Where do you want to go, and how do you get there?

After I have completed my course at university I will have a wide range of skills in computer programming, my knowledge of the gaming industry will be much broader than it is know, but I will still be learning more and more even after I am done at university, I believe we are always learning till the day we die.

I was told that the industry employers are all looking for specialist so I would like to further my education this subject because the course does not focus on one field but it gives us a little bit of a lot of different fields, so me personally I would like to go and do my masters, so that I can be very skilled at the different aspects that I am being taught on this course which should then in turn give me a step up into the gaming industry.

I am so passionate about gaming so would love to be able to be part of a big organisation in the business, I would love to be able to work on a football game such as Pro Evolution soccer because those games are the games I spend most of my days playing and wishing to improve, so if I was able to put my two cents into the improvement of that game I would be a very happy bunny.

Creativity

What is creativity?

I started my reaserach into what the term creativity actually means, and the first definition of the word creativity was.

"creativity is a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts."

I believe this to be an extremley good definition of creativity. Becasue my thoughts on creativity are that it requires a huge amount of imagination. Whether it be a musician or an artist to be creative in your field you need to continually immerse yourself in that subject, this means creativity does not just require imagination even though it is a key factor, you also need to be dedicated. Dedication to better yourself, because if you dont have that determination to strive to better yourself then that creative spark will soon die out before you know it. I found a quote by Cecil B. DeMille a famous who was a famous filmmaker, and he said

"Creativity is a drug I cannot live without."

I feel that this satatment further helps me understand that creativity is not just about imagination you need have the drive to be creative, the determination.

Is creativity hindered or enhanced by technical constraints?

For me creativity is enhanced by the technology that is around today, I have not just woken up and thought this. It is evident in different areas, for instance in the movie busniess the technological advances have allowed filmmakers to do things that were not possible before, so there for it has given them a licence to dream of visual master pieces.

Also in the gaming world the technology has enhanced games for instance games have become so realistic it is slowly becoming harder and harder to tell a game from the real thing, but it has allowed designers to make their dreams a reality.

How do games manifest creativity?

Games show their creativity by coming up with games that other companies have not come up with, games that bring something totally new to the table. For instance Street Fighter, the reason why this game was such a big hit was because it was an original concept and it bought a whole new culture ti the gaming world.

Life Changing or Career Building?

Some game companies want highly trained graduate artists and programmers. Some claim they really prefer creative individuals with a good Liberal Arts background. They can't both be right can they?

The way that I would look at these statements are if I had a gaming company and I had the two differnet candidates that are described in the question for the same job which would I rather employ. I would rather have the highly trained graduate artist and programmers, it is always better to have someone who has more skills than needed. I think this is important becasue it easier for them to adapt to the different environments they are thrown in, and the gaming industry is always changing.

Dont get me wrong it is always good to be a specialist in a specific area, but I feel that you are really putting yourself into one box. And if the company dont need that specific skill then you will be left in the lurch. But if you are an all rounder that leaves you in a better position because you will know how to do different tasks and you will be seen as a integral part of the company.

For me I would rather be good a a load of different things rather than being REALLY good at a single thing. Everyone is different some people may disagree with what I have said but that is my opinion on the matter.

Game Technology - Sound for Games

How is sound used in games?


As in films sound in games can be used for various different reasons, from creating tension, to an interaction that the avitar has made with an instance in the gaming world. The main reason why sound is used in games is for realism, because sound is a major part of our real lives so the games are trying to draw as much from our real lives as possible so that the games are more rational.

Who are some of the key composers working in games?

Me perosonnally I would say that one of the biggest and key game composers in the business is Koji Kondo. Because he was the composer for games such as Zelda and the Super Mario series. I feel he is a key composer in the business because the music in Super Mario is very distictive and I feel that other composers have gone and set him as the pinicale.














To anybody who is into there games and has ever played the Super Mario games will know the distictive composition that Koji made for the game.

As you can tell from what I have written I think highly of Koji Kondo for what he has done for the gaming worlds music because he really set the bar high with the music for the Marios becasue that music is known world wide.

Game Technology - Game Engines

What does a game engine do?

"A game engine is the core software component of a computer video game or other interactive application with real-time graphics. It provides the underlying technologies, simplifies development, and often enables the game to run on multiple platforms such as game consoles and desktop operating systems such as Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows. The core functionality typically provided by a game engine includes a rendering engine (“renderer”) for 2D or 3D graphics, a physics engine or collision detection (and collision response), sound, scripting, animation, artificial intelligence, networking, streaming, memory management, threading, and a scene graph. The process of game development is frequently economized by in large part reusing the same game engine to create multiple different games."
I got the above definition of game engines from wikipedia, it describes exactly what a games engine is used for.

What are the key engine technologies?

RenderWare

RenderWare is a fairly new games engine but it is used throughout the gaming industry as a rendering games it can be used for a large number of Operating Systems that are used in the gaming world. It was used on the extremely successful series of the Grand Theft Auto games before it was sold off to Electronic Arts, which then prompted Rock Star to then go on and create their own game engine RAGE.

Unreal Engine

Unreal engine was first used in 1998 for the first-person shooter game Unreal. once it had been used for this game it then went on from strength to strength. As the gaming world improved the Unreal Engine began to develop their technology with the development of Unreal Engine 2 and Unreal Engine 3. Games such as Gears Of War and various different Splinter cell games were made using this Games engine.

What is meant by subtractive and additive?

The term subtractive can be described "In a subtractive process, a block of material is carved out to produce the desired shape. Conventional prototyping processes fall into this category"
So in the gaming world I assume that this is used in the designing phase of games design.

"Any substance added in small quantities to another substance, usually to improve properties" This is the description that is used to described additive. Which in the gaming world would be when you add entities into level to create that level and make it better.

Gaming Cultures

What game cultures are you part of?
I do not really use the tools that allow you to chat to people that are playing the same game as you online because I would rather play with my mates when they come around. So I am not really part of any game culture.

How much of your life does it occupy?
I just play games by myself of with my friends, but gaming takes up alot of my time because I enjoy both playing and looking at the different aspects that are involved in making a game such as the backgrounds used in games and so on and so forth.

Do you have friends who you know only through MSN for example?
erm.....I rarely add people that I have not met before on my MSN, but I have a few who my friends have previously met and been chatting to them and I added them just to have a load of friends on MSN (i know sounds really sad).

An introduction to the Game Industry

The games industry is growing immensely lately. It is one of the fastest growing markets currently, with a much greater competition between companies. The industry is worth billions globally, which means certain problems can end up costing loads. Time constraints for example are very important, as releasing a highly anticipated game at key times in the year (such as Christmas) helps sell a lot more than a regular date. Also, if another competing company releases a game on a different format before it is finished, it can cost sales due to more interest in the opposing console.
Standards for gaming quality have increased since the time where Pong and Pacman were classic winners. Games are at the same level as the latest films, where a convincing storyline, characters and elements are very important to get the player involved. This increases the number of staff required to complete a game in little time. Where it used to take as few as 2 people to program and finalise a computer game, it now can take 100s with different positions, such as concept designing, level design, animators, sound developers to finish one of today’s games. However, many people means a game can be completed a lot quicker than before. The wide range of available jobs is a good invitation for specialised artists and programmers to get into work in the gaming industry. This also means there are more opportunities to get promoted and progress in the business.
But as games become more renowned, the problems they face become apparent in the media. One of the latest stories is about censorship and moral limits in the gameplay. Manhunt 2 by Rockstar has been given an AO (Adults Only) rating due to its graphic violent content and sadistic influence it could give out. This means that Sony and Nintendo refuse it on their console in the same shores. This is the first game that has been banned in the UK for about 15 years, so is a historic milestone in the gaming industry. It has also triggered concerns about censorship in games. They follow very similar rules at films do with the BBFC, such as violent or disturbing imagery with no effect on the character, so games have to be careful with what they include for release. Other countries also have different rules, so for a game to be released globally it has to comply with each regulation they put down. For example, games such as Postal and Manhunt are illegal to own in Australia due to their content. This seriously affects sales and the whole gaming industry.

However, like films, these sorts of games push the boundaries as much as possible so the content can be stretched. Also, as audiences become more and more desensitised to violence and other content, these kinds of games will become more acceptable and may become available for purchase. This will take years though, due to many games being blamed for youth behaviour, which also affects the companies, as they have to try as hard as they can not to appear to influence actions of their players. So in the future, games may go either way, to game developers being free to add whatever content they please as it is no longer a big deal, or them being restricted greatly and censored much more so not to influence children’s minds if the government gets their way. However in my opinion, this is merely using games as a scapegoat to avoid issues that parents themselves must take responsibility for.

The elements of Game Design - Gameplay


Gameplay? play, game. What exactly is this thing? And why is it important?

The way that the gamer can interact with the game and the way the game handles, this being as brief a description of gameplay you can get. But gameplay is a very broad subject which can not be put into one box because it is a correlation of different entities.

"Ambiguous term for the total effect of all active game elements. Refers to the holistic game experience and the ability of the game to command the attention of the player."

And why is it important?

Gameplay is an enormous factor to me in whether a game is a success of a failure. I have come to this conclusion because if I as a games player are not able to interact with the game successfully I will end up getting frustrated by the game.


Does it exist as a definable set of rules?

I assume that in the gaming industry there are not a defined set of rules that games have to follow on the topic of gameplay, but I feel that the in the individual gaming companies they will have a set of guidlines or a standard they have set for their games to live up to. This will be put in place so that the organisations keep up their own high standards of gameplay so that they will keep up with the competition that are around.

Is it even important?

I understand the question being asked in the sense of "is gameplay even important?" so I will start by answering this question from my point of view, and for me gamplay is EXTREMLEY important for me. I would rather have a game that has amazing realistic gamplay rather than a game that has amazingly realistic graphics. I feel that gameplay makes a game, in the sense that if a player can not interact with a game the way that they want to they will get frustrated and it will end up with the player getting annoyed at the game.

The elements of Game Design, Story and Character

I think it’s not enough to just give any character a name, dress sense and accent like many older games. Films create a story about the protagonist prior to the scenes, so it feels that they have had a past, and have actually lived before you meet them on camera. This makes characters appear more believable, therefore the viewer is far more likely to interact and identify with them. This is a key factor of successful movies, books and games. The character also has to have a likeable element for the audience to respond positively to their actions. This even applies to villains or anti-heroes if they are the narrative character. Even if they commit crimes, the storyline or history usually justifies the characters’ decisions. For example, the popular series Grand Theft Auto features criminals as the main characters. However, in Vice City, this can be linked to Tommy’s desperation to recover money for a more hateful character, as his life is at stake. This kind of emotion used in films shows a weakness in the tough exterior, indicating that they are only human (or equivalent), so the audience can sympathise with them once again. In films, these natural human emotions and actions can be broadcast in a number of ways, such as using flashbacks to hint at their past hardships or to trigger the audience’s own experiences. There must be parts of the script that allows the actor to show these points; else the character will come across as a lot colder and harder to emote with.
Also, the character needs to have some visual clues about them that makes the audience react to them in the intended way. A good character needs to appear safe and trustworthy by what they wear, their friendly demeanour and such, whereas an enemy should appear aggressive physically and verbally. For example, Training Day featured two police officers, but it is clear who is corrupt and villainous by their language and aggressive approach to other people.
I personally am drawn in by exciting plots that reveal the protagonist’s true colours, some that have been concealed by other unsuspecting characters. This usually allows me to become more intimate with their thoughts and reasoning for their actions. A good example of this is Sin City, where the character narrates their thoughts in their head, away from the ears of others. For example, this lets me actually understand the protagonist’s [Bruce Willis] reasons for how they are in the film, whereas the girl [Jessica Alba] is confused and unaware of why he is so distant to her.

An introduction to Game Technology

Think of all the gaming platforms you have used in the past. As far as user interface is concerned, which one was the easiest to use?


The early consoles that I myself can remember using were the likes of the Nintendo Entertainment System, and the Sega Megadrive. And it is obvious to anybody who's has ever seen or played on the console that the controllers were not created with the idea of ergonomics or comfort in mind. For instance the Nintendo Entertainment Systems controllers where rectangle in shape and were just made for functionality, also the Sega controllers were big and chunky. And for the people who played consoles in the late 80's and early 90's were young children with small hands but the controllers did not reflect that.








The first console that I ever owned was a Sony PlayStation, so for me PlayStation controllers are the easiest to use, even when I am using any other consoles I refer to the PlayStation buttons when asked which button to press. Sony revolutionised the way that consoles looked at controllers, because it came at the aspect of controllers at not only being functional but also being comfortable.


Which platform looked the nicest?

For me I really like the retro look of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Even though it does not have the comfort of the new controllers that are out now but I still feel that for me it is the best looking, because it is retro and it does not try and be all flash like for example the new Xbox 360 controllers. I just feel that it goes over the top to look space aged for Gods sake just keep it simple that what I think anyway.


Is the game pad/joystick a dying technology?

I personally think the game pad is not at all a dying technology. With the new wireless controllers just emerging I feel that this technology will be used for many more years to come, because it has just been introduced. But with companies trying to put their own stamps on the way that game pads are used then I think it wont be long before a new technology or interface will be developed, but I feel that is in the very distant future.

Storytelling in Games

Does a strong storyline make a better game?

I think that it is very obvious that if the game has a strong storyline then the game will be much better. If the characters have a strong and believable back story, the player gets more familiarised to them, and in some senses indentify with the emotions they feel. This pushes the motivation to actually progress in the game, as there is more gratification than merely completing it 100%. There is an element of the equilibrium being restored, such as in a classic film narrative.

As a player, does the story happen to you, or do you make the story happen?

A story is pushed by the player, but only to the limits that the game engine allows. With branching storylines, this is extended, but again is only limited to what is programmed and possible with game attributes and capabilities. In some free roaming games, much of the level can be changed in some circumstance, but the storyline isnt always affected.

what's the story in Second Life?

Second life is a virtual world that allows players to escape from reality and build their own identity to a range of other people who would normally be unfeasable to interact with. The type of game contributes to the expanding virtual communities online.

An introduction to Art Direction for Games

What does an Art Director do?

An art Director can basically be described as the person that directs the art of a game. But there job is more complicated than that as said in an article, "Art directors are generally responsible for setting the visual tone, quality, and style for the game. They are at least indirectly responsible for every object, texture, level, character, and effect that appears in a game." So the Art Director has a lot of responsibility they are the 'quality control' for the games, they need to make sure that the games environment is believable.

Do you think its a creative role?

The Art Director role is a highly artistic job because as the art director they have to be aware of different environments, which includes the textures of the different objects in that certain environment because they will then have to replicate them in the gaming world, so they will definitely have a very good understanding of different shading and art techniques to carry out a realistic visual gaming experience.

How is art direction in Games similar to or different from Film, for example?

They are very much similar, The first piece of evidence I have that leads me to think this is both of the roles involve having to make the action on the screen as real as possible, so that the audience has a better experience whilst watching or playing the finished produce. Also you are making sure that the other people that are under you are doing their jobs effectively, and everyone is working in harmony to get to the required goal.

What qualities do you think you'd need to develop if you want to become an Art Director in the future?

I think that the most important skill that a outstanding Art Director has to have is he or she must be a first-rate artist. This is important because they will have to have a good understanding of textures, shadows, sizes of different objects and much more. This skill is extremely important because if the art director does not have a good concept of art then the work that is done on the games will not be of the quality expected of games of today. Also an Art Director must have good communication skills, this is so that when they are telling the other artists to do certain tasks there will be no mix up with the instructions.

An introduction to Game Design

What is meant by Gameplay?

I understand the term gameplay as being the way that the gamer can interact with the game and the way the game handles. But it goes wider than that it involves everything to do with the game such as the graphics and the storyline. For me the better the gameplay the better the game.

Who are the leading lights in Game Design?

This question is left open to interpretation and the way that I interpret this question is that the experssion Game design is "the process of designing the content and rules of a game" and that is done by the game developers, so for me that means the leading lights in Game Design are the likes of Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Konami and Eidos to name a few.

Is it a single person's responsibility?

The game design industry is such a big business that one person on there own would not be able to handle all the responsibilities that come with the job. Maybe there will be one main overseer who manages the projects, but the team of people are responsible to keep up to date with the workload that they are given. So therefore it is not a single persons responsibility it is a collective responsibility.

What's important for you, when you play?

I am sure that in previous blog entries I have said the most important feature for me in games is the gameplay. For me if you as a gamer cannot interact with the game effectively then the game does not do what it is suppose to, which is keep the interested and for me if I am unable to interact with a game then I get bored and lose interest in the game.
Also stories in a game are also a big factor for me, a good adventure game has to have a story that keeps you wanting to go on and find out more. For instance God of War a personal favorite of mine kept me wanting to go on and find out more about the character which then in turn kept me wanting and willingly playing the game.