Pages 78 to 83
Opening with a paragraph explaining the process of inspiration for games and how important it is to be both original in a market crowded with companies that want to jump on the same popular bandwagon, and how in the cases of case studies such as Deus Ex, real life experiences and interests by the developers of the game contributed to the overall polished feel of the game.
"The problem with inspiration is that the more you seek it, the more it can seem to elude you. There is no magic formula that you can follow to make you creative and give you the ability to have good ideas on demand. The best practice for any would-be designer is to seek out as many different kinds of experiences as possible. This doesn't simply mean playing a lot of games - you will only end up making more of the same, but entails looking far and wide into other cultural activities such as literature, art, philosophy, and history. Getting that illuminating flash of inspiration is always a rare occurrence, but with research and preparation it is possible to give the sought after insight and a little help."
Case Study one details some of the thought processes and influence behind decisions made by Warren Spector and Harvey Smith, designers of critically acclaimed Deus Ex. Warren started originally with table top games which influence the story. There are real world environments and monuments such as the Statue of Liberty. There is the option of choosing a violent or non-violent way of getting through a level, for additional freedom of choice for realism. I would also add that from my own experiences, the player can relate to the character more as the player is using the in-game character as a medium of expressing their way of interacting with an otherwise fictional reality, meaning the game is more immersive.
Case Study 2 regards Nintento, introducing designers Satoshi Tajiri and Shigeru Miyamoto, who attributes his inspirations to be the countryside and it's wealth of natural features, which provided the material for design in the future. Satoshi on the other hand enjoyed collecting bugs and a discovered love of games meant that he came to love the Nintendo GameBoy, and his desire to allow people to enjoy collecting weird beasts from the surrounding countryside and trade them gave rise to the concept of Pocket Monsters, and I'm sure just about everyone knows where that idea has gone since then.
Pokemon features a collective element meaning the character is rewarded for time dedicated to playing the game and amassing a larger collection, a concept also reflected in RPGs and MMORPGs, and other games lately that have introduced achievement systems such as Gamer Score.
Sketchbooks and notebooks have been where I have both noted ideas and inspirations that have suddenly popped into my head, or have given inspiration in the form of a randomly drawn shape or object that may spark an idea and develop into something else. As the book states, 'a sketchbook or notebook is a place where you can let your imagination run riot', which is always great and always has been and always will be! It can also be used to demonstrate early initial thought processes that can be reflected on or built upon.
The 'Question the status quo' segment I found myself in agreement with despite never fully thinking of it before, especially when detailing the part about the health packs. It didn't occur to me when this change occurred and it has almost become the norm, now. Call of Duty 2 introduced it, where instead of unrealistic health packs being applied by moving over them, the edges of the screen would flash red and connotate danger. This segment alone has definitely made me realise one thing: I will be keeping an eye open on all future games and comparing it to the genre and it's predecessors, noting any changes that challenge the status quo.
The best example of this I have at hand is an upcoming title, Guild Wars 2, an MMORPG, is not going to feature end-game raiding content, unlike most, if not all other MMO games, including long-time kingpin of the MMO market and arguably most successful MMO of all time, World of Warcraft. This change I feel to be very strange, but I feel very intrigued as to how ArenaNet, the developers of Guild Wars 2, will overcome this and how end-game content will play out.
Independent Games Developers are on the rise again. As detailed, there are still many smaller developers that employ a small number of people and develop games either by web browsers, PCs, or the mobile phone gaming market. Because these independent developers are not tied to making large profits and therefore do not need to develop sure-fire hits they an experiment by making games that explore themes that are not normally explored.
I find most games developers have been bought out by larger companies or by merging, but this segment also made me realise that when you are not focusing on profit, there is more room for experimenting as there is less of an expectation and demand. Whilst larger companies are compelled to deliver, smaller companies are boundless, to an extent - their funding may be their only limit.
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