After I had collected all fo the questionnaires completed by my participaints I began browsing through them in order to determine whether I could discover any clear correlations (patterns) within my findings so that I would be able to conduct an in depth analysis in order to establish a concise conclusion to support any personal views and opnions.
I received feedback from forty participants, both males and females within different age categories. (twenty males and twenty females). The quantities of participants age ranges are stated below:
Males
Six (16 and under)
Eight (17-25 years)
Four (26-40 years)
Two (41+ years)
Females
Three (16 and under)
Ten (17-25 years)
Three (26-40 years)
Four (41+ years)
I have identified that twelve out of twenty female participants would 'prefer to play on handheld devices,' whilst thirteen out of twenty male participants would 'prefer to play on consoles and pc's.' Leaving only seven male participants preferring to 'play on handheld games.' Women like to be kept active so they don't have much time to play on games on consoles. They prefer to carry around with them portable devices, which they an easily access at their own convenience. Handheld devices can easily fit in their palms and slide into their pockets or handbags. Manufacturers are not stupid. They know that if they develop a phone, for example, they can be bought in different colours and have added accessories attached to the device. Women will flock in their millions to buy the newest craze that gets released. We all know that females like small, cute devices that they can glam up with added accessories to show off to their friends. Females like to follow trends set out by celebrity role models they aspire to.
There has been a new andoid phone known as 'The HTC Rhyme,' which has been specifically designed and released for females. The developers were under the assumption that 'anything girly or sporting a Hello Kitty sticker was the best way to increase sales among women buyers. This is a phone for people who want all that smartphon has to offer but don't want to engage directly with technology.' I believe that this is absolutely true as many ladies yound and more mature don't want to use complicated handheld devices. I know this as my girlfriend and her friends like to use networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and they are all addicted to Ebay.
I have supported the theory that males like to play on consoles and pc's. There was a higher proportion who preferred t'o play consoles in comparison. Only two males 'preferred to play on pc's,' whilst the other eleven out of twenty participants 'preferred to play on consoles.' This is because males these days like to keep up to date with better, advanced technologies they can get their hands on to trial out by their selves or with friends as a sociallising network. Men like to buy the next big thing which has just been released if there has been alot of hype about it through the media for example, on the televison, in magazines or on blogging network sites. They are like kids in a candy shop.
When males use consoles such as an 'X box 360 or Playstation 3,' which was extremely popular in my results, they are given the opportunity to explore new developments. They can interat with other players online or participate in online games. I believe that not so many males like playing games on pc's because the memory capacities on them are limited. As men like to save a lot of their games on their hard drive this would mean that at some point the computer would not be able to cope with the overload so it would eventually crash. They would then have to consider getting an upgrade, which could work out expensive so it wouldn't be cost effective or decide to invest in something much better such as a console where you would choose how much memoy capacity you would like and it could always be upgraded constantly. We all know what males are like when it comes to their short attention spans they have. Therefore quick fixes are the best option so that their gaming experience will not be ruined.
I discovered that tenty out of twenty girls were casual gamers. One male stated that they were a casual gamer whilst thirteen said that they were moderate gamers and six identified that they were hardcore gamers. I stated that I believed 'females would prefer to play arcade type games' or even puzzle strategy games as they are fun to play and sometimes simple and quick. I believe that this is accurate as this is sustained within my findings.
I browsed through the Internet to provide more support to back up my theories. I realised that a study had been published by 'Sheri Pocilujko from Casual Connect Magazine, Fall 2006,' which had been downloaded from the Internet. On the publication it stated reasons why females are casual gamers. It is clear to say that casual gamers like to play short, quick games that they can play and pause easily. Sheri mentioned that if you are a stay at home mum and are actively carrying out chores and errands around the house and for other people mothers would like to be able to save and pause game play at any moment. 'You need to be able to pick it up, play 20 minutes or so, or run out the door-as opposed to a game which requires several hours of focused play to progress.' Sheri also mentioned another paramount point which I strongly agreed with. 'When you are on the go, you don't want to be penalized for leaving a game in the middle or letting it end on its own. If you are playing Solitaire, Tetris, or Checkers, it doesn't really hurt you to leave the game at a moment's notice and come back.' Women like to ply games which are simple to pick up and master. This ensures that they can be guaranteed with having enjoyed a fun gaming experience. She also went on to say 'It's the whole easy-to-learn, hard to master mantra. And if you've only fifteen minutes of play-time, you don't want to feel frustrated because it took you that long to figure out how to choose our game mode.'
A great majority of males like to play first person shooters and action packed games, whereas females don't. A lot of females like to play arcade and strategy/puzzle games, which was clearly demonstrated in my questionnaires, as they are fun to play. I believe that this is because a lot o women tend to think that realistic/first person shooters involve unnecessary violence, gruesome gore and they are utterly a waste of time.
In conclusion, I believe that focussing on female games will be a big part in making my IOS game, but I don't want to completely focus on females entirely. I will need to take females into great consideration though. My questionnaires have portrayed that males do like to play handheld games as well as females, but a greater proportion prefer to play on consoles and pc's. So therefore my aim is to make a gam which will appeal to both sexes. I not not want to feel that I will be limited.
Quotes and information for the links below have been obtained from the Internet. Any information I have used has been quoted throughout my written work.
http://casualconnect.org/content/gamedesign/pocilujko-ten.html
http://www.syn-blog.com/sync/2011/09/do-women-really-want-a-girly-phone.html
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Project 2: Follow on research
I also really like strategy games and I think they work well on devices such as the iphone and ipad. So I have therefore done research on strategy games in the 'App Store.'
Crime City
Crash!! The most stupid raceGlow Racer : Tilt Racing
I found this game on the ‘App store.’ It looks pretty funny and I love the title. It looks like it combines tilting action to move the character at the same time you are interacting with the screen to change the characters positions to get them through the walls approaching you.
RC Racing Pro HD
VS Racing
Crime City
This looks a visually stunning game by looking at the screen shots. From looking at the description of the game you can do all sorts from stealing cars, beating up people, doing heists to building hotels, casinos, restaurants, and more.
TowerMadness™ HD
There has been plenty of tower defence strategy games and I believe they work really well on IOS platforms as they are a good way of getting the player to interact and touch the touch screen. 'TowerMadness TM HD' uses split screen on the iPad to play one versus one head to head.
Risk
Risk has now been put in computer game form on the iPhone and iPod touch. It is the modern day version of the board game. Risk is a hugely focused strategy game where players try to achieve world domination. Players attack one another with a roll of the dice and the game uses the same rule layout as the classic board game. I personally haven’t played the computer game or board game but I really like the look of it. I don’t think I’m going to use much of Risks format within my game as Risk use turn based mechanics where I want my game to be fast paced.
COMMAND & CONQUER™ RED ALERT™ for iPad
The ‘Command & Conquer’ franchise has been one of my favourite real time strategy games. I’ve played them on the Playstation and PC, but haven’t played it on the iPad though unfortunately. The iPad version looks like it makes really good use of the touch screen as you can zoom in and out of the battlefield setting quickly, and you are able to quickly send units into battle. Skirmish was pretty much the most enjoyable aspect of ’Command & Conquer.’ I use to play it for hours. This highlights and reinforces how multiplayer can make a game a lot more interesting and extends game play time over a larger period.
The ‘Command & Conquer’ franchise has been one of my favourite real time strategy games. I’ve played them on the Playstation and PC, but haven’t played it on the iPad though unfortunately. The iPad version looks like it makes really good use of the touch screen as you can zoom in and out of the battlefield setting quickly, and you are able to quickly send units into battle. Skirmish was pretty much the most enjoyable aspect of ’Command & Conquer.’ I use to play it for hours. This highlights and reinforces how multiplayer can make a game a lot more interesting and extends game play time over a larger period.
More racing games
Crash!! The most stupid raceGlow Racer : Tilt Racing
I found this game on the ‘App store.’ It looks pretty funny and I love the title. It looks like it combines tilting action to move the character at the same time you are interacting with the screen to change the characters positions to get them through the walls approaching you.
RC Racing Pro HD
Reckless Racing FREE
RhinoBall
RhinoBall is about the hamster out of the Disney film ‘Bolt.’ I was actually quite surprised that there isn’t a lot more hamster/mice racing games on the ‘App store.’
VS Racing
This game seems to be the closest I can find to the games I enjoyed playing when I was a young child (Micro Machines and Micro Maniacs). I’m amazed that there isn’t a lot more games like this on the ’App store.’ VS Racing lets you challenge your friends, Iphone against Iphone by using local wi-fi or your blue tooth.
Glow Racer : Tilt Racing
This racing game only uses the tilt mechanics built in the Iphone and Ipad. Hence the title ‘Tilt Racing.’ This is keeping things simple; sorry I know I keep saying simple but this is what I’m trying to get at, simple seems to be a key formula in making IOS games.
All information and pictures were taken from: http://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios/id36?mt=8
Project 3: Bibliography
Below are a list of references I used in order to assist me with my assignment:
Link below is the website of Syd Mead
http://www.conceptart.org/Picture below of ‘Image FX’ magazines with I used for references
Link below is the website concept art.org where I read different forums and discussions to obtain information as some of the artists seemed quite knowledgeable
http://sydmead.com/v/11/
Link below is the website of Syd Mead
http://www.conceptart.org/Picture below of ‘Image FX’ magazines with I used for references
Link below is the website concept art.org where I read different forums and discussions to obtain information as some of the artists seemed quite knowledgeable
http://sydmead.com/v/11/
Monday, 7 November 2011
Project 2: Questionnaire
After having browsed though the 'App Store' for sometime now, I believe that it is clear that alot of the games are directed at the male target audience. This suprised me as I thought there would be alot more female games as in my opinion males prefer to play on console games. I believe that in order for a game app to be popular and successful, it has to be directed at both males and females. This is partly why I believe games such as 'Angry birds' was so successful. I also believe females would prefer to play arcade type games that are quick and easy to play. As females like carrying around with them portable accessories for example in their handbags, hand held devices are ideal as they can be played anywhere, anytime at their own convenience. (They are cute, small and compact).
I think that this is a great opportunity to aim a game that is unisex. To establish whether my own opinions are true I have decided to conduct a questionnaire to obtain feedback from twenty males and twenty females in order to make this a fair test. I am then going to collate my findings into a tally table.
Below is a sample of the questionnaire I have asked my participants to fill out
I think that this is a great opportunity to aim a game that is unisex. To establish whether my own opinions are true I have decided to conduct a questionnaire to obtain feedback from twenty males and twenty females in order to make this a fair test. I am then going to collate my findings into a tally table.
Below is a sample of the questionnaire I have asked my participants to fill out
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Project 2: Game app research
We have been given an assignment to design a game/interactive app for an Apple IOS platform, which needs to be unique and original. I do not own an Ipod, Ipad or Iphone and I dont really know much about app's so the first thing I did was go straight to the appstore to begin my research. Whilst browsing on the 'App Store' I started to realise how big this industry is. There are so many different varieties of 'Apps' which can be purchased at the click of a button and they are so easily accessible.
I extremely like the idea of a racing game, as they seem to be very popular on the app store and they are the type of game you can pick up and play; something you would play when you're bored on a lunchbreak at work for example as these types of games and fun and enjoyable to play at your convenience.
All pictures have been downloaded from http://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios-games-racing/id7013?mt=8
I have been doing research and i'm finding it hard to find a racing game that is different and original from the standard format of the typical racing game. I've got this idea of a strategy/racing game where you interact with the characters and tracks. I'm going to stay away from the standard format of racing games where you only control one character with a camera view from the back. I like the way games like 'Micro Machines' and 'Micro Maniacs' play, and the camera angles they use. Therefore I will be researching these at a later date.
Way to many karting games
Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D
I assume that all of these games are probably well made but they stick to the same format. The player is controlling one racer and you are either steering the character by touching either side of the screen, and/or tilting the ipad for example. This does not only apply to karting games. I would say that at least eighty percent of the racing games in the 'App Store' are in this kind of format.
Unreal Trial Free
Monster Racer Lite
Both of these ganes use simple controls, where you can touch either side of the screen, and/or tilt to steer the vehicles. Alot of apps use these kind of techniques and game mechanics so I'm going to try and stay away from them, but I still want to keep my game controls simple like these game examples.
I extremely like the idea of a racing game, as they seem to be very popular on the app store and they are the type of game you can pick up and play; something you would play when you're bored on a lunchbreak at work for example as these types of games and fun and enjoyable to play at your convenience.
All pictures have been downloaded from http://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/ios-games-racing/id7013?mt=8
I have been doing research and i'm finding it hard to find a racing game that is different and original from the standard format of the typical racing game. I've got this idea of a strategy/racing game where you interact with the characters and tracks. I'm going to stay away from the standard format of racing games where you only control one character with a camera view from the back. I like the way games like 'Micro Machines' and 'Micro Maniacs' play, and the camera angles they use. Therefore I will be researching these at a later date.
Way to many karting games
MicroKart
SpongeBob Kart
Shrek Kart™ FREE
Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D
I assume that all of these games are probably well made but they stick to the same format. The player is controlling one racer and you are either steering the character by touching either side of the screen, and/or tilting the ipad for example. This does not only apply to karting games. I would say that at least eighty percent of the racing games in the 'App Store' are in this kind of format.
Driver™
I loved the old 'Driver' games on the 'Playstation' and this looks like a really good updated version for the IOS. By the looks of it 'Driver' still uses the same format as most of the driving games. 'Driver' has working traffic lights, wandering pedestrians, moving traffic and vigilant cops on patrol.Unreal Trial Free
Both of these ganes use simple controls, where you can touch either side of the screen, and/or tilt to steer the vehicles. Alot of apps use these kind of techniques and game mechanics so I'm going to try and stay away from them, but I still want to keep my game controls simple like these game examples.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Project 1: The board
Below are some photographs of the backing of the board I have made. It's not finished yet as I still need to put the actual board art and contents on it. I did take these pictures about two weeks ago but forgot to put these on my blog. I have made the backing of the board using materials such as cardboard, and black duck tape to make the board more sturdier, and the black tape gives it a shiny finish (appearance).
Below is a photograph of all the eight scenery squares which have been joined together. These squares ar going to be placed on the backing boards. As you can see in the picture, I have drawn on top of my art the pathway (direction) in which the players will be playing on. I cannot do anymore work on this until my colleagues present me with their pictures they've created for the board. Once I have received these I can stick it altogether, laminate it and then present it in a final photograph on my blog.
Below is a photograph of all the eight scenery squares which have been joined together. These squares ar going to be placed on the backing boards. As you can see in the picture, I have drawn on top of my art the pathway (direction) in which the players will be playing on. I cannot do anymore work on this until my colleagues present me with their pictures they've created for the board. Once I have received these I can stick it altogether, laminate it and then present it in a final photograph on my blog.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Contextual Studies (I have no words I must design) Ten points
After having looked through the document titled 'I have no words I must design' by Greg Costikyan, I have chosen ten points I find interesting and relate to myself.
Point one
Greg Costikyan stated 'We want games to challenge us. We want to work at them. They aren’t any fun if they’re too simple, too easy, if we zip through them and get to the end screen without being challenged. We don’t feel any sense of accomplishment, of mastery, of victory, if it comes too easily.'
I agree with his opinion one hundred percent as I always try and buy games that I think will challenge me one way or another. On the other hand I know people who buy games to increase their achievement score on xbox live fully knowing those achievements are easy to get, and they are not challenging games. If I didn't want a challenge I would just go out and purchase a game to watch. But on the other hand some films story plots are difficult to comprehend which means they are a challenge to keep up with. You could also say this about computer game story plots. In other words it's really in the eyes of the beholder on what a challenge is to them.
Point two
Greg Costikyan stated 'Good visuals provide one form of sensory pleasure; we like pretty games.'
I believe this is true as in order to enhance someone's game play, players need to feel lost in the game. Good visuals draw you into the a gameplay world where you are become so consumed that you tend to withdraw from the real world. I know a good game when I see one. This is determined by how effective the visuals are. They have to convey a clear message, tell a story and allow the player to understand what the game is talking about. Visuals need to convey a great impact. In order to create this they need to look, believeable, very eye catching and appealing in order to capture the player's attention so they won't lose interest.
Point three
Greg Costikyan stated 'Puzzles are static; they present the “player” with a logic structure to be solved with the assistance of clues.'
I have played alot of puzzle games in my spare time and yes, alot of them give you subtle hinds on how to complete the puzzle/challenge that is set in front of you. For example, 'Limbo' is a great puzzle game that hints about clues in a subtle way. There is a part in the game where a giant spider tries to kill the player whilst you're trying to work out how to get past the spider occasionally taunting him to attack you. He eventually knocks a bear trap down from a tree which you hear in the background drop to the ground. You then use this to get past the creature.
Point four
Greg Costikyan stated 'Almost every game has some degree of puzzle-solving; even a pure military strategy game requires players to, e.g., solve the puzzle of making an optimum attack at this point with these units. In fact, if a game involves any kind of decision making, or trade-offs between different kinds of resources, people will treat these as “puzzle elements,” trying to devise optimal solutions. Even in deathmatch play of a first-person shooter, players will seek to use cover and terrain for advantage – ‘solving the puzzle’ posed by the current positions of opponents and the nature of the surrounding environment, if you will. You can’t extract puzzle from game entirely.'
I also agree that all games have some degree of puzzle solving. I play alot of first person shooters. When I play with other team members we always come up with good strategies (action plans) in order to defeat players and claim victory. For example, we like to flank and sneak around the opposition when they least expect it. It really winds me up when people say games like 'Call Of Duty' use no strategy in them and all you do is run around shooting people. If that was the case me and my fellow team mates are wasting our time. My team play alot of objective based games in 'Call Of Duty' and strategy/problem solving is key to winning. It's not all about skill. for example, one team member would carry a stinger just in case an enemy helicopter appeared.
Point five
Greg Costikyan stated 'Competition is one way of make a game a struggle. In a two-player, head-to-head game, your opponent is the opposition, your struggle against him; the game is direct competition. And this is a first-rate way of making the game a struggle. Nothing is as sneaky and as hard to overcome as a determined human opponent. Chess is such a strong game precisely because every move and every thought is dictated by the need to anticipate and deal with the moves and thoughts of the opponent; there is no struggle other than competition in Chess, but this is quite sufficient to make for a compelling game.'
I extremely enjoy playing competitive games. They are really appealing and exciting to play as they can become in tense at times as you really want to win. There is nothing better than collapsing a building on top of a squad of mates (your opponents) and then planting a bomb to claim victory ('Battlefield). I find single player campaigns can get very tedious and boring at times as it can get predictable, but when you play multiplayer the opponents are humans. Humans always react and play differently to one another. Some have greater strengths than others so they can use these to their advantage to achieve goals. All players have their own capabilities. There is one main downside to playing competitive play. With most games they are extremely addictive and when things aren't going your way you can become really aggressive and agitated, but this does make you more dtermined to succeed.
Point six
Greg Costikyan stated 'Roleplaying games don’t need direct player opposition; they have plenty of other obstacles for players to struggle with. Gaining power or achieving your other objectives is always a struggle. If it isn’t, the gamemaster isn’t doing his job – since he has so much control over events in the game, he ought to be ensuring that it is a struggle, that his players are enjoying the game.'
I love playing role playing games, especially 'Fallout 3' and 'Oblivion.' I believe they make a great job in keeping you engaged with the objectives. They use great dialogue in them and also the environments are immense. I think that if you added direct player opposition it would ruin these type of games because there is nothing worse than them being on a quest, getting right to the end just about to obtain the treasure all of a sudden to be stabbed in the back by a human controlled character and ruin the game for you.
Point seven
Greg Costikyan stated 'Suppose we have a thing that’s interactive. At some point, you are faced with a choice: You may choose to do A, or to do B. The state of the thing will change depending on your decision. But what makes A better than B? Or is B better than A at some times but not at others? What factors go into the decision? What resources are to be managed? What’s the eventual goal?'
I enjoy playing 'Mass Effect 1 and 2.' These games force you to make decisions which will affect the outcome of the game. Your decision making will be affected by the type of weaponry you have at that point in time or the type of characters you have in your squad. What I am trying to say is you are making that decision based on what you've got to work with at that present point in time. You might start the game again and make completely different decisions as you are playing the game in a completely different way, using different perks, characters or weapons.
Point eight
Greg Costikyan stated 'This may ring a bell in the back of some readers’ heads; isn’t “interactive” a term that refers to computer media? And aren’t many games non-digital? Is Monopoly (Charles Darrow) interactive? Of course it is. You choose whether or not to buy a property you land on; the game state changes in response to your decision. The outcome of the game will differ depending on your decision. The game interacts with the players (and the players with each other), changing state as they play. Monopoly is interactive at its core. That’s true of every game. If it isn’t interactive, it’s a puzzle, not a game.'
I believe that all games are interactive, digital and non-digital. With digital games you interact with the controller, television and the character you are playing. With non-digital games you interact with the game board, counter pieces, dices and other players. As I still play 'Monopoly' occasionally with my family and friends I believe what Greg Costikyan states is correct.
Point nine
Greg Costikyan stated 'The Bloodforge hammer exists solely as an 3D model rendered on the screen as you play EverQuest, and as a set of numerical and logical values used in processing by EverQuest’s game servers. It has no concrete, real-world expression, and no value in any context other than the game of EverQuest. That’s not quite true; I could go to eBay, and auction off the Bloodforge hammer, if I wished, and earn tangible money for it.'
This is a very good point. I've came across people who sell their game accounts for tangible money. In the real world their game accounts aren't really anything but in the game their account could have a really strong character whom they have built up for months. The same for games like 'Call Of Duty.' People sell their accounts because of their prestigue badge. I wouldn't personally sell objects from a game or my account as I have worked really hard and have spent time achieving objectives that mean something to me.
Point ten
Greg Costikyan stated 'In a boardgame, the structure is mostly contained in the literal rules, although aspects may be contained in the topology of the board, information printed on pieces or cards or other components, etc. The structure is therefore directly perceivable by the player, although understanding it requires effort on his part – he or she must learn and master the rules. Electronic games work differently; much of their structure is invisible to the user. It’s contained in compiled software code. In a boardgame, players are responsible for operating the game as well as playing it, if you will; when a calculation must be made or an algorithm applied, they must do so, referring to the rules if necessary. In an electronic game, the “rules” are incorporated in the software; a player gains understanding of them through experience, by playing the game, and may well remain in ignorance of their specifi c details, instead gaining a “gut,” intuitive understanding of their operation.'
I paint warhammer 40,000 figures in my spare time but I have never really played the game. I have attempted to play it on several occasions but have failed miserably. I think this is the reason why I get on with computer games alot more than warhammer 40,000. Warhammer 40,000, the table top game, involves you learning alot of rules then setting up the game piece by piece, then moving all the characters individually, but I can play 'Warhammer 40,000 Dawn Of War' without any problems. Although 'Dawn Of Wat' is still a complicated game to master you do not have to move pieces time and time again which slows down gameplay. They are automatically moving to where you want them to at a click of the mouse.
Sorry if any of this sounds wrong but I kind of lost patience when it did not save properly, crashed and I lost 80% of the work so had to redo this again losing two hours of my life. Sorry again!
Point one
Greg Costikyan stated 'We want games to challenge us. We want to work at them. They aren’t any fun if they’re too simple, too easy, if we zip through them and get to the end screen without being challenged. We don’t feel any sense of accomplishment, of mastery, of victory, if it comes too easily.'
I agree with his opinion one hundred percent as I always try and buy games that I think will challenge me one way or another. On the other hand I know people who buy games to increase their achievement score on xbox live fully knowing those achievements are easy to get, and they are not challenging games. If I didn't want a challenge I would just go out and purchase a game to watch. But on the other hand some films story plots are difficult to comprehend which means they are a challenge to keep up with. You could also say this about computer game story plots. In other words it's really in the eyes of the beholder on what a challenge is to them.
Point two
Greg Costikyan stated 'Good visuals provide one form of sensory pleasure; we like pretty games.'
I believe this is true as in order to enhance someone's game play, players need to feel lost in the game. Good visuals draw you into the a gameplay world where you are become so consumed that you tend to withdraw from the real world. I know a good game when I see one. This is determined by how effective the visuals are. They have to convey a clear message, tell a story and allow the player to understand what the game is talking about. Visuals need to convey a great impact. In order to create this they need to look, believeable, very eye catching and appealing in order to capture the player's attention so they won't lose interest.
Point three
Greg Costikyan stated 'Puzzles are static; they present the “player” with a logic structure to be solved with the assistance of clues.'
I have played alot of puzzle games in my spare time and yes, alot of them give you subtle hinds on how to complete the puzzle/challenge that is set in front of you. For example, 'Limbo' is a great puzzle game that hints about clues in a subtle way. There is a part in the game where a giant spider tries to kill the player whilst you're trying to work out how to get past the spider occasionally taunting him to attack you. He eventually knocks a bear trap down from a tree which you hear in the background drop to the ground. You then use this to get past the creature.
Point four
Greg Costikyan stated 'Almost every game has some degree of puzzle-solving; even a pure military strategy game requires players to, e.g., solve the puzzle of making an optimum attack at this point with these units. In fact, if a game involves any kind of decision making, or trade-offs between different kinds of resources, people will treat these as “puzzle elements,” trying to devise optimal solutions. Even in deathmatch play of a first-person shooter, players will seek to use cover and terrain for advantage – ‘solving the puzzle’ posed by the current positions of opponents and the nature of the surrounding environment, if you will. You can’t extract puzzle from game entirely.'
I also agree that all games have some degree of puzzle solving. I play alot of first person shooters. When I play with other team members we always come up with good strategies (action plans) in order to defeat players and claim victory. For example, we like to flank and sneak around the opposition when they least expect it. It really winds me up when people say games like 'Call Of Duty' use no strategy in them and all you do is run around shooting people. If that was the case me and my fellow team mates are wasting our time. My team play alot of objective based games in 'Call Of Duty' and strategy/problem solving is key to winning. It's not all about skill. for example, one team member would carry a stinger just in case an enemy helicopter appeared.
Point five
Greg Costikyan stated 'Competition is one way of make a game a struggle. In a two-player, head-to-head game, your opponent is the opposition, your struggle against him; the game is direct competition. And this is a first-rate way of making the game a struggle. Nothing is as sneaky and as hard to overcome as a determined human opponent. Chess is such a strong game precisely because every move and every thought is dictated by the need to anticipate and deal with the moves and thoughts of the opponent; there is no struggle other than competition in Chess, but this is quite sufficient to make for a compelling game.'
I extremely enjoy playing competitive games. They are really appealing and exciting to play as they can become in tense at times as you really want to win. There is nothing better than collapsing a building on top of a squad of mates (your opponents) and then planting a bomb to claim victory ('Battlefield). I find single player campaigns can get very tedious and boring at times as it can get predictable, but when you play multiplayer the opponents are humans. Humans always react and play differently to one another. Some have greater strengths than others so they can use these to their advantage to achieve goals. All players have their own capabilities. There is one main downside to playing competitive play. With most games they are extremely addictive and when things aren't going your way you can become really aggressive and agitated, but this does make you more dtermined to succeed.
Point six
Greg Costikyan stated 'Roleplaying games don’t need direct player opposition; they have plenty of other obstacles for players to struggle with. Gaining power or achieving your other objectives is always a struggle. If it isn’t, the gamemaster isn’t doing his job – since he has so much control over events in the game, he ought to be ensuring that it is a struggle, that his players are enjoying the game.'
I love playing role playing games, especially 'Fallout 3' and 'Oblivion.' I believe they make a great job in keeping you engaged with the objectives. They use great dialogue in them and also the environments are immense. I think that if you added direct player opposition it would ruin these type of games because there is nothing worse than them being on a quest, getting right to the end just about to obtain the treasure all of a sudden to be stabbed in the back by a human controlled character and ruin the game for you.
Point seven
Greg Costikyan stated 'Suppose we have a thing that’s interactive. At some point, you are faced with a choice: You may choose to do A, or to do B. The state of the thing will change depending on your decision. But what makes A better than B? Or is B better than A at some times but not at others? What factors go into the decision? What resources are to be managed? What’s the eventual goal?'
I enjoy playing 'Mass Effect 1 and 2.' These games force you to make decisions which will affect the outcome of the game. Your decision making will be affected by the type of weaponry you have at that point in time or the type of characters you have in your squad. What I am trying to say is you are making that decision based on what you've got to work with at that present point in time. You might start the game again and make completely different decisions as you are playing the game in a completely different way, using different perks, characters or weapons.
Point eight
Greg Costikyan stated 'This may ring a bell in the back of some readers’ heads; isn’t “interactive” a term that refers to computer media? And aren’t many games non-digital? Is Monopoly (Charles Darrow) interactive? Of course it is. You choose whether or not to buy a property you land on; the game state changes in response to your decision. The outcome of the game will differ depending on your decision. The game interacts with the players (and the players with each other), changing state as they play. Monopoly is interactive at its core. That’s true of every game. If it isn’t interactive, it’s a puzzle, not a game.'
I believe that all games are interactive, digital and non-digital. With digital games you interact with the controller, television and the character you are playing. With non-digital games you interact with the game board, counter pieces, dices and other players. As I still play 'Monopoly' occasionally with my family and friends I believe what Greg Costikyan states is correct.
Point nine
Greg Costikyan stated 'The Bloodforge hammer exists solely as an 3D model rendered on the screen as you play EverQuest, and as a set of numerical and logical values used in processing by EverQuest’s game servers. It has no concrete, real-world expression, and no value in any context other than the game of EverQuest. That’s not quite true; I could go to eBay, and auction off the Bloodforge hammer, if I wished, and earn tangible money for it.'
This is a very good point. I've came across people who sell their game accounts for tangible money. In the real world their game accounts aren't really anything but in the game their account could have a really strong character whom they have built up for months. The same for games like 'Call Of Duty.' People sell their accounts because of their prestigue badge. I wouldn't personally sell objects from a game or my account as I have worked really hard and have spent time achieving objectives that mean something to me.
Point ten
Greg Costikyan stated 'In a boardgame, the structure is mostly contained in the literal rules, although aspects may be contained in the topology of the board, information printed on pieces or cards or other components, etc. The structure is therefore directly perceivable by the player, although understanding it requires effort on his part – he or she must learn and master the rules. Electronic games work differently; much of their structure is invisible to the user. It’s contained in compiled software code. In a boardgame, players are responsible for operating the game as well as playing it, if you will; when a calculation must be made or an algorithm applied, they must do so, referring to the rules if necessary. In an electronic game, the “rules” are incorporated in the software; a player gains understanding of them through experience, by playing the game, and may well remain in ignorance of their specifi c details, instead gaining a “gut,” intuitive understanding of their operation.'
I paint warhammer 40,000 figures in my spare time but I have never really played the game. I have attempted to play it on several occasions but have failed miserably. I think this is the reason why I get on with computer games alot more than warhammer 40,000. Warhammer 40,000, the table top game, involves you learning alot of rules then setting up the game piece by piece, then moving all the characters individually, but I can play 'Warhammer 40,000 Dawn Of War' without any problems. Although 'Dawn Of Wat' is still a complicated game to master you do not have to move pieces time and time again which slows down gameplay. They are automatically moving to where you want them to at a click of the mouse.
Sorry if any of this sounds wrong but I kind of lost patience when it did not save properly, crashed and I lost 80% of the work so had to redo this again losing two hours of my life. Sorry again!
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