Remarks on Videogame-Related Media #02

Do you always look for a story in a game? Games can just be about fun, y’know, and that’s where the open-world sandbox game tends to excel (not necessarily moreso than linear ones) in that they allow ultimate (comparatively) freedom. This ‘you create your own story’ point sounds more poetic than actually true. Yes, okay, you ‘go on an adventure’ of your own choosing/parameters, but It’s not like it has anything even remotely comparable to the qualities/characteristics of a written narrative that takes you through all of the tropes (beginning, middle and end etc.) of a great videogame (or even film) experience. A sandbox game has the marginally higher potential to actually deliver (no matter the intention of the developer) an uneventful and monotonous experience because they’re not putting you where they want you to be when they want you to be there – severely restricting theatrics/the ability to dramatise the world in which you are exploring.

Linear games with a story to tell have one up on sandbox games in terms of potential to be fun and provide a great narrative/experience due to how focused the adventure is. I believe this is why I’ve gotten quickly bored of the likes of DayZ and have never failed to enjoy a game of Left 4 Dead.

I wouldn’t necessarily rate a sandbox game on the merits of its story over how enjoyable it is as a fun, casual, social game. Nor would I do the opposite for a game with a focused, linear story/adventure. You should really know what to expect with these two distinct types of setting/mechanics.

On General gaming news discussion (Thunderbolt) – 28/04/2013

 

I reckon backwards compatibility will be included in the first edition of the new generation of consoles, but (much like the PS3 32GB version) will later be phased out with an additional or newer model so that they can eventually introduce a ‘retro’ style downloadable library of xbox original & 360 games for a reliable stream of easy revenue.

I don’t care for this call to actually see the consoles. Function is what matters, and let’s be honest these designers are going to have so much financial responsibility on their shoulders that they’re not going to propose anything that strays far from the current public perception of what is aesthetically pleasing. Think small, with glossy black plastic, smooth tight curves, miniature rectangular lights, and low-profile buttons that’re practically invisible/flush with the unit.

Another Halo release is inevitable but I don’t at all care for the series these days. Bungie have consistently disappointed me in what I hoped could evolve into something rugged/gritty out of the stereotypical gay space marine universe of vapid characters that it was up until Halo 3 and thereafter.

This next generation is going to be about gimmicks (voice recognition, kinect), social integration and further pushing for an online-based market (cutting costs) with the idea of netting a greater profit (pricing strategies remain the same). If you want to be really cynical you could say the modern trend of sharing everything you do is a way to get us the consumer to operate as free labour for the marketing departments of publishers; exposing as much as possible to as many other people as possible.

I have no doubt, however, that the next generation will sprout some fantastic games, and that the areas of videogame creation that really do improve the experience/enjoyment will continue to be perfected by certain developers.

On Xbox ‘A New Generation Revealed’ May 21 (Thunderbolt) – 25/04/2013

Filed under: Console Gaming, Opinion, PC Gaming, Next Generation Consoles, Thunderbolt Games

In-Game Screenshots Vol.2

The following is a collection of screenshots from a variety of games that I saved for one reason or another.  Some are of bugs I’ve come across, some are of cool shit, and the rest are humorous in some way.  In any case here are some images for you to look through:

A moment that anyone who has played VVVVVV will understand.

Another example of what happens when you incorrectly install a ‘graphics enhancement’ mod.  Looks like Mirror’s Edge.

I didn’t make this – found it whilst flying around a world.  Pretty cool.

Yes, this is the load screen for a custom game on Starcraft 2.

Whilst playing through Skyrim I  found some buggy cupboards and wardrobes that faced the opposite way.

This is a simple side-by-side comparison of how a game environment appears within the Hammer Editor package as opposed to its compiled/ rendered counterpart in Counter-Strike: Source.

This is a screenshot of a particularly spacious area of an ‘escape’ map project I’ve been working on for a while (Counter-Strike: Source).

Filed under: In-Game Screenshots, PC Gaming, Halo 3, Minecraft, Starcraft 2, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, VVVVVV

Film Trailer, Poster and Magazine Cover for “Run: Never Enough Time” (A2-Level Media Studies Coursework)

For my A2-Level Media Studies coursework I was tasked with producing a film trailer, poster and magazine cover design for an imaginary up-and-coming film release.  This was a group project that allowed us

We were required to document our progress by use of a Blogger account, and so the following is excerpts from certain key posts that most accurately display the thought and knowledge that went into the final pieces:

A2-Level Media Studies – Coursework Portfolio (Documentation)

The premise of our film is that a young man named Vincent started his adult life as a simple graffiti artist who begins to witness the grim underworld closely linked to his favourite pass-time.  As pressure from friends to enter a world of drugs and violences reaches its peak, our protagonist has to make a decision either to stay or to run from it.  His choice is implied, and so the film is focused around the boundaries of what good and evil is, and a mans struggle to find peace within the whisps of blurred moral boundaries.

Throughout the trailer itself a lot of typical conventions were intentionally put in place to make it as realistic as possible.  Features such as captioning the directors name as well as the actors who star in it, a backing track is included and even a voice-over by the protagonist himself.  These not only make the overall production that much more professional and believable to be a trailer, but also give great insight into the story’s plot and leaves plenty of questions left unanswered by the time the two minute mark hits.

The backing track is the instrumental version of Survival of The Fittest by Mobb Deep – a track that has not only a fitting title but a suitably paced beat that was great to couple with a voice-over.

The one aspect of our trailer that could be seen as challenging the norms of expectations is the attitude the viewer could take in respect to the protagonist.  Vinni (Carl Backland) is seen as someone who has seen the light (morally speaking) and wants out.  For this, people can sympathise and grow to like him within the realms of the narrative.  However, graffiti is his vocation.  The legal issues surrounding this activity could lead Vinni to a some what  anti-hero status.  This unclear vision as to what the protagonist stands for challenges the norms of today’s film trailers of similar genre.

Upon completion it was directly uploaded on to YouTube; as a group we created our own ‘channel’ (RunA2Media1) so that we could easily track any comments made – helpful critique or not.  Subsequently, Adam Kennedy posted the video on his Facebook wall in order to gather some immediate feedback from people we know personally.  Below are the screenshots and descriptions of both:

As an additional method of feedback our group held a short presentation of our trailer pitched to a class of younger students within our school.  Of the few who gave feedback the general consensus was that we did not make clear enough who the protagonist was within the trailer, nor was the plot explained to a sufficient level for them to grasp the general plot once the two minutes was over.

Upon review of this information we decided that this might have been a result of focusing too heavily on the technical side of things during the filming process and possibly trusting too heavily in the storyboard we drew up originally to carry the message through.  This was the most useful and honest feedback we have received regarding our trailer and so the information was greatly reflected upon.

On the other hand, my film poster showcases many conventions associated with posters belonging to films of a similar genre.  These are:

• The film title being very clear and at the forefront of the design
• the official age certificate given to the production
• Whatever company had hands in the creation and marketing of the production
• Credits situated typically at the bottom, detailing certain key people who had great influence on the film
• the director very boldly displayed at the top of the poster

Regarding the actual creation of my film poster, I used a variety of skills and techniques in order to produce the final product.  Working on my initial draft (seen on my blog), I filled out my design using primarily simple photo filters in order to enhance the amateur photograph that I had taken.

All of features present on my design cannot be referenced to the Inception posters, however.  There are clear differences in way of the age certificate being present, the very core genre that it is conveying and even the colour of the photo filter tint does not match.  These are decisions I made as a designer in order to make my poster as close to my target audiences’ expectations as possible (using not only the 2010 questionnaire results as data, but my AS coursework questionnaire results which of course focused on magazines).

To begin with, my front cover displays plenty of features that echo mainstream magazines.  I chose Total Film to replicate in respect to the housestyle, because I believe our film would definately be the sort to appear in such a publication.  Film Four has recently pushed the urban/ street life films and Total Film I feel would very likely house the underdogs of the film industry.

The housestyle, or theme, of a typical Total Film magazine cover comprises of the following:

• Date, Issue number and price are positioned alongside the masthead
• The Total in Total Film is situated inside the first F
• The colour of the masthead greatly contrasts whatever background colours are present
• Sub-titles and puffs are usually locate exclusively on the left-hand side of the cover, meaning the main focus within photographs used are alligned to the right
• The main title is of the same colour or contrast than that of the masthead

Film Trailer Product Evaluations on Prezi

From the trailer to the poster to the magazine cover, a constant check on unifying the overall appearance and feel of the brand that is now RUN: Never Enough Time was done to ensure that each individual product did not stray from what we as a group wanted the film to represent.

The poster and magazine cover, made in Adobe Photoshop CS2, were rigorously edited with photo filters, Levels and Curves effects in order to match the grimy, street-life feel that the story stands for.

Personally I feel the ancillary pieces of media I have created greatly capture the essence of what the film is about through the process of articulated photo editing and choice of words.  In both the poster and magazine cover there is not only the visual aspect of graffiti, but the general undertones of something darker and menacing.

Further images in relation to my Media Studies coursework can be seen within my ‘A-Level Media Studies Coursework’ Photobucket album, and as previously stated the full documentation of this work can be found on the blogger link at the top of this article.

Filed under: Digital Art, A-Level Coursework, Magazine Design, Media Studies, Poster Design, Trailer Production