Contextual Studies, Games as Sports Task

Take your two example games for the essay:

How inclusive are they for differently able-bodied players, do they make assumptions about the player’s body-type or exclude those with certain disabilities?

Pokemon Go - The game itself can be played by all ages from children to grown adults. If the player enjoyed watching the cartoon when they were younger or if a person is a fan of the franchise already this will give the player more possibility's to play. Some people who may have certain disabilities may struggle with this game as it is very active, the game makes you walk miles if it has too just so you can catch certain Pokemon or battle some gyms. People with disabilities such as Autism may also find this game difficult to play if not accompanied by a friend or carer depending on the players ability's and needs. They may struggle with the social aspect of the game, as it does bring big groups of people to popular places making the area very busy which may not agree with someone who may have low social skills.

Majestic - This game can not be played by children, the age for this game is 18 onward, this draws many away from this game already. I believe this game isn't for everyone because of it's topic on conspiracy. This may only interest a certain audience. People who are blind or deaf will also struggle to play this game because of the elements of communication that you receive in this game from such forms as being called, emails etc..., people with learning disabilities may struggle with this game also but the game does give the player a lot of information to process and put together logically, this can be difficult for some.

How does the meaning of your games change when they are played competitively or by a speed-runner?

Pokemon Go - The fun of the game will be taken away if you try to complete it as fast as you can, it would also be very difficult to collect all of the Pokemon in a certain amount of time. The only way that the player could make it easier to collect all Pokemon would be by downloading or using an app that shows you the Pokemon in the area and how long they will stay there for. The hype of the game would not last if you could play this game on a speed runner.

Majestic - I think to complete this game in a time limit it would be impossible as the player relies on the game itself to update you with information to progress to the next puzzle. If it was possible to obtain all the needed information to solve the story the game would be pointless.

Contextual Studies, Games as Learning Tools Task.

Take your two example games for the essay:

Write a couple of paragraphs on what skills or knowledge these games might teach you, or might be used to demonstrate:

Pokemon Go and Majestic.
Pokemon Go - This game teaches you the importance of exercise, the game wants you to move to progress and to succeeded in catching all of the Pokemon available and while you move the possibility of the eggs that you have collected may hatch. The game also teaches you that you need to have a strong level Pokemon (CP) to stay the longest in a Pokemon gym, the aim is not to be booted out. 

Majestic - This game increases your logical ability because of how the game send you messages, emails or calls and gives you as the player clues to solve puzzles to develop and open more understandings of the story.

How transferable are these skills/information?

Pokemon Go and Majestic both transfer skills as keeping the player aware of others and surroundings, team work can be included, logic, both games also give the lesson that you must keep on going to achieve your final outcomes, you must work hard to get what you want from both games, if that is more Powerful Pokemon so you can battle other trainers, or to gain more information to fill in the gaps in a story that you must solve.

What kind of world-view does your game encourage, how might it make you see things differently?

Pokemon Go - may make you see people joining together forming friendships, being social and showing a more healthier attitude to lifestyle because of being more active and sociable.

Majestic - May make you see people coming together sharing information to help each other solve the story that game provides. And you my see people helping others with some of the logical clues who may struggle and working together to receive a final outcome.

How transparent is the game about the ways it manipulates the player?

Pokemon Go may manipulate the player by the achievement system in the game itself. Depending on how many Pokemon types you catch, how many miles you have walked all give the player a sense of achivement and doing so can keep the player from drifting from the game.

Majestic may manipulate the player by the calls, messages, emails etc..., that you receive at anytime of the day, the game could take control over some people's everyday tasks, thus keeping the player glued or waiting on what to come next. This can bring anxiety to the player as it can bring them out of reality.

Contextual Studies, Games as Simulations Task.

What are the basic assumptions behind your indie dev video game? What world view does it suggest?

My indie dev video game is basically about a Detective called 'Logan' who is sick and tired of dealing with bad people because of what happened to him in his past with his wife being murdered. He has to solve the case of a missing woman called 'Evelyn'. The game is a 3D exploring game that has narrative and a sense of thriller added to it. What world view does this suggest? I think it is a typical crime/murder mystery story that is similar in movies to some TV shows.

How would you subvert or pastiche a famous strategy/sim game? 

I would pastiche the 1997 game 'Theme hospital'. The player must build a the hospital with limited money and treat patients correctly with the right medical equipment or medicines but doing so costs more money in each patient you treat if done wrong it will have consequences. The player must find a way to balance the costs by negotiate with government parties. As the player you will have to make some bad and good decisions to progress.

Contextual Studies, Games as toys, task.

How would you make your indie game design open-ended?

I could make my game have more levels or end the game on a cliff hanger, maybe the search for the missing woman in my game could not been found so the game will continue until you find her by using more levels added clues etc...

Think of a way of incorporating a physical object into your game design – could AR or NFC allow for meaningful interaction?

I believe AR would work well with my game. In my game you are a detective who needs to find the pieces of evidence in the suspect home and find the missing woman, AR would work with this as the evidence you collect could hold a QA code and when you use your phone camera and put it to the QA code it will show the evidence you have collect, you would then be able to look more in depth with that piece of evidence look for clues,prints for example.

 

Contextual Studies, Theme Parks.

How would you make a modern theme park sim or management game? Blue sky: an endless runner, or maybe a post-apocalyptic strategy game?

The aim of my game would be to restore a broken down Theme-park. It would be a strategy game where you will need to start from the bottom with very little cash, you will need to hire workers to maybe scrap the broken rides for money or even repair them, but in doing so some of the rides will have a skill level that the worker will need to complete this task and in doing so can cost more money. You will need to think logically. The more the theme park is built up, the more customer will come making you more money so you can build a successful park.

Controversial theme parks: what can’t theme parks do?

Theme parks all have there own themes, example of this is a Disney land theme park we know that at these theme park they all show the same characters, mostly the same rides as all the others and even merchandise. If a theme park like Disney has to be kept the same, which it does need to stick with it's theme it will not be able to change in any aspect. It can never go off track for example it would never be able to take another company mascot such as Sonic or Mario in it's park, if it was to do so this will cause controversy within both companies and others and would result in breaking the law. Overall if a park is themed and there is more than one of them, it needs to stay constant within all of them wherever they are in the world.



 

Contextual Studies, Cards and Board Games, Task.

Can you think of a video game you could emulate in cards, how would you go about it?

 Ni No Kuni

Ni No Kuni video game as a card game could emulate similar to Pokemon cards, you can collect and play. Some cards will be rare and others will be common through the creatures you encounter. Because Ni No Kuni in the video games has creatures that you can catch, train and bring with you on your travels they then have the power evolve into stronger beings.  This could work well into cards being able to evolve your creature which will give you a boost while in play, and you could also include cards such as potions and spells that will help you to destroy the other opponents set of creatures.

If you wanted to make a narrative or expressive game, how could you use elements of card games to tell the story?

On the cards with the characters/ creature that you have collected you could have blurbs that have a description about the character/creature and it's story. Pokemon does this and other cards games such as Magic the Gathering.

We’ve seen card games meet a lot of Callois’ criteria for games – Agon, Alea and even Mimesis – but what would an Ilinx card game look like?

(Ilinx is of perception, as with vertigo, dizziness, or disorienting changes in direction of movement.)

Within a game a example would to be in using a Xbox kinect or wii controllers. You could use this method in my idea of the Ni No Kuni card game, or even with the technology such as AR. It would work as having the physical cards and them cards being displayed on a smartphone screen, with the use of QA codes that are printed on the cards, with that the creature on the card can come to life on the screen in front of you. You would then battle your opponent by using the smartphone in some sort of motion to attack, cast spell etc...

Contextual Studies Task, Mazes.

Think of ten video games which involve mazes (in any capacity: level design, mechanics, narrative etc.). Sort them into multicursal and unicursal.

The games below will show the Multicursal and Unicursal elements of the games that I have chosen.

5 Multicursal games

 1. Dragon age inquisition

A multicursal feature in the game Dragon age inquisition are the in game maps that you can see while going through the user interface, the war table in the game also has a map of the in game world  (Thedas), you can select the places you would like to visit here also you can complete operations here by sending off forces and advisors to unlock other locations, rewards etc...

 Games Maps, (2014), The Exalted Plains Map [ONLINE]. Available at: http://game-maps.com/DAI/img/The-Exalted-Plains.jpg [Accessed 9 October 2016].

2. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3 has a few multicursal elements, such as the world map that you can assess through the user interface which in turn can lead you to many places and hidden areas and side quests, the dialogue within the game it another. The further you progress within the game through it's main story quests the more actions you have through the dialogue of the game, leading to your final outcome based on your decisions. Each main choice you make can lead to a different ending each time. 

US Gamer, (2016), Lady of the lake Witcher [ONLINE]. Available at: http://cdn.gamer-network.net/2016/usgamer/Witcher-3-Sparing-Shaelmaar.jpg [Accessed 9 October 2016].

3. Fallout 4

In Fallout 4 you have dialogue throughout the whole game from the main story to side quests. The game can lead you away from the main quest and you are free to complete many of the side quests available through the base game and add ons for the game if you decide to buy. Within the dialogue for the main story you have choices that will effect the main ending outcome.

VG247 Shabana Arif, (2016), Fallout 4 Vault Tec guy [ONLINE]. Available at: https://assets.vg247.com/current//2016/06/fallout-4-dialogue.jpg [Accessed 9 October 2016].

4. Life is strange

Life is Strange doesn't have many routes that you can take physically the game only allows you to wander slightly but there is only one set path, but the choices in the game have very many multicursal elements. from decisions making to physical actions all leading to the final outcome.  

WFGS, (2015), Life is strange Photography [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.wsgf.org/f/u/imagecache/node-gallery-display/contrib/dr/28576/ingame_16x9.jpg [Accessed 9 October 2016].

5. Monster Hunter

This is a game where you do follow at story line, but within the story line there are side quests that you can take. The maps within the game have hidden areas but can only access them through having the right skills. Multiplayer options is also available that does not relate to the main story.

 Monster Hunter, Capcom, (2015), monster hunter generations gameplay [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.monsterhunter.com/images/video_preview.jpg [Accessed 9 October 2016].

 5 Unicursal games

1. Tekken Tag tournament 2 

In this game there is only one set path and that is to win. The story of most Tekken games you have stages that you need to complete that get gradually harder on each stage you win. When you get to the final stage and succeed you will be greeted with the characters story (video) and other rewards.

Nintendo Today, (2011), Tekken tag tournament 2 [ONLINE]. Available at: http://nintendotoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/tekken-tag-tournament-2-wii-u-screenshot-1.jpg?x74487 [Accessed 9 October 2016].

 2. Crash Bandicoot (PlayStation 1) 

This game has one path only when playing, you will need to get through some obstacles before you can reach the exit of each level. A good example of this is the Boulder dash level where you will need to get from one side of the level to the exit while a bolder is chasing you that has the chance to crush you so you will need to restart the level again.

WFT gamers Only, (2014), Crash Bandicoot boulders [ONLINE]. Available at: http://ckopo.net/uploads/posts/2011-03/1299676305_crash-bandicoot-1.jpg [Accessed 9 October 2016].

3. Zoo Tycoon (Xbox one)

In this game the aim is to build the best zoo that you can and hire workers to maintain the zoo and the animals that you buy. The one path here is to be successful and to keep it up.  

Gamer rate games, (2014), Zoo Tycoon Xbox One [ONLINE]. Available at: https://gameratedgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ZOO-TYCOON-5.jpg [Accessed 9 October 2016].

4. Rayman (PlayStation 1)

Rayman is a side stroller game in which you have to past and succeed through some challenges to past through to the exit. If you run out of lives you will need to start again from the very beginning. 

 Ubisoft, (2012), rayman ps1 [ONLINE]. Available at: http://i.imgur.com/rcn9i.png [Accessed 9 October 2016].

5. Mario bros 

This is a game with one set path, get to the exit to win and go through to the next levels that will get harder with more obstacles along the way. If you was to play with another player that player will play as the another character called 'Luigi', while you play as 'Mario'.

 Nintendo , (2015), super mario bros apk [ONLINE]. Available at: http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150913145444-01-1985-super-mario-bros-exlarge-169.jpg [Accessed 9 October 2016].

If you wanted to make a narrative or expressive game, how could you use kinds of maze to tell the story?

Sketch out an idea for a unique take on a maze-based game in a single paragraph

The smell of damp air, you feel pain throughout your body. What happened? you only see darkness, you are scared, cold, but you get up slowly thanking you have no broken bones. You look up and can see the starry sky, feeling some hope of escape. You must of fell. You need light and remember your phone in your pocket you hope it's not broken from the fall, luck is in, it is fine but no signal. You switch the torch on your phone and start to look for an exit.