Assignment #3: Examining the Narrative in Games

Assigned: Monday, Sept. 23
Due: Wednesday, Oct. 2

Contents:

Overview

Topic: Play a story-based game or a free-to-play game, review it, and answer questions relevant to that type of game.
Related Reading: Levels 3 and 5 (S. Rogers), Chapter 4 (T. Sylvester), or Chapter 5 (J. Novak), Vogler's "Hero's Journey", and class discussion

Your Task - Play and Review a Game (25 points)

Your task for this homework is to review a computer/video game, write a review of it, and answer some questions related to that type of game. You have a choice on which type of game you wish to play and review:

These two options are discussed below.

  1. Option A - Review a Story-based game:

    1. Play the Game

      First, select a computer/video game that has a strong storyline, such as a game from the Action-Adventure, RPG (Role-Playing Game), or Adventure genre (some Shooters have strong storylines too). This game may be a game that you have played before, but you still need to spend some time playing it to refresh your memory and better analyze it. I will also expect more detail in your assessment of the game and storyline if you've played the game before.

      Then, play the game. Please play the game for about 3 hours to ensure you gain a good understanding of the game. While playing the game, pay close attention to the various aspects of the storyline and characters in the game, including the synopsis, setting, backstory, primary characters, etc.

    2. Write a Game Review   (9 points)

      Write your own review of the game (as you might see, for example, on a PC Gamer, Gamespot, or other similar game review venue).

      Some possible points to consider/discuss:
      • On a 10-point scale (10 being highest), what score would you give the game?
      • Discuss both the merits and shortcomings of the games.
      • How does the game work? What are the goals of the game? What types of gameplay challenges are used?
      • What aspects of the game do you feel made the game exciting, interesting, or noteworthy?
      • What aspects of the game were not successful in your opinion?
      • Were there any parts/periods during your gameplay that were especially enjoyable or exciting?
      • How about any parts/periods that were particularly boring or frustrating?
      • Did you feel you achieved any degree of immersion while playing this game?

    3. History of the Game   (5 points)

      Try to find out as much information as possible about the history of the game.
            Note: Some of these issues may have been discussed in your review, so you don't need to repeat that information here.

      For example, some types of questions to consider include:

        Pre-Release History:

          What year was the game released? What company (or companies) created the game? Had the company done earlier games in this genre? Who developed the game concept or was the lead designer? What other notable games has that company and/or designer developed? How long did it take to design/develop the game? For what platform(s) was the game released? etc.

        Post-Release History:

          Was the game well-received by the gaming market? What ratings did the critics give it? What ratings did gamers give it? Approximately how many copies were sold? Did the game have any expansions? When were they released? Was the game ever re-released in some other form (e.g. as part of a collection, in a gold edition, in a limited collector's edition, etc.)?

    4. Aspects of the Storyline and Characters   (11 points)

      Answer the following questions:

      1. (2 points)   Give a Synopsis of the progression of the storyline, as it unfolded in the time you were playing.
      2. (1 point)   See if you can find a Premise for the game. If so, please quote it here.
      3. (2 points)   Describe the Backstory and Setting for the game.
      4. (2 points)   Who were some of the main characters in the game, and how do they fit in with the typical Jungian character archetypes discussed in class?
      5. (2 points)   Were there any good examples of Balancing Conflict and/or Shifting Focus in the game during your play time? Please describe.
      6. (2 points)   Were that any parts/periods during your gameplay that were especially enjoyable or exciting? Did you feel you achieved any degree of immersion while playing this game?

  2. Option B - Review a Free-to-Play game:

    Note: For this option, you must choose a game you have not played before

    Over the last decade or so, there has been a growing new video game market, called "free-to-play" -- or "F2P" -- games; I've taken to calling them "free-to-play, pay-to-win" games. The premise behind these games is that they allow they allow the player to play the game for free, but they place limits on the game's playability (e.g. limit play time, resources, units, etc.) that the player can only circumvent by paying money to overcome these limitations. In essence, these games attempt to draw the player in first, and then encourage the player to spend money to for the enhanced features. Frequently, these enhanced features are necessary to become a competitive player in player-vs-player situations.

    These games first started appearing for PC computers, but eventually expanded to browser-based games (e.g. Facebook games), and most recently to the mobile platform (iPhone, Android, tablets, etc.). The "free-to-play" games have experienced the greatest success on the mobile platforms, and hence have become a growing market there.

    The purpose of this homework is both to increase your understanding of this newer gaming market trend, and to give you some practice analyzing the quality and playability of video games. As such, your task is to play a "free-to-play" video game, write a review discussing the quality of the game, and answer some discussion questions regarding aspects of this newer game market.

    Mobile (iPhone/Android) games: these games are obviously found via the 'App Store' or 'Play Store' apps, and both readily distinguish free vs. paid apps. So I'm just listing here some free mobile games that I (or my friends) have found reasonably enjoyable:

    • Deck Heroes
    • Dungeon Hunter 4
    • Heroes of Dragon Age
    • Township
    • Injustice
    • CSR Racing
    • Infinity Blade
    • Shadow Era
    • World of Tanks
    • Kingdom Age
    • Elder Scrolls: Blades
    • State of Survival: Zombie War

    Online and PC games:

    1. Play the Game

      First, select a "free-to-play" game that you haven't played before. Some examples and links are given above. Essentially, after selecting a free game, be sure that the game has some paid component that allows the player to purchase some form of "coin" (via PayPal or credit card) that the player can use to buy special units, more resources, more play time, etc. Note: Please play the game without spending any money on the game, thereby ensuring you get a solid feel for the limitations imposed by the free version.

      Then, play the game. Please play the game for about 3 hours to ensure you gain a good understanding of the game. While playing the game, pay close attention to the various aspects of the design of the game, including the story line, setting, primary characters, gameplay challenges, game mechanics, etc.

    2. Write a Game Review   (9 points)

      Write your own review of the game (as you might see, for example, on a PC Gamer, Gamespot, or other similar game review venue).

      Some possible points to consider/discuss:
      • On a 10-point scale (10 being highest), what score would you give the game?
      • Discuss both the merits and shortcomings of the games.
      • How does the game work? What are the goals of the game? What types of gameplay challenges are used?
      • What aspects of the game do you feel made the game exciting, interesting, or noteworthy?
      • What aspects of the game were not successful in your opinion?
      • Were there any parts/periods during your gameplay that were especially enjoyable or exciting?
      • How about any parts/periods that were particularly boring or frustrating?
      • Did you feel you achieved any degree of immersion while playing this game?

    3. Types of Gameplay Challenges   (8 points)

      Discuss the types of challenges that were used in the game. Some points to consider/discuss:

      • What types of gameplay challenges did the game use?
              For example: combat, puzzles, racing, gathering and/or searching for objects, questing and advancement, construction and resource management, exploration, chasing or escaping enemies, strategy, stealth, etc.
      • Did the game utilize player-vs-game (PvE), player-vs-player (PvP), or both?
      • Is there an explicit "win" condition? Or perhaps the game simply offers continuous advancement?
      • Was there a sufficient variety of gameplay challenges to keep the game from getting too repetitive?
      • Were there any good examples of Balancing Conflict and/or Shifting Focus in the game during your play time? Please describe.
      • Did you notice any indications of special events (which help keep players interested) ?

    4. Analyze "Play-to-Win" Model for this Game   (8 points)

      Answer the following questions:

      1. (2 points)   Describe how the pay model worked. What types of resources, abilities, enhancements, etc. could you purchase? Please be specific.
      2. (1 point)   On a 5-point scale (where 5 is very expensive), how reasonable were the prices for what was provided?
      3. (1 point)   On a 5-point scale (where 5 is most pushy), how strongly did the game encourage you to purchase things?
      4. (1 point)   Do you feel it would be necessary to spend money to become a strong/competitive player in this game?
      5. (3 points)   In contrast with the traditional, pay-up-front business model of major console and PC games (where you pay $30-$60 to buy game before ever trying it), how do you feel the "free-to-play, play-to-win" business model affects the design and quality of such games? Please give some discussion.