should it be designed?
Rebecca Phillips
BA (Hons) Interior Architecture & Design Final Year
Research Project
In order to prove or disprove the hypothesis I began by gathering secondary and primary research. This page documents key sources of secondary research and how the primary survey was conducted.
I have studied secondary sources of information such as books, films, articles and blogs through the Nottingham Trent library, online search engines and online streaming media. This has provided evidence for both sides of the argument that I have analysed and discussed in the next stage of the research project, it has also informed the questions of the survey.
Below is a selection of the key sources I have used, further sources of information can be found in the Bibliography.
08
Ince, S, 2006. Writing For Video Games. London: A & C Black Publishers Limited.
From the point of view of a video game writer/designer this book details several aspects of the elements required in a video game and how the writer can adapt their skills from more traditional scripts such as films, to working in interactive entertainment. The key sections I focused on were in relation to interactive narratives, character and point of view; I also used the storytelling chapters to add to my general knowledge of storytelling in video games.
09
Lebowitz, J. and Klug, C., 2011. Interactive Storytelling For Video Games. USA and UK: Focal Press.
This book, along with the thesis written by Lebowitz (2009), examines interactive storytelling within video games. The authors describe the main types of interactive stories and how the players react to them, there is also an analysis of their results to a national survey on player preferences. Again my focus was on the character and the relationship with the player, so the key chapters I have drawn from are ‘The Story and the Characters’, and ‘Making Stories Emotional’. They also document several case studies detailing the games chosen and their relevance to the relating topics. Furthermore, I made notes on their comments on how the player does not always know what they want as this has an impact on my primary research.
10
Miller, C.H, 2004. Digital Storytelling: A creator's guide to interactive entertainment. UK: Focal Press.
Many forms of digital storytelling are documented in this book and the techniques used by writers and designers to create them. It also explains the history of storytelling and games and the relationship between linear works and interactive media. There is also a chapter on game genres that clearly defines the several types along with case studies throughout. Characters, emotions and immersion are the key topics I have focused on.
11
Video Games: The Movie, 2014. Written and directed by Jeremy Snead. USA: Mediajuice Studios.
A feature length documentary that looks at video games from how they are made through to how they are played. It provides facts and case studies along with opinions from game developers and publishers of some of the biggest names in the gaming industry. The timeline format of the movie as well as the clear sections allowed me to take notes on the evolution of game characters and what players expect from them and the story they tell, as well as informing me on the history of video games and their development through the decades.
Blogs and articles
Due to the speed of development in the video game industry and the player communities that are formed through video games, many online sources have provided more up to date and relevant information. The nature of these blogs means a lot of the information is the personal opinion of the writer therefore I have studied a range of articles to back up or discount their views. I have extracted information from articles by news organisations such as the BBC and The Guardian, and also reputable gaming websites such as Gamasutra and IGN: UK. I also found valuable opinions through secondary interviews.
Many of the points discussed from secondary sources of information are based on opinions therefore to provide a more rounded conclusion I have gathered primary data from consumers to produce statistics on player preferences in terms of the player character that I have then analysed and discussed.
My investigation focuses around the player therefore I felt the most appropriate method of research was to distribute a survey to people who play video games. I have gathered as many responses as possible within a two-week period through a survey website (www.freeonlinesurveys.com) and distributed through social media. I originally planned on also sharing through online gaming forums however due to game forum rules I was previously unaware of that has not been possible. I requested that the survey be completed by people who play video games on game consoles, PC’s and/or laptops.
These devices offer a more complex level of gameplay as well as higher graphic qualities than a portable device. There is a large variety of games that can be played on these platforms that offer a range of point of views and character narratives therefore the people who play on these devices will have experienced a variety of character types consequently offering more reliable results.
The results of the following survey have been compiled into a spreadsheet that can be found on the Findings page.
Survey
Video Game Characters
Gender
Male
Female
Age
13-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50+
Patterns may emerge between character preferences and gender or age.
How often do you play video games on average?
Everyday
Every few days
Once a week
Once a fortnight
Once a month
Longer
To ensure respondents have a keen interest in video games, people who play everyday may offer different views to those who play once a month.
Please name the first video game character that springs to mind…
To document popular characters, characters that are perceived as being less commercialised may have had an emotional impact on that player for them to have named that character.
Many video games are hybrids but generally they fit into the following genres.
Please select your top 3 favourite genres.
Action e.g. Grand Theft Auto
First Person Shooter (FPS) e.g. Halo, Doom
Adventure e.g. Legend Of Zelda
Platform e.g. Sonic, Crash Bandicoot
Role Playing Games (RPG) e.g. Skyrim, Fallout
Puzzle e.g. Tetris
Simulations e.g. Minecraft, The Sims
Strategy & Tactics e.g. Worms, Command & Conquer
Sports e.g. Fifa
Fighting e.g. Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat
MMORPG’s (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) e.g. World of Warcraft
Certain genres provide more detailed characters than others, by determining what genres the player enjoys the most it will show the type of character or perspective they are most accustomed to.
The Player Character - The character you control whilst playing the game.
I prefer games that are from…
A 3rd person perspective where I can see the player character.
A 1st person perspective where I cannot see the player character.
Any perspective, it does not matter to me.
To determine whether the player likes to see a designed character, it signifies whether they like to play as the character or as themselves, it can also be related to the following question.
I prefer to make decisions in video games based on…
How I would act in real life.
How I think the character would act in the game setting.
How I think the consequences will affect my progress in the game.
How the respondent chooses to answer this question will show whether they take on the role of the character or if they play as themself in an alternate world, the final option has been included as players may make strategic decisions based on how quickly or successfully they can complete the game, with no regards to the character or situation.
I prefer games where…
I am given a character that I cannot change.
I am given a choice of characters that I cannot change.
I am given a character that I can personalize.
I am able to create my own character from scratch.
There is no character.
This will determine how much control the player wants.
Whilst playing a video game how much attention do you pay to the dialogue and cut-scenes?
Close attention.
Some attention.
Little attention.
No attention.
If the player chooses to skip the dialogue or pays little attention to it then you would assume they do not have an emotional attachment to the character as they are not informed of their story, it would indicate they are only interested in the action and completion of the game.
Have you ever been put off playing a video game because you didn’t like the player character?
Yes
No
To assess how likely it is that a player will not play a game because of the player character.
Would you buy a game based on its character?
Yes
No
To determine the power of a character in terms of attracting new audiences and maintaining an existing audience.
Would you prefer the player character to be male or female?
Male
Female
The gender that is best suited to the story.
I have no preference.
To asses the importance of gender.
Would you like to go to a studio and design your own character?
Yes
No
Possible design solution.