Video Games: The Movie
- rebeccaphillips-iad
- Dec 2, 2014
- 3 min read
Video Games: The Movie, 2014. Written and directed by Jeremy Snead. USA: Mediajuice Studios.
Key points from the film:
The people who aimed to entertain, also came to challenge, captivate and enlighten millions.
Video games will evolve.
Average game player 30 years old (US).
Consoles are used as multimedia devices – internet, DVD players.
Games are rated, consoles can have parental controls.
Odyssey – you put layers over the screen – imagination created the story.
Nostalgia about games = life at the time, enjoyment, personal story.
PlayStations early advert challenged Nintendo – rivalry.
Tomb Raider – early disc – something new.
Nintendo 64 = 3D, introduction of the joystick = play, freedom.
PlayStation 2 = people more lifelike.
Xbox = bridge between PC and console.
PlayStation 3 = character driven narrative.
Remember the Wii is a console!
Most people would like to have more than one console but because of cost can only afford one = defend that one – loyalty, rivalry.
Games are art = subjective – they illicit a response.
Composer, writer, sketcher, space designers.
Consumers = participants in art.
The cloud – future of gaming?
For every awesome game there is a crappy game.
Video game crash = produced games at accelerated rate – poor quality. Saturated market. Atari and ET – wanted the marketing strategy so rushed poor quality game and shipped it out for Christmas, cartridges buried in the desert. Consumers lost confidence in products.
Consumers are smart.
Nintendo = introduced characters – people like to play as a character even in the most basic form. (Mario)
Nintendo also introduced hidden elements – secrets in games – new breed of gamers.
Becoming the character, living in a different world, expectations for deeper, more immersive experiences.
Moving away from addictive to inventive.
Old games = tougher – have to make the jump, timing etc.
Now = more descriptive stories, people have different desires.
We understand the mechanics now its developing them to create the experiences.
Gamers = loyal, connected, bonds, joint experiences – human relationships through technology, common interests.
Games mean things to people – valuable.
Children = future of interactive entertainment.
Education through entertainment.
Growing with technology = children are better at it.
Video games = doesn’t matter if you fail – learn, simulation, practice.
Gamer = geek, nerd.
Battlegrounds – mass gatherings, teams, physical environment.
Friend groups – communities, similar interests.
Facebook a video game? You interact with it…
Violence – media has focused on certain games to prove a point. Parents are in control – rated better than movies.
Americas gun crime – UK has same access to games but less gun crime. Cant blame it on games…
People don’t understand games as a medium.
Imagination and invention in worlds.
If only for a few minutes a day we want to step away into a story.
Lose themselves in a world.
Story changed user expectations in what a good game is and raised the bar for designers.
Tricky to design.
Logically make game then allow players to solve problems.
Ways to tell stories without cut scenes.
Story emerges from play.
Video games like novels – if you stop playing/reading the story doesn’t continue.
Have to anticipate the actions of the player.
Journey is the reward more than the ending.
Decisions = fate of character.
Imagine making a different decision in a film.
Disbelief.
Show world – becomes reality, not all to do with visuals.
Emotion and character development, attachment to character, feel like you’re there.
Stories teach.
Engaging user experience.
Emotion = human face.
Constantly inventing.
Layers.
Game players in working design environment = beta testing,
Industry reinvents every few years.
Cant predict.
Spoilt with technology.
New next gen = think outside the box.
People see a change happening.
Indie = more mobile – focus on games not boardroom. (Steam) – give to players, forums. No investment in marketing.
Hobby = innovation.
Small teams = easy to change spur of the moment.
Revolution afoot.
People looking for soul.
Big developers cant take risks.
Indie = not concentrating on investment.
Change is law of life – JFK.
Next next gen = virtual reality.
Headsets = immerse, finally possible. – treadmills = move physically.
Creators envisioned interactive movies.
Future of games linked to the future of technology.
Live the dream.
Holodeck.
Whole world = digitized.
Games will always draw on history and culture.
Fantasy fulfillment.
How to get a game to delight as many people as possible.
Everybody is a gamer.
Comments