Phenomenology is prevalent in most horror games as the player is under constant pressure and may feel more anxious. The genre's tendency to utilize jumpscares also allows the player to become more aware of their own body. Rising blood pressure and increased heart rate is more common when playing these games.
Another example of phenomenology is more immersive games. With the recent release of VR to the public, players can become more immersed within games. They utilize parts of their body to play, specifically the head, which allows for a more interactive experience. Systems such as the Nintendo Wii and the Kinect also utilize this, forcing players to become more aware of themselves and their surroundings.
A lot of action games lack the ability to keep players aware of their own body as most players will typically become immersed within the genre. Games such as Halo or Counterstrike allow little in terms of phenomenology as they focus more on the experience and the gameplay rather than interactivity.
The PS Vita (RIP) attempted to allow players to interact with games using parts of their body more, whether it be blowing into the mic, turning and tilting the console or using the dual touchscreen to increase dynamics.
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Ludonarrative Dissonance
MMO's and MMORPG's are not examples of ludonarrative dissonance as they do not typically have a structured narrative.
Games such as Runescape focus much more on the gameplay aspect - with skill grinding, money making and loot collecting being the primary focus. This does not deviate from the story much, as the story basically encourages this behaviour as certain levels or items are required to progress further in the "story". MMO's from around the time of Runescape also follow suit, bar WoW and a few exceptions.
Typically, games that have a extensive overworld such as a GTA V, The Witcher or even Metroid follow the rules of ludonarrative dissonance. The games constantly remind the player of the protagonists "quests" and intentions, whereas the player can simply go on a murderous rampage, even if their character is considered somewhat good. For example, Michael and Franklin from GTA V do not enjoy killing the innocent or committing unnecessary crime, whereas the player can simply run down every pedestrian in sight or slaughter police forces. This seems to show that the more overall freedom a player has within a game, the more ludonarrative dissonance can be seen.
Linear and more story driven games are also examples of games without ludonarrative dissonance. Games such as Metro, Firewatch and most FPS campaigns follow a set narrative where the player is given little to do than to follow the story and the will of the character, almost like a first person movie.
Games such as Runescape focus much more on the gameplay aspect - with skill grinding, money making and loot collecting being the primary focus. This does not deviate from the story much, as the story basically encourages this behaviour as certain levels or items are required to progress further in the "story". MMO's from around the time of Runescape also follow suit, bar WoW and a few exceptions.
Typically, games that have a extensive overworld such as a GTA V, The Witcher or even Metroid follow the rules of ludonarrative dissonance. The games constantly remind the player of the protagonists "quests" and intentions, whereas the player can simply go on a murderous rampage, even if their character is considered somewhat good. For example, Michael and Franklin from GTA V do not enjoy killing the innocent or committing unnecessary crime, whereas the player can simply run down every pedestrian in sight or slaughter police forces. This seems to show that the more overall freedom a player has within a game, the more ludonarrative dissonance can be seen.
Linear and more story driven games are also examples of games without ludonarrative dissonance. Games such as Metro, Firewatch and most FPS campaigns follow a set narrative where the player is given little to do than to follow the story and the will of the character, almost like a first person movie.
The Spectator's Gaze
Bayonetta is a third-person action game that was released in 2010. The game's gameplay is similar to that of games such as Devil May Cry. The game's main character, Bayonetta, has been a subject of controversy over her apparently "over-sexualized" design and personality.
Bayonetta is often targeted by feminists due to her character design and rather sexual persona. Her character itself is very dominant and powerful and isn't not apologetic about it in the slightest. Some people would say that Bayonetta is one of the most powerful female lead characters in modern gaming today alongside silent protagonist Samus Aran and even Lara Croft.
Bayonetta's anatomy is very exaggerated and goes against typical and average female anatomy - extremely wide hips, long legs and thin waist. Some might say that her design is specifically focused around appealing to the male gaze which in some cases could be entirely true. But generalization like that is also as big as a problem, on both sides.
Not all characters have to be "sexy" or have impossible body types, but treating those characters as taboo and offensive is blowing the situation way of of proportion. Not all games can cater to every persons individual views, opinions or "sexuality". Some games have more realistic character designs like Life is Strange, some have a diverse cast of characters like Overwatch.
The problem with most of the complaints and shaming about Bayonetta because of the sexualization is purely that - despite the sexual and innuendo filled game supporting her as a character. Bayonetta, to some, may be over-sexualized. But people fail to dig deeper and appreciate the game for what it is and Bayonetta's character for what it is. Bayonneta fills the role of a single mother, is extremely powerful/dominant and fights with deities in space which is a lot of diversity that is not covered by many female lead characters!
My opinion as gamer who plays Bayonetta for the gameplay and not the "male gaze" is that the sexualized nature of the game suits her character completely. I'd rather play a game as a sexualized, contortionist witch with a sense of style than a typical witch in baggy robes. A lot of feminists seem to attack the game with very little knowledge about it, whereas many other games can objectify men in similar ways but nobody bats an eye.
Bayonetta is often targeted by feminists due to her character design and rather sexual persona. Her character itself is very dominant and powerful and isn't not apologetic about it in the slightest. Some people would say that Bayonetta is one of the most powerful female lead characters in modern gaming today alongside silent protagonist Samus Aran and even Lara Croft.
Bayonetta's anatomy is very exaggerated and goes against typical and average female anatomy - extremely wide hips, long legs and thin waist. Some might say that her design is specifically focused around appealing to the male gaze which in some cases could be entirely true. But generalization like that is also as big as a problem, on both sides.
Not all characters have to be "sexy" or have impossible body types, but treating those characters as taboo and offensive is blowing the situation way of of proportion. Not all games can cater to every persons individual views, opinions or "sexuality". Some games have more realistic character designs like Life is Strange, some have a diverse cast of characters like Overwatch.
The problem with most of the complaints and shaming about Bayonetta because of the sexualization is purely that - despite the sexual and innuendo filled game supporting her as a character. Bayonetta, to some, may be over-sexualized. But people fail to dig deeper and appreciate the game for what it is and Bayonetta's character for what it is. Bayonneta fills the role of a single mother, is extremely powerful/dominant and fights with deities in space which is a lot of diversity that is not covered by many female lead characters!
My opinion as gamer who plays Bayonetta for the gameplay and not the "male gaze" is that the sexualized nature of the game suits her character completely. I'd rather play a game as a sexualized, contortionist witch with a sense of style than a typical witch in baggy robes. A lot of feminists seem to attack the game with very little knowledge about it, whereas many other games can objectify men in similar ways but nobody bats an eye.
Extra Life Drawing sessions
Here are a numerous amount of sketches from a few weeks worth of extra life drawing sessions. I have been determined to improve my anatomy and the overall quality of my sketches through constant practice. From all of these sessions I feel a lot more confident in my ability to draw the human body, more specifically the torso. My observational skills have grown a comparable amount since the beginning of the year when I first started life drawing. I still feel a little weak when it comes to perspective or the face, but that will come with practice.
I need to work on capturing more tone within my sketches rather than the overall form. Working like this will give me a larger understanding on the effect lighting has on the body which will help with my 2D concept art and 3D modelling. Applying what I have learned from life drawing into my 2D work, however, is a completely different thing!
Hopefully with more sessions I will be able to translate my skills easier.
Monday, 18 April 2016
Yet another creature design
I thought I'd make some more 2D based work so I don't get too rusty from all of this 3D! I tried staying a little loose whilst considering areas of detail for contrast. I worked in black and white as i'd like to contrast my tones more by using more intense areas of shadow and brighter highlights and rim lighting.
Anything to draw more creatures really~
Saturday, 16 April 2016
Final Time Machine
Similarly to me reworking my pillar, I decided to take my time machine further. I decided to flesh out the internals and workings of my device and push my tri count closer to the limit given. I'm really pleased with my outcome for this version of my time machine. I took what worked from my previous model and applied it to this one whilst trying to retain my previous ideas and intentions. I wanted to add more "narrative" to my model through additional parts such as switches, buttons and straps. This could allow the player to see how the object may be used or how it all comes together.
 |
| Substance render |
Ultimately I decided to scrap the snow based textures on the model as I felt it took more from the model than what it gave. I stuck with a more wear and damage based appearance. I also took advantage of the improved internals and played with a variety of materials to give a more varied and realistic look to each part. Substance allowed me to quickly and efficiently test out combinations and vary my normal maps by utilizing maps and layers.
Below is an image of my final render within Marmoset Toolbag 2.
 |
| Toolbag render - 9990 tris |
 |
| AO |
 |
| Emissive |
 |
| Albedo |
 |
| Normal |
 |
| Metallic/Roughness |
Final Pillar
 |
| Final Damaged Pillar - 2094 tris |
After revisiting my pillar I decided I was ultimately unhappy with the final outcome. I decided to rework most of the maps on the pillar and focus on creating a more worn and weathered look. Below is the final render within Toolbag.
I am much happier with this outcome compared to my previous. I also fixed some minor issues involving some displaced vertexes and deformation on some faces. I find myself slowly being able to understand Substance Painter more and I feel like the overall quality of the textures has increased and has helped my to create a more believable material.
Toolbag is also surprisingly easy to use and is very user-friendly. High quality renders are much easier to create than I first anticipated! I had a few issues involving importing maps into Toolbag, however. This was remedied by using the UE4 template within the preset materials.
 |
| albedo |
 |
| normal |
 |
| metallic/roughness |
 |
| AO |
 |
| Emissive |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)