Reseach and Communication skills was a module that involved skills that I have had little experience with. However, this module has definitely helped me improve these to a point where I am happy and confident to complete a similar task. I had written essays before, but never in the form of a blog so this challenged me to create a blog post that I was not only happy for myself to read but also every other student at WSA.

When choosing the question pairs to answer, I made sure to plan in my mind how I could answer each question. In the end, it often came down to the question I understood the most. I always felt somewhat confident with the question I chose as I didn’t want to end up answering the wrong question in my blogs or to ramble about something I wasn’t entirely sure on. I did notice, however, that some questions, such as HCI, I started writing and realised that the question was a lot harder to answer than I initially expected. This pushed me out of my comfort zone and I found it harder to get my point across.

This module has helped me think a lot about aspects of video games that I hadn’t really thought about before. The interactive narrative blog really got me interested in how games can be based on the narrative and the dialogue and not just the gameplay. I enjoyed writing about AI as this is something that I had an interest in before and also, it gave me a lot of information to write about as the topic of AI particularly broad.

I have improved a lot in researching skills and I had noticed that there are a lot more places of information than Wikipedia pages. I had used Harvard referencing before at A-level however not to the extent that I have on these blogs and this has really helped me improve on this. I hadn’t really ever written in a blog format before either, so the module has helped me improve my writing skills so that much that I feel I am writing in a much more professional way.

In the future, I’d definitely complete each blog before getting a new set of questions. This would mean I wouldn’t have to worry about extra work and would also mean that a potentially better quality blog post could’ve been produced.

I have enjoyed this module a lot more than I thought I would as writing and researching weren’t  my strongest skills when starting the course. I found that the lectures both informative as well interesting which really helped to develop these skills.

What do you see as the positives and negatives around copyright?

At this stage, the UK’s current copyright law is The Copyright Protection Act 1988 and it “allows the copyright owner to protect against others copying or reproducing their work.” (Copyright Licensing Agency, 2017). One of the biggest benefits of this is the idea of “Automatic Copyright” where anything published is instantly protected by copyright. This, however, creates a problem. Where everything is copyrighted, it makes it very difficult for anyone to create original work, or to avoid infringing on the copyright act when making something that they thought was their own. Another downside of this law is seeking the permission of the copyright holder to gain their permission for use. It can be very hard to find the copyright holder and could cost a lot of money. They might even say no, to which you have then spent a lot of time and money on something for no reward.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Copyright.svg

Another negative could be that it “can be expensive for the owner to enforce” (Schnotz, 2017). Say, for example, the owner’s work has been copied by a large business with a lot of money. They could find it difficult to take on such a company where they can spend a lot of money on lawyers to fight their case. An individual might not have this option and just have to accept what has happened. 

Is it possible to make anything new? 

Unfortunately, in today’s society, I don’t believe that it is possible for someone to create something new. What I mean by this is, I don’t feel that it’s possible to create something original as we are constantly being influenced by others work without even realising it. In video games,

However, in video games, it can be a little easier. Creating these games requires a large amount of programming, and the benefit of this is, there are lots of different ways to program a game. Different languages, different functions that do the same thing. It’s this code and the artwork that creates the “new game”. A great example of this is Flappy Bird. A game that exploded on the app market in 2013. With such a simple game, it was so easy for other developers to create “clones” of these games, without infringing on the copyright of the actual game. Just a simple search on the Google Play Store reveals many flappy bird clones: Blue Flying Bird, Happy Bird Pro, Flappy Bird.

Screenshot of Google Play Store after searching “Flappy bird”

With all work, it is hard to create something that is uninfluenced by anything. Although I don’t have a problem with this. I feel that it is good to be influenced by someone else’s work as it shows admiration. Act’s like the Creative Commons are brilliant for this as they allow for work to be used and adapted to create something new. Not only that, but it often supported by the original owner and they endorse the use of their work to create something they wouldn’t have thought of.

References

Copyright Licensing Agency. (2017). What is Copyright? | Copyright Licensing Agency. [online] Available at: https://www.cla.co.uk/what-is-copyright.

Schnotz, W. (2017). Pros & Cons of Copyright Laws. [online] Yourbusiness.azcentral.com. Available at: https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/pros-cons-copyright-laws-5170.html.

Useful Links

https://play.google.com/store/apps/collection/search_results_cluster_apps?clp=ggENCgtmbGFwcHkgYmlyZA%3D%3D:S:ANO1ljKrca4

Behavioural modelling is an important part of NPC development for games. Should emotive modelling be part of that development?

Non-Player-Character development in a video game is vital for making a video game look and feel realistic and it’s down to how the NPC is designed that makes or breaks the game. Behavioural modelling is a research in “generating models of player behaviour and exploiting the models in actual play” (Bakkes, Spronck and van Lankveld, 2012). The idea of this Behavioural Modelling is paramount into making a realistic AI controlled NPC inside a video game. However, this part of the games design process only really focuses on the behaviour side of the NPC’s. In order for a really, in-depth non-player-character, emotive modelling is definitely something that should be considered, at least in my opinion. This would then let us change the emotions of the NPC’s and have their emotions affect the gameplay of the character.

Consider your favourite video game. If it contains AI-controlled agents how individualistic are they and their behaviours, and, how might you set about improving them?

I think that the Sims franchise is one that focuses a lot on the AI in the game, as this is to make the life simulator feel realistic. The most recent edition of the game, The Sims 4, introduces an “emotion” system that changes the sims mood, interactions and behaviour based on how they are feeling. From my own experiments, I’ve noticed that when the sim is sad, the sims walking becomes a lot more ‘sluggish’ and their face emotions are a lot more upset. I think that this works well in a game like The Sims as this really does make the player feel as if the actions they have, affected the sims on a much more personal level.

http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/gamepacks/parenthood/

The autonomy of the sims can be adjusted in the settings, however, if turned to the max, you can simply watch the sims do their own thing and live their life as if they were in control themselves. I feel as though this is an excellent way of demonstrating the AI in this game. For example, the sim understands it’s needs and will act upon them in a sensible way. If the sim was hungry, they’d get food from the fridge and if there is no food in the fridge, they’d make some – something that us humans do every day. We don’t just make food when we already have some to eat.

http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/tutorials/sims.php

I also feel as though each sim is very individual. Yes, at their core, each sim needs to eat, sleep, socialise etc, but their traits affect this. A vegetarian sim isn’t going to go and eat a meat dish on their own, that is up to the player to decide, and a sim with a musical mind would pick up a guitar and practice. I believe that all these mechanics create a realistic AI character and there isn’t much that I could say that needs to be improved. I could still say that the emotions of the sim still don’t really make a huge difference in the overall experience so that is something that could be worked on. What I mean by this is that The emotions of the sim are very basic (happy, sad, angry, worried) but these are only the top level emotions of a character and to make a character seem even more realistic, we could look into deeper feelings like loneliness and depression or fear as these could really create a fully realistic AI human inside a video game.

Bibliography

Bakkes, S., Spronck, P. and van Lankveld, G. (2012). Player behavioural modelling for video games.

Useful Links

https://www.ea.com/en-gb/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/features/play-with-life

Example of a key concept of HCI, reflecting on the Human, Computer and the Interaction.

In the most basic form, human-computer interaction is the way humans use different devices to interact with a computer. This could be as simple as pressing a button on a washing machine or clicking something on a computer screen with a mouse. So if we break this concept down into its 3 core elements, the Human is using multiple senses before even interacting with the mouse. For example, the human can see which button to press, as well as hear the button being pressed and of course, feel the button being pressed. The mouse has been designed in such a way, however, that we don’t need to look at the mouse to click it as it has been designed for us to naturally rest our fingers over the buttons.

There are many other interactive devices that are used to control the computer, some of which can make the computer more accessible. Speech recognition can help computer users with restricted arm movement as they can speak to the computer to control the computer.

Discuss the relationship between this and Games Design

When we talk about HCI in games design, it can open up lots more possibilities for the player to interact with the computer. In a simple way, the player could use a controller to move their character. However, with the advancement of technology, we have been introduced into concepts such as augmented reality and virtual reality.

Virtual reality creates a whole new way of interacting with the computer that would completely immerse the player in the game they are playing. This comes with its problems, however, as the developers would have to break the norm and create an efficient and easy to understand UI and controls so that the player won’t have to break the immersion of the game. If the player doesn’t understand how they are supposed to navigate a UI or control the character, they would just simply not play the game, or at least opt for a Non-VR experience where the controls are set out in a (mostly) comfortable and efficient way.

Playstation VR headset, Controllers, Camera

In a virtual reality game, the player would wear a headset and often have controllers in their hands. The player can move their head to see around the game’s environment and use the controllers to interact with the game. The controllers often support motion control as well, creating an even more immersive experience for the player. The player still presses buttons on these controllers for interacting with objects in the game, but the main control of the game is done via motion controls from the controllers and the head movement.

Why would you say that the “Indie” game scene is not a new thing and explain, give examples?

We can all agree that the term “Indie” is used a lot in modern times, both to describe games as well as music & film. However, when we talk in terms of video games, the term dates back to the 1960’s with the creation of Spacewar! The game was developed by Steve Russell for the PDP-1. I feel that this is as far back as we can go in regards to an Indie game as this is essentially the first game, before an industry of video games had started. We can also look into what the term indie actually means, and then evaluate Spacewar! in this way. If we assume that the word “indie” describes a game with a very small development team, with a very little budget, if any, and designed around the developers want, not the public, we can safely assume that Spacewar! is an indie game. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacewar!#/media/File:Spacewar!-PDP-1-20070512.jpg

With the increasing development of indie games throughout the decades, new options for obtaining these games were starting to appear. One of the first ways of distributing these games were via code, printed into a magazine, that you then had to manually enter into the device. Obviously, over time, these distribution methods improved with the introduction of local video game stores.

So, yes, the indie game scene is definitely not a new concept, as it helped start and shape what is the games industry today.

Has the term indie become meaningless?

I wouldn’t like to think that the term indie has become meaningless, however, I do understand why some people may think this is the case. With huge AAA titles like Star Wars Battlefront and Call of Duty taking over the media, it could often shadow the news about upcoming indie titles. I feel as though the indie game scene is one that is still growing as with the introduction of free game engines like Unity Personal, and Unreal Engine 4, people are able to create games in their bedroom with relative ease.

Take Unturned as an example. This game, released in July 2014 is a simple, zombie survival game which has become one of the most popular free-to-play games on Steam with a 90% positive rating on Steam (Store.steampowered.com, 2017) The game was created by Nelson Sexton, which at the time of release, was only 16. This shows how easy it is for small indie developers to get a start into the gaming industry.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/304930/Unturned/

Unturned not only has been in constant development since it’s release, with regular updates, it allows for members of the community to create mods and maps for the game. This helps increase the community and turns what once started as a single person’s game, into one that is being influenced by thousands of people. Because of this, I don’t believe the term “indie” has become meaningless at all, however with the constant media attention of big game companies, it can make it hard for the small indie developers to get noticed.

Bibliography

Anderson, N. (2017). First encounter: COMPUTE! magazine and its glorious, tedious type-in code. [online] Ars Technica. Available at: https://arstechnica.com/staff/2012/12/first-encounter-compute-magazine-and-its-glorious-tedious-type-in-code/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

Store.steampowered.com. (2017). Unturned on Steam. [online] Available at: http://store.steampowered.com/app/304930/Unturned/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Spacewar!. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacewar! [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

Useful Links

http://store.steampowered.com/app/304930/Unturned/

Key Concepts of Interactive Narrative

We can define an interactive narrative as one that the author has not created a definitive path for the player/reader to follow. This is where the player/reader gets to chose their own way to follow the story and have an outcome that could be completely different to another player/reader.

One example of a game that uses interactive narrative is Heavy Rain as this game uses a system where the choices made by the player affect the outcome of the game later on such as killing main characters. The narrative of the game focuses on a serial killer which itself is quite an intense concept. The game also has rapid quick time events that can increase the pace of the narrative as the player would have to react quickly or risk a bad situation happening that could potentially affect the player.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_Rain#/media/File:Heavy_rain_move.jpg

The role of interactive narrative in video games today

The idea of interactive narrative mostly started with the introduction of text-based adventure games back in the 70’s. However, even though this concept started somewhat a while ago, the idea of interactive narrative still plays a roll in modern video games. It is true that a lot of modern games today, especially triple A titles such as Call of Duty are slowly dropping narrative and focussing on ways of making money, games that still have a narrative often have elements of interaction that can affect the story or gameplay.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was originally released in 2011 however, is still played massively so I will include this game as an example of interactive today. As the game is an open world RPG, the gameplay is affected by the way the player acts. Does the player choose to side Imperial or Stormcloak? Does the player want to harness the powers of the dragons or does the player want to ignore this and become a master of the arcane? The game also allows the player to choose from a selection of different dialogue options when talking to NPCs which can affect the way the NPC reacts to the player and can often shape the outcome of the interaction or even the quest. For example, the player could choose to Persuade, Intimidate, or Fight a guard to let them in, however, if the player chooses incorrectly, it could risk them being arrested or killed. Branching off of this, Skyrim’s dialogue can also vary if you have completed certain quests or unlocked specific skills. For example, a guard might say “Is that…fur? Coming out of your ears?” if the player has chosen to become a Werewolf in the game.

Screenshot taken by myself ingame

To conclude this, I feel that the modern games industry is still including interactive narrative in their games but not to so much to the extent that it completely shapes the narrative. This is unless the games main focus is interactive.

Helpful Links:

Link to Skyrim’s guard dialogue – en.usep.net/wiki/Skyrim:Guard_Dialogue

Explain the Grid System & its relation to the Golden Ratio

The grid system is a way of laying out text & illustrations on a (generally) 2D grid in order to make the design look aligned and “in conformity with objective and functional criteria” (Müller-Brockmann, J, 1981). The grid system would be used by many different designers including web designers, architects, typographers but also designers that you wouldn’t expect such as exhibition hosts and shop merchandisers. They would use the grid system to position product in an aesthetic way. Josef Muller-Brockmann’s book “The Grid System in graphic design” also states that items aligned in a grid system “will not only be read more quickly and easily, but the information will be better understood”. This shows us that there is also a mental reason as to why we prefer seeing items placed aligned to a ‘grid’ and not placed randomly.

This relates to the golden ratio as this is also a grid-based design system that is used to position text, images, diagrams, etc in a proportion that is considered ‘perfect’ or ‘divine’. The golden ratio is used a lot in design for architecture, logo/icon design, and illustration.

Demonstrate examples of this in game UI, UX, and design

Most video game UI follows this principle of a grid-based system as this makes the game UI visually appealing to the player, as well as giving the player an organized and structured view to the game UI. If this is not the case, the player might have difficulty finding information on the screen, such as controls, HUD, settings menu etc.

When thinking about games that use the grid system well, I feel that Civilisation V is a good example of this.

http://www.ericsbinaryworld.com/2010/09/21/civilization-v-first-thoughts-part-2

The game has a lot of information on the screen which can help the player see what is going on with their Civilisation without having to look through menus or remember hotkeys. We can also see that a lot of the information falls on to a grid, where things are the same size such as icons and warnings.  We can see that the yellow circles on the right are all the same size and that are equally spaced away from each other and from the boundary of the screen. We can also relate this back to Müller-Brockmann the designer organizes his elements “in conformity with objective and functional criteria”. We can see that the designer has created this UI with an objective in mind as everything in the UI is placed in a way that the player can easily read and all information that isn’t directly visible is visible after pressing a button in the UI. Müller-Brockmann also said that items aligned in a grid system will be “read more quickly” which the designer of this UI has followed this principle as stated previously, the elements of this UI are easy to read and key information is placed in a way that the player can visibly notice at a glance.

Bibliography
Müller-Brockmann, J. (1981). Grid systems in graphic design.