Assignment 1: Researching Games

Task 1 - Different Computer Game Genres

Genre name: FPS (first person shooter)

Genre Description:

First person shooter games are played from the perspective of the character.

Genre example 1: CS:GO

CS:GO is a tactical first person shooter that heavily relies on teamwork and communication. The game can be played casually (larger teams, different economy and no penalty for disconnecting), or competitively in ranked matches (5v5, different economy and a penalty for abandoning the match), and there are different modes such as bomb planting/defusing, deathmatch and hostage missions. Each mode has two teams, the counter terrorists, and the terrorists.

Genre Example 2: Rainbow Six Siege
Even though Rainbow Six isn't out yet, I've had a chance to play the closed beta and I love it. Rainbow Six is a tactical shooter that involves matches similar to CS:GO's bomb missions. In R6 bomb missions, there are two teams, the attackers and the defenders. At the start of each match the attackers send in small camera drones, and they have to try and find the bomb and where the enemy players are defending before they begin the attack. The defenders must set up barricades, reinforce walls, and place down various objects like jammers (they destroy camera drones) and then must wait for the attackers to enter the building. The game heavily relies on destruction, and attackers can breach through doors, windows and floors. There are also lots of different characters known as "operatives" that all have different weapons and abilities.

Genre name: RPG (role playing game)

Genre description:

Role playing games are games where the player has to take a certain role in the story, and develops their own character with skill points etc.

Genre example: The Fallout games/Fallout 3

(Also has some FPS elements, but is primarily a RPG)

In Fallout 3 you play as the Lone Wanderer, who leaves Vault 101 (vaults were built to protect people from the dangers of the nuclear wasteland) and goes into the nuclear wasteland in search of his father. In the game, you decide what kind of person you want to be, by choosing certain S.P.E.C.I.A.L. points (strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility and luck) and perks. When talking to other characters you also have lots of different responses to choose from, you can be nice, mean, you can lie and persuade (if your speech is a high enough level.) You also have karma. Do nice things, you gain karma, steal things and act badly, and you’ll lose karma. The game can be played in any way and like I said before the player can choose to act however they want/be the person they want to be. The game also has a fairly big, open world, however it’s not recommended to stray away from your path at earlier levels because you will probably die…

Genre Example 2: Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldurs Gate is a real-time hack and slash/role playing game. In it, players can choose which race they want to be. There are three races, dwarven fighter, human archer and an elven sorceress. As players kill enemies, they will earn experience points and can choose new skills for their character. Every 4 levels, the player will receive a special skill point that they can put towards strength, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, constitution or charisma. Each character is unique and has their own spells/attacks.

Genre name: Survival Horror

Genre description:

In survival horror games, players have to try and survive in a hostile, scary environment usually by hiding and running away rather than attacking.

Genre example: Amnesia: The Dark Descent

In Amnesia, you play as Daniel, a man who wakes up and can’t remember anything apart from his name and where he lives. As you play the game, you will find notes and experience flashbacks and disturbing memories, and uncover the truth about Brennenburg Castle and why Daniel is there in the first place. The player has to manage their health, sanity, and the oil that keeps their lantern going. You need your lantern to see where you’re going, and to keep your sanity up, because if you stay in the dark for too long or experience disturbing events, you will begin to go insane. When the player reaches the worst sanity, it becomes much harder to move the mouse and horrible motion blur is added, which makes it really hard to find your way around and move normally. The game has a fantastic soundtrack, and atmosphere and tension is the main feature of this game, as you’re chased by ‘The Shadow’ and other disturbing creatures in the castle.

Genre Example 2: Outlast
In Outlast you play as Miles Upshur, an investigator who enters Mount Massive Asylum, not knowing what he's got himself into. The Asylum is horrifying, and as Miles enters he find a member of the SWAT team impaled on a giant spike. The man tells Upshur he needs to escape, but things take a horrible turn and you must face your fears in the depths of the Asylum...

Genre name: Turn-based strategy & 4X

Genre description:

In turn-based strategy games, players take turns while playing.

4X stands for eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate, which are the main things players do in some strategy games.

Genre example: Sid Meiers Civilization V

In Civ 5, each player represents the leader of a certain country or civilization, and the main aim of the game is to expand your civ, build new cities and have the best stats and score. (that’s how you win) You will have to manage the happiness of your citizens, their science/intelligence and you will also have to research different things as you work your way towards future technology, and build new things to make the most of the resources that you have. (resources are scattered around the map in random places) Each building, unit and resource has different benefits and does different things, and as you build more things and up your stats, your civ with begin to grow more and more.

Genre Example 2: X-COM: Enemy Unknown
In X-COM, you play as the commander of an elite military organization. The game is a turn based shooter and requires you to kill aliens and manage your organizations research and upgrade your base of operation.

Genre name: Puzzle platformer

Genre Description:

Puzzle platformers involve players jumping between platforms and moving around a lot. Puzzles also need to be solved to be able to progress.

Genre example: Portal

In Portal, you play as Chell, a test subject who wakes up in the mysterious complex know as Aperture Science. You are guided by the voice of a robot called GLaDOS, who seems to be the only other ‘living’ thing in the laboratory. You are given a portal gun, while allows you to shoot 2 portals, an orange one, and a blue one. When both portals are placed on a surface (portals are only able to be placed on white tiled surfaces) you are able to enter one, and come out of the other. This is a really interesting and clever mechanic, and the portal gun is used to solve every puzzle in the game.

Genre Example 2: LIMBO
In LIMBO, you wake up as a nameless boy in the middle of a dark gloomy forest. As you explore, you will find very sinister and disturbing things, and you will have to figure out puzzles to progress. The game has a very interesting ending (I won't spoil it) and people still aren't 100% sure as to what it means.

Genre name: MMORPG

Genre description:

MMORPG games have thousands of players all playing at the same time in the same world.

Genre Example: World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft Is the most well-known MMORPG with millions of people still actively playing the game. In the game players can create their own character and go on quests to receive rewards and experience points. Players can level up their character and choose whichever skills they want, shaping their own character and being who they want to be. The game can also be played with friends, and some end game quests require teamwork.

Genre example 2: Guild Wars 2
In GW2, players can create and character and can choose from 5 races and 8 professions. The professions include having light armour, (scholar) medium armour (adventurer) and a soldier (heavy armour.) The skill points that the player can access later on in the game depends on what sort of character they are. Like most MMORPG games, you have a giant open world to explore, and you complete quests and level up your character.

Genre Name: MOBA

Genre Description:

MOBA games (multiplayer online battle arena) are a sub-genre of RTS (real-time strategy) and involve two teams going against each other in a 5v5 battle. Each player controls a character and unlike other RTS games, players do not need to build any units.

Genre Example: League of Legends (LoL)

In LoL you play 5v5 matches, and each player takes the role of a certain “champion.” Champions all have different abilities, ultimates (very powerful attack) and item builds (certain combinations of shop items that affect a champions stats.) The most played mode in LoL involves players trying to push up to the enemies spawn area and destroy their nexus, but on the way players must destroy turrets, inhibitors, minions and other players. Mini bosses can also be killed in the jungle area, and doing so will give the player a certain buff e.g. increased mana or health.

Genre Example 2: SMITE
Since it's a MOBA, Smite is very similar to LoL and plays in pretty much the exact same way. Players have to try and destroy the enemies Titan (SMITE equivalent of a nexus) by pushing up certain lanes and destroying enemy towers and minions. The matches are 5v5 and players can choose from a variety of characters known as "Gods." One of the big differences with SMITE is that you control your God with W,A,S,D, whereas in LoL you use the mouse. The game is also third person.

Genre Name: Platformer

Genre Description:

Platformer games involve the player jumping onto different platforms and avoiding enemies and other obstacles.

Genre Example: Super Mario Bros

In Super Mario Bros you play as Mario, an Italian plumber who is trying to save Princess Toadstool (known as Peach in later games) from a turtle-like creature named Bowser. In each level you control Mario to the right until you reach the goal pole at the end of the level. In the levels Mario can pick up coins and destroy question mark boxes to get power ups, one of them being the fire flower which allows Mario to shoot fire balls. Enemies are also scattered around the level, and Mario can jump on their heads to kill them or use power ups.

Genre Example 2: Sonic Rush
In Sonic Rush, you play as Sonic, a hedgehog that can run at lightning fast speed (he's actually Mario's rival if you didn't know.) Sonic is trying to collect the chaos emeralds, and he meets Blaze the Cat who is trying to find the Sol emeralds. It turns out that Blaze is from a different world and her world is merging with Sonic's. Blaze does not want help from Sonic, but after she loses in a fight against him, her and Sonic team up to get the emeralds before Dr. Eggman. The game involves lots of running and jumping between platforms.

Genre Name: Fighting

Genre Description:

In fighting games two players usually go against each other and have to fight until someones health runs out. In some fighting games there are several rounds before a final winner is declared.

Genre Example: Street Fighter 2

In Street Fighter 2, two players go against each other and basically have to beat each other up until someones health runs out. Players can perform different basic moves such as punches and kicks, but special button combinations can also be used to perform special moves. Each match there are three rounds, and the player that wins two or more wins the match. However, there is also a timer, and if nobody gets knocked out within that timer, that match will continue or will finish as a draw. There is also a variety of characters to choose from, each with their own moves.

Genre Example 2: Mortal Kombat X
Mortal Kombat is a very popular and well known fighting game, mainly because of it's extremely bloody attacks and finishing moves. Just like in Street Fighter, there are several different characters to choose from, each with their own basic attacks and special attacks that require different button combinations to perform. Each fight has 3 rounds, and at the end the player that wins must "finish" the other player, by performing a very complicated button combination move known as a "fatality." Fatalities are extremely gory and caused a lot of controversy when the original games were released.

Genre Name: Vehicle Simulation

Genre Description:

Vehicle simulation games put the player in the seat of a vehicle with a first person perspective, and offer a realistic driving experience. Some have complex controls e.g. flight simulation games.

Genre Example: Euro Truck Simulator 2

In Euro Truck Sim 2, players complete a variety of delivery missions in countries and cities around Europe. The maps/routes are beautiful, and the scenery looks very realistic. The AI of other cars is also quite realistic as well. As players complete more missions, they can level up, unlock new skills with skill points and buy their own trucks which opens up more missions. The game also has some cool features like a day and night cycle, and an in game radio that allows you to put your own MP3's on it. 

Genre Example 2: Microsoft Flight Sim X
In Microsoft Flight X, you are able to fly realistic aircraft to and from a variety of locations. In the standard version of the game there are 18 planes and 28 detailed cities, and in the deluxe version there are 24 planes and 38 cities. 


Task 2 - The Impact of Computer Games on Society

Computers games are often shown as being bad by the media, however there are positives to computer gaming...

The Negatives

Concerns such as excess playing time

When gamers play too much, people such as parents become concerned. This is because games can affect your health, performance in school and your social life. An example of this was when a 32 year old male was found dead in an internet café in a Taiwanese internet café following a 3 day gaming session. This followed the death of another male gamer who died after a 5 day gaming binge.

Social Isolation

Social isolation links in with excessive playing time, and when people play games too much, they stop making contact with friends and family and end up spending a lot of time alone. This is known as social isolation. 

Cost

New games are released all the time, and occasionally new consoles will be released. This puts pressure on parents because their children will want the new released. It also puts pressure on gamers and general because they may feel like they to upgrade their consoles, games and peripherals frequently. As well as spending money on the games, people also have to pay for their internet and electricity etc.

Separation from reality

Some gamers become so immersed in their games that they think they are part of the virtual world. This can be enjoyable for some people, but in some cases normally passive individuals become violent. Some people have even committed murders in the form of actions seen in games that they had been playing. Games should be for enjoyment, and if they begin to take over someone’s life, it can be seen as a problem.

The Positives

Benefits (hand-eye coordination and brain training)

By playing certain games, people have become more skilled in real life. Games such as Wii Sports, which includes modes such as bowing and tennis, and simulation games have helped surgeons and pilots. Playing games like this allows peoples real life skills to improve, and because of in-game progress tracking, people can see how they have improved over time.

By giving players brain training games on their favourite platforms, it makes learning more fun than traditional classroom learning. Because of leader boards, people can compete with each other, which motivates people and makes them want to learn more.

Thinking and strategy skills

Strategy games require lots of planning and the player has to make sure they make the correct decisions. By playing these games, people become more adaptable and they become better at thinking outside the box. These skills are very useful for school and work.

Future Impact

Technology and gaming will continue to evolve, and high-tech simulation games, and educational games will be used more and more, allowing people to become more skilled in real life. Gaming hardware and the design of consoles and controllers will evolve, and will influence the design of hardware devices used outside of the gaming industry.

Impact on ‘mainstream’ application development

Very early computer operating systems were text based and hard to operate, and the user had to have some technical knowledge to use it properly. Early games helped develop a more graphical interface, and joysticks and controllers have been developed to make the interactions between the player and the PC/game easier. 

Psychological Factors of Gaming

The Use of Sound

In video games, sounds are used to immerse the player and change their emotions. In horror games, the music will often be quite intense dark, which makes the player scared and worried about what could happen next. Ambient sounds are also used which helps to set the tone e.g. wind whistling. In puzzle games, happier sounds might be used when a puzzle is completed. This makes the player feel proud of what they've accomplished and want to carry on playing, even if it's very challenging. In general, sounds let the player know if something good or bad is going to happen/is happening. 

High Score Listings

Leaderboards and score tables change peoples emotions, because scores are always changing and the people that are on top want to stay on top. Players will become more competitive and will game more to keep their position on the leaderboard or to move up.

Competitive Games
Competitve gaming has positive and negative effects on individuals. The positives are that peoples social skills will be boosted, as competitive gaming often requires players to communicate with each other, however that may not be the same for all individuals. Competitive gaming makes some people lose their temper and makes them more aggressive, because not everyone is perfect when it comes to socializing. People may also become angry because they don't like being beaten by other people. 

Peer Pressure
New games are released all the time, and every few years a new console(s) is released. The frequent released of game-related products and technology in general puts pressure on people (especially parents) because they feel like they really need to keep up to date with the latest video games and consoles. Game are usually quite clever when it comes to selling their products and lots of consoles and big games are sold around Christmas time because people have more money to spend on presents etc.

Fun!
The most obvious reason as to why people play video games is because they're fun! By playing games you can escape reality and experience things you never would in real life!

Educational Value
Video games are being used more and more in modern education. Games are used to teach children a variety of skills such as being able to socialize and in some cases to speak correctly. Minecraft is a good example of a game that's being used in many schools. It's being used in subjects such as Geography because it involves coordinates and structures etc.

Expectations
As games and consoles have become more advanced, peoples expectations have become higher. When new games and consoles are released, people expect them to be well made. Newer games on next gen consoles need to work well (good performance) and be as glitch-less as possible. 

Leveling 
Leveling up in games is very important, and is why some players play certain games. Leveling up feels rewarding because the players character becomes more powerful and learns new skills, and they are able to see their character grow over time. Without leveling some players probably wouldn't see the point in playing a game and defeating difficult bosses because there would be no major reward.

Task 3 & 4 - Game Sketch

What is my game/what is it about?
My game is called "Time for Bed!" and it's about a 13 year old boy named Dylan. Dylan loves video games, and he wants to stay up late to play them even though his parents have told him that it's time to go to bed. You as the player need to help Dylan complete his games and get to bed before his parents find out that he's gaming!

How will the game work? (Controls etc)

Controls
Move around: arrow keys
(As levels are created, other controls for different mechanics may be added)

Viewpoints/Camera Angle
The game will be played from a top-down view, however the sprites will be angled so you don't just see the top of their heads.

Levels/Gameplay
The game will have 5 levels, and each of them will be different. This is so that there is variation and things don't get too repetitive. Each level will be in the style of a different game and have different mechanics, for example, the first level will be a maze game where you have to avoid enemies and reach the goal (sketch shown below.) Other levels may be things like zombie horde survival, football, puzzle, platformer etc.

Since the character you play as is a teen staying up late to play games, each level will have a timer (in the style of a clock.) Each minigame starts at 11pm and the player has to try and get to the goal or reach a certain amount of points before the clock strikes 12am. If the player does not do this, you will be caught by Dylan's parents and will have to restart the level. Dylan's parents enter the room through the door at the top of the room.

At the start of each level, the player starts in the middle of this room (shown below.) They will then have to walk over to the PC desk on the left side of the room. Colliding with the desk will cause the screen to fade out and the level to load. After a level, the player will be taken back to this room and they will have to run from the desk to the bed. This will bring up some text telling the player that they have successfully beaten that level. It will also tell them what level they are going to next (so they don't forget or get confused.) 

The Visual Style 
Above are some rough drawings for the starting room and the first level, which is a maze game. When I draw all of the sprites/objects in Game Maker, they will be in a pixel art style. Below are some examples of characters and objects that other people have created. I would like the sprites in my game to look similar to these, and I would consider using images like this for inspiration:

The reason why I want to use an art style like this is because the sprites aren't extremely difficult to draw and also because it looks quite aesthetically pleasing in my opinion.