An Introduction To Game Technology

The first home console that I owned was an N64- the first console to feature a joystick on its controllers. Due to my lack of experience with other controllers I had no problem adjusting to they way it felt, and it wasn't until I bought a GameCube years later that I realized how awful it actually was. Using an N64 controller now feels awkward and the positioning of the stiff-but-wobbly control stick on a separate handle i the middle of the controller is rediculous. The GameCube controller however is very comfortable to hold and the buttons, including the joystick, are very smooth.




I found the biggest problem with the XBox controller was its, well, too big. In fact I found holding the controller for long periods of time was actually very uncomfortable and made my hands ache.

Seeing as the design of the PlayStation controller has changed very little since the original PlayStation to the PS3, it is clear to see that Sony is happy with the design, aaaalllthough.... what happened to that "boomerang" style prototype from last years E3 eh? Guess Sony couldnt take a little criticism so decided to give us another dualshock, oh and wack on some tilt sensors cos that seemed to work for Nintendo.

Yep Nintendos Wii remote, seeing as it has yet to be released in the UK im afraid i couldn't comment on the feel of the controller but its pretty obvious by now that it's definatley going change how we interact with the games we are playing. I think its safe to say that the Wii's controller is going to be the best this generation of consoles has to offer.



And as far as it's overall appearance goes, I would also maintain that the Wii is probably the most attractive console of this generation and perhaps every other generation before it. It has the same simplicity as the GameCube- its just a little white box with a disc slot-but it looks far more elegant.

On the other hand there's the original XBox which may be one of the most unsightly consoles ever made. It's large size and awful black and green colour scheme may have actually been part of the reason why I never had the courage to buy one- i just couldnt imagine having that thing sat next to my TV. However the XBOX 360 is a much more sleek, modern looking console that is far more appealing than the original xbox, although I'm still not crazy about the use of green on gaming hardware.



It seemed that with the design of the PlayStation 2 Sony made no effort to make it look good at all, it's appearance is no more attractive than a standard dvd player. But with the PlayStation 3 on the other hand, Sony appears to have

The notable shift in design styles in all three of the new generation of consoles suggests that the companies are now recognising the growing importance of good aesthetics, a console will become a significant part of the users entertainment/television setup, and so their desire for compact, decent looking hardware should always be taken into account.

Storytelling In Games

As a gamer i find storylines to be a very important aspect in video games. Although not all games need storylines, genres like RPG's, 1st person shooters and action/adventure games always benefit from a good story. They encourage players to continue playing in order to find out how the story progresses but they also allow players to become more emotionally involved with the game.

David Freeman- who has had years of experience writing for games- says that the storyline should take the player on an emotional journey through the game. He suggests that the story should encourage the player to identify with the character that they are controlling as well as allow the player to establish bonds with other key NPC's.

There are of course many games that need little or no story at all; sports games, racing games, puzzle games etc.

In games such as Zelda or Final Fantasy, players are rewarded with the satisfaction of watching the story unfold through frequent cinematics as long as they keep progressing through the game. The first time i was noticably persuaded to play a game based on the story was when playing Capcom's futuristic shooter PN.03. I found the game itself very repetitive and unrewarding and the storyline was at first virtually non-existant. It wasnt until I reached the first actual cinematic (about a third of the way throught the game) that I felt the desire to continue playing. The cutscene showed the protagonist, Vanessa, enter a room and find an excact replica of herself in a large glass tank "Is it a clone of me, or am I a clone of it?" she says... This did finally get my real attention and I continued playing through the dreary, repetitive levels in the hope that a significant, interesting story would unfold....

Why the Art Director Is So Important

By looking at some of the job descriptions provided in this weeks links its clear to see that the role of an art director is extremely demanding and requires years of experience and a lot of hard work. The art director is responsible for all the art that goes into a game. Their job is to ensure that all art within the game matches the artistic style and quality standard that they have set, this will usually involve creating an art style guide.

An art director has many responsibilities not just on the project but throughout the rest of the company. The art director will need to provide input on the hiring of new artists as well as communicating with executive staff, licensors and 3rd parties. Their main responsibility however is to lead the rest of the art team working on the game. They will be required to mentor less experienced artists on the project and also ensure that the rest of the team are working to the desired quality an time constraints. It is also their job to provide feedback on the artists and recommend raises or bonuses they are also responsible for managing the schedule and the budget for the project.

The job of an art director requires a LOT of experience, for example to even be considered for the role of art director at bioware you would need at least 3 years of experience in art management, a years experience in the game or TV industry, and at least one shipped as an art lead as well as a BFA from an accredited art/design school. However the most important skill necessary for the job is probably the ability to communicate well. It is important to be able to communicate your ideas and visions for a game to a team of artists. Other assets necessary for the job are good organizational skills, good time keeping and of course a passion for video games.

Game Design

The game design process is where the characteristics of a game such as the story, the gameplay and the overall setup are identified. A simple example would be to look at a standard board game, here the aspects of game design would include the number of players, the target age of the player, the theme etc. However the design of modern video games is much more complicated, aspects like storyline, player interaction and difficulty must also be taken into consideration. These design specifications are often documented in a design document which will be compiled at the start of a project and then used to aid the rest of the development process.

The constraints and design requirements set by the design document will depend on the genre of the video game that is being developed. For example a racing game will have a relatively brief design document outlining the course maps, vehicles etc. Whereas RPG or adventure games will require a much more complex design document with a greater focus on stories, characters and larger environments.




The design document will also highlight major aspects of the gameplay. Gameplay is basically how the player interacts with the game or how the character that the player is controlling reacts to its environment. Other aspects of gameplay design will include the changing state of objects within an environment, the changing of rules or difficulty throughout the game or the changing state of the environment as the game progresses.

To me gameplay is the most important aspect of a video game, when I play a game I expect it to primarily be entertaining and satisfying to play. It is also important for me to have a reason to continue playing a game, the prospect of unlocking new items by completing tasks will usually keep me playing, also a good storyline will give me a reason to continue playing.

Writing About Games

When reviewing games for magazines, games journalists will often be facing very tight deadlines. As well as writing the review itself they also need to complete a game in a very short period of time. With this in mind it is easy to understand why they may prefer to review the games based on their characteristics eg. graphics, gameplay, lifespan, controls.

After looking at a few examples of new games journalism it seems that the writers have adopted a more personal style of writing rather than the objective writing usually found in magazine reviews. They tend to give thought-provoking opinions on particular aspects of a game or gaming culture as a whole. NGJ writers can provide an interesting second look at games by a journalist who is un-biased and under less pressure to write the article before a deadline. They are not obliged to review the game or pick out its good or bad points, they simply give their own opinions on the game or what interests them about the game.

In EDGE examples of NGJ can be found in the guest columns at the back of the magazine, these are written by games designers and game journalists. In their columns they discuss their personal views on a wide variety of topics within the video games industry as well as their views on individual games. I usually find the reviews in EDGE magazine helpful but a while back I was slightly discouraged when they gave GTA San Andreas an impressive 9 out of ten when I felt the game as actually pretty average. What was interesting is that a few issues later one of the writers in the guest columns seemed to share my feelings towards the game and wrote an article about the game that conflicted with EDGE's review. Had I read this article sooner it may have affected my decision to buy the game.

although I do find that some reviews in games magazines can be helpful, nowadays I would never be persuaded to buy a game from reading just one review in a magazine nor would I be convinced that a game is worth buying by reading an NGJ article. I prefer to use my own judgment based on my personal preferences in games and genres as well as my knowledge of certain developers/publishers. However I'm definitely a fan of NGJ, its great to be able to read other peoples opinions on games and the industry as a whole and I hope it is used more in future.