Audience Research ~ Vov Pops

These are the vox pops I have created when gathering information to help me prepare for the creation of my script. I feel that these were one of if not the most useful tasks to carry out when preparing. It was very direct information I was receiving straight out of my target audiences mouth and seeing the emotions on their faces when speaking about certain things really helped me feel how they did making vox pops extremely useful.

Questionaire Charts

Secondary Research - Storytelling, internet and books

• facebook
• twitter
• reddit
• Comment

How Video Games Have Become The Perfect Storytelling Medium

- See more at: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/84016/20150914/how-video-games-have-become-the-perfect-storytelling-medium.htm#sthash.pIIlWuLK.dpuf

How Video Games Have Become The Perfect Storytelling Medium


Storytelling in video games has always been a very common match, early 1990's games such as Phantasmagoria and 11th Hour as living evedence of storytelling in video games. Tex Murphy was one of if not the first games that passed the decision making over to the player which would then change the outcome of the game, games such as The Pandora Directive even had multiple endings which set the ball rolling. Wadjet Eye Games founder Dave Gilbert says the fact that gaming puts you in the story leaving you with controll of the direction the game goes is why game is such a powerful medium of storytelling. From was this piece of research I have found that an effective story to be portrayed through game the player must be able to submerse themselves withing the game, yo recreate this in my game I will be ensuring there are goals the player can work towards and the characters are fully customisable meaning the player can really connect to the character and be motivated and determin to work throught the levels and complete the game.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/84016/20150914/how-video-games-have-become-the-perfect-storytelling-medium.htm

Video game storytelling: The real problems and the real solutions

The essence of storytelling in video games is putting the player in someone elses shoes, it is likley the shoes belong to someone the player would aspire to be and carry out actions the player would never dream of doing in real life but deep down the player wishes they were the character which is why the market is so big and to put it simply this is what games do. It is only in recent times that story telling in video games has really branched out and and formed its own shell. Many big companies such as Rockstar Games have alot of pressure to pump out game after game, “Sometimes we find a recipe that really works, sometimes it’s easier to just stick to the recipe and make money out of it.” From this I have realised that by creating a game, while being realistic the game must also have access to paths the player would not come across in real life, opportunities they would never be given and chances they probably would never take. Within reason the game must allow the player to be transported to a whole new world with different circumstances, considereing I am not creating a franchise simply just one game I will have to think about successfull games and  what features make them as successfull as they are so I can recreate them with my own twist. The character I will create has to be someone that the player would aspire to be weather that be a male or female, the character will have to be customisable to ensure the player feels a connection between themselves and the character also making the character the players creation likley to be someone they would like to be like.  

 http://www.gamesradar.com/real-problems-video-game-storytelling-and-real-solutions/


‘Games and Narrative’  by Diane Carr in Computer Games: Text, Narrative and Play edited by Diane Carr, David Buckingham, Andrew Burn and Gareth Schott

This secondary research is probably the least reliable out of all the research I carried out. This is because although the websites and articles were legit I did not write the information therefore cannot be certain of its reliability while the do seem trustworthy. Secondary research is very important as it allows me to enhance my knowledge of the area and also develop my own opinion through the research of others, I found this extreemly beneficial as it let me have a pre conceived idea of specific knowledge witin video games which will help me throught the creation stage. 

Here is more secondary research I carried out, this one from a book. I read through and highlighted crucial information. I feel the source itself was quite reliable however the information did not link solely to action adventure games however the strategy found in the game did help write my story. overall this source was rather reliable.

Of course, this isn't a new thing: throughout the history of video games, developers have used video games for telling stories: in fact, with the old point-and-click adventures of the 1990s, storytelling was a necessity to motivate players to continue playing the game. Classics like the Gabriel Knight series, Phantasmagoria and 11th Hour had stories that were integral to gameplay: those little things that made players want to complete every puzzle and uncover every mystery and find out exactly how it all plays out and ends.

One of the first point-and-click adventure games to offer choices with consequences was the Tex Murphy series: the fourth game in the series, The Pandora Directive, released in 1996, even offered different endings, depending on which choice you made in the game.

So what is it about video games that makes them such good storytelling devices?

"Video games achieve something that other forms of storytelling just can't," says Dave Gilbert, founder of Wadjet Eye Games, the producers behind Technobabylon and the Blackwell series. "They put you IN the experience. You are making the events happen, or the events are happening to you. It's not easy to pull off, but when it's done right there is no experience like it."

- See more at: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/84016/20150914/how-video-games-have-become-the-perfect-storytelling-medium.htm#sthash.3Xp4ocB1.dpuf

Of course, this isn't a new thing: throughout the history of video games, developers have used video games for telling stories: in fact, with the old point-and-click adventures of the 1990s, storytelling was a necessity to motivate players to continue playing the game. Classics like the Gabriel Knight series, Phantasmagoria and 11th Hour had stories that were integral to gameplay: those little things that made players want to complete every puzzle and uncover every mystery and find out exactly how it all plays out and ends.

One of the first point-and-click adventure games to offer choices with consequences was the Tex Murphy series: the fourth game in the series, The Pandora Directive, released in 1996, even offered different endings, depending on which choice you made in the game.

So what is it about video games that makes them such good storytelling devices?

"Video games achieve something that other forms of storytelling just can't," says Dave Gilbert, founder of Wadjet Eye Games, the producers behind Technobabylon and the Blackwell series. "They put you IN the experience. You are making the events happen, or the events are happening to you. It's not easy to pull off, but when it's done right there is no experience like it."

- See more at: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/84016/20150914/how-video-games-have-become-the-perfect-storytelling-medium.htm#sthash.3Xp4ocB1.dpuf

Of course, this isn't a new thing: throughout the history of video games, developers have used video games for telling stories: in fact, with the old point-and-click adventures of the 1990s, storytelling was a necessity to motivate players to continue playing the game. Classics like the Gabriel Knight series, Phantasmagoria and 11th Hour had stories that were integral to gameplay: those little things that made players want to complete every puzzle and uncover every mystery and find out exactly how it all plays out and ends.

One of the first point-and-click adventure games to offer choices with consequences was the Tex Murphy series: the fourth game in the series, The Pandora Directive, released in 1996, even offered different endings, depending on which choice you made in the game.

So what is it about video games that makes them such good storytelling devices?

"Video games achieve something that other forms of storytelling just can't," says Dave Gilbert, founder of Wadjet Eye Games, the producers behind Technobabylon and the Blackwell series. "They put you IN the experience. You are making the events happen, or the events are happening to you. It's not easy to pull off, but when it's done right there is no experience like it."

- See more at: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/84016/20150914/how-video-games-have-become-the-perfect-storytelling-medium.htm#sthash.3Xp4ocB1.dpuf

Of course, this isn't a new thing: throughout the history of video games, developers have used video games for telling stories: in fact, with the old point-and-click adventures of the 1990s, storytelling was a necessity to motivate players to continue playing the game. Classics like the Gabriel Knight series, Phantasmagoria and 11th Hour had stories that were integral to gameplay: those little things that made players want to complete every puzzle and uncover every mystery and find out exactly how it all plays out and ends.

One of the first point-and-click adventure games to offer choices with consequences was the Tex Murphy series: the fourth game in the series, The Pandora Directive, released in 1996, even offered different endings, depending on which choice you made in the game.

So what is it about video games that makes them such good storytelling devices?

"Video games achieve something that other forms of storytelling just can't," says Dave Gilbert, founder of Wadjet Eye Games, the producers behind Technobabylon and the Blackwell series. "They put you IN the experience. You are making the events happen, or the events are happening to you. It's not easy to pull off, but when it's done right there is no experience like it."

- See more at: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/84016/20150914/how-video-games-have-become-the-perfect-storytelling-medium.htm#sthash.3Xp4ocB1.dpuf

Of course, this isn't a new thing: throughout the history of video games, developers have used video games for telling stories: in fact, with the old point-and-click adventures of the 1990s, storytelling was a necessity to motivate players to continue playing the game. Classics like the Gabriel Knight series, Phantasmagoria and 11th Hour had stories that were integral to gameplay: those little things that made players want to complete every puzzle and uncover every mystery and find out exactly how it all plays out and ends.

One of the first point-and-click adventure games to offer choices with consequences was the Tex Murphy series: the fourth game in the series, The Pandora Directive, released in 1996, even offered different endings, depending on which choice you made in the game.

So what is it about video games that makes them such good storytelling devices?

"Video games achieve something that other forms of storytelling just can't," says Dave Gilbert, founder of Wadjet Eye Games, the producers behind Technobabylon and the Blackwell series. "They put you IN the experience. You are making the events happen, or the events are happening to you. It's not easy to pull off, but when it's done right there is no experience like it."

- See more at: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/84016/20150914/how-video-games-have-become-the-perfect-storytelling-medium.htm#sthash.3Xp4ocB1.dpuf

Competitor Analysis

This is some game footage from GTA 5, it shows multiple screen shots of players fulfilling activates at various points within the game. The top image shows two players mid way through a mission. here we can see they are both well equipped with weapons, there is blood on the floor and they are running, there are also big objects they can hide behind and other players on the map, this shows the action in this action and adventure game. The fact they have weapons and the layout of the map looks like this suggests they are probably in a game mode within the game possibly a team death match, this is very interactive as it relies on the players thought processes and actions to determine the outcome.  

This is an online team deathmatch where the players are playing against each other to get the most kills on the opposing team determining the winner with the highest score. This is great multiplayer features I would like to include in my game.

This is a mission within story mode, as you can see the character Michael is involved in heavy combat. I very much like the setting in this location, I will try to incorporated a dirty abandon building in my game.

This is an online heist, the players are parachuting onto a boat. I very much like the freedom of being able to do mostly whatever you want whenever you want especially something adventurous as skydiving, I will try to make many activities as accessible in my game.

These two images were taken from general gameplay, the character franklin is aiming a gun at cervillians in the game. This is very odd to do when playing as in real life this would be illegal, this added an element of excitement when playing and made me want to play on, I will try and incorporate this in my game.

This was another inamge taken within a task online, as you can see a player is dangling from the areoplane wing. Again this is more action that wouldn't take place in real life so brings that element of excitement, I would like to add features like this into my game.

Borderlands 3 is an action, role-playing, first-person shooter video game set in a space western/science fantasy location. The objective of the game is to travel to a different planet to the steal their vault. The player must complete mini quests and adventures before completing the game. This games is very interactive as you can see, the player is in control of 3 characters, the player must also control where the character moves and what weapons they use. As you can see from the images below there are many ways for the character to travel around the map again meaning the choice of travel the character uses is dependant on the players input, another interactive feature of this game.

I like the look of this gun, it is well suited to its environment, I will ensure all assets in my games do this. I also like the abnormal colouring however, this would not suit the style of my game.

I very much like the aiming style here as it still gives you a good view of your surroundings while aiming. I would like to incorporate a feature like this into my game to make it easier for the player.

I find the lasers here very appealing and think my target audience, on some level i would like to include these but maybe laser sights to keep it realistic.

All of these images were taken at different stages of general combat within borderlands. While some features were very appealing to me I feel the combat style is very un realistic and therefore, would not include it in my game.

Tomb Raider is another action adventure game, the main protagonist is Lara Croft. She must navigate through unfamiliar environments to get the treasure hidden somewhere within the game. There are many moves such as running, climbing, jumping and swinging which she must perform to get thought the environments, all of these are controlled by the player much like all the other games I have researched. Overall I have found that action adventure games are very dependant on the player when it comes to the movements and actions of the character, I feel this genre in particular relies on a lot of player interaction to achieve objectives.

I like the rustic appeal in this shot of the game, I think it is realistic and the hanging debris brings the element of outside into the cave to show the player is not detached. I also like the low level lighting showing they are not relying on electricity, I would like to try and include this in my game, maybe in the derelict building I spoke about from GTA.

I especially like the subtitles here, the yellow really makes them standout. I will include subtitles. When text appears on the screen I will ensure it pops out as much as this so the player can see it clearly.

All of the colours like in and I especially the subtle hints of red every now and then. I will try and match colours subtlety like this.

All these images were taken from a mission in the game Tomb Raider, as you can see she is using a fire torch so she can see, there is a lot of action in a cave with water, fire and a lot of debris to use and avoid.

Here is my competitor analysis, here explains games within the action adventure, much like the research into existing products, I played the game then analysed them. As far as research goes i find this reliable as it came from me first hand after I played them. This research would be more reliable if I had a team that condcuted it as it would have elimanted any personal bias from myself. I very much like the online features seen in GTA's online missions, I will try and incorporate this into my game. I also like the dirty unclean look from tomb raiders cave, at some point I will make sure there is a location in my game with low lighting and scattered debris to bring some erie excitement to the game. Finally, I like the aiming styles when looking down the guns from borderlands, I will try and incorporate this into my game.The benefits of this kind of research is that it allows me to see two things: 1) What my competitors are doing so that I can see what they do well and use that for inspiration. 2) I can look for holes in their products and think of ways to out do them.

Audience Research Questionaire

Anonymous Survey

This is an anonymous survey allowing me to gain more knowledge on what people like and dislike within videogames.

Age:

Under 10

11-15

16-20

21-25

26+

Gender:

Male

Female

Other
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What are your interest's/hobbies?

Listening to music


Gaming


Playing an instruments


Watching films


Art


Sports


Other... please specify below



Do you listen to music? If the answer is yes what is your preferred genre?

Yes, what is your preferred genre?


No


Do you watch films? If the answer is yes what is your preferred genre?

Yes, what is your preferred genre?


No


Do you play and video games? If the answer is yes what is your preferred genre?

Yes, what is your preferred genre?


No


Have you ever played any adventure games? If so what?

Yes, What?


No


What is you favourite adventure game (new or old)?

Tomb raider


GTA V


Dishonoured


Skylanders


Batman


Lego Marvel super heroes


Other... Please specify



What do you look for in a video game?

Complex Story lines? Why?


Simple Story lines? Why


More specifically what do you look for in an adventure video game?

Storyline

Popularity

Graphics

Characters

Location

Price

Other... Please specify



What aspects do you find fun about gaming?

Social elements?


Practical elements?


Consumes time?


Other? Explain...


Do you feel modern adventure games are sexist/male dominant?

Yes, Explain your answer...


No, Explain your answer...


What gender character would you prefer to be in an adventure video game?

Male

Female

No Preference

What virtual environments\locations do you like games to be set in?

Realistic (towns, cities, deserts, arctic, jungle etc..)


Abnormal (Space, other universes etc..)


Do you prefer more futuristic and unrealistic storylines compared to present day yet feasible?

Futuristic and unrealistic? Why?


Present day yet feasible? Why?

Do you prefer fictional features (such as superpowers and floating cars) or non-fictional features (regular human possibly well trained in a specific field)?

Fictional features and why?



Non-fictional features and why?



Do you prefer character to be well equipped or have to be resourceful?

Yes, Explain your answer...


No, Explain your answer...


Are there any features of video games you are bored with? If so what?

Storyline


Popularity


Graphics


Characters


Location


Price


Other... Please specify



If you could improve any features of adventure games currently available what would it be and why?

Storyline


Popularity


Graphics


Characters


Location


Price


Other... Please specify



Thank you for your time and input

Market Research-Existing Products

Call Of Duty Black Ops 3
COD is a FPS games that allows the player to battle with others in a variety of locations and game modes. Much like GTA, COD is also a PG18 meaning the target audience is again late teens - early 20 's year olds. There are 9 characters to choose from and they all have separate weapons or powers that set them at an advantage over the others. All of these characters are very bold, strong, confident and powerful, you can see this as they all have bulky armour, big muscles, combat face paint and large weapons. Out of the 9 characters there is only one girl however unlike other games such as Tomb Raider she has bulky armour and looks rough and ready to fight therefore, she has not been sexualised. Within the game I feel the main emotions are: anger, nervous, and fear this is because the game is set in a conflict zone and the aim is to kill others without getting killed therefore being killed is inevitable so fear is a common emotion felt when playing this game. This games outcome is solely dependent on the players actions, the routes and tactics they use when playing allow them to kill more players or get killed more, if all the players did not move the game would not have an outcome, if the players approached the game with strategy the outcome can be changed, if players kill others they can determine the winner of the game/round meaning one team will win and the other will loose depending on the players actions. . It is published by Activision, an american games publishing comany created in 1979.

Mirrors Edge
This game entails of a protagonist called faith who has to travel across a shiny new futuristic city using the technique of parkour, moving from point to point as creatively as possible. This is an action adventure game aimed around the teenage spectrum as the age rating is 13+. The main character is called Faith, she has a small tattoo on her arm, is very skinny however although she wears a tight top her outfit is very suitable for the activities she is doing therefore I feel she has not been sexualised at all, another point for supporting this claim is that while she may be very skinny and curvey for the activities she is doing she must be physically fit. I believe the developers strived to achieve a kind of rouge feel with the story as she is in such a modern environment yet using a skill that dates back hundreds of years. Im the story determination is shown, she is also very passionate about her skill/sport. As the player you must control the movements faith performs and also there are specific challenges which the player must pull off by remembering combinations of buttons to press to ensuring Faith performs the move.

GTA V
GTA V is an action-adventure video game about 3 criminals from different backgrounds, how their life of crime leads them together and to missions they do together. This game is violent and features a lot of adult content meaning this game is PG18 making its target audience late teen - early 20 's year olds however, a lot of the players are under 18 meaning the player is usually around 15-20. Michael, Franklin and Trevor are the 3 main characters, I believe the characterisation is very accurate as the map is mainly split into two halves, the bottom half is very built up and wealthy with big houses and flash cars, this is where Michael and Franklin live. Both characters are well dressed with a big house and nice vehicles, they are both physically fit and confident. Towards the top of the map the location is less wealthy with small motorhome houses, weather beaten cars and lots of dead open space, this is where Trevor lives, he is more of a rough character with bad dirty and ripped clothes, a weather beaten truck and a small motor home as a house, he also has a beer belly showing his poorly maintained health. This game follows the three act structure as at the beginning of the game the 3 characters do not know each other, the player does separate missions for each of them, this is stage one. Stage two is when the characters paths cross and they start doing higher risk missions and the steaks get higher as they have more to loose. The crisis in stage three is when they rob Maze Bank and steal millions of dollars, they then take their money and lay low to avoid being caught. In this game Rockstar Games have chosen to represent most/all the men to be very masculin, violent and confident whereas most the women are made to be prostitutes or have less of an important role in the game. the players and character feel many emotion when playing the game: anger, revenge and greed are the three main feelings with causes them to keep going back for more. This games is very interactive as the player controls the characters movement and actions, they can also customise the characters appearance by changing their clothes and hair styles, the player can also customise vehicles within the game however, this does not change the outcome of the story very much.

Assassins Creed
In this game the protagonist Desmond Miles who is the newest generation in a family of assassins in which the conflict between them and the Knights Templar still continues therefore, the game is the fight between the two of them. With an age rating of 18+ this game is aimed at young adults, As mentioned before the main character is Desmond Miles, I feel he is not sexualised as he wears baggy clothes i.e. a hoodie however there are small hints such as patterns tattoos. I feel the company tried to create an old school feel yet modern as we see some of the techniques seen in real life modern say as parkour is a popular sport and it is also seen in games such as Mirrors Edge. In this story heritage is a big theme as all his ancestors were in the same profession meaning passion, determination, fear, anger and vengeance. The player controls all of the actions the character takes therefore it is solely down to the players interaction as to how the games ends up.

Forza 6  
This game is a racing game, the objective is to win the race, as you work up the classes of cars till you reach the penultimate F1 class. This game is targeted at teenagers of all ages. Throughout this game that player is the driver of the cars although you hardly see him/her. The fact that we hardly see the driver and that when we do its usually just a pair of hands characterisation is kept a secret allowing the player to connect more and believe its them driving. I feel the developers have tried to set goals for the player to work up to giving them an insight of what they can get as they work up the classes with rewards such as car bowling in hyper cars meaning the player gets to experience a car they may not own or have been able to drive yet in a fun environment. Within this game competiveness is one of the main emotions felt when playing it however rivalry and determination are also felt. All the movements of that car are controlled by the player meaning to move the player must make it do so by pressing a button, if you choose manual the player must also change gears then finally break and steer the car.

After completing this research I feel the sources I used were extremely reliable as it was myself who evaluated them. I played the games in order to enhance my knowledge of my competitors. I explained what the game was about and what I did within them, this was first hand therefore reliable. All of these games are made by either American or English games companies, this shows on the scale of global gaming my research is not as varied as it could be, to improve upon my research I would expand the threshold of location to look into more exotic games to make sure it ticks as many boxed as possible when it comes to appealability no matter where the player is.