S8- Violence in Video Games

From even the earliest video games, most are still based around the concept of violence. And while some are able to create an engaging gameplay experience without the use of it, the most popular and entertaining games involve it. This is not a bad thing, as society is generally intelligent and is aware of the difference between staged violence and real violence, understanding that the latter is not acceptable.

Stated by Tim Biggs on The Sydney Morning Herald, '...the debate has slammed back to the same old rhetoric: that violent representations inform a violent society (not the other way around), and that obliterating the representations will somehow result in a safer environment'.

Banning video games merely because they display violence won't solve anything, real violence will still occur. Those of society who blame video games are overlooking the fact that there is violence displayed in books, movies and all over the TV as well. Before video games, it was certain movies, music and even books that were blamed for society's violence.

While some games may take things too far, parents need to be aware of the content of game before allowing their children to play it. And this doesn't mean dictating over everything they are allowed to watch and witness, but acting as a guide for what is appropriate for them at their age.

Looking at the video game society in particular reveals that the violence perpetrated in the game remains on the screen and overall, game have a more positive effect on people than negative.

S7- Gender

The role of female characters in games largely started out as being intensives for quests as something for the hero to rescue, attributing them little power and, noways, even less clothes. Male characters also tend to be stereotyped as having huge amounts of muscles and the ability and responsibility of protecting things. These stereotypes are fair to neither gender as the people of society rarely conform to either constructed view of each gender and to while it is ok for there to be characters like these every, diversity is what is needed. Games coming up with interesting, varied characters is always a good thing, as it reflects society’s own diversity.

'By lifting the 'damsel in distress' heuristic from female video game characters and designing female characters that are as capable and badass as are present in real life, women could easily take the role of the hero- and could absolutely sell video games' stated by Eugenia Zobel de Ayala on hastac.org.

What many publishers seem to believe is that female characters who are respected for who they are won't sell games and thus prefer their presence to be hidden from the game covers.

One of the issues strong female characters have is not necessarily their costuming, but their poses and what their designers are trying to communicate by positioning them in suggestive ways- that their body is the only thing of relevance. Any abilities they have or any positive contribution they make to game's story is overlooked in favor of the eye candy they can be made to present. This denies them of any real purpose they may have in the game.

As more and more people become aware of this issue and voice their opinions, the game industry will change, bringing about more diverse characters treated with the respect that they, and society, deserve.

Session 6- Genre

The world of genre when it comes to video games is massively different to the concept when it addresses literature and movies. Game genres are instead assigned by which action the player will carry out the most and in what viewpoint they will experience it from.

On the website gamepeople.co.uk, the point 'Once you've found a game you enjoy, a great way to find more experiences you are likely to appreciate is to look for other titles in the genre' is put forward.

However these genres do not categorize titles by the events within the game's storyline. This seems to be an odd technique as, when seeking out a game involving certain aspects, such as action or romance, the audience generally cannot look to the attributed genre of each game as the information on what it really involves isn't communicated by it.

Games today are breaking the previously established guidelines of genres more than ever. All the artists, writers and developers who have the skills, innovative ideas and drive to create something different and interesting are enabling games to mesh genres and spawn new ones.

As the video game industry continues to grow, the concept of genre and the number of ones offered to players will continue to expand, evolving as the area becomes further explored by gamers and developers alike.

Session 5- Ludonarrative resonance/dissonance

The storyline of a game drives the player through it, giving purpose to levels and enticing the audience to discover what occurs next. By utilizing multiple storylines and opposing the gameplay with a story that paints the characters or environments in a different light, a writer can change up typically straight forward- and more expected- narratives, turning the game into something different.

On their blog, The Age of Gaming stated that, 'The future of video games lies in the complete and seamless melding of ludic and narrative elements'. It is rare for a game to become popular for its story alone however, as the graphics, aesthetics and gameplay must work together to create a worthwhile game before the quality of the storyline is considered.

However, a story can have a dramatic effect over whether a game is continued or remembered by the player and the skillful implementation of them can create a more powerful and meaningful experience.

Session 4- Verisimilitude vs Stylised Aesthetics

Games today are achieving more stunning aesthetics than ever before. The diversity of visual designs they embrace is extremely vast throughout the scale of verisimilitue to stylised.

Yet the closer games approach the realm of this photorealism, the stranger this desire seems to be.

While realistic aesthetics can enhance and make the experience a game provides what it is, if a player wants photorealism, they only have to look to reality.

In regards to the Legend of Zelda for the Wii U, G. Christopher Williams from Popmatters.com said 'Like photorealistic games, I marvel at how the wind moves blades of grass...but not because the game generally resembles a real world. Rather, it’s because the details resemble and construct a fantastic world that isn’t possible without...rendering characters, places, and animations in a video game.'

The purpose of games is to be immersed in a different world, one where curious and otherwise impossible things occur can around places and characters that do not exist.

The realism currently displayed in games by the aesthetics and graphics is amazing but do we really need to take this further? The point of games is to entertain the player, not replace reality. Video games should look and feel like video games with enough ties to the real world that players can make sense of it.

Video games are at a great place in their manipulation of aesthetics into many intriguing art styles and still to be discovered are the many ways creators will depict their worlds next.

Session 3- 2D vs 3D

The transition from 2D graphics to 3D was a huge leap for the gaming world. While the 2D style allows the player a much larger view of the level than the character's eyes would allow, 3D brings the 1^st person view to life as the camera is able to transition around the smoother forms more easily.

From Gamasutra.com, Soren Johnson concludes, 'Furthermore, well-made 2D graphics never really go obsolete...If 2D helps clarify and communicate the underlying game mechanic, then all the better.'

The style of graphics a game has is largely based upon the designers' choice, as the game is crafted in whichever suits that particular game's visual, story and gameplay requirements. The selection will assist the most effective illustration of these and manufacture the most engaging experience for the player.

2D and 3D graphics cater to different styles of games and audiences. Yet while 3D releases tend to make more profit, 2D games will always be a link to the origins of gaming and are still vigorously supported by many gamers.

Session 2

Released in 2013, Irrational Games' BioShock Infinite was the third in the franchise, exemplifying the extent of artistry that video games consist of. Unlike ones set in military or apocalyptic events, this game takes the genre of first person shooter and turns it into something different. The rustic sophistication of the city-in-the-sky setting and sunlight manufacture a warm appearance to the game where as an ominous atmosphere in the form of a complex story opposes this in an interesting contrast.

Furthering the concept of the SimCity game, the Sims enabled players to unfold and direct the lives of the characters they created. First released back in 2000, it put the focus of the game play on creating and building the life of a person or 'sim'. Both the Sims and SimCity reversed the theme of destruction that drives most games. Still extremely popular today, new games and content are still being developed and released, occupying a large portion of the PC section of most games stores.