Narratives

                                                       Narratives, FMV and cut scenes.

Narrative:

Narrative is the story line in a game. Video game designers will use narrative to get the audience intrigued in the game, they also will use narratives to make the story and game seem more interesting. An advantage of narratives is that it would make the game more interesting and sets you an aim to complete the story for when people are playing the game. Another advantage of using narratives is that you can get attached to the game as the gamer would feel immersed and fell like they are part of the game which would lead to a more exciting game. However a negative of using narratives is that it can make the gamer bored if the story line isn't interesting. In addition another negative is that the game needs to make good main characters also the NPC’s (enemies) to compliment the narrative.

FMV:

FMV stands for full motion video and is a short movie that is set a certain point of the game (usually the beginning and the FMV is usually used to set the scene for the gamer or to give some insight information to the gamer. A game designer will use FMV to set you good first impression to the game also to give you insightful information to the game. For example in Call of Duty: Advance warfare at the beginning there is a full motion video to let you know why you’re going to war and what the aim is. A downside to full motion video is that you might not be able to skip it so the player might find it frustrating and boring.

Cut Scene:

·         A cut scene is when the game transacts from game play to a video and these videos are ways to give information to the gamer about the game and what is happening. Cut scenes are triggered when you start a mission or a big point in the game and is used to create a scene fitting for that moment. For example in Assassins creed there is a cut scene before nearly every mission also at the last mission. Cut scenes are preferred over FMV in the modern day due to FMV are usually long and can be boring and delays you’re playing time however in Cut scenes it can usually be skipped and isn't long and usually interesting.

Game worlds.

Game worlds

A game world is a place/ location of where the game is played, and this will contain your character/ characters, objects and any other thing that will be in the game. For example in Assassins Creed Unity the game is set in France, in FIFA 15 the game is set in a football pitch, in Borderlands 2 it is set in a planet called Pandora and in Forza horizon is set in a race track.

Different games use different game worlds because they need to make sure they need to make an appropriate game worlds for that specific game otherwise it would lead the confusion or a lack of entertainment to the audience, for example if a game like FIFA 15 set in the French revolution time it wouldn't make sense and leave the audience confused. The game worlds have changed over time by its quality, the graphics of the game have improved drastically which could improve people’s gaming experience.

Terrain

Terrain is the surface that you are able to play on, for example the terrain on Fifa is the grass pitch, the terrain in Forza in concrete roads however you are able to change it to of road (sand and gravel) and in GTA 5 the terrain changes from sand in the beaches and grass in gardens and concrete in roads. Games sometimes do not only have one terrain because it would make the game more diverse and more interesting, also they will need to change the terrain to fit different situations for example in GTA when you want to swim there would need to be water to be able to swim also if you want to go to the beach you would want there to be sand no concrete.

They also need to make sure that the don't over do it and make it appropriate for the game your playing for example in fifa your playing football in a pitch and there is no need to play somewhere else also if they try to make other terrains it could spoil the game. However some games do not like to keep the same terrain such as GTA and borderlands however some games like to keep it the same like FIFA and F1 games.

Architecture 

Architecture is the buildings, the structures and statues that make up the game, for example in GTA they have tall sky scrapers and big monuments which give the game a good look. Video games would usually use architecture to make the game look good also they can use monuments to emphasis what the type of environment that they want for example in Assassins creed they would put old school buildings to emphasis that the game is set in olden times, also it wouldn't make sense if they put modern sky scrapers in Assassins creed.

The point of putting high quality architecture is to make the game look appealing and also because the architecture plays a big role in games as they can give a player a first impression which can affect their gaming experience so if someone sees bad quality buildings and very low quality monuments then they might not enjoy the game as much because some people would want to feel like they are in the game so if there is bad quality buildings then the player would not feel that they are in the game and cant feel attached to the game, however if there is good quality buildings and monuments then the player would feel that they are in the game and experiencing the game like he was in the character. The quality of the buildings and monuments have changed in quality by a lot to seem more and more realistic.

Objects.

objects are the are small objects that are in the game which wouldn't necessarily play a big role in the game but could affect how you see the game, for example chairs, tables, TV's and computers wouldn't affect the game but creates a more realistic environment for you to play. Video games would use objects to make the game environment look more realistic which could lead the player to feel like he/ she is in the game actually experiencing the same things as they character, for example in Grand theft auto the would put chairs, TV's and tables are very basic things which make the game seem more realistic.

Through out games evolving and getting better it is important for the objects to better quality as well, because they would give an impression to the audience on how good quality the game actually is, for example in  battlefield they put a lot of emphasis on the objects as well as the main things such as the guns and characters and this is why the Battlefield is know to be a very high quality game. Also if the game has good quality games then it would be more lifelike which people likes in a game.

Video game characters

Characters are people or objects in the game which you can control, there is also characters that have an effect on the game but you are not able to control.

Main characters are the characters that are key and play a big role in the story that the game is trying to portray, for example in borderlands 2 there is more than one main character, there is your character, a character called Lilith which helps you complete some missions also sets you missions to complete and prepare you for the last mission and the other main character is a person called Roland which also helps you complete some missions and sets you some missions to help you level up and get the right equipment to be able to complete the last mission.

It is important for creators to have a strong main character because the audience will be able to relate to them and develop an attachment to them and therefore the audience will develop different emotions depending on what happens to the character. For example in The Last Of Us Joel and Ellie are the main characters and when you play the game you feel that you have experienced the whole situation with them and when Joel lied to Ellie that she had the cure inside of her he lied to her to protect her and didn’t let her die for the cure.

Some games have more than one main character to help you understand the story better also to make the game more diverse. For example in Grand theft auto there are 3 main characters which have different perspectives to the story which helps you understand all of their perspectives also makes the game more interesting and at the end you have developed an attachment with the characters you have a choice to either kill one of them or to save all and depending on how you felt towards the characters you make a decision.

Npc’s (non-playable characters) are characters that are in the game that you are not able to control or play as, there are different types of NPC’s there are friendly NPC’s and enemy NPC’s and NPC’s that are there for visual affect for example in FIFA 15 there is enemy NPC’s which is the opponent team, friendly NPC’s are your team and in GTA the people in public are NPC’s that are there for visual effects. There is different NPC’s to make you have different relationships towards different people for example the creators would rather you become more attached to a NPC’s that helps you throughout the whole story, then ones that only set you missions.

It is important to have strong NPC’s because it will be important to develop attachments to them and you will most probably help them if they are under bad situations for example in borderlands one of the main NPC’s Lilith gets kidnaped and you have to retrieve her and so because she helps you then you are determined to help her and you will play more the game more till you save her, having strong characters make you more determined ton play more.

Feedback interface.
Feedback interface shows you how you are doing in the game, for example in Fifa the feedback interface shows you how you are doing by showing you your score, possession, the name of the players and the time. This interface gives you information and this could affect your gaming experience.

Video game perspective

_{Introduction.}

Perspective is the way you see the game, for example there would be first person, third person, Arial and 2d scrolling. The different types of perspective affects your experience in a game.

First person.

First person perspective is when you see the game/ world in the same perspective as the character, this would mean that you could experience the same emotions or feelings that the character would as you feel that you are that character and experience the world in the same the character would. First person is mostly used in first person shooters and plane/ car simulators, an example is Call of Duty: Advance Warfare you are first person and experiencing the game as if you were there and also felt kind of depressed when one of your team mate died (who is a key character in the game), another example is Counter strike Global Offence and battlefield.

 An advantage of first person is that you get immersed to the game and feel like you’re part of the game, for example battlefield 4 is first person and you are immersed in the game and feel that you are the actual character. Another advantage is that the graphics of the games are usually amazing for example battlefield 4 and last of all the other advantage is that you get more accurate shooting which leads to a better experience in the game.

Disadvantages to first person games is that you are limited to what you can see at one time and therefore miss some detail that can change your experience. Another negative of first person is that people could get motion sickness as it is a first person view. In addition the lack of cover can affect your first person experience as when your behind cover you are not able to see what is happening around you.

3rd person.

Another video game perspective is 3rd person and this perspective is based on the camera looking behind the character.
An advantage to 3rd person is that you are able to to see more of your environment which would mean you you will have more information to play with and increase your gaming experience. Another positive of 3rd is that it gives the creator of the game freedom to let them make more imaginative and creative ideas.

A negative thing about 3rd person games is that they are usually not realistic and so people might not feel involved the game, it also means that people cant relate to the game and therefore do not develop attachments to the characters. Another negative to 3rd person is that it usually has bad graphics and therefore people might not enjoy there experience, having good graphics can affect how peoples experience are whilst playing the game.

Arial games.

In addition the other game perspective is Arial and this type of games is is set on birds eye view perspective. An advantage of Arial games is that you are able to see around you and therefore gain more information of your environment which could help with your gaming experience. Another positive is that it requires skill to play and so when you do something good you feel very satisfied when you do something good. for example in League of legends it is know to be a highly strategical game and so when you win or get an objective you feel satisfied.

A negative concept about Arial games is that you have to control many things at once for example your character/ characters, camera, your abilities and items and this can be very confusing to new people. Another bad concept about Arial games is that you wont see the game in the character's perspective which mean that you cant get attached to the character and would not get immersed into the game,

2D scrolling.

2D scrolling games are type of games were you see the game from a side way type of view. some positives of 2D scrolling games are that you are able to see where you are about to go which can prepare you for what is coming up as you can see everything that is going on. Another positive is that these types of games isn't hard to play and anyone can play it as you usually only have to go straight and jump.

A negative to these types of perspectives is that if you miss something the the game usually don't let you turn back which could mean that you wont experience the game fully. Another negative is that the graphics isn't usually the best and therefore people can immures themselves in the game.

Video Game Genres

Introduction, here I will be talking about different genres of games such as sports, adventure, action, simulation, strategy. Puzzle, role play, management, educational, viral marketing.

In sports games they try to mimic the real life sport. For example in FIFA there is a mode called ultimate team where you can buy any player you won’t to create your team and when you have created your team you are able to versus people from around the world and after each game you get money and with the money you are able to buy new and better players.

The other genre adventure is a game where you able to explore different places and worlds and try to turn that place to a civilised place such as walking dead and The Last Of Us. For example The Last of Us you have to travel around the world to try find a cure and attempt to eradicate the zombies.

Another genre is strategy and these games aim are to gather your team/ helpers to try and take over other people’s base. There are many different example such as league of legends, StarCraft 2 and Dota 2, an example is League of Legends and the aim of this game is to push through the lanes whilst pushing through the lanes you have to take out the towers which protect the base and so to kill the ultimate goal the enemy nexus.

Action is a genre in games which is mostly based in combat focused games such as call of duty, battlefield and street fighter. For example in Call of Duty your aim is to defeat and kill the enemy who has taken over the certain place and your job is to protect that location by defeating the enemies bosses men and eventually kill the boss.

The other genre that I will discuss is simulation and in these games they try to allow you to experience game as if you were there, they also try to let you experience real life activities without doing them. For example Plane simulator allows you to experience what it is like to pilot a plane without doing it, they usually have the equipment to help them for example the chair and the control panel.

role playing games allow you to create and develop a character, role playing games usually consist of creating a character then levelling him/her up to become a powerful character that can beat nearly everyone/everything. The audience can usually get attached to the character as you have raised the character up and created it so it could lead you to form some sort attachment, also you can feel a sense of achievement if you have defeated a boss as you have made your character strong enough, they also usually consist of finding good weapons so you can be powerful. An example of a role playing game is Borderlands 2 and in this game you are suppose to create a character and try to complete missions and level your character high enough and have good enough     weapons to be able to verse the boss.

additionally management is a genre of games and in it usually wants you to control someone or a group of people to help get through tasks. for example in football manager you are expected to manage a team by choosing what players to play, tactics that the players should follow and substitutes to help you win the game.

In educational games they try to educate or try to help your knowledge, some of the games try to help you practise the specific subject to help you understand it. For example in brain training they give you maths questions that you have to answer in a short period of time and the game try to eventually improve your maths skills, after you answer the question the games the game will tell you what they say what age your brain is by comparing your score to the average.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Puzzle games is show you a problem and is your job to try and find out how to solve the problem. These types of games are set to help you to spot problems and find ways to solve it. An example is 

sudoku is a game where you have to spot out what numbers you can put in the boxes but have to make sure that you do not repeat a number in the same row,box or column, the aim of this game is to plot the right numbers that all the column, boxes and rows have the number 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 however no numbers can repeat in the same box, row and columns.  

 

Last of all the last genre of games is viral marketing and these games are the games that go viral for example flappy birds, this game went around the world and went viral quickly due to people passing out the message that this game is good and so more and more people pass on the message. these types of games usually are addicting and you usually want to beat your best score all the time.