The gaming culture is growing and growing nowadays, what with more and more people having access to broadband and therefore the Internet. I remember playing games a bit around the age of 10, until the day I got a broadband connection at home. Ever since then I have been part of the online gaming community, which tends to occupy a fair chunk of my life. Now that I think about it, I didn’t really play many games online until I was introduced to Steam. This is an online community just for games, it has its own store where you can purchase and download games, as well as friend and chat system. When online, it tells you what games your friends are playing and what server they are on. I have a Playstation 3 at home and Steam is far better for keeping track of friends and joining them. In my opinion I think it is better the Microsoft Live, plus its free :P
Anyway, gone off at a tangent as always. A friend at college said I should buy counterstrike, so I did, and unlike most people I really didn’t like it. Now I’m a big fps fan but it was just so dull, slow and good at killing your morale. Run round a corner, headshot, wait 5 minutes to respawn and same again. Another friend showed me Team Fortress 2 and what a game. I’ve been playing it since it was released up to this day and I still love it. Not just the gameplay, the art direction they took, the humour...crap I’m doing it again. Right, back to steam community. If I look at my friends list, only 5 of them I know in real life, out of 50 odd. Since playing TF2 I have joined a clan where I have got to know a lot of decent chaps, some i know really well now, even though I’ve never seen them in my life.
The clan I am in compete against hundreds of other clans all over Europe; some cups even offer prize money to the winners. There are huge gaming festivals where thousands of gamers go to compete in tournaments.
Some people say that games take always peoples social life, stop them from exploring the outside world and people. On the other hand, you get to meet many new people and talk to them, not just typing, which makes things far better, you really get to know people well, and have a great laugh in game. I’m glad to be part of an thriving community and will be for many years to come, hopefully.
The Game Industry
At the moment the games industry is in a bit of a mess. Due to the credit crunch, companies have been going bust, resulting in thousands of people loosing their jobs. Just think, if one company has 3 or 5 studios, that's a lot of people who are going to be job hunting, as well as the several thousand graduates from university courses around the world. Midway are currently in debt by $75 million, which has to be paid back before February 12th.
Despite all of this, the actual sales of games and consoles are thriving. For example, Sony have witnessed a 115% increase of sales on the Playstation 3 over the past year. As well as this, 3.25 million units of Nintendo Wii's were sold in December alone. This shows that the demand for consoles and new games are still high, and so hopefully companies will always have something to produce and profit from in the near future.
Anyway, back onto employment. Another thing that is going to make life tough for graduates is due to work being outsourced. This meaning that talent is found in country's outside the US/EU, where the labour rates are lower. Of course, this is good for the companies as it saves them money, the contract is usually only for one part of a game, rather than employing someone full time.
Hopefully by the time I graduate, if if graduate, the credit crunch will have cleared up and more studios will have opened. Ideally i'd like to get into the industry straight away, rather than spending a decade working in Tescos searching.
Despite all of this, the actual sales of games and consoles are thriving. For example, Sony have witnessed a 115% increase of sales on the Playstation 3 over the past year. As well as this, 3.25 million units of Nintendo Wii's were sold in December alone. This shows that the demand for consoles and new games are still high, and so hopefully companies will always have something to produce and profit from in the near future.
Anyway, back onto employment. Another thing that is going to make life tough for graduates is due to work being outsourced. This meaning that talent is found in country's outside the US/EU, where the labour rates are lower. Of course, this is good for the companies as it saves them money, the contract is usually only for one part of a game, rather than employing someone full time.
Hopefully by the time I graduate, if if graduate, the credit crunch will have cleared up and more studios will have opened. Ideally i'd like to get into the industry straight away, rather than spending a decade working in Tescos searching.
Creativity
Creativity has to be one of the most important factors when producing a game and the work force. If there were to be a lack of creativity in the game industry then every game would look the same. If someone asked me to tell them what creativity was, just off the top of my head, i guess I'd say it is what enables us to produce new ideas, concepts and generations.
Scientists reckon that the frontal lobe of the brain is a key role for creativity. So if you think like that, then everyone should be creative right? Or not. Everyone is born with some sort of creative talent, but some more than others. These people tend to go down a creative route for their career, such as a games artist, architect or interior designer.
Nowadays, different games had different levels of creativity in each area. The Artistic side of games isn't the only creative side, programmers can also be creative in the way they program the AI, make them moving in their own way, creating their own special effects never seen before. Of course the obvious way of showing creativity is through art in games. There are a lot of different styled games out there now including survival horrors, rpgs and action. Each type requires some amount of creativity, some more demanding than others. For example, survival horrors generally take place in a dark, gritty world full of zombies of some sort. Usually these places will be based on somewhere in real life, which are then converted to look interesting and realistic. However, in some games you begin to notice the influences that the designers had from other games or films, sometimes simply copying them, which lowers the game's standards and is less interesting to look at, as you've seen it before.
On the other hand you have games such as Little Big Planet, one of the latest releases on the Playstation 3. The vibrant colours and unique levels really make it appealing to look at. Even then you can customise them and create your own, to test your creativity. Another game that pops into my head is Team Fortress 2. Your usual first person shooter from Valve. However, the art direction they took was inspired by old American styles from the early 20th century, unlike most fps' which are usually modern, grey and gritty.
It's not always how a game looks to tell how creative people can be, the gameplay is also another factor. The obvious game for me would be portal, which i believe is the first of its kind. It was just a test to see if the creators - Valve - could actually pull it off. They did with great results. They showed that anything could be possible, if you put your mind to it...
Scientists reckon that the frontal lobe of the brain is a key role for creativity. So if you think like that, then everyone should be creative right? Or not. Everyone is born with some sort of creative talent, but some more than others. These people tend to go down a creative route for their career, such as a games artist, architect or interior designer.
Nowadays, different games had different levels of creativity in each area. The Artistic side of games isn't the only creative side, programmers can also be creative in the way they program the AI, make them moving in their own way, creating their own special effects never seen before. Of course the obvious way of showing creativity is through art in games. There are a lot of different styled games out there now including survival horrors, rpgs and action. Each type requires some amount of creativity, some more demanding than others. For example, survival horrors generally take place in a dark, gritty world full of zombies of some sort. Usually these places will be based on somewhere in real life, which are then converted to look interesting and realistic. However, in some games you begin to notice the influences that the designers had from other games or films, sometimes simply copying them, which lowers the game's standards and is less interesting to look at, as you've seen it before.
On the other hand you have games such as Little Big Planet, one of the latest releases on the Playstation 3. The vibrant colours and unique levels really make it appealing to look at. Even then you can customise them and create your own, to test your creativity. Another game that pops into my head is Team Fortress 2. Your usual first person shooter from Valve. However, the art direction they took was inspired by old American styles from the early 20th century, unlike most fps' which are usually modern, grey and gritty.
It's not always how a game looks to tell how creative people can be, the gameplay is also another factor. The obvious game for me would be portal, which i believe is the first of its kind. It was just a test to see if the creators - Valve - could actually pull it off. They did with great results. They showed that anything could be possible, if you put your mind to it...
Gameplay
Gameplay...we talk about it all the time what do any of us actually know what it means. The first thing that pops into my head is the way a game plays, the intensity, speed and drama. Then again it could be many other things. It could simply be how a player gets to the next level, or just the interactions between the player and computer.
Many games will have similar gameplay styles such as first person shooters and racing games. They pretty much follow the same principle, get from here to here, shoot some dudes, go around in circles quicker than the others etc etc. However, there are some unique ones out there too. Portal for example was just a test to see if the design would actually work, and look at it now, a fantastic puzzle game, completely different to anything else on the shelf. The thing is, now that i have actually thought about what is gameplay, I'm not sure how to describe Portal's gameplay. I could just say that the gameplay is unique, but then that really isn't reviewing it is it?
The question, "Can it be designed into a game" is a yes. All the ideas put together, the sounds and graphics create the gameplay experience. The designers may not actually say, "right, the gameplay must be this this and this", it will just evolve from each area.
Is Gameplay important, it has to be, because in my mind, poor gameplay equals a poor quality game. But then again, who actually knows what gameplay is exactly, what I just said could be rubbish. Bah, back to stage 1.
Many games will have similar gameplay styles such as first person shooters and racing games. They pretty much follow the same principle, get from here to here, shoot some dudes, go around in circles quicker than the others etc etc. However, there are some unique ones out there too. Portal for example was just a test to see if the design would actually work, and look at it now, a fantastic puzzle game, completely different to anything else on the shelf. The thing is, now that i have actually thought about what is gameplay, I'm not sure how to describe Portal's gameplay. I could just say that the gameplay is unique, but then that really isn't reviewing it is it?
The question, "Can it be designed into a game" is a yes. All the ideas put together, the sounds and graphics create the gameplay experience. The designers may not actually say, "right, the gameplay must be this this and this", it will just evolve from each area.
Is Gameplay important, it has to be, because in my mind, poor gameplay equals a poor quality game. But then again, who actually knows what gameplay is exactly, what I just said could be rubbish. Bah, back to stage 1.
Story and Character
Personally, I've never really been interested in the characters or the story of a game. I've always been interested in the environment the games are set in. However, characters and stories cannot simply be ignored, as without these, most games would be rather dull. Let's take Assassins Creed for example. The basic structure of the game is to simply go around stabbing dudes in charge of less important dudes. However, whenever you kill a dude, they tend to give you rather a lot of information, how they are related to the other characters, and what effect they have on the story. If you have the patience to sit and listen when you could be running and jumping over rooftops, you begin to realise that a lot of effort has been put into the characters personality and storyline. Personally, i tend to get rather bored, although I do sit through each cut scene in a game.
Some games and their characters have similarities with TV shows and films. There is generally a plot and a bunch of characters who you get to know after a while. You find out why there are in the situation they are in, there feelings for one another and their likes and dislikes. Games like this include the Final Fantasy series or oblivion. In these games, depending on how you behave, can alter the story and the characters behavior, resulting in a far more enjoyable experience.
Some games and their characters have similarities with TV shows and films. There is generally a plot and a bunch of characters who you get to know after a while. You find out why there are in the situation they are in, there feelings for one another and their likes and dislikes. Games like this include the Final Fantasy series or oblivion. In these games, depending on how you behave, can alter the story and the characters behavior, resulting in a far more enjoyable experience.
Aesthetics and Ergonomics with Consoles
When game console manufacturers started to design a new console, their main thought would be on the actual performance and power of the machine. However, recently, a lot of thought has gone into the looks of the machine too. Just take a look at some of the first consoles out there. Lets take the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), it is practically a box with some buttons:
Most of the consoles from this era look like this such as the Atari 2600, the Brown Box and the Odyssey. Now on the other hand we now have consoles such as the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Comparing their designs to the ones above you can tell a lot more effort has been put in:
The PS3 looks very sleek and refined, with its reflective faces and chrome trim. I remember when I opened the box containing my PS3, I simply looked at it and went 'wow' and just sat there. The xbox 360 also has the sleek design with smooth edges, even though it is a box, it still looks good:
Now then, controllers are also an important part of a console. Looks are one thing, but how they handle is far more important. I have to say, I've only ever played on the PlayStation set and xbox's so I don't have any experience with the Nintendo set. I have been reading though that some buttons were difficult to reach on the Sega Megadrive and GameCube.
Both the PlayStation controllers and Xbox controller are very well design, for both comfort and usability.
Nintendo on the other hand, have created something new for this generation. The Wii consists of two controllers which are motion sensitive. Now i've played a few games on the Wii and i found it rather difficult with some games. For example, Farcry Vengeance was incredible difficult to handle, especially in close fire fights. As for Mario Kart, this was easier to control, but after a while, it started to make your hands hurt. The shape wasn't confortable and the buttons were too flat. This is Just my opinion though, others find it easy to use, others are unsure...
Storytelling in Games
It's always nice to have a story line included with a game, if done well it will make the experience far more enjoyable and interesting, whereas if done poorly, it could ruin the game.
The first series of games that pop into my head is the Metal Gear Solid set. Hideo Kojima is the brains behind the incredibly complex story which continues through the each sequel, one to four. One aspect which can throw people off course is the time line. Number one isn't the earliest one, number 3 is, and i don't have a clue about the others. Personally, I feel that the trouble with complex story lines generally involves having a rather long set of cutscenes at the start, which can get frustrating when you just want to play the damn game, *looks at oblivion*. The link below can give you a better understanding of what I'm trying to say.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/99-Metal-Gear-Solid-4
On the other hand, stories can make a game far more interesting. In my experience, Diablo 2 has always kept me interested. The story, in my opinion, is clear to follow, with interesting yet short, cut scenes. For the first time in my life, i am actually more interested about how the story will continue in Diablo 3, rather than the gameplay and new features.
Some games have tried to give the option of choice, where your actions affect the story, such as Bioshock and GTA IV. The advantage of this is it gives the game a slightly better replay value. Whether it's worth it or not is another question.
The first series of games that pop into my head is the Metal Gear Solid set. Hideo Kojima is the brains behind the incredibly complex story which continues through the each sequel, one to four. One aspect which can throw people off course is the time line. Number one isn't the earliest one, number 3 is, and i don't have a clue about the others. Personally, I feel that the trouble with complex story lines generally involves having a rather long set of cutscenes at the start, which can get frustrating when you just want to play the damn game, *looks at oblivion*. The link below can give you a better understanding of what I'm trying to say.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/99-Metal-Gear-Solid-4
On the other hand, stories can make a game far more interesting. In my experience, Diablo 2 has always kept me interested. The story, in my opinion, is clear to follow, with interesting yet short, cut scenes. For the first time in my life, i am actually more interested about how the story will continue in Diablo 3, rather than the gameplay and new features.
Some games have tried to give the option of choice, where your actions affect the story, such as Bioshock and GTA IV. The advantage of this is it gives the game a slightly better replay value. Whether it's worth it or not is another question.
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