepass (25 million subs), purchasing Bethesda, purchasing Activision/Blizzard, endless backwards compatibility Sony claims it will still develop new consoles. Nintendo has always been an outlier, pushing technology as it sees fit. Apple, Google, and Amazon have splintered the market (a little) too. ISSUE #2: Studio acquisitions/Consolidation ISSUE #3: Unpaid OT for “CRUNCH” and “POLISH” Issues of unpaid and (not mandatory but strongly encouraged) overtime are a big industry concern: workers being taken advantage of. Burn out. Stress. Health Issues. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018- 10-25-the-human-cost-of-red-dead- redemption-2 See also the 2004 “EA SPOUSE” blogpost, ensuing class action lawsuit, and (finally) back pay for overtime From ROCKSTAR to NAUGHTY DOG Solution to ISSUE #3: UNIONS? ISSUE #4: Sexual harassment… ISSUES #5 & #6: Layoffs and the cost of AAA development. AAA Game Development Teams In the past, smaller (obviously). Super Mario Bros. 3: Made in 1990, with 10 people for $800,000. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: made almost 20 years later in 2009 with over 200 contributors Red Dead Redemption: Made in 2010 and lists 1374 contributors in the instruction booklet (yes I counted). ISSUE #7: CD PROJEKT RED and the CYBERPUNK 2077 LAUNCH DEBACLE (ie: RUSHED LAUNCHES) Worker exploitation Mismanagement Broken, bug-ridden game is shipped Refunds Consider outrage and mistrust Lawsuits and investigations ISSUE #8: Volatility (and success)  The “supply chain” Hardware of VG Industry Manufacturer Game Distributor Publisher Developer Consumer Retail Biggest AAA studios in Game Development. Epic Ubisoft Rock Star Square Enix Konami Capcom Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo EA The role of “Publishers” in Game Development As in the film industry, sometimes a major studio/company will buy the publishing rights and distribute a game (for a profit); other times, a major studio might simply buy up the indie studio and the game rights all at once: Dark Souls: Made by From Software (published by Bandai Namco Entertainment) Left 4 Dead: Made by Turtle Rock Studios (purchased by Valve, now indie again) Destiny: Made by Bungie (published by Activision, now Bungie and Sony) Sometimes publishers INSIST on changes to a game so that it will sell better—changes that are NOT always ideal, artistically and thematically Biggest Publishers in Game Development Consider how the Dead Space franchise was developed by Visceral Studios, but was published by EA (who also owns the studio and the game rights). Consider how EA demanded the studio create DS3 to be more action oriented. Profit and Loss: Dollars and Sense Indie games can afford to take more creative risks given their (usually) smaller budgets. AAA studios want to make a profit to recoup significantly higher production and marketing expenses. Console manufacturers usually take a loss on hardware sales but recoup these via licensing from software makers. Obviously digital sales net studios and publishers more money given they cut out the “middlemen” of retail and distribution. Thus, trying to breakdown who gets what from an $80 game is difficult based on various negotiations and distribution options. The Stages of Game Development Planning and Pre-production Game pitch, game concept, and official design documents are created. Sometimes prototypes too. Perhaps a “game proposal” is given to attract funding. The proposal is much more detailed: covers market analysis, technical issues, budget projections, AV, and gameplay. Functional and technical specifications described in the design document that can run hundreds of pages. Consists of genre, game story, concept art, mechanics, progression and game world design. Monetization as well. Iron Man (2008): A Case Study of a AAA Title Consider these ideas…. “Players have complete freedom to move anywhere in the environment and make seamless transitions between ground combat and open air flight” “Players will direct power to different parts of Iron Man’s suit, creating a variety of unique attacks.” Production: Teams and Areas of Expertise Design, Programming, Art, Audio, Writing, Testing Game Director: like a film director—person at the top with the vision.