Archive for the ‘ DMDN 412 - Emergent Aesthetics ’ Category

Further development

I have been trying to formalise my ideas into a short piece of text which sums up what I am trying to achieve for this project and this is how it’s looking so far.

Is there such a thing as a “perfect game”?

The project aims to develop a game that strives to be perfect; a game which appeals to everyone regardless of their skill level or background. While it is likely that creating a perfect game is impossible, it is a worthwhile goal to pursue.

A phenomenological approach to research will be performed on current games (especially the emerging genre of the casual game) in the market to determine emerging gameplay trends and how successful they are.

Research into play and traditional forms of gameplay will be performed with the aim of determining characteristics of gameplay that people respond well to.

A number of boolean decisions will be proposed throughout the research phase of the project which will shape the final form of the game.

  • First person or third person.
  • Generative, emergent gameplay or scripted gameplay.
  • Strategy oriented gameplay or action/reaction based gameplay.

From the research, a number of gameplay guidelines will be formulated to direct the development of a computer game. These guidelines will be in the form of broad generalised requirements which when adhered to, should theoretically result in a successful, enjoyable gameplay experience.

I am quite confident in my concept, although I am having some problems writing it up in a succinct manner. I am going to start looking at some games which I believe are close to what my idea of the perfect game is, and trying to disassemble them down into gameplay components which I can examine in more detail. I’m going to look into Pac-Man CE for Xbox 360 first up, because to me, this is probably the closest thing to a perfect game that I have encountered so far; keep an eye out for a write-up in the next few days.

I am also looking at collaborating with Jason Frost on this project. He intends to look at the aesthetic side of things and how stylisation can be used within a gaming context; so effectively, I will be focusing on the gameplay while he will be looking at the visuals side of things. It also helps that Jason is also an avid gamer, so between us we should have a good grasp of gaming culture.

Development of concept

I have been reading through The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford who has helped me develop my concept.

The Art of Computer Game Design defines elements of computer games and attempts to generate a taxonomy of different computer game genres. The text creates an academic framework which I found useful in directing my concept toward a more concrete idea.

My general feelings toward what I would like to develop throughout this paper can be boiled down to a simple, yet impossible goal: To design a “perfect” game. While it is obvious that creating a perfect game is an impossible task, I feel that it is a worthy pursuit which will provide a valuable learning experience and a (hopefully) successful outcome.

My next step will be to continue my literature research and to create a set of smaller requirements that I feel are required to create the perfect game, ie. The game should appeal to as wide an audience as possible; The game should scale to the player’s skill level.

Concept

I intend to explore the genre of the casual game and how the game mechanics for them are developed. The casual game is typified by it’s focus on simple, widely appealing gameplay coupled with attractive, stylised graphics.

From Wikipedia: A casual game is a video game or online game targeted at a mass audience of casual gamers. Casual games can have any type of gameplay, and fit in any genre. They are typically distinguished by their simple rules and lack of commitment required in contrast to more complex hardcore games. They require no long-term time commitment or special skills to play, and there are comparatively low production and distribution costs for the producer. Casual games typically are played on a personal computer online in web browsers, although they now are starting to become popular on game consoles, too. Casual gaming demographics also vary greatly from those of traditional computer games, as the typical casual gamer is older and more predominantly female, with over 74% of those purchasing casual games being women.

The focus of this project will be to find out what it is about the casual game which makes it appealing to such a wide audience and whether it’s appeal is derived from human nature (ie. pattern recognition). By pragmatically analysing the game mechanics of a selection of popular casual games and traditional games, I hope to uncover game mechanics which have a universal appeal. These game mechanics will then be used to develop a small video game.

Research will be performed into traditional games such as:
Chess
Tic-tac-toe (naughts and crosses)

Research will be performed into popular casual video games such as:
Bejewelled
Zuma
Peggle
Plants vs Zombies

Concept generation

I am having some problems coming up with an idea to pursue throughout this paper, the topics are so varied and broad that I just don’t know where to start.

I would like to do something which allows me to research gaming, interaction design or music video production because these are the topics which interest me the most.

Making a game (or game-like piece) is probably the most attractive medium for me, and I have always been interested in creating a game which expands upon the usual idea of a game, or expands to an audience wider than the typical gamer.

Creating a physical interaction piece interests me because it explores he trend toward expanding computers beyond the traditional keyboard + mouse + screen set-up, however, I am wary that the quality of my work would suffer from creating a physical object.

Creating a music video would allow me to develop my video production skills and would result in an accessible portfolio piece. However, simply making a music video runs the risk of the project becoming too one dimensional, and I would have to bring someone else in to create the music as my skills in that area aren’t up to scratch.

Some sort of combination between a physical interaction piece and a game-like program could be an interesting route to take, but determining a narrower topic to explore is difficult at this stage.

Emergent Aesthetics

This is the final paper in your course of study with the Digital Media programme. Its purpose is to allow for reflection on the concepts and skils you have developed during your academic path at VUW, while simultaneously giving you freedom to develop your own brief with few constraints. As such, this course operates in a way that is somewhat analagous to graduate study. For some of you then, it may also serve as a transition to more advanced levels of academic pursuit. To provide some beacon of focus, this course employs a matrix that will guide you towards selecting a topic. One dimension of this matrix presents three methods of production, while the other axis provides three general conceptual domains.

Possible design methods:

2D: print media, web design and linear video production with or without some simple form of interactivity.

3D: game design, 3D animation, or any design approach that is thought of as immersive or virtual.

4D: tangible (physical) computing, wearable computing, and any other design approach that uses technology, but is not focused on a keyboard/mouse/screen means of engagement.

Project topics:

Cyber-Therianthropy.
Therianthropy refers to various myth and folklore where beings are part human and part animal. This category requires designs that utilize technology to assist animals, either individually, or pan-species.

The Somatic Web.
The WWW, with all of its social networking tools, eCommerce portals, and troves of information, performs as a mental space. We easily forget the materiality involved: energy used to support these virtual systems, the proximal and distal effects WWW transactions relay to our personal bodies and personal relationships. Projects addressing this theme should deliver a somatic Web presence. In other words, projects addressing The Somatic Web theme should focus on the physical.

Mitigating Adversaries.
The recent Uighurs/Han conflicts in Western China, the mongoose and the cobra, signal and noise, life and entropy: our universe is full of opposing forces. Create a design that interpolates and mollifies the tension between two chosen adversaries – human, chemical, galactic, moral, philosophical or of any other dimension you chose.

http://blogs.mediazone.co.nz/2009-dmdn412/

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