- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Halo 5
TASK 1A
Terrain:
Terrain within video games is the term to describe the in-game environment. In almost all cases, the games terrain is designed to reflect the common codes and conventions of it's genre, for example a Grand Theft Auto game such as GTA V is set within a fictionalised Los Angeles, due to the open world crime genre typically being set within large modern cities. The terrain of GTA V is the city of Los Santos, which is composed of typical 21st century city buildings such as skyscrapers, factory's and suburban housing. They aimed for a close resemblance to the buildings in Los Angeles, to the point that numerous comments online state that the city has been accurately portrayed visually.
Another example of video game terrain is the The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The terrain within Skyrim is primarily composed of icy plains, tundra and pine forests, with the occasional settlement and city dotted around. This adheres to the genre's codes and convention's, because most fantasy games are set in medieval setting's and since the game area is in-universe, at the up-most part of the world, the icy terrain also adheres to the series established lore and real weather patterns such as the further up north you go, the colder the environment and the terrain get. Bethesda seem to have based their terrain heavily off Scandinavian folk lore, which primarily sets place in forests and frozen tundra. These are biomes that make up most of Skyrims terrain.
Architecture:
Another example of video game architecture is the physical structures of the game Grand Theft Auto V. Based off real life Los Angeles, it mimics its architecture with large amounts of skyscrapers, factory's and distillery's, suburban housing and mansions based off those seen in Hollywood. As with all video game architecture, the aim would be to make the world as immersive as possible and to stay true aesthetically to it's sources in order to maintain a level of realism that would juxtapose with the satire of Grand Theft Auto's narrative allowing for a game world that isn't completely foreign to the player.
Objects
Object's within video games are items that the player can interact with and can be utilised to facilitate game features and mechanic's. Common Items in video games include weapons such as gun's and blades, power up's and collectables of various depiction's. Objects are a vital part of video games, and have been seen the industry's inception. Most if not all game genres feature items and some are known for their proficiency in certain items, for example Platformers are known for their implementation of Power Up items.
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| The coin's from the Mario series are a well known power up and in-game item that can be recognised by even the most casual gamer. |
An example of games with objects include Skyrim. Skyrim being a RPG (Role Playing Game), has a large inventory system, designed to hold and manage a large amount of in-game items. Being an RPG, Skyrim has many objects, that can be used by the player. Examples of objects within the game include weapons such as swords and axes, potion's that improve player stats and restore functions such as stamina and magicka, apparel such as armour and clothing and scroll's that can be read to gain new power's.These are all items that feature in other games of the genre as-well and Skyrim depicts them accurately in a way that adheres to their conventional usage in the genre.
Another example of video game object's are the items from Halo 5: Guardian's. Halo 5 guardian's, being a sci-fi game, has objects that conform to the genre's code's and conventions. Like other FPS (First Person Shooter's) games, it has objects such as gun's and collectables. Collectable's include Skulls, Terminals and Data Packs. These can be found all around the game environment and gives the player perks such as cheats in the case of skulls, access to more lore for the terminals and all give achievements once they are fully collected. Weapons are found either in the environment in weapon crates or on the floor. They can also be found and swapped with allies and taken from the corpses of defeated enemies. Halo 3 was notable for its use of power-ups in the single-player portion that gave the player access to more shields, weapons and equipment such as devices that disabled vehicles.
Characters:
Characters within video games are people that have a role within a game's narrative. There are many different types of characters, for example a protagonist is a game's main character, and in most cases, can be controlled by the player. Another character archetype that is common within games, is the antagonist, which is a character within a game narrative, that opposes the protagonist and in most situations, is the catalyst that starts the protagonists journey.
A notable example of character's within video games, is the game Skyrim. The main protagonist is a mortal with the soul of a dragon that is destined to beat the antagonist, Alduin, a Demi God who takes the form of a Black Dragon. As with most narratives, the main quest is composed of situations in which the Dragonborn enters, with the goal of defeating Alduin which is a formula that can be seen in other media text such as book's, film's and even music.
Another example of characters within video games, are the characters from Grand Theft Auto V. What differentiates GTA V's character's from other games is that there are 3 different protagonists all of which can be controlled, both in mission and in free roam. They all have a large amount of the narrative allocated to them and by the games conclusion, their characters are fully fleshed out. The three main characters are Micheal, a retired bank robber under witness protection, Trevor, a psychopath, who deal's drug's in the North American desert and Franklin, a small time gangster who dreams of a normal and successful career. There are also three main antagonists's as well. The first is Wei Cheng, a Chinese Triad who attempt's to expand his criminal empire into the Trevor's desert territory's, Steve Haines, a prominent member of the FIB (GTA's equivalent of the FBI) who uses the protagonists to increase both his and his organisation's prestige and funding, and Devin Weston, a multi billionaire with shares in a private army who exploits the protagonists to increase his worth by making them steal unique car's to be added to his fortunes.
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| Wei Cheng |
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| Steve Haines |
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| Devin Weston |
Non Player Characters (NPC's)
Non Player Character's are characters within a video game that cannot be controlled by the player. NPC's have been a staple of video game mechanics and structure since the industry's inception in the 60's. NPC's have various roles within video games, of which are crucial to the very nature of gaming.
An example of NPC's are the NPC's of the game Halo 5. NPC's within Halo 5 and the series as a whole have a few different archetypes. The main archetype is an enemy NPC. These are the games main obstacles, and take many design's and programming behaviours. Another NPC archetype within Halo 5 is that of an ally NPC. One notable example of this is the Squad of Spartan's, the two protagonists have accompanying them in most mission's. These NPC's are programmed to help the player against hostile NPC's and they all feature heavily in the games narrative. There are also quest givers that feature in a few missions within the game. There are a total of two within the game, Catherine Halsey and Commander Palmer who give out mission objectives once each throughout the course of the game. Both these NPC's feature in missions without combat and they simply reside in a HUB area that the player can explore.
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| An example of one of Halo 5's NPC's. |
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| An example of the games friendly NPC's. |
Feedback:
Feedback is how the game communicates the players success. This is done in various way's. The main way is via the characters health bar. The lower the health bar, the more the player is unsuccessful and this is how the player knows. If the character dies, it conveys to the player that they are not being particularly successful and that they may need to rethink their tactic's.
An example of game feedback is in Halo 5. The game's HUD stands for the game feedback, letting the player know how well they are doing. If the player loses their health and dies, the game forces the player to either be respawned by their teammates, or die and start at another checkpoint. You can see how much health you have left via the HUD and you can accommodate your play-style to suit this.
Interfaces:
Interfaces within video games are icons onscreen that represent different aspects of a player and their inventory systems. One primary example is the HUD in Halo 5. This allows the player to see a cross-hair, which allows for better aim, their shield strength and overall health and their stamina level's. This gives the player an idea of how close their character is to dying and how many rounds they have left before they run out of ammunition.
Another game with a HUD system for their interface is Grand Theft Auto V. This game also has a HUD, albeit more minimalist than Halo 5's. It display the players health, stamina and special ability meter. Just like Halo 5's HUD, this gives the player an indication of how far the character is from dying and the level of ammunition left.
Perspectives:
Perspectives are how the game world is displayed and shown to the player. An example is the camera angles within games. The most notable camera angles are first person, third person and top down. FPS camera angles are generally used for shooters, TPS for action game's and top down for strategy games.An example of a FPS is the game Halo 5. The game is played in a first person perspective and this helps the player see through the eyes of the main character and witness first hand the atrocities of the in-game war.
An example of TPS perspectives within game's is GTA V. The game is played in a TPS perspective, with the camera behind the player and giving the player more options to see around them. This is done to give the player more options to adapt when driving and shooting. It also removes the player from the questionable action that the protagonists commit.
Full-Motion Video (FMV):
Full Motion video is a form of narrative story telling that consists of using pre recorded video's in order to display actions within the game. An example of FMV being used in videogames is the video game GTA V. GTA features many FMV's that are used to convey the games narrative. They play before each mission, and help set up the events in the gameplay.
Another example is the game Halo 5. Just like GTA V, Halo 5 uses FMV to show advance the games narrative, and cutscene's play frequently throughout the game usually before and after mission's due to the game's reliance on them to advance the narrative.
A game series most notable for not using FMP's would be the Half Life series. These games rely on the player looking around the environment and listening to NPC speech in order to gather an understanding of the lore of the series and the world that they are fighting to save. This was considered revolutionary at the time, and even now, hasn't been seen much since.
Sport:
Sport's games are video games that simulate sporting activities. A main example of this would be the FIFA game series. This is a game series that simulates football matches, and allows the player to play as their favourite football players in pre-set teams, or teams of their own choosing. FIFA is a very popular game series and many gamers both casual and hardcore comeback and purchase the new iteration of the franchise yearly.
Most sport's games are designed to emulate the careers of real life sports stars and also cater to sports fan's dreams, such as sports stars mixing with other stars who wouldn't normally meet in real life. An example of this is FIFA's ultimate team. This allows players to make teams of football players from any team providing the have the in-game currency.
Simulation:
Simulation games are games that are designed to simulate real life scenario's. Many games are made for this genre, the most prominent being The Sim's series. In the Sim's, it simulates real life scenario's and gives the player freedom to run a household how they would like. The player isn't bound to conventional limits, they can also influence the sim's to do pretty much anything.
The genre has many sub-genres which include life simulation, sports simulation, construction simulation and management simulation. This allows for the genre to cater to as many audience's as possible.
Role Play:
RPG games are games that are designed to give the player large amounts of free will. Typically, these games are open world, with large amount's of side activities to complete. Another common feature of these games, is the option to customise the player character which allows the player to personify their experience. RPG games also involve lot's of loot gathering, with thousand's of items being available in the typical RPG game. As such, most RPG's feature a inventory systems suited to large amount's of items.
A primary example of an RPG game is Fallout 4. It is set in a post apocalypse world with advanced technology, but a culture based on the 1950's. It allows the player to customise their character, and let's them choose their play-style, allowing great player freedom. It also features an open world, that the player can explore at their leisure.
Viral Marketing:
Viral Marketing is the term to describe marketing that is aimed to go viral in order to increase a products sales and profit. Due to the existence of social network's, this is becoming more popular and more of an occurrence.
While video game's haven't gone viral as such since the inception of social networking, the only examples of well known marketing is Earthbound. When the game was yet to come out, the developer gave out touch and smell books to promote the game. Due to this, it got large attention from the media and was a talking point for a few months. This was the most notable example of marketing that went 'Viral' and caught the attention of the media.
Adventure:
Adventure games, are games that are based on exploration and narrative. They can also be known as point and click's. They give the players freedom to change the narrative, sometimes drastically. In regards to control's, they are generally just point and click, allowing for minimal controls with large effect.
A primary example of an adventure game is The Walking Dead. It's set in the same universe as the TV show of the same name. You control Lee Everett, a convicted murder who's car crashes as he's on his way to prison. The game then follows his adventures with a number of various minor characters, most notably a young girl named Clementine. Like other adventure games, it is point and click, and most gameplay is pressing buttons to determine dialog options.
Strategy:
Strategy games are games that focus on controlling large civilisations or armies and using them to conquer the game world. They are known for their top down view and focus generally on past events such as the middle ages. They allow the player to build civilisations up and create and provide an army for them. This then gives the player the option to take over opponent's and gain control of the game world. They also offer different win states allowing for the player to win in more ways than one.
A notable example is the Civilisation games, most specifically Civilisation V. In this game, you can control a great leader from the past and build up your own civilisation and create an army to take over the world. You play against rival civilisations and they are your opponents. By beating them, you can win the entire game.
Management:
Management games are game's that focus on letting the player manage resources within a certain theme. They are featured primarily on PC, due to the fact that the UI's provided for theses game are usually detailed which would prove a challenge to navigate should the HCI being used be a controller. A mouse and keyboard however, would be easy to use for these UI's which encourages developers to make management games for the PC.
A prominent example is Football Manager. In this game, you manage a team, via allocating resources to certain scenario's. This gives the player the feeling of being an actual football manager, in regards to allocating resources and managing behind the scenes of a football club. Another notable example of this genre would be Sim City. This is when you have control over your own city, and you have to manage its resources in order to keep the city running and its people alive.
Action:
Action games, are games designed to deliver large amounts of action that simulates interact-able action movies. Most games in the genre have grand set pieces that utilise the maximum potential of the game platforms hardware in order to deliver an experience that is realistic as possible. They generally take place in far flung locations such as rain forests or arctic tundras which give the games a sense of grand adventure. Their combat systems are mostly related to shooting with TPS's being rife within the genre.
A prominent game within the action genre. Considered by general consensus to be one of the greatest video game series of all time, Uncharted follows Francis Drakes ancestor Nathan who travels the world going after ancient treasure. The games are comprised of linear set pieces designed to thrill the player and provide an adrenaline fuelled experience. They also provide collectables for the player to collect and feature prominent platforming and TPS's mechanics.
Puzzle:
Puzzle game's are games that focus on the player solving a variety of different puzzles that are designed to test the players intelligence and give a gratifying experience. The games give the player little control over the main character and the game is mostly played via mini games opposed to direct character interaction. The game environments are usually highly interact-able which allows for easy puzzle solving and a more immersive experience.
A notable example of a puzzle game, is the Professor Layton series on Nintendo DS. The games follow a professor on his adventures across the globe. In each game in the series, you have to solve one overall case which can be done by completing a multitude of puzzles which will eventually yield the case end.
Educational (Serious):
Educational games are games designed to educate the player opposed to giving them a passive experience. They generally are themed with examples being literacy, numeracy and problem solving among others. They are known for their prominent usage on mobile devices and hand-helds such as the Nintendo DS. PC is also a prominent platform for educational games with children's websites being easily accessed on PC, allowing for educational games to be used on that platform prominently.
A notable example is Dr Kawashima's Brain Training. This game gives the player problems to solve along with basic maths and literacy questions in order to test the players intelligence and even increase it. It was made for the DS, so the player could play the game intermittently such as in waiting room's, on public transport etc.
Written References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture
http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Jorrvaskr
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_motion_video
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_game
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_game#New_platforms_and_rebirth_.282005.E2.80.93onward.29
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_video_game
Visual References:
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