Monday 11 January 2010

11th January 2009 - Research and Pre-Production (Week 1)

Japanese word of the week
Irashimo [Ura-shi-maru] Welcome

Planned trip to Japan potentially in February 2011 - need to convince Kelly!!

Research & Pre-Production

Research Techniques

1 Understand the purposes of research in the media industry
2 Be able to apply a range of research methods and techniques
3 Be able to present results of research carried out

Pre-Production Techniques

1 Understand requirements for production
2 Be able to obtain resources for production
3 Be able to apply production logistics

What was I playing? (the ones I can remember)

2008 - Assassins Creed, Ninja Gaiden, Spiderman 2 & 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Lego Star Wars,

2009 - Star Wars: The secret apprentice, Lego Batman, Oblivion: Elder Scrolls, Lost Odyssey, Eternal Sonata, Ninja Gaiden II, Bourne Conspiracy, Perfect Dark, Assassins Creed II, Last Remnant

2010 - SO far... Lego Indiana Jones, Kung-Fu Panda, Last Remnant

Why is Documenting Gameplay important?

Focus Testing
Focus Groups are key to this term. By the end of the term I will be able to:

- Document group preferences (on video);
- See the impact of focus testing on newly released games;
- Explore my gameplay and record findings.

Development techniques
By playing games, I will be able to dissect games at first hand. At the end of this term I will be able too:

- Break down game design in detail;
- Read about and understand development blogs;
- Begin a blueprint for your final game design.

Localisation
Understanding local customs and language intricacies is key to developing a game that EVERYONE wants to play. At the end of this term I will be able to:

- Highlight possible custom issues in existing games;
- Explore the world of gaming through someone else's eyes;
- Suggest effective localisation opportunities in my proposed game design.

Review
Think I've played every game imaginable? The chances are I haven't scratched the surface
yet. By the end of the term I will be able to:

- Give an overview of a a chosen genre citing key evidence of played games;
- Explore how Journalists influence the making of world-beating game
(think IGN and game magazines in terms of rating it)
- Compare and contrast genre and games within genre to express preferences
(i.e 'not this game is brilliant' but elucidated ideas and appropriate terminology in order to communicate in a professional manner to justify given preferences).

Questions asked in a discussion about games played over Christmas:

What game did you play?
Did you enjoy it?
Did the game entice you to continue playing?
Was the game addictive?
What type of genre was it?
Did you find it challenging to play?
What platform did you play it on?

A research technique used in the industry is the '4 W's and H'

What What is it? (game, engine, genre)
When When was it released?
Where Where does it exist?
Why Why does is exist? What's its purpose?
How How does it work?



Task 1

Blog the pro's & con's of a video game using the 'What, When, Where, Why and How' method

Task 2

Check out http://gamelog.cl/ for other people's opinions on the game you've written about

2 comments:

  1. Va Bene Ren!

    1 thing, check your post for this quote "Did you have find it challenging to play?"

    i think you have a small error there chap!

    ReplyDelete