Spituality-n-games

Why the Art Director is so important? (week 07)

2007-05-10T15:58:00.001-07:00

Art directors are in charge of workers who produce artwork for magazines, ads, or products.Every day we are bombarded by images. We play sophisticated video games with lifelike graphics. We see advertisements with familiar and not so familiar logos. We look at brochures with smooth photographs and look at web pages, all with different designs. In the midst of it all, certain images catch our eye over others. Perhaps it's a minimalist design, a pretty face, or a flashy color. It takes many people and steps to create this artwork, and someone is needed to make sure everything gets done. This is the job of an art director. Art directors manage the production of all the different pieces that go into creating such designs.Art directors supervise the work of artists, graphic designers, photographers, copywriters, and production staff. Together these workers produce artwork for their employer or customers. Art directors make sure projects are completed on time and to the client's satisfaction.Art directors begin new projects by meeting with clients to discuss the project. They learn what the purpose of the artwork will be. Artwork might be used in an ad, on a web page, video game, or on a product package. Knowing the purpose of the artwork helps art directors focus their ideas. Art directors also ask clients about their budget, preferred styles, and timeline.Art directors discuss the client's project with their staff. They lay out the broad design concept and assign work to artists and graphic designers. They review rough ideas with artists, and have them do additional work on select ideas. Once the ideas are developed, art directors meet with clients to get feedback. Art directors usually go through several rounds of meetings with clients as ideas are refined.

The final formal blog task! (Week 24)

2007-05-09T15:40:00.002-07:00

HELLO wonderful souls.
I have enjoyed my lovely time at De montfort university using many GAME LABS ;) hehe and using all the facilities which i paid for obviously haha but yeah overall it has been the best moments of my life and i will Cherish these moment forever. Yes i did enjoy BLOGS at a certain point but than it jus dragged on BUT STILL ENJOYED THEM SOMEHOW?

This first year has been really great for me also i found so many new friends and understanding each of their roles which they play in a everyday life. This also got me tempted to make them my friends and many more

I am looking forward to the next year and learning many more skills from wonderful teachers and how they taught to live a better life hehe but yeah it has been really great and motivating towards my career. I would like to thank all the teachers to bring such good guest lectureres to provide more information about how the gaming industry works and it was really helpful.

There are many reasons why we are still breathing. Is to achieve our GOAL..... and i will make sure i will achieve every single task and win this race. Also it is not about winning but it is about achieveing doesn't matter if it takes 3 years or 10 but to achieve is to achieve and puts a smile on each and every human being on this course.

Also the amazing experiece which i realised is that it is keep faith in life and making that positive thought about the future to keep ur space a lock up mode for success. It is about realising who you really are and what is your aim..

The questions are:
Who are you?
Who do you belong to?
What is you aim in life?
Why are you still alive?
What are you goals?
What are your weaknesses?
WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGHTS?

These areas we strongly need to look upon and concentrate to gain our true natural powers which we have lost a long ago so folks bring it back and become the master allmighty authority.... become the master of yourself and mind. become a subject and become and example to people.

Bless you all..
Rahul ;)

It's the run-up to GDC week. (Week 22)

2007-05-09T15:40:00.001-07:00

Title
“The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of time” An interesting name for a particular game. It has such a divine name for an ancient game. It uplifts and draws attention to the audience. Also the name has a philosophical view. How it talks about the time relating to history as well as science.
Year produced
This is a game of the year in 1998 awarding best graphics nomination and many more therefore I chose this particular game which was released in the UK for a cartridge games console Nintendo 64. It is a great year to produce something as huge as Zelda. It is a perfect year of developing in graphics and game play.
Intended Audience
This game was developed for every age and everybody. Intended audience was target at general public there was no age restriction or experts or professionals who could play this game. It shows there are no discrimination acts or separation in public. Also it is open to the world.
Genre
For this game the genre was decided as Role playing as well as Action adventure This is interesting to show that majority of public are into role playing and action/adventure which is related to this game. This clearly shows how popular this game could have been in 1998.
View Poll Results:

Description of the game
The story centers on a boy named Link, who is given a quest from the Great Deku Tree. Link's ultimate goal is to stop the evil Ganondorf from obtaining the legendary Triforce, a magical object made of three golden triangles, which can be used to control the land of Hyrule, where the game is set. To stop Ganondorf, Link must travel through time, interact with Hyrule's inhabitants, and use numerous weapons and items to conquer dungeons. During his journey, Link is helped by the fairy Navi and Princess Zelda, a member of Hyrule's Royal Family.
The story; is there a “story”?; what role does it play?
Yes there is a story which a fantasy type story. The story to this game is a masterpiece. It could take an imagination to create something so amazing like the Legend of Zelda. The story writer linked each part carefully according to the game play. It is a complex on-going quest. The story teller in this game is the situation and the characters involved in this game. Also partly there is a fairy which guides the main character Link. It has enormous amount of detail, a plot within a plot. Also there are so many other sub plots, which keep the players entertained. The story is set so perfectly with a great beginning, middle and an excellent ending. It is like watching a movie whilst you are involved in that actual fantasy. The story makes u forget everything is around you and takes you into the world of this game. It is actually has extensive massive story details. It also has lots of twists and turns to engage the player to play more and more. It is a RPG role playing game. Like most video game genres, the definition of the action-RPG is flexible. The strict definition says that an action-RPG uses the same statistic-based combat and character development as a traditional RPG, only with arcade-like real-time action used instead of turn-based combat. Some people erroneously include action games with adventure elements.
The “colourfulness” of the environment?
There are great colours used in this game. The themes also collaborate with the player and its mind. Each and every level in this game is filled with colours and understanding behind each image. Beautiful game world, With Zelda 64, Nintendo is raising the stakes considerably. Once you step into the Hyrule fields, blinded by the early morning sun, you will be mesmerized by the incredible scale and depth of the landscapes. Rolling hills extend all the way to the far horizon, with Hyrule Castle barely visible in the hazy distance. After a few minutes, the sun will set, it will get dark, and the moon slowly rises in the sky. Far, far away, a wolf houls and skeletons with red glowing eyes ascend from the earth.
There is also hint of romance between Link and princess Zelda; this shows the emotional attachment between the two. This creates more environment and purpose to play the game. Also pageantry looks such as princess Zelda with her clothes and also the church, temples, dungeons, castles and many more huge ceremonies take place in this game which makes it more dramatic for the player.
There is some cultural diversity in the game which happens yet in the real world. Link who is a Kokiri Forest born child who is poor and princess Zelda who is from a royal family shows the status as well the cultural differences. There are also great graphics used in this game to capture the player’s attention. With a 256bit memory with a great amount graphics are totally shown, which makes the game more realistic to play. There are great special effects used in the game such as magic spells, amazing temples never seen or imagined, excellent detail use in the characters costumes and designs. I have noticed in this game that everything in this game is 3D which I particularly think is really good for the Nintendo 64 at that time. This is an eye catching moment for the players. They will cling on to the next scene to be 3D and so on. This really makes the player play this game a lot more.
The game characters
There are vast amount of characters in this game. This is why it really expands the beauty of this game. It keeps on coming and coming. Never stops. The characters and their feature expressions are greater and bigger. This is why it makes such a good game. Therefore the names as well the character look is so easy to remember for the player.
This is a good feature shown in the game because lots of games out there get the audience confused about which character is which?
This makes the game very difficult to understand. The characters are fitted well in the game to show clear understanding and their purpose. There are total of 34 characters including various bosses and sub characters within the game relating to the story. Each and every part of the game is characteristics in each and every character. In the actual game it does take a while for the main character Link to fully develop. This is linked to the actual story and completing missions.
There is a fantastic option which the developers created in the game where you can actually dress and equip the character using different types of weapons and costumes. That is a fantastic option for the players so that they can create their own character’s look. Also character friendship and understanding between each other is so real. This creates attachment with the characters within the game. I think there are far too many characters in this game which makes the game very confusing. Not able to understand where to go now? Or which character do I go to now? It is very difficult for a child to engage into this. Middle aged children in the early teens will be able to pick it up in minutes whereas younger ones at the age of 8 or 9 would have difficulties. But there is empathy in characters and understanding around them.

The emotional involvement generated in the player
Legend of Zelda is a name where straight away the emotional involvement is started. The player goes to a shop to buy a game and sees this name he is likely to get this game according to its name. The “LEGEND” meaning something great or enormous creates a thought in mind of either knowing or understanding. There are beautiful sound tracks played in this game by an instrument which the character holds the “OCARINA” ocarina of time is the sub topic of this game. This already makes the audience or a player want to play as an instrument. This instrument is an ancient instrument long time ago where the early eastern Americans use to play in the night calling for their loved ones. This instrument has a very fluty sound behind it. Koji Kondo is a great artist whom created beautiful melodies whilst using this ocarina. There are so many catchy sound tracks to this game which makes the player keep playing and playing the same music over and over again. The good thing that there is an option in the games menu if you ever want to listen to the song again you can choose which one you want to listen to. Also there is a playing note so that it teaches you how to play ocarina in real life.
There are various types of emotional involved in this game. It builds tension as well as excitement. Amazing thing is that there are no scary or frightening scenes in this game. That way even younger a child can play without any problems.
Any simulation of exciting events in the real world?
I wouldn’t say that this game is realistic nor sporting events or any which are related in today’s world. But there are some facts and points which are related in this generation. I see this game as a fantasy outside this world game, which is impossible to believe in today’s world. Yes an argue to that would be that there might have been a hidden history behind this game but not when it was released. 21st century public would not believe this particular game. But also the thing that confuses me how or what could have created such beautiful characters, events, actions, temples, dungeons, bosses, and many more to create something so amazing. Neither a single history nor a blissful event was ever heard, which involves in this game. This also shows in the game that how accurate and realistic this game is according to the game story and play. For example the character Link who rides a horse and the horse gets tired, which shows that yes horses do get tired. Such great accuracy and credible details have been added to confront the audience and players which play this game.
Immersion
The beauty of this game is that the understanding and the depth, which takes the player into another realm. A fantastic scene, which mesmerize the player and also makes them forget everything as I mentioned before. It really does create an atmospheric moment. It indulges the player so much that they play for hours and hours. The reality of this game is amazing therefore the player is in the game whilst he in the real world. I personally believe that this game really takes you there in that world of game and really attracts me. It’s like there is another world out there which is the Legend of Zelda’s world. I am not sure if this game involves Virtual reality but I know it takes you away from where you are. In the Mage: “The Ascension role-playing game, the mage tradition of the Virtual Adepts is presented as the real creators of VR. The Adepts' ultimate objective is to move into virtual reality, scrapping their physical bodies in favor of improved virtual ones. Also, the .hack series centers on a virtual reality video game. This shows the potentially dangerous side of virtual reality, demonstrating the adverse effects on human health and possible viruses.” This was taken from a website where it shows that virtual reality is bad for the health and mind. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality#Games.
I would say that there are couple of events where the player would get pulled or attached to something in this game for example the horse. The horse is the characters pet. Where shows love and attachment between the horse and Link. The horse’s name is Epona and to call the horse you have to sing a song for it to come to you. The interesting part is which I have just discovered about this game is that the events that take part in the story are significant. The player who plays this game might remember from their past or present that involves in the story. For example the love between princess Zelda and character Link have it might be that the player who is playing might have fallen in love in their past who is so beautiful and gorgeous. That is why the level of immersion is way deeper than to understand. “Something’s are not explained yet enjoyed.”
The use and management of resources
Legend of Zelda is designed very carefully and clearly. Therefore the resources are so many to carry. For example the items screen is filled with items and there are so many to collect and capture. Some take ages for the player to use. If you look at it optimistically towards the resources they are actually great and worth educating ourselves.
Social involvement or potential for social involvement
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of time is a single player game, which I think it’s good in certain ways but it’s also negative in other ways. I personally think that this game should be single player according to the game play. But also there should have been a section in the game where it involves more than 1 person for example a challenge game. That would be a competitive gaming between several players. Unfortunately it does not have feature where it would involve something like competing against other players. The argument to that would be this that the game can take up to two or more players to complete a certain levels or challenges due to the level of difficulty. It could lead to forums and chat rooms related to this game but only on the internet. This games console Nintendo 64 does not have internet access. Therefore it has to be done over the computer internet. There are websites relating to this game where you could meet certain people across the world that has either completed the game or playing at present.

The game mechanics
Gameplay
Personally I think the game play is absolutely fantastic, perfect at its difficulty levels as well as the types of challenges which are balanced is great. The gameplay for this game is based upon the possible actions, which are possible to do. There are no challenges in this game which are tough yes there are some areas where it could get a little tricky but alternatively you can do these.
Challenges
This game is a player follows the avatar around and observes the avatar confronting situations. This is called third person view. There are vast amount of puzzles to solve in this game. 7 levels of dungeons and temples and each would average of 15 to 20 puzzles and maze per level. This creates more for the player and also it pushes the game further. Because the levels are so hard and sweaty feeling after a while it is well earn completion. It is a good feeling of clocking the levels 1 by 1 so there are also set in a pattern. They all involve similar challenges but different themes. It could get boring after a while trying to accomplish all these puzzles and mazes. But the reward is great at the end of the game. Also great thing about this game is that even though if the character dies he does not have to start from all the way from the beginning. He can save at any point of the game and resume where he saved it. There are variety types of challenges apart from puzzles and mazes. But also there are other challenges outside the temples and into the open space of the game.
There are goals and there are also sub goals but the thing about the sub goals they are not entirely necessary to accomplish, like it is not compulsory. Although if sub goals are made there are rewards awarded at certain sub goals. It depends on what sub goal you are trying to accomplish. But there are compulsory goals which you have to do for the game to progress further. Which in my books is a good thing, there is a reason to do this otherwise all the players will just skip all the chapters and get to the final boss without any understanding of the story. The great things about these challenges are that they are very intelligently produced by the game developers. They must have thought this through carefully and accurately for it accomplish.
The types of challenges:
· Lateral thinking challenges
· Memory challenges
· Pattern recognition challenges
· Physical challenges
· Reflex/reaction challenges

Applied challenges:
· Races
· Puzzles
· Exploration
· Conflict Strategy

These are the appropriate challenges have been chosen for this particular game. Lateral thinking challenges are used quite often in the game this is because all games are based upon thinking and Legend of Zelda was 1 of them. It makes the player who is controlling the character to think what to do now and where to go? This is also related to the memory it is quite often used as this for the player to develop a pattern in their mind. This moves us onto the pattern recognition; nearly all the levels and temples as well as dungeons in this game have pattern recognition. This is because so that the player could recognize the patterns from the previous dungeons or temples. Physical challenges are used as well to test the players physical and finger moving moves. I could go for it and against on this challenge. This is because it could get dangerous whilst trying to do physical strength as well as damaging the body. There is a part where the character Link has to push a stone and when he is doing that the player has to press the A button on the Nintendo 64 controller simultaneously and rapid to gauge the power bar to the top for Link to push the stone. This is good at a point where it shows the level of physical testing. RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) is most likely to be one of the injuries could take place.
Challenge The applied challenges have also been included to show more challenges which are great for the player to engage in. For example the race challenge is been occupied in the game. Link the character has to use the Epona his horse to challenge various horse riders to gain rewards. This is a type of challenge which could get the audience to do over and over again. To gain more rewards you have to do more challenges. Also explorations are a great way to expand onto the game. For example there are certain treasures and diamonds which the character has to find. They are all hidden and they can only be found by exploring in to the open space. I could also argue to that point because the player who is playing this game could get bored trying to find these particular treasures and diamonds. It is very easy in this game to loose hope. You definitely need lots of determination for the game to accomplish.
Flow
Ability

Basically this game flow chart shows that the more of the ability you have in the character or in the game, the more of the challenges will occur according to the match. So proves that certain levels and challenges are already fixed upon certain ability in the character or the game.
Talking about the use of levels in Legend of Zelda ocarina of time has vast amount. There are meanings behind each level with a different feeling. Themes are based upon each level with great deeper understanding. There are levels, dungeons and temples in this game which are tricky and hard to complete. But the hints around the levels give the player to focus on them. So next time the player can look for hints and signs for what to do next. There are certain areas of this game where it will test the player’s level of skill and how swiftly they will react to each and every situation. It certainly keeps the player happy throughout the game and after each level is completed one by one. It gives a big relief after accomplishing each level with hard work and energy. It also keeps them interested because the more they are winning the more challenges are occurring.
The rewards are great in this game, each and every level there are treasure chest filled with goodies as well as diamonds. This is perfect for the player to get his hands on. There are many types of rewards such as colleting various types of hearts and puzzle pieces for you to win more rewards. There are rewards such as rupees, diamonds, weapons, and many more for the player to be happy with. The good thing about this is that the developers have made so many types of rewards it is far more to count, that you would be filled with. The levels of satisfaction behind these rewards are remarkable.
Developers made this game very fair and straight forward. It is perfect when you play it first and when you play it 10 times the sequences are all the same. There are no differences and unfairness into the gaming. Also the good thing the developers have created in this game is the Life level of the character. It’s broken into pieces of hearts for the player to understand the life line they have. The good thing about this is that every time the character is either attacked or lost a life by getting hurt. The fairness of the heart is always correct there are no different changes to the lives every time you get hurt or attacked. The portion of the heart is been taken away every time the character collides with the enemy. Also this could include the game flow as well. The reason to this is because every time the character completes a level or a dungeon the heart is been rewarded by 1. So as the level progresses there are more hearts to indicate for further challenges.
Also the developer has a great mind to add fairness in the game. For example the character has certain weapons like a bow, boomerang, booms, magic spells and many more which need certain credits to fill for it to work. So if the character runs out of all these there are plants and pots around the open space areas and including dungeons as well as temples have them. These pots and plants have certain credits for certain weapons and as the character destroys the pots and plants he gets the credits back. But they are not all the same every time. They come random every single time you destroy these plants and pots. This shows the randomness of the game.
Interactivity
Legend of Zelda is based upon exploration of the world of Kokiri and Hyrule so therefore there are going to be chances where the player is in control of everything. Nearly all the time the player is in control of everything for example using the weapons, talking to other characters at any point during the game. This is a very good technique used by the developer. This shows that how players will be able to control everything and anything at this point is a bonus. There are also certain areas where choices making and decision making do occur. This allows the players to make decisions fast and quick. This is called pressure building. Also the best thing about this game is that the players destiny in their own hands. This is could be either is on the good side as well as the bad side. Also the level of audio feedback is excellent showing the player the understanding between the game and the situation. For example if the character finds a treasure chest and gets rewards according to what the reward is the sound will be played according to the reward. Also there are excellent sound effects to engage the player into the real world.

Game balancing
The game balance is beautifully set according to the game play. This is very good for the character because the level of difficulty is set according to the stage. The good feature that the developers have added in this is called ‘Fishing’. Yes fishing goes a long way of knowledge. Therefore it is a challenge to catch the biggest fish for the player to get the reward. The good thing about this is that the game balance is excellent because every time you trying to catch a fish it is random and very difficult to catch. This way the luck is always different. Also the balances between the game features are also unbelievable the reason for this is because the level of difficulty rises as the game progresses. This indicates that the characters abilities are growing according to the game play. The stronger you make your character the same amount of difficulty will be put across. This is a good way of balancing so there is no one area game. The game is put together in such a good way that it is achievable as well as hard at the same time creates a sensible game from the creators.
The balance between the enemies and the characters are perfectly matching. The good thing that the developers have showed about this game is that all the enemies in this game give a clue before they are about to die. For example a zombie, which is one of the most common enemies but there are other enemies according to the levels and dungeons. They always leave a clue hint or a sign when they are about to die or fade away. This is a good thing because it would give the player to react on the situation. Also another good part to this is that the enemies in these games are very strong and difficult. But the good thing about this is that these enemies are at a level. But the character is at the same level to give good fight. This shows the level of balance.
AI content
There are many AI contents found in the game AI meaning Artificial Intelligence, yes there is vast amount of intelligence in the computer side. This is very good for the players to engage themselves into a real treat. There are enemies as well as levels, dungeons and temples. The greatest example is shown in the picture here. It shows the character dressed in blue with a blue shield is Link the main character and on the other side is it a same version of him but different colour. The Dark link is another character which takes place in one of the temples called the Water Temple. He is the main boss at the end. It is a very tricky boss with high AI. The player could take a long while until they destroy this boss. The thing about this boss is that the level of AI it is been used is amazing. For example if the character draws a sword to kill Dark link automatically the AI picks up the movement on the controller and does exactly the same move so that way the swords, Dark link has and the main character link has is the same. So they clash and creates a mirror frame between Dark Link and Link this is very cleverly done. If the main character stays still also the Boss Dark link will stay still, which I think is so clever and boss is waiting for the character to attack first so AI could read what they are going to do. The AI is very clever and reads the control pads buttons.
The user interface; how easy is it to operate the game?
There is an excellent start up screen with beautiful theme song and amazing colours used for the player to quickly start the game in no time. This would definitely draw attention to the players. They will get ready for a whole new generation of the game world and they will surely experience it. There are many helps at the start up menu, using the sound set up, graphical setup the understanding of the game. Also the great thing about this is that there is an info sheet where it tells the player how the game is and what it will involve. There are lots of options to choose from for the right choice for the player. It is very easy to operate this game simple yet so effective. For example at the start of the game all you have to do is press start on the control pad. This is quick and effective start for a normal game. All the options are set to default for a normal game player would use as. But of course you can go into options and change it at anytime.
There is another screen after the main menu where it takes you to 3 different slots to choose from. These slots are basically the memory slots. Each slot will carry a whole mission of the game, the entire game. This is a good thing because so this way it is a single player game but many people can start up their own mission to save the world and win the game. So 3 slots are added and also there is no need for memory pack it is built in memory with in the cartridge of the game. Another great thing is that the start button during the play of the game is so fantastic it allows all the players to follow a simple introduction at the beginning of the game. So the player knows what they have to do and also they can get use to the controls. It is very simple to operate this game of Legend of Zelda even a 5 year old can operate such an easy and simple game.
Which features are not really essential for this game?
There are some features in this games are very boring. For example the character Link who has to go around wearing masks, which is a completely waste of time and also he has to buy them to look good. Another thing would be that there are stones in the game that are everywhere and all it does is that it tells you the time inside the game, which is completely unnecessary for this game. Also there some weapons in the game which the character holds with him. For example a wooden stick. This wooden stick cannot harm anybody or also use it as a weapon all it does is that you have to carry it and there is no use of it. It cannot be used on enemies at a self defense or use it for a good cause. These are the only features, which I can accommodate on. All the other features are excellent and they all link to the game very well and have a valid reason behind it.

What would you add to make this a better game?
There are no things to be added in this game to make it better. All the features and help options fairness, randomness all these things are added to make this game. It has all the qualities to make it a ‘good’ game. Although there is one feature I would like to add for it to make it even better. I would add the multiplayer option and make it more than 2 players in the game. This way one or more players can enjoy Legend of Zelda at the same time. This is the only feature that I would add to make this game a better game.

Creative Expression
Entertainment
Playthings
Challenges
Conflicts
Game
Art
Movies, Books, etc.
Toys
Puzzles
Competitions
money?
interactive?
goals?
competitor?
attacks allowed?
beauty?
non-interactive?
no goals?
no competitor?
no attacks?
This graph shows that what would be a better game. As you can see the Legend of Zelda has all the things to make it a GAME. It has creative expression, entertainment, playthings, and types of challenges, conflicts and many more to make it the best game of the year in 1998. Legend of Zelda is my favorite game and yet stands the ground to be the best game. The sequence follows as more Zelda games come onto more new consoles. I have come to a conclusion as this game really takes over any other game out there with all the things involved in such a small cartridge.

Where do you want to go, and how do you get there? (week 21)

2007-02-23T05:50:00.003-08:00

An angelic walk to heaven...
There are several reasons to become the worlds most famous and most amazing game artist. Using the graphics at my finger tips and colours with my hands. After studying 1 year of De Montfort university shows me how i have the chance to become the one. Many years yet still to achieve. Long walk to heaven! but it is not impossible to gain the best of the skills and knowledge. I have understood my role to become passionate about gaming. Also i will learn ruthless interactions with virtual gaming and its space. 3 years will go so fast and yet i will not realise.
Therefore taking slow oppurtunities to work hard and reach my shining star. Many difficulties will arise as i go along this pathway. But i have to face them with courage and passion win that aim. I will gain so many skills and respect from everything and everybody. The only thing i will take with me out of these 3 years is SUCCESS!!
Thinking are far more farfetched and over 60,000 thoughts rushing your head through ur nervous system. You are bound to think about being a Millionaire :D it is a natural humans nature to be wealthy and rich. Also to take a job oppurtunity international. Working for high companies regarding the gaming industry.

Creativity (week 20)

2007-02-23T05:50:00.001-08:00

Creative Game Talk
Names, naming and identity talk
Joking, irony and word play
Map creations, map judging, and logo comments and designs
Changing game rules and technical limits (reflexive awareness of game features, i.e. low gravity)
Popular culture references to in-game talk (for example, South Park, The Simpsons, Pulp Fiction, etc.)

Creativity. Isn't that the main reason most of us start to create games? Being able to come up with interesting and fun entertainment. The mobile-phone platform is really one of the few platforms left that allows developer to quickly implement and tryout new concepts.

For the past 15 years orso we have seen only a few original ideas in game designing and with all the power of the current consoles and pc's, a game now requires months of planning and bundles of cash to be created. This leaves little room for creativity and originality as it is now comparable to Hollywood, proven-concepts are required to make sure the cash flow is there.
Besides the obvious reason of less development time and resources required to make games, the mobile platform also presents us with a new target audience aswell as the change in control methods required. Not going into a casual versus hard-core gamer talk here, no matter how you look at it or what you might like to call it, the mobile gamer is simply unique. A mobile game should not be developed for long gaming sessions cause we have consoles that do a much better job. As many others have mentioned before, mobile games are a snack or a piece of candy, where console and pc games are a four meal dinner. And to add some of my own intelligent quotable remarks, the mobile game could evolve into the dessert after the dinner, having the option of mini games on your phone to upgrade your RPG character on the console, it has to happen some day!

Life Changing or Career Building? (week 19)

2007-02-23T05:49:00.002-08:00

Different Jobs and Careers in video games
the industry is fully blossomed and there are lots of different creative jobs
Video Games are no longer the domain of the determined programmer/genius who knows how to do everything and works long hours in the garage to create a game.Todays industry is mature and that means it has a lot of different job classifications that you could pursue a career in.Here are some of the various specialties and a brief summary of what they do in the video game making industry.Concept artistThe concept artist works with traditional art tools such as paint, acrylics,pencils and pastels. If you really love drawing things that are video game related such as scenes, characters and worlds this might be a good option for you.2 dimensional artistThis type of artist is concerned with the backgrounds, structures and the textures of the game world. You should have a solid grasp of Photoshop if this is the career path you want to take.3 Dimensional Model ArtistThis type of artist is concerned with making the characters, monsters,creatures and objects that inhabit a video game world. The most accepted software is 3D studio Max and you can't go wrong if you learn how to use this suite.AnimatorThis is the person that makes the characters and objects in the game move. It is a very specific skill and it takes good understanding of animation to get things right.Programmer - This is something that is a little more traditional when we think of video game making "Programming" and it is a very wide field that can find you doing almost anything in the video game making arena. Here are some possibilites:Database manager A game has to store and manipulate a lot of information and somebody has to maintain this.Artificial Intelligence Designer - Todays games are very heavy into artificial intelligence and a lot of thought and work goes into making characters and objects intelligent in their behavior.Tools Designer - You don't actually work on the game. You create software tools for the game designers. This makes their job easierEngine Programmer - A video game runs on what is called an engine.Other Opportunities in Video game design -Script and story writer - Today's video games tell a complex story. No longer are they all about "Making your way to the end". they are very involved with stories, plots, quests, sub-plots and back stories. If you have a knack for story-telling and writing this may be a feasible and attractive option for you.

Game Technology - Sound for Games (week 18)

2007-02-23T05:49:00.001-08:00

Sound designersSound designers compose the music and sound in a game. Without them, creaky doors, squealing tires, and roaring dinosaurs would be silent. And their musical compositions intensify the player’s experiences. "I like taking a product that already looks good and adding some extra excitement," says Andy Frazzier, a freelance sound designer in Boston. "Sound draws players in and makes games more real."
Sound designers work closely with the game designers. Game designers describe the mood they want, often citing movie scores or popular musicians. The sound designer uses these analogies to discover what the designer wants.
Video game music should mesh with setting and plot. "I always have to consider where the player is in the story and how the music will affect his or her mood," says Frazzier. He uses musical techniques to evoke emotions.
For Stephen Rippy, music director at Ensemble Studios in Dallas, composing appropriate music begins with research. "All of our games are based in history," he says. "The settings are civilizations that actually existed, so the first thing I do is research the period. If the game takes place in medieval Japan, I go find music from that setting."
Unlike movie composers, sound designers don't know what the characters will be doing as the music plays. Their music has to be simpler than movie scores because it should not interfere with dialogue or action noises.
Rippy and Frazzier both compose music using a keyboard attached to a computer. With the keyboard, they simulate instruments. They command one-piece orchestras.
Sound designers also create sound effects. They add ambient noise, such as a chirping forest creatures, dripping faucets, and distant conversation. Other sounds are triggered by an event, such as the swoosh of a basketball as it falls through the net.
Sound designers are given a list of sounds the game needs. They construct each effect by modifying an existing sound from a CD library or by finding and recording the sound themselves.
An important part of the job is to find creative ways to make sound. To produce the twang of a catapult, for example, Rippy laid a ruler across the edge of a table and hit it. An engineer recorded the noise, and Rippy edited it using computer software.
Sound designers edit almost every sound they use: they might lower a pitch, add an echo, loop the sound to make it longer, or mix it with other sounds.
They balance realism with the entertainment value of exaggeration, routinely sweetening natural sounds for dramatic effect.
When choosing noises, sound designers also have to be aware of the game-playing environment. When designing for arcades, for example, they make effects loud and simple. For a home system, sounds can be more complex.

Game Technology - Game Engines (week 17)

2007-02-23T05:48:00.004-08:00

• A Game Engine provides the core functionalities
of a game:
– It manages the objects, game levels, and other resources
in the game world
– It renders the viewable portion of the world to the user
– It handles updating of the positions of objects
– It also manages the behavior of non-player characters
• The same game engine can be used for many
different games. For example, the Quake engine,
Torque engine, etc

Why study how to make game
engines?
• Building a usable game engine involves skills
from many different branches of computer
science.
• This is because a game engine is like a highly
multimedia operating system.
• Or to put it another way, the goal of a game engine
is to provide a flexible way to simulate a fantasy
reality quickly.

Gaming Cultures (week 16)

2007-02-23T05:48:00.003-08:00

Japanese VideoGame Culture and ADHD Among Japanese Children This section of the paper examines the impact of TV and videogame violence on Japanese children using research data reported from CESA (Computer Entertainment Suppliers' Association) Kinuyo Uozumi's survey research of 4 762 children and Japanese Governmental reports in 1999 and 2001. Uozumi's samples of 4 762 children were randomly selected children age 6 to 15 and conducted through a survey questionnaires. The data shows that nearly 70 percent of these

Culture matters. It tells Hillary Clinton to legislate Grand Theft Auto. It tells you not to camp with that bazooka or to hog the driver's seat. It tells players that Lara Croft and Bloodrayne are good models of femininity. Culture gives us cues about how to interpret the world.
As gamers, you're already part of a vibrant culture machine; as game designers, you'll take the wheel, determining where that machine goes (and whether it runs over anyone in the process). This class will give you an atlas with which to navigate the game culture landscape and the skills to choose the best path through it.
Throughout the semester, we will use critical tools to explore game culture and your place in it. By the time we're done, you will have begun crafting a sophisticated understanding of games as they relate to larger spheres of culture; you will find yourself thinking about why games do what they do, and how they relate to social issues. This course provides the building blocks for a lifetime of critical engagement in video game culture; you will not only leave this course with a map of the gaming landscape, but with the tools to enter uncharted territory and draw future maps yourself.

An introduction to the Game Industry (week 15)

2007-02-23T05:48:00.001-08:00

China's gaming industry
This report comprehensively summarizes the development of online game industry in China as well as in the world in 2005. With full and accurate data and detailed analysis, it elaborates on global online game industry's current status, features, and trends. Through in-depth analysis on the development characteristics and future trends of China's online game industry, as well as on the key factors influencing the industry's growth, industry development cycle, and industry chain structure, this report draws an important conclusion on the industry's profit pattern and market potential, providing a clear concept and valuable investment suggestions for investors.China has become a big consumer of online games and the number of online game players has reached 20 million. The huge and rapidly growing amount of subscribers is no doubt a big and substantial base for online game development. In China, online game's huge market potential, high profitability, high growth speed, and clear profit pattern, all lead online game to be the most promising industry of Internet economy. Therefore, the huge cake of 7 billion RMB will no doubt bring much more fierce competition, as well as a record-breaking prosperity. Year 2005 is a restructuring year for online game industry. The current amount of games, game developers and employees is not enough to satisfy the huge Chinese online game subscribers' demand. In 2004, there were only 12 successfully operated online games among the total of 136 worldwide, among which there were 3 developed by Chinese companies. With the market competition going tough, smaller companies might disappear, the gap between big and small companies will expand further. It is predicted that there will emerge in the next year some big companies in the online game industry, while some other companies with special features will survive.

The elements of Game Design - Gameplay (week 11)

2007-02-23T05:47:00.001-08:00

In Gameplay and Design, Kevin Oxland describes the essential elements required to create compelling game design. Published by Addison-Wesley , the book is divided into two parts that span a total of 368 pages. The first part of the book defines essential terms and techniques used by game designers. Starting with the basic principles of game design, Oxland emphasizes that good design follows a well structured approach that is consistent in delivery. To reinforce this, the text starts with a simple game concept idea, an adventure game called Norbot that features a robot with a missing hand, and layers in subtle and more complex elements to help illustrate the usage of many of the topics discussed.
The progression of Norbot's development follows logical steps: first deciding on genre, core game idea, and a unique selling point - then various game design elements that support the core idea. While more game design elements are presented than used in the game idea, Oxland does a great job providing examples and illustrations in other published games. It sounds simple, but in such a creative field as game design, there is room for a lot of variety.
Once the core objective is established, it is important to consider a host of other factors critical to design. The book moves from more abstract concepts such as player motivation to more concrete elements like level design and progression considerations. Oxland writes in a casual and familiar tone that is easy and enjoyable to read. Sprinkled throughout each chapter are game design axioms that are not always easy to spot. The book takes a much more narrative approach to each subject instead of presenting information analytically. Overall, I found the progression and presentation to be well done.
The second part of the book describes translating game design ideas into documentation suitable for a production team or publisher to understand. Often during the documentation phase, additional details are refined and improved upon prior to beginning production. While it'd be easy to dismiss the last half of the book, I've seen many good ideas fail to garner support due to the designer's inability to successfully convey their thoughts to teammates or decision makers. Providing good documentation also reinforces the main theme of the book by formally structuring an idea for others to consider.
Also, a description of various skills and characteristics typically required of workers in the game industry is provided as well as a chapter of references for those seeking to receive formal training in the field. Obviously this information has less value to those already in the industry and belies the book's target audience: those interested in becoming or already in junior game design roles.
With a focus on organization and a layered design process, the book is an enjoyable read that does a fine job covering many of the facets encountered in practice. While it may have less value to those already in the industry, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone seriously considering becoming a game designer.

The elements of Game Design ? Story and Character (week 10)

2007-02-23T05:45:00.003-08:00

21st Century Game Design is not just a book about game design. It’s an answer to two important questions: who are we designing games for and how do we do it best? Written by industry pros, the book teaches designers how to design better games from a why perspective. All good designers know the fundamentals of how to design a game, but learning to design games that really satisfy your players takes more than technical skill. To do this successfully, you need to know your intended audience and understand their needs.Throughout the book you’ll learn about defining and investigating player needs. A model of play styles is then presented that was developed by applying psychological metrics to survey data and case studies. This model identifies some of the core themes in player needs as represented by four player types—Conqueror, Manager, Wanderer, and Participant.In addition to discussing player needs, the book also explores how games can reach wider audiences by appealing to the interests of the core gaming community, and it considers the fundamental principles of game design. Methods such as interface design, structural elements, and game world abstractions are discussed in relation to the needs of the audience. The book does not attempt to present an absolute view of the craft of game design, but rather it demonstrates how an audience model can inform the design process and take the games industry forward at a time when it is facing a schism between the games that the audience would like to play, and the games the development community would like to make.Game designers, producers, marketing executives, and anyone who wishes to understand the relationship between a game and its audience will find much to learn from 21st Century Game Design

Characters
A video game character is a character appearing in a video game or computer game. It is useful to distinguish player-controlled player characters and computer-controlled non-player characters.
In the early days of gaming, most characters were little more than generic figures with little in the way of personality, depth, or likability. The first game character to gain massive popularity was Mario in the 1980s.[citation needed] With Mario began the concept of the "game mascot," the idea that a character could become representative of a game company while being marketable to a wide audience. In the years since, many game characters have become bona-fide pop-culture phenomena.[citation needed] There are many types of video game characters.

Stories
Action video gamers tend to be more attune to their surroundings while performing tasks like driving down a residential street, where they may be more likely to pick out a child running after a ball than a non-video gamer.
The research also suggests that action game playing might be a useful tool to rehabilitate visually impaired patients or to train soldiers for combat.
"It is certainly good training for people in situations where they need to detect things in their visual environment at any time in any location, like ground troops going through uncharted territory,"

An Introduction to Games Technology (week 09)

2006-12-03T08:20:00.001-08:00

Major: Game Design and Development

Have you spent hours on end playing computer and video games? Then here’s a happy thought: You may have been training for a future career. All that firsthand experience with electronic games could be valuable. If game design and development is your major, you’ll learn what it takes to create games that are as exciting to look at as they are to play.
Classes in art, computer graphics, programming, and design will provide an introduction to the skills you need. But the real learning happens when you’re asked to create games on your own or with a team, and you face such real-world challenges as pacing problems and programming bugs.
360Well I have to admit, it is a good system, but I am just not interested in it too much. I bought it out of impulse because it was the only "Next-Gen" system available. My bro lent me some games, so I had some when I got the system home. These games were Perfect Dark, GRAW, Far Cry, and Blazing Angles. Now out of those 4, 3 were shooters. Far Cry had ok graphics, but the game was just really bad. So after a while I just stopped playing it. Perfect Dark was good, but multiplayer is slow, and the first one seemed more fast pace. So it gets a 6 out of 10 in my book. GRAW I loved, but my bastard of a brother took it back in a few days and I was without it. Blazing Angles was my favorite simply because IT WASN'T a FPS! There are entirely too many FPS on 360 and they are all not too innovative, so the whole genre is just getting old to me. This is a main reason why I don't play my 360 that much. FPS are getting old, sports don't appeal to me, and the variety of games is just not there! Live isn't all it is cracked up to be either. While it offers a shit load of services, most arel useless to me. TV shows I will watch for FREE on TV, and a movie I will rent from Gameznflix. The arcade games are a nice touch, and those games I play a hell of a lot more than regular games. All in all the 360 has some good games, and none too great, and the services are plentiful, but most are useless.WIII was an idiot and stood outside for hours to get my WII. I played it none stop when I first got it. Now I am letting it collect dust. The games are just too geared towards younger kids, and the games for older people are ports of crappy games that have been out for a while now. The controller was cool at first, and now it is just plain annoying! The graphics too are starting to annoy the hell out of me. I know it was never supposed to be a powerhouse, but it is 2x the power of the Gamecube, and that system had graphics on par with the original XBOX. Nothing so far has even come close! Online functionality is none existent, and the friend code idea is just ridiculous. If I don't need parental locks and options, then the use of friend codes should be an option to me. Instead, it is standard and it will affect the online gaming greatly when it finally comes out. The VC is a great idea, if emulators were never invented! Why would I buy games, when they are free? They need to make new VC titles and not just release old games. The last thing they need is the choice of using a Gamecube controller, or the Classic controller in more games. Sometimes all the movie the controller around makes me not want to play some of the games. In conclusion, the WII has great potential if they use better control schemes, better more mature games, online functionality without friend codes, and better damn graphics for crying out loud!PS3The wait is over, I got my PS3 in February and now, I'm waiting! Not many games yet, the ones that are out are rushed launch games, or crappy ports of existing 360 games. The ports were made right on 360, so why would I spend 60 bucks to get a shitty copy of the same game. I will buy it, if I want it on the 360. RFOM is the only game still worth buying, and that is sad right now. Motorstorm was ok in the beginning, but lack of options just kills the replay value. The arcade games are ok, but MS has them on this and then some. The PS Store just has trailers of movies that don't interest me, demos, but the same ones that have been there forever, and little add on content. I will say the old school games are cool though. The back of many games say check the store for add on content. BULLSHIT. Genji has a costume on there, and Sonic has a couple of levels. 2 of the shittiest games have add on content. GREAT! The XMB is a nice, but the PSN makes it really bad to use. I can't message friends while in a game, check my mail, see who's online, NOTHING! I know they are working on it, but jesus how much time do they need to do these simple little tasks? These should have been available since launch, and if they are waiting for HOME to come out before they fix these issues, that really sucks! The only good thing about the PSN is the fact it is FREE and the games I'VE PLAYED (Doesn't mean all games) have zero lag. I love also how Sony rammed down our throats 1080P. GREAT not many games even use it, 80% are in 720P so go figure. The ones that do, suck ass anyways, so pointless right now, in the future they say it will be on most games. I like to see this one. Sony needs to get some damn games out, fix the PSN issues, and just stop lying.In conclusion, these are rants, I could add the pluses about each console, but that would make this a lot longer than it is. Nintendo and Sony have been in the game for a while now. They should get all these problems right. How could they make their consumers suffer like this? MS is new compared to both, so they get excused for the fuck ups. The next console should correct these issues, if not, then they sucks. But MS is not the greatest at making products better *cough Windows ME cough VISTA* I'm sure a lot of these issues on all consoles will get resolved through trial and error, but we will have to wait and see.I ForgotThe 360 with the overheating problem that plagues the system. Personally I have never had the problem, but my friends have. He is on his 6th 360 and another is on his 4th. I am on my 2nd, but overheating wasn't the issue, at least I don't think it was. It gets so hot, you could warm your whole house with the 360!

Story telling in games (week 08)

2006-11-27T01:12:00.003-08:00

Telling stories
Everything is narrative / Everything can be presented as narratives
The first argument is a compelling one, as it promises a kind of holistic view of the world: Since we use narratives to make sense of our lives, to process information, and since we can tell stories about a game we have played, no genre or form can be outside the narrative.
The problem is that this really is an a priori argument. Narratives may be fundamental to human thought, but this does not mean that everything should be described in narrative terms. And that something can be presented in narrative form does not mean that it is narrative.
Ideal stories / back-stories
A more interesting argument centres on the fact that most games have a story written on the package, in the manual, or in intro-sequences, placing the player's playing in the context of a larger story (back-story), and/or creating an ideal story that the player has to realise:
Space Invaders (Taito 1977)
If we play Space Invaders (Taito 1977), we are presented with an ideal story that we have to realise using skill. A prehistory is suggested in Invaders: An invasion presupposes a situation before the invasion. It is clear from the science fiction we know that these aliens are evil and should be chased away. So the title suggests a simple structure with a positive state broken by an external evil force. It is the role of the player to recreate this original positive state. This is, of course, a sequence often found in folk tales: An initial state, an overturning of this state, and a restoration of the state.
But it works in a different way: If we play Space Invaders, we find that we cannot actually restore the initial state; we cannot win since every wave of aliens is followed by another. As players we are fighting to realise an ideal sequence of events, but the actual playing is not this sequence.
Most modern, single player non-arcade games such as Half-Life (Valve software 1998) actually let you complete the game: through countless saves and reloads it is possible to realise the ideal sequence that Half-life defines. Obviously, only a microscopic fraction of the play sessions actually follow the ideal path, but Half-Life does succeed in presenting a fixed sequence of events that the player can then afterwards retell This means that some games use narratives for some purposes.
As digital games have evolved in aesthetics and technology, also new audiences have taken them as their own. Nevertheless, it is still common to view game players through certain (white-teenage-boy) stereotypes, even when the reality of games and players is much more diverse today.
The theme for the third year of Games and Storytelling (2006 - 2007) series is multiculturalism. Games and Storytelling is a joint project of University of Art and Design Helsinki, University of Tampere, Nokia and Veikkaus, designed to bring leading international experts together in a three-year-long lecture and workshop series, highlighting some important and topical developments in the culture, research and design of games. Particular emphasis during this final year is on the current tensions and transformations of culture, identity and storytelling as interactive media emerges as both artistically important new medium, as a globally powerful creative industry, and as a new kind of domain for human interactions.
One way to approach multiculturalism in relation to games is to look at the interesting dialogue that has been going on in the history of games design between Asia, particularly Japan, and the West, where distinctively different visual and gameplay styles have been developed. Multiculturalism is also visible in how some game genres have become wildly popular in some country, while staying almost negligent in others. There are also more street-level aspects of multiculturalism, as the contexts of game playing vary, from the popular "PC Bang" cybercafés of the East to the videogame arcades and wired living rooms of the Western players.
The cultural position of games is different in different parts of the world, while there are also some commonalities: in many countries games are currently viewed by concern or even hostility within the media and public debate while the popularity of game playing simultaneously is gaining new ground among both adult and elder, female and male players alike. The existing offerings in the shelves of game stores often fail to link with the interests of these gamers. Similarly, one can easily point out how much potential multiculturalism still holds that games industry has not succeeded in linking with: the rich cultural heritage, myths and legends of the various nations of the world are still mostly underutilized. The milieu, characters or themes of mainstream commercial games rarely offer enough alternatives for those not interested in stereotypes, and there is also much to be improved in how the different play styles and preferences of non-hardcore gamer audiences are supported.
Thus, multiculturalism is both a great opportunity and a challenge to the games culture, research and development alike.

An Introduction to games design (week 06)

2006-11-27T01:11:00.004-08:00

Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems, especially formal games. Proper use is coupled with reference to "what the player does". Arising alongside the development of game designers in the 1980s, gameplay was used solely within the context of video or computer games, though now its popularity has begun to see use in the description of other, more traditional, game forms. Generally, the term "gameplay" in video game terminology is used to describe the overall experience of playing the game excluding the factors of graphics, sound, and the storyline.

Types of game design

Game designers often specialize in certain types of games, such as board games, card games or video games. Although these can be very different disciplines, they share many underlying conceptual and methodologic similarities.

Primary purpose

The purpose of the game design process is essentially to direct the creation of a game given a set of constraints. These constraints vary depending on the type of game being designed. There are many categories of constraint, some examples are:

Technical
Production
Intended target audience
Ethical
Political

Interaction with other design disciplines

Some types of game design involve integration of ma

ny varying design disciplines. Video game design, for example, requires the co-ordination of:

Game mechanics
Visual arts
Programming
Production Process
Audio
Narrative

If I asked you to name your top five film directors you could probably reel off a list without thinking twice. Now if I ask you to name your top five game designers do you think you could do the same? I expect that all but the most committed game players would be unable to name more than two or three, and even then they would most likely be familiar names picked up from magazine articles and interviews rather than the people responsible for their favourite piece of digital entertainment, yet if you ask your average gamer which job they would choose if they could work in this industry the majority pick game design.

Unfortunately for them, game design is probably the role with the most blurred job description and as such is one of the more difficult positions to attain. While it is impossible for me to tell you how to be a creative genius, this article will at least give you an overview of some of the skills required to be a designer and the fundamentals of becoming a successful one.

Name: Chris Avellone
Company: Obsidian Entertainment
Best-Known Works Include: Planescape: Torment (PC), Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (Xbox, PC)

Name: Cliff Bleszinski
Company: Epic Games
Best-Known Works Include: Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (PC), Unreal Tournament (PC), Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC)

Name: Ken Levine
Company: Irrational Games
Best-Known Works Include: System Shock 2 (PC), Freedom Force (PC), Tribes: Vengeance (PC), Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich (PC)

Name: Akira Yamaoka
Company: Konami
Best-Known Works Include: Silent Hill (PS), Silent Hill 4: The Room (PS2, PC, Xbox)

Frankly speaking there are huge amount of thoughts are running through my mind whenever i am playing those boring games. Therefore it really does question me sometimes "I wonder how they made this certain game." This clearly represents that game designers work hard to get the best looking graphical image of something which is beyond terrotory thinking. This leads my attetion towards the actual gaming rather than me trying to figure out how they managed to make this game.

Many say that game design includes not jus the designing part it also includes the electronical part the mending part. The core design of the electronic part, meaning the hexadecimal, binary and many more relevant subject behind electronics.

Writing about games (week 05)

2006-11-27T01:11:00.003-08:00

Why on earth would anyone want to write for games?
The answer lies in the nature of creativity itself. It’s something that we all have within us to a greater or lesser degree, but which takes on a whole new dimension at the level required when writing for top-quality games.

To be truly creative, a person is driven by the need to create. If not actually directly involved in the creative process at any one moment, then that compulsion will take over their thoughts, distract them in the middle of conversations, and pop ideas into their head while explaining to the bank manager why the loan payment is late. Creativity is their life! They do not have a choice in the matter.

To fulfill the creative urge to its maximum, a person will look for ways to push at the boundaries of their creativity. Games, because of their increasingly changing nature, today offer one of the best chances for a creative individual to explore their own boundaries. For a writer it’s an ideal opportunity to innovate in a medium that devours groundbreaking ideas like no other.

Payment: Pays on publication. Pays $100 for feature articles and columns. Pays the expenses of writers on assignment. Offers 25% kill fee.

GAME DESIGN

Creative Director: $72,125
Writer: $61,000
Game Designer: $54,777

Only if i was a games writer, I would write about the games, critisise them, give them credits to the ones that deserve.

A history of computer games 2000's & Future (week 04)

2006-11-27T01:11:00.001-08:00

2000 - PlayStation 2 Released in JapanSony launches the PlayStation 2 in Japan on March 4. In two days, the company sells 1 million consoles--a new record. As is the case with all Japanese launches, gamers begin lining up outside stores two days in advance. Unfortunately, demand exceeds supply and not everybody gets a console, including those who preordered. Robberies of PlayStation 2s are reported. Intrestingly this spreads the vibrations accross the world.

Xbox Officially AnnouncedThe world's worst-kept secret becomes public knowledge after the opening of the Game Developers' Conference in March. Bill Gates delivers the keynote address and officially announces the Xbox to the world

2000 to 2001 - Sony Releases the PSOneFollowing a shortage of PlayStations after manufacturing for the original console ends, Sony introduces the PSOne, a compact version of the PlayStation.

Launch FrenzyLines begin forming outside of Sony's Metreon store in San Francisco roughly 28 hours before the PlayStation is set to go on sale in the United States on October 26. Eventually, more than 1,000 people line up. Nearly half of them go home empty-handed.

Developers Not "Dolphin" HappyWhile Nintendo claims that the so-called "Dolphin" will appear in 2000, developers are skeptical since March passes and most haven't received development kits yet. Gamecube is a fantastic console to nearly achieve a high standard. But with games such as Smashbros and Adventure of FOX did not impress the world. Kits still aren't sent out by July. Nintendo finally admits that the "Dolphin" will not appear in 2000.

Dolphin out, GameCube InNintendo renames the Dolphin. First it becomes the Starcube, and then, thankfully, it becomes the GameCube. The console, which is shown to the press only during the first day of Space World, is literally a cube. Instead of using CDs or DVDs as the storage medium for GameCube games, Nintendo uses a proprietary optical disc based on Matsushita technology. Nintendo predicts that this medium will eventually be a standard, as its small size makes it attractive for future handhelds.

Nintendo Releases Pikachu PedometerThe Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS is a color version of the Pocket Pikachu that Nintendo released in 1998. The new version also exchanges data with the Game Boy Color via the infrared port.

2001 - Microsoft Officially Reveals the XboxAs expected, Microsoft. Furthermore, Microsoft reveals that 12 to 20 games will be available at launch, although the only confirmed titles are Munch's Oddysee and Malice. A game will not be included with the system. Microsoft does not announce a launch date or price for the Xbox.

Sega of America Releases First Online-Compatible RPGSega of America releases Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast. Thousands of gamers can play together online at the same time anywhere in the world. Icons and preselected text translate between languages

Game boy advance was one the best handheld consoles which realeased after such a long time. Handheld device was perfect for cartridges and beautiful graphics.

The PSP is an elegant portable device that excels at playing games and is a good music player, video player, and photo viewer. Regrettably, Sony continues to rely on propriety removable media formats to deliver the content.

THE FUTURE AND BEYOND....

If you're an HDTV-owning home theater enthusiast who puts surround sound capability, eye-popping technological pizzazz, Blu-ray/DVD support and on-demand access to downloadable music and video content above base game play, this is the point where you can officially stop reading. Beg, plead, whine, cheat… steal from some poor teen who preordered the unit, even. Whatever it takes to get the job done, the system you're looking to lay hands-on this year is the PlayStation 3.

However, should you be a longtime hobbyist chagrined by the industry's recent focus on cookie-cutter sequels, a gaming neophyte intrigued by this growing interactive entertainment fad, a fan of all-time great franchises like Mario and Zelda or simply an everyday admirer with a passing interest in the subject matter, we've got some good news. The Wii is your console of choice, and just the sort of eye-opening kick in the pants the biz has been desperately in need of for, oh, roughly the last half-decade or so.

“Anybody who's been on the fence about picking up the portable would do well to seize the day, and a spare unit..”

From tangible weight and size reductions to a new button layout, sharper visual performance and repositioned stylus holder, it's a welcome addition to the Japanese giant's celebrated family of portable consoles. So if you haven't gotten hip to the dual-screened diversion's charms – i.e. touch-sensitive titles experienced through top- and bottom-mounted visual displays using a stylus or d-pad- and button-based front-end – now's the perfect chance.

List of Consoles and games starting from the very beginning.......
1972 to 2006

Milton-Bradley Microvision

APF Imagination Machine

Mattel Intellivision

Nintendo Game & Watch

Entex AdventureVision

Emerson Arcadia 2001

Zirconn Channel F II

Milton Bradley/GCE Vectrex

Colecovision

Atari 5200

Mattel Aquarius

Mattel Intellivision 2

Coleco Adam

INTV System III

Nintendo Entertainment System

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo Game Boy Color

SNK Neo Geo Pocket Color

Sega Dreamcast

Sony PlayStation 2

Bandai Wonderswan Color

Nintendo Game Boy Advance

Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP

Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP)

A history of computer games 1980's, 1990's (week 03)

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History of games continue with many special and tactical views how games actully developed and refubished by some of the great inventors. There are many spectrums of ideas flowing in their minds and their thoughts but actully to create a thought into actions takes less than a second. Therefore many creations were created through direct intellect and they discovered how games can actully be so much fun and enthusiastic view.

Now we come into the Golden age of gaming where games took over each household in every town. They took over like aliens taking over the world and machines taking over to make a judgement day in terminator. Technology grew very fast as minds kept developing amazing ideas and relishing literally every direction of gaming.

1979 - Holographic GamesAtari develops the Cosmos, a handheld programmable machine that features holograms within the graphics. Because the holograms are only for aesthetics and don't add to the gameplay, the Cosmos is never released. shame for the fans out there.

1980 - Space Invaders Come HomeAtari releases its exclusive home version of Space Invaders for the VCS. Sales of the VCS skyrocket.

Atari Exodus

US Army Plays Games

Namco Releases Pac-Man

Sega Licenses Atari Game

Nintendo of America Opens

Bally Sells Off Console

Virtual World

1981 - Nintendo Does It RightGiven an opportunity to convert a large number of unsuccessful Nintendo video arcade games into something that will earn money, Nintendo artist Shigeru Miyamoto creates Donkey Kong. The hero, originally called Jumpman, is a squat carpenter racing to save his girlfriend Pauline from a crazed monkey. Jumpman is later named Mario by Nintendo of America's staff, in honor of his resemblance to their landlord Mario Segali.

1982 - Nintendo licenses Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior to Coleco, which releases excellent translations for the Colecovision and ports reasonable versions to the Atari VCS and Intellivision.

Now looking at these consoles and these video look alike machines it shows that hardware for these consoles were desined in the early 1980's electronically tested and digested all the memory.

1983 - Big fireworks started to burst like crazy. Masses amount of money was spent over little graphics card or huge budget to cover up the console. Animated Video GamesCinematronics releases Rick Dyer's Dragon's Lair (animated by Don Bluth), the first arcade game to feature laser-disc technology

1985 - (NES) Mind blowing console liberating many customers and buyers. Creates a new world for consoles.

1986 - Sega Releases NES CompetitionFollowing the successful American introduction of the NES, Sega releases its Sega Master System (SMS) in the United States.

1987 - New SoftwareNintendo's hold on the market grows, crowding out Sega and Atari. Atari releases games for the 2600, which are all but ignored by the press, and releases ports for the 7800

1989 - Tengen's Tetris.Tetris TroublesTengen acquires the home rights to Tetris and begins selling the extremely popular game. However, it is quickly discovered that Tengen bought the rights from Mirrorsoft, which did not own the rights in the first place. Nintendo quietly acquires the legitimate home rights to Tetris and releases it under its own label. The Tengen version is removed from the marketplace.

The Nintendo Game Boy.Nintendo Introduces Monochrome Game BoyNintendo releases its handheld Game Boy. The system comes with Tetris, and despite a tiny screen, it begins to build a historic sales record. A Game Boy version of Super Mario (Super Mario Land).

1989 - Sega Genesis was very 1st 16 bit consoles to reach a peak of its victory all the japanese people rushed to the store to get their hands on these mean machines.

1990 - Good Year for NintendoNintendo releases Super Mario 3, the all-time best-selling video-game cartridge. Despite competition from the Genesis and TurboGrafx-16, the NES enjoys its best year.

A history of computer games 1950's, 1970's(week 02)

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History of games go long way back into 1950's where the technology was discoverd by William Higinbotham. But also there are many great inventions which took place at the early 1950's by a young engineer called Ralph Baer.

Many say that the gaming knowledge came from the early start even before 1950's which were created by the human brain and creative thoughts. Such as sports and many more activites. I am really surprised the technology was developed in the early 1950's for gaming. Also the understanding matter is that gaming was created intelligently. Because the gaming at that moment of time was stimulating for mind and body. It created such waves to integrate mind and thoughts. My mind strechtes as far as Atari and Comodor 64. But intrestingly there were more games with less bit memory and awful graphics but excellent gameplay. "The history of video games is not just about people. It's also about companies and ironies."

1951 - Ralph Baer, an engineer with Loral, a company that develops and manufactures complex military airborne electronics, is instructed to "build the best TV set in the world." Baer suggests they add some kind of interactive game to the TV set to distinguish it from other companies' TVs, but management ignores the idea.

1958 - In an effort to keep visitors to the Brookhaven National Laboratories in New York from being bored, physicist Willy Higinbotham invents an interactive table-tennis-like game that is displayed on an oscilloscope.

The games begin in 1970's where the stars start to shine and bring a lot of passion in the gaming history. In between 1950's and 1970's there were few games and arcades which kicked in.

1961 - Spacewar was created by a MIT student. Limited by the computer technology of the time, Spacewar used new teletype terminals with CRT screens to display the graphics.

1967 - Baer and his team succeed in creating an interactive game that can be played on a television screen. They develop a chase game and follow it up with a video tennis game. They also modify a toy gun so it can distinguish spots of light on the screen.

1970 - Nutting Releases First Arcade Video GameNutting manufactures 1,500 Computer Space machines. The components are packaged with a 13-inch black-and-white TV set in a futuristic-looking cabinet. The first arcade video game is released, but the public finds it too difficult to play.

Introduction (week 01)

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WELCOME

Hello and welcome to my world of Spirituality with games. My name is Rahul Thanki and i am currently studying at De Mont Fort university taking on the course Electronic Games Technology (BSc Hons). My target towards this blog is to understand and broden my knowledge about how games and the industry work.