2/25/11 - In class excersise 2

Go to http://www.atari.com/play


Play one of the classic vintage arcade games (but NOT a facebook game!) online via a browser - e.g. asteroids, battlezone, centipede etc

And answer the following questions (CUT & PASTE THE QUESTIONS INTO A PERSONAL BLOG ENTRY AND PROVIDE ANSWERS WITHIN SAME BLOG ENTRY)

Include a graphic image of the game you played in your blog entry.


Student Name___Ariel Valencia__________________


Today’s Date______2/25/11_________________


Game Title Examined________Tempest________________


Year of Publication (if known - check thedoteaters.com for details) _______1981__________________


Game Publisher_______Atari_______________


Game Developer (if different from Publisher) ______Atari_____________________


1 - What is the game genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

Shoot-em-up


2 -What is the type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)
flat enviroment

3 - What is the perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.
Third person

4 - What is the actual gameplay – what does the player have to do?
The player must clear the level before being killed.

5 - Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.
Yes. It is very easy to figure out the goal of the game and how to play.

6 - Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)
The gameplay is random.

7 - What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?
It tells me that it was difficult to even program the machine to do what it did.

8 - Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

1. ease of play
It was fairly easy to play and the game play was intuitive.

2. enjoyability

c) level of engagement/immersion
Since the game was random and not patterned, the game was very engaging keeping the player on their toes  and completely immersed in the game.

9 - Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?
No I had not played the game before.

10 - what does playing the game remind you of in terms of other games/media?
It reminds me of a puzzle you have to complete in rachet and clank in order to unlock a door.

2/25/11 - In class excersise

Once you have a game idea in mind, these are the questions you must ask yourself in order to turn it into a fully fledged game concept. You don't have to be precise or detailed, but you should have a general answer for all of them.

1)     Write a high concept statement: a few sentences that give a general flavor of the game. You can make references to other games, movies, book, or any other media if your game contains similar characters actions or ideas

 It is an action RPG with with main character being a High School student who gets caught up in a feud between two assassin groups.

2)     What is the player’s role? Is the player pretending to be someone or something, and if so what? Is there more than one? How does the player’s role help to define the gameplay?

The main character is forced to join an assassins group and train as well as help the group stop the enemy from summoning a creature

3)     Does the game have an avatar or other key character? Describe him/her/it

The main character is a nerdy, horny 18 year old boy who is a bit of a loner. 

4)     What is the nature of the gameplay, in general terms? What kinds of challenges will the player face? What kinds of actions will the player take to oercome them?

The player will have to travel to other friendly assassins bases and secure ancient artifacts and preventing the enemy from gathering the relics. In his quests he will have to fight off enemies as well as gain trust in his fellow assassins.

5)     What is the player’s interaction model? Omnipresent? Through an avatar? Something else? Some combination?

 The players interaction model is through an avatar.

6)     What is the game’s primary camera model? How will the player view the game’s world on the screen? Will there be more than one perspective?

3rd person camera as well as first person when aiming certain weapons

7)     Does the game fall into an existing genre? If so, which one?

It is an action/adventure RPG.

8)     Is the game competitive, cooperative, team-based or single player? If multiple players are allowed are they using the same machine with separate controls or different machines over a network?

Single player with co-op. The co-op will allow you to play with someone next to you on the same console or online with other players.

9)     Why would anyone want to play this game? Who is the game’s target audiencde? What characteristics distinguise them from the mass of players in general?

They would want to play this game because it is an action RPG with a good storyline to keep the player hooked and on the edge of their seat. The target audience are males ages 16+. Entertaining story seperates this game from others.

10)   What machine or machines is the game intended to run on? Can it make use of or will it require any particular hardware such as dance mats or a camera?
It is a console/PC game that uses the controller that comes with the console.

11)   What is the game’s setting? Where does it take place?
It takes place in modern day world.

12)   Will the game be broken into levels? What might be the victory condition for a typical level?
The game is broken into levels  seperated by years and adventures.

13)   Does the game have a narrative or story as it goes along? Summarize the plot in a sentence or two.
It has a story to go along with it.The story takes place in the present and follows the story of an 18 year old boy who gets sucked into a world of assassins and needs to join their ranks in order to save the world.

End of Analogue - History of Videogames

1) Who invented the first computer game on the PDP1?
Steve Russell

2) What was the name of the game?
Computer Space

3) What was the name of Morton Helig's amusement device that let you smell, hear and see in 3D filmed experiences?
Sensorama

4) What early 1970s movie does an arcade console machine of Spacewar appear?
Spacewar appeared in Soylent Green (1973).

5) What was the name of the man who developed the first TV tennis game?
William Higinbotham

6) Who was the man whose company Atari commercialized the idea of the arcade computer tennis game?
Nolan Bushnell

7) What was the name of this version of the game?
Pong

8) What are vector graphics?
The use of points, lines, curves and shapes based on mathematical equations to represent computer graphics.

9) What types of games do vector graphics lend themselves to?
Space Shooter games

10) When home computers were first made available, how did owners load games into them?
Users entered source code they found print media such as magazines

11) What is the name of the 1985 film in which a young Matthew Broderick starts World War III with his home computer and modem?
WarGames

12) From what sources did the designer of the Space Invaders aliens draw inspiration?
Tomohiro Nishikado drew inspiration from Breakout, War of the Worlds and Star Wars.

13) What is the name given to the contemporary subculture of 8 bit music made with gameboys and other 80s game technology
Chiptune

14) "Escape from Woomera" was a videogame which was used to draw attention to the plight of inmates at a remote detention center in desert town in what country?
A dessert town in Australia.