Laura Neal
30/11/2017
Research & Communication Skills Final Week: Reflective Summary
“Please make sure you complete all the question pairs for all 6 topics and upload a 500 word reflective summary for the module to the blog.
As discussed for the 500 word summary really think about how this module and the content will now impact your game making process and your thoughts around game making having been exposed to the topics we have covered.
Some Reflective writing and hand in tips are now on blackboard.”
—
For this short reflective essay on the Research and Communication Skills module, I will be reviewing my progress in my own work and remembering the feedback exercises for this part of the Games Design and Art course. I will also proceed to reiterate and refine my positive and negative outlook on this module.

Before I begin, I believe it is important to note that I have consistently enjoyed attending Research & Communication Skills lectures. I found it very beneficial that each lecture focused on a different subject matter relating to Games Design, from ‘Indie’ gaming to copyright and ownership. I now feel that my knowledge of the subject has broadened significantly. For example, I was not very aware before that Human Computer Interaction played a large role in the games industry. I have also never had a problem with writing, although it was certainly more difficult to write about some subjects than others, such as Artificial Intelligence. On almost all occasions, I managed to complete each question pair task weekly and so did not have a build-up of work to finish by the end of the module.
By far, my favourite and most informative lectures were week three for Interactive Narrative and week six for copyright and ownership. Both lectures did not just inform, but stimulate ideas to explore. That is why I found it very straightforward to go into greater depth on both subjects when writing. There were more examples of games I could examine in relation to the question pairs.

I will now refine my more negative experiences of the RCS module.
What I did find frequently difficult was how to correctly reference academic sources in my blog posts. I have not used a cohesive and dependable referencing system in the past. Therefore, I have chosen to seek advice from my course lecturers and properly learn how to use the Harvard Referencing System for future tasks. Using the Harvard system will also help me to decide whether a source I am utilising is reliable and worthy.
This is not to say I have not been referencing sources, but rather whether I have been properly referencing the ones I have used.
I also found that it would have been very useful to have recommended reading related to each week’s subject matter and question pairs on a professional workspace website such as ‘Slack’ or ‘Blackboard’. The preferred reading could have been placed in a separate area or ‘channel’ so it could be accessed at a moment’s notice as well as remaining afterwards to be referenced or noted down for the future. I believe this is worth mentioning so that I can further improve my work.
If I had more time, I think that I would return to each blog post individually and re-read everything I have done. Now that I am adjusted to the course, seven weeks later, my writing has improved, and I could enhance each post to a better standard, as well as finding more sources to reference.

Laura Neal
30/11/2017
Question Pair No. 6:
– “What do you see as the positives and negatives around copyright?”
– “Is it possible to make anything new?”
—
Although opinions vary, almost every person can agree that copyright is indeed needed. Its primary function is to ensure that creators do not lose legal rights over their own original work and can contradict how their work is used by others. It also ensures that creators are permanently credited when their work is used. ‘Work’ can refer to a vast range of mediums from film, television, art, songs, instrumentals and remixes, books, comedic jokes, brands, personal videos, writing of any kind, animation, designs and of course games, to mention a small number. The process is made easier by the fact that copyright is instantaneous and requires no paperwork for it to be initiated.
One other subject relating to copyright I have thought about in depth is whether anything I create can possibly be new or original. There will always be the argument that everything one has seen has originated from another place, and the same argument can be applied to music since sound is so easy to manipulate in the mind. Therefore, I sometimes try to prevent examining examples before creating work to ensure I do not collect too much influence from them.

However, there is no denying that copyright has become a significant problem for many creatives in the modern world. For these creatives, copyright law restricts what they can produce, and the threat of severe legal action only makes the situation even worse. One type of creative who faces this more than others are musicians. They find they need to be extremely cautious when creating work, since it is so simple to create music like that of existing music.

A good example of creators being restricted exists on the popular video-sharing website ‘YouTube’. This website has been slandered and in some cases ostracised by content creators and users due to content frequently being removed by ‘YouTube’s moderators. Their decision to remove said content is largely due to what they consider a breach of copyright being found in videos. The creators of parody videos often find their work inaccessible to their audience after removal.
In 2016, Benny and Rafi Fine, the originators of the ‘YouTube’ channel ‘FBE’ (Fine Brothers Entertainment’) sparked outrage after attempting to copyright the word ‘React’ on the website. This meant that if any other creators, famous or not on ‘YouTube’ specifically made a ‘reaction’ video, they would legally be obliged to pay a piece of the video’s revenue to ‘FBE’ or else it would be removed. Another main cause of anger was the fact that the brothers were trying to trademark a type of video which long predated their channel. The idea has been deemed greedy and unethical by thousands. However, after receiving enormous backlash from the media but primarily their own ‘Subscribers’ who have been ‘Unsubscribing’ in massive numbers, the idea and video have since been removed and the brothers have released a public apology. What remains is the threat of a bigger and more successful channel restraining smaller ones who possess potential creativity.

Laura Neal
09/11/2017
Question Pair No. 5:
A) Behavioural modelling is an important part of NPC development for games. Should emotive modelling be part of that development?
B) Consider your favourite video game. If it contains AI controlled agents, how individualistic are they as well as their behaviours? How might you set about improving them?
—
Artificial Intelligence or A.I, similar to most current technology, is constantly evolving. It is a prospect that frightens a large sum of people and gives the media a lot of material to write about. This is due to the connection between how the media loves to fear monger and the reactions people have once they notice what is being written and said.

I do not claim to have a lot of knowledge of this subject, being much more of a games designer primarily concerned with character design rather than the programming element of the medium. This does not mean I am ignorant of A.I’s progression in gaming as I can see how it is changing the experience for players.                                                                                                          I may have witnessed first-hand several pieces of rudimentary A.I from games I have already played, but I think the best example of encountering evolving A.I I have had is through ‘Quick, Draw!‘, an online experiment initiated by Google to discover whether a neural network can recognise doodles by humans. You, as the user, are first told what to draw, and are then given twenty seconds to quickly sketch the item. Although this is not technically a game, it is still very interesting to see whether the network recognises what you are trying to draw and if not, see what it thinks an item should look like.

This brings us onto the topic at hand, whether emotive modelling should be part of NPC development in gaming. It is very noticeable that as games evolve, they are ultimately changed to make everything within them as realistic as possible for the player. With the technology currently accessible, a lot of this realism is due to the growing involvement of A.I. Games should, as much as possible, be realistic and by this, I do not mean that they shouldn’t contain magic or paranormal abilities, but that they should stay with the rules they set out initially. Emotive modelling can only make games better in this context of realism. As an example, ‘Detroit: Become Human’ is an upcoming game that tries to establish an emotional connection between the player and the events within the game, making it much more of an immersive experience.

Personally, it is difficult to consider my ‘favourite’ video game. I admit to having a select few which are the best I’ve ever played, and all have their own reasons for being so. However, one of them is the second instalment of the ‘Legend of Spyro‘ series: ‘The Eternal Night‘.
Firstly, we must take into account the fact that this game was released for the PlayStation 2, which may well have been a long way from the launch of video games in general, but here was still a certain limit to what the game’s technology could accomplish. I have noticed that several larger enemies follow the same fighting code as previous, smaller ones. This does make their combat somewhat predictable at times, and less of a challenge is presented as a result.

Laura Neal
02/11/2017
Question Pair No. 4:

A) Select one game of your interest. Explain whether it has good or bad game UI.
B) Discuss how technology augments human abilities. Reflect upon the implications of the future of H.C.I.
—
Human Computer Interaction, or H.C.I, is simply how human beings interact with computers and vice versa. These studies are being conducted throughout universities and research centres in order to improve general computer use in all its forms, from laptops and desktops to heavy machinery in the workplace. In the case of using heavy machinery, Fitt’s Law is sometimes applied to make machinery safer. If a stop button has a larger surface area than a start button, the probability is that it will be easier to hit the stop button in an emergency. These investigations ultimately lead to such results as fewer workplace accidents, higher productivity and more accessibility for the disabled.

These experiments of course encompass gaming and heavily influence how the player feels about a game. If it is rendered hard-to-use computer-wise, it is not likely that the player will have fond memories looking back. There must be some form of technical connection between human and game in order for the game to succeed. Today, I will be discussing a game I have previously touched on: ‘Façade‘, (2005) which I am only revisiting because it is such a good example of how humans can and do interact with technology.

Although we are not discussing the overall gameplay of ‘Façade‘, it is a game far from perfect. Amongst other flaws, walls can sometimes be walked through and the two main characters have broken walking cycles. I mention these flaws because although the user interface is not ‘bad’, it is certainly built only for one purpose; interacting with Grace and Trip. The interface in question is a cursor at the bottom of the screen, into which the player can type any words they choose. There are no problems with this, as the cursor performs its function well. However, if the user chooses to type something Trip feels is inappropriate, he will walk over and personally remove the player from the flat before slamming the door in their face. The interesting part about this is that the player can either type something they know Trip will either like or dislike any point during the game. Some users have been found to evade or escape Trip when he chases after the them by walking through the wall. However, Trip can also sink through the wall in pursuit.

Ultimately, the user interface for ‘Façade‘ is only present so the player can communicate with the couple. As I have mentioned before, there is no clear objective. What is known is the situation of Grace and Trip’s turbulent and troubled relationship. All the player needs to do is witness what the two say and decide whether to make the situation better or worse. There are multiple endings, one of which resulting in the user being extracted from the apartment, another being either Grace or Trip leaving the apartment and thus ending their relationship or what could be considered the ‘preferred’ ending of the two asking the user politely to leave whilst they fix their broken marriage.

Laura Neal
26/10/2017
Question Pair No. 3:
> A) Choose one of the indie designers / developers and outline why their work and approach is of interest to you.
> B) What do you think could be the most exciting indie projects already in development?
—
Unlike interactive narrative, I have not explored ‘indie’ games in depth. Before my research began, I always considered them a smaller branch of Games Design. However, as I began to investigate them, I realised that they have been a large part of gaming for a considerable amount of time. In this entry, I will be looking into a game that, until very recently, I had never heard of. I must note that I am surprised of this, as there is lots of varied material surrounding this game including interviews and a documentary called ‘Thank you For Playing’. This will mainly be an examination into the ideas and meanings behind ‘That Dragon, Cancer‘ by Ryan and Amy Green.

‘That Dragon, Cancer‘ is an incredibly gentle yet extremely poignant exploration game driven by the experiences and memories parents Ryan and Amy Green had of their dying son Joel. He lived a short life after being diagnosed with terminal cancer at a year old.

The game, which lasts two hours if played all the way through at once, takes the player through a series of innocent ‘activities’ with Joel, such as feeding ducks, visiting playgrounds, exploring large, beautiful woods and playing at home. It also focuses on the darker, more emotional times of the family such as visiting hospitals, seeing Joel receive his treatment and at times, witnessing the personal thoughts and feelings of both parents. As dialogue from the game is heard, pleasant white writing appears and as the player explores in-game areas, a very large collection of sound bytes can be heard. These are in the form of an almost physical ‘flashback’ of Ryan and Amy remembering their son. This is due to the decision to include sound bytes from real-life of Joel’s voice and laughter, Ryan and Amy’s own voices as they interact with him and the voices of doctors and various other people involved with both Joel’s treatment and personal life. They also included conversation about how ill Joel had become and what symptoms he was showing. These were incorporated within the game to properly simulate interactions with the young boy.

Personally, my interest in this game was due to its handling of its tragic nature. It would of course be natural to question why one would create a game based around such a morbid subject, but Ryan Green has expressed several times that he wanted to “…create a space…” to talk about the subject and added that once his son was gone from him, so were the moments. Within the game, the moments remain forever.

Another main reason for my interest is the decision to tell the story of their son by game; a medium which has only recently prospered. This could be due to Ryan and Amy’s wish to have as many people experience memories of their son with them.

‘That Dragon, Cancer‘ takes a truly tragic subject but deals with it extremely well by reflecting the positive of Joel’s short life rather than the overwhelming negative.

Laura Neal
19/10/2017
Question Pair No. 2:

> (A) Select one example to outline the key concepts of the interactive narrative genre
> (B) Does the interactive narrative still have a role to play in video games today?
Give exemplary examples.
—
Although it is not my area of expertise, I cannot deny that I have always been very interested by the concept of the ‘interactive narrative’ game and its history whether the outcome of a story depends either wholly or partially on a player’s choices and interactions within given scenarios. In fact I have, almost subconsciously, created several small pieces of artwork based around presenting a player with a choice just to see their reaction.
Today I aim to examine how much of a role the interactive narrative still has in video games and will be discussing one main game as a focal point and a small range of games I am familiar with that fall within this category. The aforementioned focus game will be ‘Façade‘ (2005) which I have chosen to outline the key concepts of the interactive narrative genre.
A few games well worth mentioning within this genre are ‘Heavy Rain‘, (2010) ‘The Stanley Parable‘ (2013) and ‘L.A Noire‘ (2011) When I mentioned briefly about the outcome of a story depending either wholly or partially on a player’s choices, I was entertaining the idea that even a small integration of an interactive narrative can be significant. ‘Fable II‘ is a good example. Within the story the player is, at pivotal moments, presented with choices that, when responded to, directly reflect upon the players (or ‘Hero’s’) character. These choices can even go as far as to change gameplay. For instance, if the player decides not to defend a specific region from evil, that region can become tainted and lifeless. Cutscenes for both options on almost every choice emphasise that the game is truly shaped by the player’s interactions.

‘Façade‘ is, along with ‘The Stanley Parable‘, one of the best examples of an interactive narrative due to its heavy dependency on the player’s involvement. However, I have found that both games seem more like an ‘experiment’ into human nature, the latter being more successful with this. ‘Façade‘ can also be viewed as a ‘breakthrough’ game due to its attempt to use of Artificial Intelligence in 2005.
The general story of ‘Façade‘ is that you are a friend of ‘Grace’ and ‘Trip’ and have been invited to stay at their flat for a small cocktail party. However, tension between the two is obvious even before initiating gameplay, as you can hear them feuding through the apartment door. The player’s interaction comes in the form of being able to type whatever text you desire directly into the game, meaning you can ‘talk’ to the couple.
You, as the player, are then given the choice to either convince them to stay together or make the situation worse. However, the objective is not clear. What is known is that there are multiple endings caused by typing certain pieces of text towards Grace and Trip.
In conclusion, I believe that the interactive narrative genre is still evolving in video games. ‘Façade‘ was an early attempt to involve the player more than ever when it came to storytelling.

Laura Neal
12/10/2017
Question Pair No. 1:
>”Visualise Dieter Rams’ ’10 Principals of Good Design’.
> Do you feel that these ideas are relevant within Games Design today?”
—
One question that Dieter Rams, renowned German industrial designer and academic, presented himself with throughout his expansive career was ‘Is my design good design?’

To consider this and arrive at a justified answer, he created the ’10 Principals of Good Design’. They detail that good design is innovative, makes a product useful, is aesthetic, makes a product understandable, is unobtrusive, is honest, is long-lasting, is thorough down to the last detail, is environmentally-friendly and that it is as little design as possible. I am quite positive many people have heard the saying ‘Less is more’, but the question we ask ourselves here is ‘can this be seen in games design’?

As an example, I will be briefly examining the modern (2015) game ‘Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes‘; a game with one of the most prominent teamwork and communication skill elements I have ever seen in this medium. There are two players, one is assigned as the ‘Defuser’, operating the computer and hopefully defusing the bomb, and the other is the ‘Expert’. ‘Experts’ are presented with an official ‘Bomb Defusal Manual’ for the game, which can be either in paper form or viewed as a PDF. ‘Defusers’ are not allowed to see the manual, and respectively the screen is not for the ‘Experts’ eyes. The ‘enigmas’ are on the bomb, and the answers lie in the manual. It is here that the game presents the beauty of its design with its method of making the two players interact to achieve the common goal. The two players must then communicate back and forth a convoluted series of both visual and worded instructions in order to defuse a quite stylised bomb under a time limit that can be set from a lenient eight minutes to a tighter five.

I have personally played this game and enjoyed it thoroughly, and, like with everything else, I was constantly analysing what made it such a good concept. What I would like to bring most to attention are the intricate details of the gameplay; for example, when you are in the position of the ‘Defuser’, your job mainly involves managing the quality of your communication towards the ‘Expert’ in order to defuse the bomb quickly. If one was to view the ‘Manual’, they would be quick to notice that some words that require speaking sound the same or similar, such as ‘Red’ and Read’ and ‘Left’ and ‘Press’. This means that the ‘Expert’ spends more time explaining which version of the word they mean.

My reasoning behind choosing this particular game to discuss alongside the ’10 Principals’ is that it stands out to me as a game which utilises well its core element of user interaction. Although at first it’s difficult to understand, players soon get quicker and better at interpreting all the ‘Modules’. ‘Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes‘ is certainly aesthetically pleasing, as everything from the bomb ‘Modules’ to the diagrams printed across the ‘Manual’ has acquired the same ‘slim’ look adopted by very modern games.

References:
http://www.archdaily.com/198583/dieter-rams-10-principles-of-%25e2%2580%259cgood-design%25e2%2580%259d (To review the 10 principals)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Rams (To research what his field in design is)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Talking_and_Nobody_Explodes (For reference of the game’s release date)
http://www.bombmanual.com/manual/1/pdf/Bomb-Defusal-Manual_1.pdf

Images:

http://www.keeptalkinggame.com/press/keep_talking_and_nobody_explodes/images/07_KeepTalking_Gameplay3.jpg

http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Keep-Talking-Manual.jpg