University Projects

Indie Game: The Movie is a documentary made in 2012 which explains the lives of people working in the video game industry, their struggles in relation to funding and social life and the pressure to meet specific deadlines. This video talks about three games which include: Super Meat Boy (2010) Super Meat boy was designed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes. It was then developed by Team Meat which currently consists of Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes. It is about a boy with no skin that travels to find his girlfriend who has been kidnapped by a character named Dr Fetus. The aim of the game is that the player plays as Super Meat Boy and has to travel through harsh conditions and difficult obstacles to reach his girlfriend who is made of bandages. I would describe this game as a platformer that is made to be difficult which compensates for that by giving you unlimited lives and automatically restarts the level. Like other games for example 'Cut the Rope' ...

I found this video very interesting because although it's main purpose is to explain the difficult puzzles used in Fez it also explains how puzzles are used in general and how some puzzles get you to think literally and some laterally. The Youtuber creates physical objects which help him complete the game. He finds a way to translate the alphabet used in Fez as well as the numbering system which is vital in specific puzzles. Bibliography & References [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iefXGaaVERg

Recently, I have completed the game Fez. This game kept me entertained and I truly recommend playing it if you enjoy puzzles and Super Paper Mario as this game has a similar mechanic in which the world is rotated changing your view and seems 3D while turning and is a platformer game. First level of Fez The rotating mechanic is unlocked when the main character (Gomez) is given a fez by a hexahedron which explodes due to the instability caused by Gomez using this mechanic. Cubes, cube bits and anti-cubes are scattered across the world. The aim of the game is to collect cube bits, cubes and anti-cubes while travelling through the map to stabilise the world. You are able to go to different places by mainly walking through doors, unlocking locked doors using a key item (Found in chests), uncovering secret doors by performing different tasks, travelling through linked doors which take you to a specific place where the door is linked, or warp gates located at every main hub and ...

Start Menu When starting the first level of the game, you are showed story scenes about what the game is about.  This gives the game context. Story The aim of this game is to make burgers, serve drinks, desserts and side dishes in order to complete each level. Each level increases in difficulty every time you move up a level. There are different modes available to play which includes a challenge mode and a relax mode. These also allow you to earn badges convincing you to keep playing even if you have finished the main story/expert story modes. Challenge Mode Rewards such as trophies for completing parts of the game are available to earn which keeps the player hooked. Additionally, when you gain a perfect score on a level, the space becomes a star instead of a red dot when persuades you to keep replaying levels. 'Hall of Fame' - trophies earned This is the map used in the game. It is level-based as a player will need to complete the lev...

The aim of the game 'Slay the Spire' created by Mega Crit is to travel to the top of the spire by embarking on different paths. Each level is  procedually generated, so that when you are defeated, the game/map changes every time and is reset to the beginning. Map of the spire I would describe the genre of this game as r ogue-like which is defined as  "a subgenre of role-playing video games, characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated game levels, turn-based gameplay, tile-based graphics, and permanent death of the player-character." [1] Although this specific game does not use tile-based graphics, it does include all of the other elements that define this genre of 'rogue-like'. When the player has been conquered, the player faces a permanent death where only specific progress is saved. This includes the cards that are used and can be unlocked during an additional run of the game. Moreover when playing the game again, the game...

The door problem is an interesting concept and really does explain how something as simple as a door can be a complex component in a game. It really made me think about the game industry and how complicated it is to make a game - it truly explains why it takes many years for a good game to be released. I found it interesting that even though many jobs were listed and examples of employee's roles during the making of a door was mentioned, in the comments a lot of people mentioned jobs that weren't listed in the main blog which really shows that the 'door problem' is actually bigger than the blog post explains. Bibliography & References [1] http://www.lizengland.com/blog/2014/04/the-door-problem/

After viewing Amanda Young's presentation and reading the transcript, I found myself feeling a bit confused. I am unsure what message she is trying to get across but it seems to be related to the portrayal of women in video games. Gaming semiotics is defined as "the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior; the analysis of systems of communication, as language, gestures, or clothing" in relation to gaming.Young has mentioned the clothing aspect of gaming semiotics and mentions Barthes in the transcript who also looked at the fashion system in relation to semiotics. Moreover a quote has been taken from Deuze's book 'Media Life'  in which is stating that socially people are being entirely captured by mediated communication. Mediated communication "refers to communication carried out by the use of information communication technology and can be contrasted to face-to-face communication." Therefore explaining the fact that...

Manifesto: The 21st Century Will Be Defined By Games This blog post is very interesting as it talks about a persons view on what the 21st Century will be like. It explains that although gaming has developed through technology, games have always existed "Games are ancient". Moreover, it refers to digital technology and how it has given games a new relevance however it mentions that computers have aided the resurgence of gaming as PC games have become very popular. Contrary to this, it mentions that specific complex games are already like digital computers as they store and create numerical states and says that in this sense that games are what created computers - an interesting concept. Bibliography & References [1] https://kotaku.com/manifesto-the-21st-century-will-be-defined-by-games-1275355204

From reading this article, I now understand the definition of the term 'Ludeme'.  When I started to read this article, I did become confused due to the unfamiliar terminology used. Moreover, I did have to re-read paragraphs however understanding this abstract term became easier as I continued. The examples written in the text were helpful in defining what this term meant. The paragraphs below taken from the article cleared any confusion: "...a ludeme or "ludic meme" is a fundamental unit of play, often equivalent to a "rule" of play; the conceptual equivalent of a material component of a game. A notable characteristic is its mimetic property - that is, its ability and propensity to pass from one game or class of game to another." [1] "A ludeme is an element of play, comparable to, but distinct from, a game component or instrument of play. Kings, queens, bishops, knights, rooks, pawns, and a chequered board, all constitute the instrume...