LO4 - Platform considerations

We decided to make the game available on current generation consoles like the Xbox One or PlayStation 4. This is down to a number of reasons, one being the more advanced technology involved and available to use to develop the game itself. This means the game can have clearer graphics, smoother animation, more receptive movement and many more improved elements.
We also feel the game would work better on a console like these because of the way the game is controlled. The handsets offer the right sort of control we think the game would need, such as a joystick to move characters around. Depending on what the character is doing in-game, each button would conform to an action, for example making the character run, jump, inspect an item or talk to any other characters  they might come across. For controlling the dragon the button functions would be different, for example picking objects up and dropping them, breathing fire, changing direction and altering the speed at which the dragon is flying if it is in the air.
Another reason we chose to use these consoles is because of the user experience the player would gain from playing the game. With a bigger screen than a computer, tablet or phone, the game could give a sense of immersion that would make it that much more enjoyable.
These consoles also offer a connection to the internet, which would create a possibility of a multi-player mode in the future. It also makes it possible to release updates, and bug patches if needed.

LO4 - Character design and gameplay visuals

These are the characters we designed as concepts for the main character. This is the character that the user would play as. We designed a male and a female character, so that the player has a choice. The choice the player makes does not influence the narrative or gameplay in any way.

These are examples of the sort of gameplay visuals we would be going for. This would make use of the new modern technology with graphics and visuals to make the game appear as professional as possible.

LO4 - Budget, Finance and Market Competition

Many things have to be considered when making a professional, current-generation video game.

Development

• Salaries for developers
• Music and soundtrack
• Licensing

Promotion

• Online advertisements
• Print adverts
• TV adverts

Distribution

• Disk production
• Online distribution

In a realistic situation, with an established games design company, these costs regarding a large project on a new current-generation game can stock up to as much as £40 million. Simpler games, smaller projects and games using older software can be completed for as little as £2.5 million.

Competition

There are many games that centre around the destruction of humanity in a dystopian setting, such as Final Fantasy, The Last of Us, Half-Life and Portal. Our game fits easily into this genre, but it is a new, fresh game that will be using the current-generation graphics and quality to create a cutting-edge new game. The idea of being able to fly over large distances is also another unusual concept, which separates the game from others similar to it. In terms of advertising, we would need to find a way to promote both the similarities to the genre, as well as the differences.

LO4 - Realistic game production schedule

The production of the game would take place over approximately one year.

PRE-PRODUCTION (approx. 3 months)
Pre-production would consist of elements like research, where we would look at things like how objects would behave according to the laws of physics. This would include fire, explosions and realistic robotics, but our main aim of this would be to simulate the most realistic portrayal of flight as possible.

Concept art is another fundamental part of pre-production; concept artists would work from the brief to create their ideas of how the game would look. The director would work with them to move them towards the sort of idea they, as the director, have.
Different concept art would include concepts for levels, characters, structures and locations. These all go towards how the game will ultimately appear.

Pre-production is also where the game objectives and scenario are planned out; the plot-line so to speak. The director would talk with the game designers to come up with a fun and exciting plot and storyline.


PRODUCTION (approx. 6 months)
During production, the main bulk of the design takes place. This is when all of the concepts designed in pre-production are transformed into actual components of the game. This is when designers simulate how things will interact, like characters and other characters, characters and objects, and objects with gravity. The more scientific elements of this would be based on the research conducted in pre-production.

Once the basic forms are constructed, they are moved on to the people who add textures to the models to make them realistic to the style of the game. Once these are all rendered they are moved on to the lighting department, where the way light hits any component including characters and structures is simulated and rendered.

This is the most lengthy part of the production schedule. It contains the main elements of the game and is important because it's how the gameplay will appear to the gamers.



POST-PRODUCTION (approx. 3 months)
In post-production, testing of the program takes place. Testers "play" the game to find bugs and glitches that would spoil the game, and then continue to fix them.
The game may be redesigned in certain areas at this time.

The packaging is designed in this section, and the game is promoted to the public with the release date displayed.

After that the game is launched to the public.

LO4 - Plot synopsis

In a world where destructive artificial intelligence reigns, you must survive and aim to bring peace to the now dystopian world for the last remaining humans.

In the beginning you are an ordinary - if not genius - university student, working on your big project you've been keeping a secret from everyone except your professor. In the future robotics technology has greatly advanced, which is how the fall of the human race has come about under the accidental invention of the brutish armoured robots who have become sentient, power-thirsty monsters.
It all happened quite quickly. Within weeks, armed forces were struggling to hold back the robots which had realised their own strength. They were continually pushing back the boundaries, taking over and destroying defences; and human "safezones" were slowly shrinking. It was about this time you realised you would never finish your university course.
About five months later the AI have completely taken over, defences are diminishing and your project is almost finished. Luckily, your university is in the centre of one the remaining safezones. However, danger shows itself sooner than you'd expected and you're forced to flee early. You make your way towards the university, you know your best chance of escape comes from there.
There is a huge crash as the roof of the laboratory shatters. A huge, metal beast surges through the roof and into the air, propelled by huge wings and jets on back feet and spines. It's not quite finished, there's some maintenance you still have to tend to, but it will have to do. As you turn to look back from atop the shoulders of the beast, you see AI droids burst through the door into your laboratory. You got away just in time.
At first it's only about survival; you can only think about getting away from the AI that are ravaging the world. They don't care for remote areas so you make your way towards the mountains. When you get there - it's not that far away - you realise that you're going to need fuel. You never topped up back at the lab.
It's too far to the nearest safezone; you won't last that far without running out. You'll have to find a refuelling station outside the safezones: in AI territory.
You fly to find the station just in time, and you set the dragon up with fuel. As it's filling up, you bust your way into the old shop attached to the station, where there is a little bit of provisions to keep you going. You're on guard at all times as you hear distant booms and crashes in the distance.
You explore the place while your dragon is still refuelling, and you find something familiar discarded on the ground. It's a holographic watch, just like the one your professor owns. The AI are smart, but not smart enough to know the use of some advanced technology, so to them it's junk. You grab it, and punch in your professor's contact details.
Before you can hit ring to talk to your professor, there's a massive explosion and the building you were in just a moment ago erupts in a blast of rubble, flames and smoke. You rush to your dragon and unplug it from the fuel. As you're climbing up the side to sit atop it, you're already taking to the air. Again, you turn to look behind you to see a huge AI drone stood where you just were, filling up on fuel. Suddenly, instead of turning away, your beast whirs around against command and at first you think it's turned on you. But then, it opens its huge jaws and a long stream of fire explodes from the dragon's mouth. It catches the fuel that was left dribbling from the spout when you fled. As the dragon pulls up in a last minute dive, there is the biggest explosion yet and the droid is destroyed.

When you finally get in contact with your professor, he tells you that there is a lab very far north that contains the code the AI survive from, and are programmed by. If you can reach it and destroy it, you can shut them all down forever.
From then on, that is the goal of the game, and you must face many challenges that stand in your way in the process. The challenges get harder as you progress, the AI are sentient enough to realise that the code programmes them and do all they can to protect it.
When you have destroyed the code that the AI run on, they all shut down immediately.
You have won.

LO4 - Target Audience

Our target audience would be males aged 13-18. This is because the game is quite dark and involves battles which, stereotypically, girls and women aren't so interested in. However, we have not excluded females as we offer the option to play the game as a female character. We have chosen this age range because the genre and storyline would appeal to teenagers the most, as you play as a teenage character in higher education. Here I have created a mood board of our ideal audience member.  Steven, who is 16 years of age, has both an interest in gaming and engineering/robotics. Steven’s family would fall under the "settled suburbans" category of the National Readership Survey’s ‘lifestyle’ types. This is because their family is now settled with a home and stable jobs. His family would have the social grade of B in the National Readership Survey's ‘ABC1’  demographics profiling system as his father is a professional and provides the main income for the house.  They would come higher up in the ABC1 system as Sky Duel is designed for current generation consoles. This means that they would have to be able to afford a console in the first place, and also to purchase extra games.

LO4 - Legal and Ethical

Under PEGI rules, a game has to be rated according to content and themes.

This game would come under a PEGI-12 rating because of the content and themes it would contain:

• Violence of a slightly more graphic nature towards fantasy characters
• Mild bad language
• Non-graphic violence to humans

Violence towards fantasy characters includes destroying robots and/or having your own robot destroyed. Mild bad language might include profanities like "crap" and blasphemy. Non-graphic violence to humans will include your own character being hurt and other characters being hurt, without any detail being shown as it will happen off-screen. We originally intended to include content that would make it a PEGI-16, such as graphic violence and intense bad language. However, we thought that would restrict our audience when younger teens would also be able to enjoy this sort of game if we restricted mature content.

LO4 - Planning a pitch

Treatment or proposal - Mol/Abi

Competent production schedule - Abi

Gameplay with associated visuals - Abi

Target Audience - Molly

Relevant legal and/or ethical issues - Abi

Platform details and requirements - Molly

Examples of levels - Molly

Plot synopsis and characters - Abi

Financial breakdown of development costs - Molly



- Character sketches
- Level designs/screenshots
- GUI mockups
- Start screen


- www.brusheezy.com

LO4 - Production Plan/Gantt Chart

LO4 - Game ideas

LO3 - Game review

LO2 - Comparing reviews

Disney Infinity

I have looked at two reviews for the game Disney Infinity; a print-based review and a video review. There are a few differences in the ways the reviews describe certain aspects of the game.

Genre

In terms of genre, both reviews describe the game as being very diverse. The print review says the main Toy Box setting has "elements linked within the sandbox environment" and the video review states that the game allows you to "not only build worlds, but design your own games". Both reviews agree that with all the different Play Sets there are many, many different genres including combat, racing, sandbox, puzzle and platform packed into the one game.

Target Audience

The print review highlights more on the target audience than the video review does, stating that "Kids love Disney - usually because their parents do too". It writes that the main audience is children, but adults and Disney fans will also be "wrestling your kids for the controller". The video review states that the game "lets you go on new adventures with toys you already own", suggesting that the target audience is children.

Narrative/Storyline

The print review mentions that each Play Set "brings with it a roughly eight-hour game taking place in the associated character's world", whereas the video review says "each Play Set offers around three to four hours of story-based missions". This is quite a large time difference, suggesting that the two reviewers were of different gaming skill.

Characters

Disney Infinity displays "all your favourite Disney franchises under a single roof" as stated in the print review, and the video review states the fact that you're playing as "a toy version" of Disney characters: "he's a vinyl figure embarking on a big adventure". The video review also hints upon the lack of classic characters, saying the game "focusses on Disney's recent successes... there's no Snow White, or Donald Duck." The print review also mentions that concept art for certain enemies from Pirates of the Caribbean that never hit the big screen was used for Infinity.

Gameplay

The video reviewer states that the starter pack is generous, but also says "there are concerns about how much content is available before additional purchases are required". The game opens up new Play Sets with the certain Play Set piece and characters, so you need to keep buying more. The print reviewer talks a lot about the Toy Box, stating about it that "kids were having so much fun experimenting". The game is entertaining and funny, and "doesn't really make sense" according to the video review,which also states that "it's anarchic fun". However, this review also mentions that "building isn't always easy... it's fiddly to line up pieces." In general, the video review states much more about gameplay details than the print review.

Platform

The available platforms have expanded since the print review was published, as it's now available for iPad as well as the ones listed in the review: PC, PS3, 3DS, Xbox 360, Wii and Wii U. The video review doesn't mention much about platforms, but from personal experience, you can use the same figures on different platforms.

Personal Reccommendation

Both reviews see it favourably, the print review stating "Infinity seems to boast a more involved execution than Skylanders" and the video review saying "it's a great primer for kids embarking on a life playing games." The video review finishes by rating the game a good score of 8.7.

LO1 - Sumo Digital - Business Report

LO1 - Game Analysis - The Sims 4

The Sims 4 - PC

Genre

The Sims 4 is a life simulation game that replicates real life. You are able to make and control your own characters, and go through their life with them. It's different to games like Animal Crossing because there is more personal simulation rather than social simulation.

Narrative

The story being told through the game differs between different characters, as it's you that controls certain characters. There is no set storyline, however, each Sim has to go through a similar process; birthdays between life stages like childhood and teens, getting a job as an adult, paying bills, socialising, building skills like cooking and lots more. The story connects with the target audience by including features from previous games like The Sims 2 and 3. However, there was a lot of fans of the franchise that were not happy with the removal of the toddler feature.

Production process

The Sims 4 began production as early as 2008 as an internet-based game with the project name "Olympus". They spent lots of time on Build Mode, changing and developing it so that there would be more customisable features. Compared to previous Sims editions, Build Mode in the Sims 4 is very advanced and new software was developed for this and Create-a-Sim mode. To the disappointment of many fans, the developers removed key features like pools and the toddler life stage to make room for other new features. After the disappointed fans made their point clear, the developers put pools into the game in a game patch.

Characterisation

There is a huge array of characters in The Sims 4, with many different appearances. There are different ages, personalities, clothing, skin tone, height, weight, gender, and so many other customiseable factors. This illustrates to the player how much variety there is in the game, and appeals to the target audience. This matches the conventions of the simulation genre because there is so much variety that the player is able to customise. There are many strong characters as they are all so different, but the player can choose themselves which characters are the ones their own Sim will interact with.

Gameplay

The challenge of the game is to raise a Sim in the way you'd like it, and whether that's a perfect Sim who raises a family of their own, or a Sim that lives their live on their own and makes their career a priority, or an evil Sim that makes scheming plans. The thing that attracts the right target audience is the fact that there is so much choice, and you're free to pick whatever sort of life you want to choose for your Sim. The vast amount of variety is what makes this game so successful. The narrative is fairly unpredictable as the player's choices affect it, and the gameplay in turn is controlled by the player and affected by the narrative. The gameplay changes with each Sim, as their different personalities account for different needs. This keeps the player engaged and interested.

Target audience

The main target audience for this game are people who are fans of the previous editions in the Sims series. As well as those people there are people who are new to the franchise and just enjoy open-ended games where they can customise features and make their own choices that can affect the gameplay and narrative. For this audience, the game is advertised with emphasis on how customisable it is and how it's been improved since the previous Sims games. It's more advanced than the previous editions of The Sims, and they can use this to advertise what's been improved in The Sims 4.

Platform

This game is available on Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X. These are both computer platforms, so it isn't particularly suited to one or the other.

LO1 - Game Analysis - Terraria

Terraria - Xbox 360

Genre

The game Terraria is in the action-adventure sandbox genre. We can tell it's in this genre because there is combat as well as large areas of land to explore, and is an open world that the player is free to roam. It's similar to games like Minecraft, and on the Xbox 360 platform, Terraria has a slightly higher rating than Minecraft at 9/10 compared to 8.5/10.

Narrative

As it's an open-ended sandbox game, there isn't a set narrative for the player to follow. There are certain "bosses" the player can defeat in order to gain resources, but the player doesn't have to do this in a set order to be able to progress. There are different characters you are able to interact with in order to gain resources and complete tasks and challenges. The audience of people who prefer open-ended games is targeted by making the story as open as possible to give the player plenty of choice.

Production process

Terraria began production in January 2011, and was quite a quick project as it was released soon after on May 16, 2011. The developers gradually fixed bugs and added features and Terraria 1.3 was announced for PC on July 1st. It was ported to different platforms in 2013.

Characterisation

The player can interact with different characters to gain resources and complete tasks. They aren't very strong characters, as they don't need to be; they aren't the main focus of the game. They are able to live in houses that the player might build and are generally only there to use to gain resources.

Gameplay

The aim of this game is to simply survive and defeat various "bosses" the player might encounter in the game. The player can summon these bosses themselves by gaining the right resources to lure them. It's highly customisable, with an option for decorative armour as well as protective; so the decorative is visible even though the player gets the qualities of the protective armour. There is a lot of variety with colour, style and appearance in every aspect of the game, with different "biomes", like magic, jungle, crimson and snow. As the player progresses there are new bosses to face and new weapons to get, which keeps the player motivated to keep playing and progress.

Target audience

The target audience for this game are people who enjoy customisation and variety in their game.There are so many choices that would leave some people overwhelmed. This game targets their audience by giving them the variety and freedom of choice they want. It's different to games like Minecraft because Minecraft has only the basics, and less of a variety of objects compared to Terraria. 

Platform

It was originally released for Microsoft Windows, but is now available to many, many more: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Vita,
Windows Phone, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Kindle Fire, Nintendo 3DS and
Wii U.

LO1 - Game Analysis - Rise of Berk

Rise of Berk - iOS

Genre

Rise of Berk is a sort of construction and management simulation-strategy game in which you can create, build and expand on your own village of Berk. You manage and collect your own resources, battle enemies, and explore different lands, also giving it certain characteristics of a 4x game. It's similar to games like Jurassic Park Builder, which is by the same company.

Narrative

The story follows the general plot of the franchise, using well-known characters from the films and TV series to progress the narrative. The player has to complete certain tasks that advance in difficulty as time and skill goes on. The story connects with the target audience because it is targeting fans of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

Production process

The game was released for iOS in May 2014 and on 20th June 2014 for Android and Facebook. It is frequently updated to fix bugs and add features. The most impressive aspect of the the game's production is the graphics; it is obvious that this is the most worked on aspect of the game.

Characterisation

The characters featured in the game are the same characters from the films and TV show. This attracts the target audience. These characters appeal to the target audience because the audience already knows these characters and has seen them before. There isn't too much focus on the characters other than to progress the story and give the player various tasks to complete. In terms of the game as standalone rather than as another element of the franchise as a whole, the characters aren't too developed. However, the target audience is people who are already fans of the franchise, so they don't need to develop the characters too much.

Gameplay

The game presents various challenges to the player that increase in difficulty as the player progresses. These challenges keep the player engaged as they provide in-game rewards upon completion. The player is also motivated to keep playing and levelling up to be able to search for new dragons. The gameplay engages with the narrative by incorporating the various tasks into the storyline.

Target audience

The target audience for this game is fans of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. We can tell this from the characters, music, narrative, gameplay and the title of the game itself. The game appeals directly towards the target audience because of all the familiar features of the franchise. It's got a similar target audience to the web-based game School of Dragons, however SoD has a generally younger target audience as it aims to educate about science as well as being a fun game.

Platform

This game is available on iOS, Android, and can also be played on Facebook on a computer if the player has the game connected to Facebook. However, the game is more suited to smartphone and tablet platforms as that is what it was designed for.

LO1 - Game Analysis - Pokémon Pearl

Pokémon Pearl - Nintendo DS

Genre

Pokémon Pearl is a role-playing game in which you play as a trainer and collect, and battle with, creatures called Pokémon. We can tell it's an RPG (role-playing game) because you play as a central character and complete certain tasks to progress and become stronger in the game. 

Narrative

The story goes as does most of the main Pokémon games, the player working their way up from their home town and battling and gaining Pokémon to battle with. There's legendary Pokémon to catch, and the player battles foes like the Elite Four, and then the League champion. If the player beats the League champion, they have won the game. The people the player battles generally aren't enemies or villains as such, just opponents. The only villains are the evil Team Galactic.

Production process

The game was announced near the end of 2004 at a Nintendo press conference. It was released in Japan on September 28th 2006, North America on April 22nd 2007, Europe on July 27th 2007 and Australia on June 21st 2007. It was designed to utilise features like Nintendo Wi-Fi connection and also to be able to connect to the Game Boy Advance Pokémon games, so that the player is able to transfer Pokémon from game to game.

Characterisation

There are various important, and not-so-important, characters in Pearl. There are people who are companions, family and rivals, and others who are enemies and gym leaders and professors. There are lots of characters because it's an RPG universe, meaning that it's a whole world of its own which needs inhabiting by characters. The characters don't all need to be strong characters because there are far too many to go into detail with.

Gameplay

The challenge of the game is to battle opponents to gain strength and work your way up to the Elite Four and the League champion. The game keeps the player engaged because as they progress, more types of Pokémon are available for them to catch, and tougher opponents and more rewards. The fact that the player can connect to previous Pokémon games and can connect with other players through Wi-Fi probably attribute to the success of the game. The gameplay contributes to the narrative as some opponents the player has to battle are key elements to the story.

Target audience

The target audience of this game is previous fans of the Pokémon games, and children between 7 and 13. However, there are older people who haven't previously played any Pokémon games who enjoy playing the game. The game got slightly higher ratings in comparison to previous titles in the Pokémon franchise such as FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby and Sapphire.

Platform

The platform used for this game is Nintendo DS. The main Pokémon games have always been for Nintendo's series of handheld consoles. The game makes use of the features of the Nintendo DS console.

LO1 - Game Analysis - Minecraft

Minecraft - Xbox 360

Genre

Minecraft is an open-world sandbox game that allows the player to do many things they might want to do. Just a few examples are killing monsters to gain experience, mining for better materials to make tools and weapons out of, farming, taming animals like wolves, cats and horses, building structures and much more. The freedom to roam and do whatever you want is conventional of the sandbox genre, with a huge map of different environments to explore. Minecraft is one of the most popular sandbox games, as its innocent-seeming atmosphere is appealing to children and adults alike.

Narrative

Because it’s an open world sandbox game, there isn’t really a story. Instead, the user has the freedom to do whatever they like. This means that the player can roam and explore as they please, and there is a large area to explore that is different on every new world the user creates. Even though the user is able to customise the “skin” of their character, the character’s story isn’t the main focus of the game. Instead, the user decides what to do, meaning that the character isn’t greatly developed. The game is great for people who like to play at leisure, without having to do anything too stressful or time-consuming. However, there are many people who  spend a lot of their free time building whole cities and other impressive feats, and some people even have a career based on playing Minecraft.

Production process

Minecraft began as an independent project by Markus "Notch" Persson. It was first released to the public on May 17^th 2009. The game was updated continually, until the large update on June 28^th 2010 that was called the Alpha version. As Minecraft got bigger, Persson quit his day job to work on the game full time.

To support the production of Minecraft, Persson started a games company called Mojang, who hired new staff to assist development further. After going through its beta testing stage, the new, full version of the game was released on November 18^th 2011.

The idea of the “blocky” world was always a concept, and has been iconic to Minecraft from the very beginning. Various different materials behave in slightly different ways, for example sand and gravel fall – as the loose material would in reality – and material such as stone does not. There is an element of unrealism, however, in the fact that blocks are able to float suspended in the air, which adds to the freedom the user has in this game.

Characterisation

The character the player manipulates is not very developed in terms of character or appearance. This is because the main focus of the game is what the player is able to do in the world, not the character’s story. There isn’t even really any solid storyline as it is an open-ended game.

The underdeveloped character is a common convention of open-world sandbox games.

Gameplay

There isn’t exactly a main challenge in Minecraft, but if there was, it would be to kill the Enderdragon. Even though the player doesn’t HAVE to do this – the open-ended game doesn’t exactly have a specific “end” – the game shows credits after killing the Enderdragon, which would suggest the figurative ending of the game.

There aren’t multiple levels to the actual game environment, but as the player gains more experience levels there are a few more things they are able to do. This keeps the target audience interested as there is still a lot to do, even if the player has no

experience levels at all.

The vast variety of things the player has the freedom to do is what I think has given the game its massive success. Players are free to make what they want of the space they are given, which is a very appealing sort of idea.

Target audience

The target audience for Minecraft (Xbox edition) are people who own an Xbox, enjoy open-ended games, and are in the ABC1 demographic as these are the sorts of people I would expect are able to afford a games console.

It’s also indicated that the audience consists majorly of males, and I feel like this is indicated from the customisable “skins” you can use on the game. The majority of these skins are male depictions, connoting a mainly male audience.

Minecraft seems to be one of the most popular games of its genre, with a lot of fame from people who use the game to make videos on YouTube.

Platform

Minecraft is available to plenty of platforms: Windows, OS X, Linux, Java platform, Java applet, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Raspberry Pi, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Windows 10. The main platform for Minecraft is PC – this is the platform that sees any updates before any of the other platforms do. The developers began the game on the PC platform, meaning that this is the platform they are most comfortable developing the game with.

LO1 - Game Analysis - Portal 2

Portal 2 - Xbox 360

Genre

Portal 2 is a first-person puzzle platform game in which the player has to work out how to proceed using a portal gun. It’s got some conventions of the puzzle genre in that the player has to observe and think about how they’re going to complete the level. It’s a slightly unusual puzzle game in that it’s also a platform game simultaneously, which sets it apart from completely conventional puzzle games.

Narrative

The player is kept in a testing laboratory which is now ruled by robots. The gameplay shows the main character’s struggles to escape.

The story exhibits some plot twists towards the characters and the player’s attitude and interaction with them. It’s an interesting story that keeps the user engaged.

The story connects with the target audience by giving a thrilling storyline and continuing the story from the previous game with a sense of nostalgia and time that has passed in the game world.

Production process

Portal 2 began development almost immediately after the first Portal game. The design of the game was refurbished from the first game by replacing it with worn-down looking environments, showing just how much time has passed in the game since Portal. This gives an authentic, if not nostalgic feel to the game.

Game physics were probably tricky in Portal’s production as the game has to consider how the player would fall if, say, one portal was on the wall and one was on the ceiling and the player walked through the one on the wall. However, this problem was overcome and the physics and mechanics of the game work to make Portal 2 unique in the way it works.

Characterisation

The characters are ongoing in both Portal and Portal 2, meaning that players of the first game will recognize them. They seem like strong characters; however, I feel as if they don’t really match the puzzle genre as there aren’t many games like Portal 2 in the puzzle genre.

Gameplay

The challenge for the player in Portal 2 is to escape from Aperture laboratories. The levels engage the players who, assuming they are fans of the puzzle or platform genre, will be interested enough to continue playing. The unusual genre combination and the exciting storyline and narrative are what I think makes this game successful. There are moments in which the player needs to interact with the characters, engaging the gameplay with the narrative, and the story is full of twists that are what I think keep the player’s attention.

Target audience

The target audience are people who are fans of the previous game, and people who enjoy first-person platform games but don’t enjoy the combat side as much. There is no fighting in this game as it’s primarily puzzle-solving. There aren’t many other games that appeal to a target audience like this, so in effect, Portal 2 fit into its own niche, which is what I think made it successful.

Platform

This game is available for Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released on Windows and OS X simultaneously as the first platforms released.

LO1 - Game Analysis - Animal Crossing: Wild World

Animal Crossing: Wild World - Nintendo DS

Genre

Animal Crossing: Wild World is an open-ended social simulation game. It allows the player to interact with many various fictional anthropomorphic animals. Other popular games in this genre include The Sims franchise.

Narrative

As an open-ended game, the story is mainly up to the player to decide. The main aspects that the game plays on are talking to characters, collecting items and engaging in the events that take place in the game. Because there is no set storyline, the gameplay allows the player to, in effect, do whatever they want. You can choose to go about playing the game however you like. As a social simulation game, one of the main aims of the game is to become friends with all of the characters in the game.

The story of the game appeals to the target audience because it keeps them engaged by allowing them to make their own choices.

Production process

The game was first announced in 2004, and was released in Japan on November 23^rd 2005, and in Europe on March 31^st 2006. The game was announced to prominently utilize the Nintendo DS’ touch screen feature.

The characters move around in a town, but the appearance of the game makes it look as if the world is very round, giving the impression of the whole town being a “world”. The player is able to make the character walk or run around the gameplay area.

Characterisation

The characters are cute-looking animals that are appealing to the target audience. They are appealing because they appear innocent and friendly to the player. This characterisation is conventional of the genre because social simulation is supposed to engage the player in socialising with the characters.

None of the characters are especially strong, however some have stronger storylines than others. Characters such as shopkeepers, museum curators and the mayor that appear in every game have a deeper back-story than the general townspeople, who are different in each game.

Gameplay

The main challenges of the game are to speak to people, collect items and the  apparent main goal is for the player to make their town the “perfect town”. Ways to do this include keeping on top of weeds, planting trees and planting flowers.

This engages the player as it motivates them to continue playing each day to see what the game has to offer. The gameplay engages with the narrative when a character can ask the players to run errands for them. If the player helps the character, they effectively move on in the game.

The gameplay changes constantly, bringing something new every day. The shops are stocked with new items, there might be post, there might be a new post on the billboard at the town hall, and resident characters are able to move in or out of the town at will. The player has to be kept almost constantly interested in the game to get the most out of it.

Target audience

I think the target audience for this game are mainly children, between the ages of six and twelve. It’s an innocent game that does a lot to try and keep the player engaged. The anthropomorphic animals seem appealing to girls in particular. The innocent language of the characters, the cute noises and relaxing music all give the impression of a target audience of children. However, it’s difficult to keep up with if the player takes some time not playing it, and it can be hard for the player to catch up.

Platform

This particular game is only available for the Nintendo DS platform, however, it is only one game within a range, which began with Animal Forest for Nintendo 64 and the latest edition being Animal Crossing: New Leaf for Nintendo 3DS.

LO1 - Game Analysis: Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8 - Wii U

Genre

Mario Kart 8 is a go-kart style game in the racing genre. It shows stylistic conventions of the racing genre by offering customisable vehicles and lots of different fun and exciting courses. It is unique in comparison to other titles, as it includes features like flight and upside-down driving and underwater racing.

Narrative

There isn’t a solid story to the game, but each time the player chooses a grand prix the ending counts on what place the player comes in each race. Each character you can race as has different strengths and weaknesses, so players can play to their own by choosing the best character for them. It’s good for people who don’t want to play an ongoing game, and would rather play a more laid-back style narrative.

Production process

This game was produced by one of Nintendo’s development companies. Elements of production like a good soundtrack and bright graphics make the game more entertaining.

Game physics and mechanics include how the cars would change and move in water as well as on land, and how they would work when driving upside down. The game has features like a form of magnetism when part of the track turns upside down. This makes the game much more exciting to play.

Characterisation

This game manages to appeal to quite a large target audience, as well as the small audience of previous fans of the franchise. It appeals to people who are already fans of the franchise because it features the same characters. This also allows a large target audience because there are many different characters to choose from, which would appeal to different people. For example, girls may prefer to pick the character Peach and boys might prefer the character Donkey Kong.

The characters are all very distinct in appearance and mannerisms, which matches the conventions of this genre because the player can choose what they prefer. As a first time player of this game, the player wouldn’t know any sort of back story of the characters from the gameplay. Because the game revolves mainly around the racing, it doesn’t take too much time in making strong characters.

Gameplay

Challenges that are present in the game include the main aim, which is to win as many races as possible. The game rewards the player by opening up new tracks and characters as the player continues to win races.

The game has all sorts of different features which make it exciting to play. It has features like items which can affect other racers or the player’s racer, which are almost a trademark of Mario Kart games. This, along with the new features like flight and underwater racing, is what makes the game exciting and therefore successful.

There isn’t much of a narrative as there is no ongoing story. This means gameplay is generally only based on racing different cars with different characters. The gameplay changes to keep the player’s attention by introducing new characters and tracks as rewards.

Target audience

The target audience includes families, people who like racing games and people who are previous fans of the franchise. They would be within the ABC1 social category as these are the type of people who would own the game and console. We can tell it’s for families because of the variety of characters and tracks which keeps children entertained, and its ESRB rating of E (everyone). It appeals to people in this audience because there is always a lot happening, for example the music, items and environment are all exciting to keep a young audience entertained.

In comparison to games like Sega All Stars Racing Transformed, there actually aren’t that many differences apart from the fact they are different franchises. All Stars has the items, different characters and different courses, but slightly different dynamics. It’s up to a person’s personal tastes as to what they would rather play.

Platform

This game is only available for the Wii U platform. Other versions, however, have been made for other platforms, such as Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart DS.