World:
Terrain- The terrain is the land that the game play is set/based in, e.g hills and mountains. An example of this is Journey. This game has multiple terrains as the player goes on a journey through different stages of the game (all linked together), the main one being in a sand dune in a desert that doesn't seem to end, also there is a mountain which the players go to. The other terrains featured in this game is snow, under water and in the sky.
watch from time 1:30
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| Here is an Example of Sonics terrain |
Architecture- The architecture is to support the game play, which are mainly buildings or any other man-made things like roads and cars. An example of this is Dead space 2, which is set in the future and in space on a spaceship. the proof that it is set in the future is that is has futuristic surroundings throughout the game play.
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| In the background is the spaceship players do the game play |
Another example of architecture in games is Ryse: son of Rome. This game is set in roman time as can tell by the cover of the game and also the buildings are like ruins and old styled building (as you can see below). compared to Dead space it is set at different times and separate styles of architecture.
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| here is some architecture showing the old building in the Ryse game |
Objects- Objects in games are things that you can interact with during the game play, which most items are used to collect. An example of this is the game Amnesia: The dark descent, in this game there are items like: Tinderbox- used to light candles, torches or fireplaces, Lantern- most important item in game, helps sanity and to light the surrounding area, Oil- used to keep lantern lit, Laudanum- used to restore health to your character. Also object that you can move and open.
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| This is what the players will see to observe their items they have collected |
Another example of objects in games is Slender which is a game that only has 1 type of item to collect, which is pages (there are 8 of this item that you have to find). Compared to most games like Amnesia it is quite simple and very different. However they are quite hard to find these object as you are set in woods and something (slender man) is in those woods coming to get you.
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| These are the 8 pages you have to collect |
Playable Characters- These are characters in the game which is controlled by the player, and is usually the main character in the games story. Usually the game has a different character for each player (if the game is a multiplayer) or the game has options where you can choose your character you want to play as- in this option the different characters may have different abilities, strengths and weaknesses which will effect the game play differently. An example of this is Mario kart, there are multiple characters to choose, but in the original Mario games you could only play as Mario. Then it became a multiplayer for only 2 players (Mario & Luigi), finally it was made to many characters like the game Mario kart.
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| Here is the different characters you can play as on Mario kart |
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| Here is an example of the game play of Grand theft auto V |
- Display of progress- Objectives,Map information
- Information- Health, Ammo, Map
- Feedback- Blinking health bar means you're dying
The interfaces should always be on the edges of the screen- away from from central vision of the player.
An example of this is Metal Gear Solid 4, The interfaces in this are simple to follow and has more than 1 on the screen (can see below)
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| Here is game play example of Metal Gear Solid 4, see interfaces around the screen. |
Perspectives- These are different views that the game has during the game play- 3D or 2D, third-person, first-person, aerial, scrolling, context sensitive.
2D- This is a game that has two dimensional graphics which your character/avatar and the world is flat. Also tho only controls that you can do is: right, left, up and down and the camera angle never changes- only pans left to right and up and down. An example of this is the original Mario game, It is one of the most popular 2D games and is well known all over the world.
Third-person- In third-person gaming the player is allowed to see more around the character, this perspective is most common in action and action adventure games. There are three different types of third-person camera systems: the "fixed camera systems" is where the camera positions are set during the game creation. The "tracking camera systems" is when the camera simply follows the player's character. Finally the "interactive camera systems" which are under the player's control. An example of this is Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, this game has good graphics and is a good example of third-person gaming.
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| Here is game play of Lara Croft showing third-person perspective. |
Aerial- This is used to view the game from above- this could also be called Birds-eye view. With this perspective it is easy for the player to see all around its character and also creates a different gaming experience for the player. An example of this is Shadow Vamp, this is an app and is Aerial game play.
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| Here is game play in Shadow Vamp for aerial perspective. |
Full motion Video- This is a technique that shows pre-recorded video files to add action to the game play. Many games have FMVs as a way to show information during cut-scenes, games which are primarily presented through FMVs are known as full-motion video games or interactive movies. A cut-scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a game that is not interactive, it is used for breaking up the game play. An example of this is Fahrenheit, this game has many cut-scenes which depend on your actions in the game.
Interaction model- This is the relationship between the player’s input via the input devices and the resulting actions in the game world. The user interface (UI as it is also known as) makes the player’s button presses turn into actions in the game world. There is different types of interaction models:
Avatar- An avatar is a type of character that represents the user/player which is mainly in three dimensional in games such as virtual worlds, however can also be two dimensional seen as an icon. Game consoles like Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have universal animated avatar.
Omnipresence- This meant the user/player is everywhere but also nowhere at once. This is refereed as an unbounded or universal presence, you are not playing as the avatar but making it do things or you are creating thing- you are in control like God, making things happen the way you want.
That is one of the cut scenes in Fahrenheit, can watch it at any point- it is all a cut scene
Game play:Interaction model- This is the relationship between the player’s input via the input devices and the resulting actions in the game world. The user interface (UI as it is also known as) makes the player’s button presses turn into actions in the game world. There is different types of interaction models:
- Multi-present
- Contestant-based
- Avatar-based
- Desktop
- Party-based
Avatar- An avatar is a type of character that represents the user/player which is mainly in three dimensional in games such as virtual worlds, however can also be two dimensional seen as an icon. Game consoles like Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have universal animated avatar.
Omnipresence- This meant the user/player is everywhere but also nowhere at once. This is refereed as an unbounded or universal presence, you are not playing as the avatar but making it do things or you are creating thing- you are in control like God, making things happen the way you want.
An example game that features both an avatar, omnipresence and has many interactions is Sims. This game is where you can look after your sim (avatar) and decorate the home for it while usually in aerial perspective.
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| This is an example of an interaction in the Sims game, also see an avatar |
Single player- This is what all of the games have- which is that only one player at a time can play the game. The "Single-player game" mainly means that the game that can only be played by one person, whereas the "Single-player mode" usually means that the particular game mode is made to be played by one person.
Multiplayer- More and more games are getting this feature, where more than one player can play at once. So you can play with friends, years ago if you wanted to play in multiplayer you had to plug in more controllers, usually only two could play then improved so could get 8 if you had extender. However now there are things like Xbox live, where a wide range of people can play at once.
An example of a game that allows single player and multiplayer option is The Forest, this is a survival game based in a forest that your plane that you was on crashed there and withing the forest are cannibal human/mutants that will come after you. You can also build shelters and fires and explore the forest, there is an ending to the game but it is hard to find- only few people will be able to find it.
Narrative- Narrative is the larger narrated story than a plot. Narrative games can exist without a plot or as a larger system in which plot exists. Narrative does not necessarily require a natural chain (Could be a history of events or sequence).
Environmental- It is said that the environments are built around the character and are related to them, the environments help the game with everything like the game-play, story, appearance and more.
Emotional- This is when the game makes an emotional connection to the player, and it will more likely make something unexpected happen (usually sad) or have an unexpected ending that makes the player feel emotions for the game.
Goals/Challenges- Every game has a goal that has to be completed to move on or win the game, but there may be challenges along the way to make the game-play more interesting. For example Mario which its goal is to rescue princess peach, and its challenges is to defeat/get past enemies and get through the obstacles in the worlds.
Rewards- These are what you get for achieving something good, getting past a level or finding it in an object. The rewards are usually: money, health, a life, or more points but could be something else in different games. In old classic games it was mainly health and points that were rewards (some games are still like that) but more recent games have more rewards available as the gaming industry improved over the years.
Difficulty- This is when a game lets you choose how easy or hard you want the game, the difficulties are: easy, normal/medium or hard. They have different difficulties because the game might be too easy or too hard for the player (depending of what type of gamer they are- if hardcore gamer then they might choose the harder option as the others may be too easy for them or like a challenge) which will make them get bored with the game.
Game Mechanics- These are rule based systems which encourage the player to travel/explore their whole space/environment possibilities with the use of feedback mechanisms. In general, the study of game design, or ludo-logy, are attempts to come up with game mechanics which allow players to have an engaging (but not really fun) experience.
Inventory- This is where the player can view all of their items they have or have collected during their time playing the game, also the player can check their inventory at any point they want. There are different types of inventories:
Scoring- This is for the amount of points you get in the game or how well you did. If the player doesn't think they did well enough this may encourage the to replay that area/part of the game which makes them want to play it more, also helps the player keep track of how well they are doing.
Win condition- There are many mechanisms that the game will use to decide the end state, but many games from the 80's had no finish condition an example of this is pac-man which has no final level that will come up with a usual 'You Win!' message on the screen to reward you. Most game don't have a win condition- it usually says 'The End' or/and cuts to end credits.
Game Structure (flow chart)- Even though there is different types of video games, there are a little properties which are constants: Every game needs at least one player, every game gives the player at least one challenge, every game uses a display and every game has at least one method of input/control.
Addiction- This is when a player feels as if they must keep playing the game, however not all gamers are addicted to games, depending on you age depends on how often you can play games- for example a teenager may have more time that someone in their 30's due to jobs. The more you play games may lead to slight addiction because gaming is improving and is becoming more interesting. For more information on gaming addiction go to this website- http://www.video-game-addiction.org/
Multiplayer- More and more games are getting this feature, where more than one player can play at once. So you can play with friends, years ago if you wanted to play in multiplayer you had to plug in more controllers, usually only two could play then improved so could get 8 if you had extender. However now there are things like Xbox live, where a wide range of people can play at once.
An example of a game that allows single player and multiplayer option is The Forest, this is a survival game based in a forest that your plane that you was on crashed there and withing the forest are cannibal human/mutants that will come after you. You can also build shelters and fires and explore the forest, there is an ending to the game but it is hard to find- only few people will be able to find it.
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| This is an example of single player game-play in The Forest |
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| This is an example of multiplayer game-play in The Forest |
Environmental- It is said that the environments are built around the character and are related to them, the environments help the game with everything like the game-play, story, appearance and more.
Emotional- This is when the game makes an emotional connection to the player, and it will more likely make something unexpected happen (usually sad) or have an unexpected ending that makes the player feel emotions for the game.
Goals/Challenges- Every game has a goal that has to be completed to move on or win the game, but there may be challenges along the way to make the game-play more interesting. For example Mario which its goal is to rescue princess peach, and its challenges is to defeat/get past enemies and get through the obstacles in the worlds.
Rewards- These are what you get for achieving something good, getting past a level or finding it in an object. The rewards are usually: money, health, a life, or more points but could be something else in different games. In old classic games it was mainly health and points that were rewards (some games are still like that) but more recent games have more rewards available as the gaming industry improved over the years.
Difficulty- This is when a game lets you choose how easy or hard you want the game, the difficulties are: easy, normal/medium or hard. They have different difficulties because the game might be too easy or too hard for the player (depending of what type of gamer they are- if hardcore gamer then they might choose the harder option as the others may be too easy for them or like a challenge) which will make them get bored with the game.
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| This is an example of a basic difficulty menu |
Inventory- This is where the player can view all of their items they have or have collected during their time playing the game, also the player can check their inventory at any point they want. There are different types of inventories:
- Limited inventories
- Unlimited inventories
- "Utility Belt" inventories
- Menu based inventories
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| This is Minecrafts example of an inventory |
Win condition- There are many mechanisms that the game will use to decide the end state, but many games from the 80's had no finish condition an example of this is pac-man which has no final level that will come up with a usual 'You Win!' message on the screen to reward you. Most game don't have a win condition- it usually says 'The End' or/and cuts to end credits.
Game Structure (flow chart)- Even though there is different types of video games, there are a little properties which are constants: Every game needs at least one player, every game gives the player at least one challenge, every game uses a display and every game has at least one method of input/control.
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| This is an example of a game structure |
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