The final countdown!

Papers Due may 1st

• Turn in Hard Copy in class.

• No emails will be accepted.

• There is no blog entry for this week.

Final Paper

• A 10-15 page analysis paper over one of the games you were assigned to play during the semester. Students will be required to use the lessons they’ve learned from class to analyze one of the games, breaking down it’s narrative, mechanics, environment and level design, characters, and aesthetics

Final Paper

• Double spaced: Times New Roman 12pt.• ONE INCH MARGINS• Work Cited page on separate page• Correct In-text citations• MLA format• 35 Percent of your grade• I’m not requiring a minimum number of sources seeing

as this is an analysis paper, however, if you do find yourself citing anything while writing your paper, such as developer comments, sales figures, etc., make sure you include these sources on your works cited page.

Games we played already• Super Mario Bros• Mike Tyson Punch Out!• Secret of Monkey Island: Classic Version• Spider and Web• The Walking Dead• Limbo• Mass Effect 1•  Team Fortress 2•  Dishonored  Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, Fallout 3, FallOut New Vegas•  Bioshock• The Stanley Parable• Thomas was Alone• Planetside 2• Plants vs. Zombies• Cavemania• Portal• Super Meat Boy

An Analysis paper

• Stuff you should already know…but here is a friendly reminder

Paper

Analysis

• A close examination: the examination of something in detail in order to understand it better or draw conclusions from it.

• Do not just tell me what the game was about.

What I don’t want to see

What I don’t want to see (example) Mass Effect

• Narrative: You play Commander Sheppard and fight an alien and stuff.

• Mechanics: shoot stuff and good and bad options.

• Character: dude or chick Shep. Also, you get to date an alien hottie.

• Level design: pretty• Aesthetics: Purdy with sounds• Environment: Pretty

What I want is

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjDpWps7cSk

Analysis:

• Narrative: A short summary (if you want to)

• What you felt worked

• What you felt did not work.

• What inferences can be made about game through narrative.

• How does it work with other elements?

• Use what we discussed in class.

Narrative

Good stories have:

• Unity

• Goals, Obstacles, conflict.

• Simplicity and transcendence

• Consistent

• Accessible: what the player enjoys/believe may be more important than physical accuracy.

Characters

• A well written character can create an emotional attachment. You can make a player want to obey, protect, or care about a character.

• NPC• Avatar• Ideal Form: Characters we “want” to be.• Blank Slate: Characters you can project onto.

Mechanics

• •“They are the core of what a game truly is. They are the interactions and relationships that remain when all of the aesthetics, technology, and the story are stripped away.”

Mechanics

•Space Board vs pc

•Objects, Attributes, States

•Actions: Actions player can take. Combat, dialogue, blacksmith, build a village, inventory system, jumping.

•Rules

•Skill: Too difficult?

•Chance

Aesthetics of the game

• Tone. Everything working together:

Aesthetics of the game

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NlVttFRPpU

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muK3GGppPpM

Aesthetics of the game

• Music

• Sound

• Color scheme

• Effects

• Shapes

Aesthetics of the game

• Music

• Sound

• Color scheme

• Effects

• Shapes

Aesthetics of the game

• Music• Sound• Color scheme• Effects• Shapes• Animation• Dialogue• Do these all fit together? What is the tone.

Aesthetics of the game

Aesthetics of the game

Level Design vs Environment

• The Level determines how the player can move through the game. It is a large part of the player’s experience.

Does the level design work with the game? Too much backtracking, spaces too big? Was that space necessary? Don’t think about the visuals. Think about the actions.

Level Design vs Environment

• Environment tells the story of the world.

• May be a sub-chapter of aesthetics.

• Did the space tell the story?

• How did it?

Any Questions?

• Lcm091020@utdallas.edu

• This will be posted on the blog.

• No blog for this week.

• Tuesday: paper workshop

• Thursday: Paper turn in and exit survey.