Games

A trend that has always been present in the game making community is to look at whatever is popular and copy that in order to cash in on said popularity, before moving on to the next trend. This behavior is, to an extent, reinforced by the major publishers themselves, and often we will see many big games coming out around the same time that are all basically the same thing in terms of overall design, and sequels are abundant. However, despite publishers trying to tell gamers what they should be playing, and in many cases selling what are basically carbon copies of the same game each year, many games such as Undertale have come out recently that go completely against the grain and are still extremely well received. What sort of impact, if any, do you think that this obvious disparity between what gamers actually want, and what publishers think we want or want us to want, will have for the future of games in the coming year?

In the Persona series by Atlus, we see the characters evolve through the story and normally attack difficult questions of life, existence, what is better for society, and how the individual grows. If one looks at the late game in Persona 4 we see that one has many options to choose from that can lead to the so called bad ending. We also see growth the of the characters and the theme that the bonds we make with people strengthen ourselves.

In light of the release of Fallout 4 and the subsequent Game of the Year Award loss to The Witcher 3, message boards have exploded into wars over the quality of Bethesda's recent post-apocalyptic RPG. One of the largest and most frequent complaints for any Bethesda game is release content and stability – is a game devoid of the life that mods bring and running on a temperamental engine really worthy of the acclaim it receives?

Explore how the MMORPG game Runescape approaches the study of different in-game cultures within the plot of the game. In this game which features a large fantastical world with many different kingdoms and cultures, how are some of the ways in which the quests and activities encourage a respectful study of different cultures?

When gamers play video games, it is common that they begin creating their own narrative, or story, through the game. For example in Fallout 3 it is common that players will horde certain items, or wear certain armor for their own reasons. I played Fallout 3 as a samurai, only using a sword and wearing samurai armor. I created the narrative that I was a samurai in the world of fallout and played according to that narrative, restricting the use of guns, stimpacks and anything else. I've created this note to hear your personal narratives that you've created in playing video games. Have you created your own back story to your character in Skyrim, or only drove red cars in G.T.A. Leave me a note!

It's almost frighteningly common to meet someone now who plays enough videogames to the point that they've worked it into their head that they want to make games. But there's a very strong difference between playing games and making games, and the pleasure gained from player experience does not directly mirror that of game creation experience. Hours of coding, of 3D animating, or time spent smashing fists against the keyboard in the periods of "crunch time" where designers, programmers, and artists push themselves through hunger, exhaustion, and and frustration to complete a game on time is not in any sense similar to smashing and bashing heads in Skyrim or smashing into cars in Forza.

But, if one disagrees, highlights the pleasure and satisfaction that comes with the completion of a game, of a creation of work(art), then it becomes in our time period very important to understand just how you're going to make a living making games.

Step 1: If you're not making games, start making games.
What does this imply? Do painters, writers, musicians, singers, and athletes perform at their best if they aren't doing the thing it is that they do? Making the claim of being a writer means nothing if you don't consistently write. The same goes for making games.

Step 2: Connections & Networking
You may not know it, but so much of the production and design of games relies on cooperation between a very large team. The artists and animators do not live in a separate building and do as they please; they communicate with the designers, to make sure they're following the design document, they communicate with the programmers, to make sure they are creating within the realms of possibility, and they are communicating with each other, so that they're all creating the same thing, with the same feeling, and the same soul. If you don't have communicative skills, you need to acquire some. Can you go introduce yourself to a stranger without your hands shaking? If not, my strongest recommendation is to go get a serving job, or something in the service industry, where you are interacting with customers on a daily people. The way to get good at communicating with people is, shockingly similar to the philosophy behind getting good at games, communicating with people. Investigate local video game communities near you. The IGDA (International Game Design Association) is a national organization within the United States with branches in nearly all major cities.

The fifth instalment of Metal Gear Solid being received with huge praise, take a look over the series and how sexuality, and particularly queer masculinity, has influenced the action. Metal Gear Solid has often, somewhat surprisingly, included queer masculinity, from Vamp in the second instalment to the Extra Ops incident between Snake and Kaz in IV. Explore the place of this, and what it brings to the overarching story and characters.

If you ever played an online game, whether it was a platform based shooter like Call of Duty or Halo, to popular MOBA games like League of Legends or DOTA 2, you most likely have come across a "toxic" player. While the general definition can vary from person to person, but the general consensus is that it's an incredibly rude person who will most likely use inflammatory language, otherwise known as the "I f'ed your mom" guy.

Why do people act like this? This stems from internet anonymity. The idea of cyber bullying and the mysterious veil the internet provides. While this is an issue all of its own, it is worth talking about in the context of gaming.

While not always the case, run of the mill cyber bullying is a premeditated action, adding the element of gaming can enhance this. In competitive gaming, adding the adrenaline can make even the most mild mannered person can succumb to creative (or lack thereof) name calling. I consider myself a laid back person/gamer, but every now and then if I'm playing League of Legends I find myself saying in real life, or rarely in the in game chat, things that I wouldn't normally say, and I can get away with it because it's such a fleeting moment without any real punishment.

This topic can explore anecdotal evidence, psychological analysis of why things like this happen, or even if it's really a problem in the gaming world at all, and it's just some friendly and competitive smack talk and that people are just too sensitive.