Mazes

Mazes

Mazes being a basic understanding of a 'puzzle is something that is brought into the games industry as a way of paving out your game as a whole. It can start anywhere from a basic idea all the way to asset creation and level design. There will always be a different path you can take because everything has a different form and a different function even all the way down to a simple chair. The lecturers told us to take simple objects and find different forms of items that have the same functionality. A good concept of this is think of a common chair, then think of the one you use at home. A massive difference in this is the form of the chair but the function stays the same, there is no easy escape from the function it has but the form can be changed however you like.

This relates back to the first lecture of form & function and allowing different ideas to be casted even though the original will always be there. Take 'Destiny 2' for instance, it takes the form of itself but has the functions of Halo, No Mans Sky & more. The reasoning behind this is because of the simplicity of it having the developers take a big reference from these types of games and using that to their advantage to create something successful and relatable. These types of games use mazes to create simple forms of information for the development team as well as the consumer. These create a simple way for people to choose which path to go down in development from beginning concepts to final production.

The concept of a maze doesn't stop there either, you can put this into perspective when you play the game as well. Most games are developed around this concept of a 'maze'. These are the reason why most games are a challenge, because there is always a different path you can take. Sometimes it's not noticeable but most of the time it is especially with strategic games & FPS because of the different ways you can tactically take down any scenario giving the player the option to take control. This concept is the way we can develop more interesting and intriguing games instead of the same basic standards.

Forms and Functions

Forms & Functions

The introduction to our next term helped to illustrate to us the realities of the video games industry. The tone was more of a warning than a welcome. This was perhaps due to the content matter, which was based around cultural conflict, the form and function of video games, and their role in contemporary society.

Video games are playing an increasing role in the society we live in. It is often reported that the video games industry is more lucrative than any other media (film, television, etc.) and is an 'evolutionary step towards a brighter future', yet many people believe it to be a 'nonsense' form that does not contribute positively to society or engage sufficiently with contemporary life. Are we as game developers helping the world? We find a result in this through forms and function as well as distractibility. At that point though you really have to ask what you are doing, are you really progressing the world or are you trying to persuade people that you're helping but realistically not changing the world at all, if anything you're just hurting it more. The reason I say this is more problems are happening at this period of time in which we rely on things and materialistic possession to distract us. The question being asked is how does this relate to most games and the form and function of them? A simple question to be answered but can have serious consequences dependant on how you answer it.

It is important to think about the role video games play in society and to question their form and function. Can video games have a progressive influence or are they an escapist distraction? Are video games intellectually engaging or are they purely materialistic?

The forms of a game are simply just the mechanics of the game (i.e. aesthetics, dynamics etc.). Whereas the form is the way it moves us as a person, how they use our emotion to increase the game play. This allows for us to be able to relieve stress, endorphins & a rollercoaster of emotions that we can't find within the normal world because of the dramatic changes not allowing us to. People use these to enhance gameplay and experience but negatively, me saying this comes from personal experience and a very biased opinion on gamers because they're all my friends. The reason I put this is because they become upset, angry and even sometimes fascistic and racist. On the other hand dependant they become happy, joyful and smiling, forming a more happier understanding of life and games within themselves. Seeing this is something that I love to investigate and get a understanding of because most game developers and gamers themselves always negate about gaming especially when they are affected themselves. This is a crucial understanding people need to engage in because of certain terms such as 'gamerfication' and how games can be defined just as a distraction. People who choose to make these decisions are people who are scared of the automation period coming in as people are losing jobs and the global market is going down the drain, they need something to blame. People saying 'why are you always on your phone' to the younger generation, the reason most don't choose to look into the world is because it's being destroyed around them by the older generations and the different levels of crisis they've put the world into.

Games aren't a distraction and the forms and functions of games aren't the cause of this. The causation of people wanting to play games is the fact we're in a dark period, something people refuse to believe. In a few years time we'll be laughing and thinking 'what was we thinking' but until then these 'games, films and television' distractions are a way of releasing emotion that we struggle to showcase. Less of a distraction more of a reaction.