Week 9 Review

Amanda Torres

Prof. Charlie Williams III

IS - Texture and Lighting

4/15/2014

"Crunch: It's All Your Fault." - Benjamin Quintero

 This article by Bnejamin Quintero, comments on the culture of crunch on how it's become a very big part of the ntertainment industry. Quintero begins by talking a little about how passions can eventually burn out when faced with long and thankless work. It isn't an uncommon thing but, he says that the real story begins here. 

Quintero then proposes the question, 'what happens now?'; and hints at a few reasons why it can happen. Even if at one point a designer may become burned out, Quintero states that if they still did their part, then why should they feel guilty for seeking a life beyond work. When crunch settles in people are sure to start feeling burnout. This is because no one in the group wants to be considered the weakest one, so therefore they begin to feel the fatigue of 'crunch'. Quintero begins to hit on the point that there comes a stigma with crunch; that all those who begin to feel burned out or seek some form of life outside of work is looked down upon by other peers.

This stigma is created by the values and practices the industry lives by, but Quintero says this can be curtailed by fellow peers who will speak up for others who are feeling the fatigue of 'crunch'.  If everyone tried for better hours and working conditions, that it may improve the experience for all. 

Week 6 Review

Amanda Torres

Prof. Charlie Williams III

IS - Texture and Lighting

3/29/2014

 

"Using GDC Talks to Craft a Grand Celebration" - Heidi McDonald 

 

 This was a blog about a highly creative wedding event which took place at the GDC conference. The designers said that because it was going to be public that most likely it was going to attract major attention. Due to this they were inclined to put what they knew as designers and what they had learned at the con to use, in order to show off their design chops. --Because of this Heidi says that it became very theatrical but then again most wedding have some form of theater in them, being that each ceremony requires its one props, lines, character and costumes. 

 

As a starting point the couple fleshed out a list of "design goals" for their weddings. They wanted to change how their guest experienced and viewed weddings, making it fun for them in stead of boring. Also because it was an open invitation wedding they wanted to make it so the whole event spelled out who they were and give strangers a sense of familiarity to them. They also wanted to be more inclusive of the event by design. The entire wedding was designed around certain lectures or game design advice they had received from renown designers, such as cinematic director Dave Feltham lecture on "Emotional Journey: BioWare's Methods to Bring Narrative into Levels". By adopting this to their ceremony they created a seriousness arc which would bring a serious note to an event filled with humorous moments. They also took notes from Sid Meyers, Dr.Jane Mcgonigal, the #1ReasonToBe campaign, as well as Amy Jo Kim and Tim Schaefer.

 

Due to this their ceremony encompassed many symbolic figures that pertained to the triumphs of the industry as well as symbols of some of the industry's more controversial subjects such as women in games and inclusiveness for LGBT. Guests were also given the power to vote on who'd be included in the wedding party and depending on who they chose would effect how the ceremony proceeded and concluded. 

Week 5 Review

Amanda Torres

Prof. Charlie Williams III

IS - Texture and Lighting

3/22/2014

 

"Practical advice about queer characters in games" By Leigh Alexander

 

In this article the author goes into detail about LGBT characters surfacing in games and how the culture approaches the social issue.  A few designers in the article mention that adding in these types of character can be difficult, because if it is not presented in the right way, it can come off a tokenistic instead of diverse. It's also very hard for designers to add in these character without using stereotypes to portray them. But portraying a LGBT individual is becoming harder as the as the issue of "queerness" has been evolving over the years. 

 

Todd Harp, a MIT Reseacrher and expert in eSports, adds that its important to create something you believe others will care about or feel for. If making something that others care about doesn't interest you, than perhaps this is the right industry for you. Since games are considered culture and culture is defined by what people care about or believe in, there must be a certain amount of empathy. He goes on to say that empathy is a muscle that must be used in order to be strenghtened so you have to be concerned with creating something that will matter to someone other than yourself.

Another tip given out by a different designer was to avoid total exclusion just because they were afraid that that one character would become a token. The designer suggests that by doing this, that other designers are shying away from opportunities to add the conversation or to the community as a whole. In the end its still a tricky road to travel when deciding on character genders and relationships, but many designers are trying new things in order to create a more inclusive space for all gamers of every gender and sexuality.

Week 3 Review

Amanda Torres

Prof. Charlie Williams III

IS - Texture and Lighting

3/8/2014

"Game Developers Reflect on a Changed Console Landscape" By Christian Nutt

               During the last generation of console, many new discoveries, advances and methods arose to meet high standards and expectations of the next generation. During this began a certain trend in the market; where big games became larger productions while mid-tier games went all but extinct. We also witness a rise in independent studios which seemed more than capable of keeping up with big block buster titles. What all of these advances and changes in the industry arising, many have begun to wonder; what next?

               A major trend that began arising was the importance of self-determination, where developers and independent designers began to find success without much support of publishers. A major reason for this is because designers are seeking more flexibility and freedom over their creations. Therefore by creating independent teams, they are able to experiment far more and take risks. It is predicted that both triple A titles and small indie games will be able to thrive on next gen consoles. Because of this some designers expect middle ground games to make a return as well.  The most important aspect though will be product methods.

               Production has become more proficient and polished, with large scale games being produced without having the hire hundreds of people to produce one title. Studios are beginning to restructure how they form their teams just to be able to make their methods better each time. With bigger teams come bigger risks, because although more ideas and features can be put into a game; more people on that team are depending on that title being a success.

Week 2 Review

Amanda Torres

Prof. Charlie Williams III

IS - Texture and Lighting

2/28/2014

"User interface design in video games" By Anthony Stonehouse

               User interfaces in video games differ from user interfaces used in all other designs. This is because the user interface in a game can connect directly to the fiction of the game and can help player immersion. User interfaces can exist within the 3D world of a video game or game's narrative, but they can also be completely unconnected to either, as well.  There are four types of UI systems in videogames and they can either work toward furthering immersion or breaking it to allow players more information that the character should not know.

               The first UI system is known as diegetic, which exists within the fiction and geometry of a game. This one seeks to blend seamlessly into a game's realty. Furthering player immersion and the making the environment of a game more believable. Examples of this type of UI system would be Deadspace and Metro. This type of interface is usually used in sci fi type fictions, because the technology of the time makes floating menu systems or information gathering more believable. Sometimes this may frustrate players because it sacrifices some degree of legibility. It may also reduce response times.

               The second type of UI is the Meta UI which exists in the 2D plane of a game environment. A good example of this is the blood spatter in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Even though no bar of health are displayed, players know that they are being hit and losing health when blood is spattered across camera. The third kind, which is called spatial UI's break the narrative to allow more information to be provided to the player without having to switch through menu screens. It also provides the player with information that the character in story should not be aware of.  This usually sits with in the game geometry. Finally there are non-diegetic UI which are completely removed from narrative and geometry. These are used in cases where other UI sacrifice too much legibility and consistency. A good example of a non-diegetic UI is world of warcraft where all information and spells are displayed on a 2d plane in the forefront of the screen.