Game Design Advancements: Good or Bad?
The chapter that I choose from Heller’s book was on Game Design. From personal experience, I know that a lot of students in college play video games. Some people cannot go through one day without being involved in one. I myself have recently partaken in a game called Paper Mario in which I played on the Wii. Video games these days have become more developed than ever before. It is hard to say what they will come up with next seeing how advanced our gaming systems already are. Take the Wii for example, an interactive game counsel that encourages movement and interactive play. These systems always seem to be advancing to a new way. The question is who is behind all of these innovative designs? What does it take to become a game designer?
In the book “Becoming A Digital Designer,” Heller addresses the rise of the gaming industry. The game industry is so popular that is moving past the motion picture industry when regarding revenue says Heller. This leads to the assumption that people are jumping for the opportunity to become game designers and to partake in this advancement. The only problem with this is, not everyone can become a game designer (of course). In order to be a good game designer, one has to know exactly how to keep someone interested in playing the game. You need to know what kind of characters will keep someone interested in playing the games (Is this why there are so many games based off of well-known movies?). “If you can create a game that keeps a group of eight-year-olds actively engaged for half an hour, not only will you have done their parents a big favor, you may have just discovered a career.” Not only is there some comedy in the statement “keeping kids busy”, but there is some truth here too. The idea of a person becoming a game designer is hard because of the difficulty of keeping young kids entertained for more than fifteen minutes.
The gaming industry today is something quite interesting to look at. It has become something that a lot of people are involved in. In the beginning, it used to be a way to occupy kids and keep them busy for a while. Now, it seems that everyone is getting together as a group to play. It has become more of a social event and encourages ranges of ages to come together and play. I have a cousin who is about 40 and he gets together with other family members as well as friends to play. The people who play with him range from around 9 to 45 years old. This is definitely a wide range of people playing together (the sad part is his 9 year old son can beat him in the game). What is also interesting is how it connects to all of the people outside of the realm of one’s home. In the beginning of the gaming industry, one could only play against a computer and its environments. Now there are ways to set the game up over the internet and play with people all around the world.
One downfall about the advancement of the gaming industry is how costly it has become. People have to invest tons of money in order to purchase the required equipment as well as any games they would like to play. The way the new systems like the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 are, in order to get the smaller system you have to spend at least 400 dollars and it only includes a controller and a lousy game to start with. Granted, I don’t know much about the gaming systems and what is included in each, but when you have to spend the 400 and then 50 to 60 dollars for each GOOD game after that, it can get a little costly. I enjoy paying video games as much as any other person, but when you add everything together it seems a little ridiculous. What happened to the old games where you did not have to spend a ridiculous amount of money to buy one. Yes, they are not as interactive with society as they are now, but I am sure the games that are out now can be reduced a bit. What about all the rest of the people that cannot afford spending 700 dollars to be entertained? And what happens when a new system comes out? We have to pay another 400 dollars for the new one?
Dear Tiffany, You seem to like talking about video games very much. The Wii is very fun and extremely interactive, at least comparatively when concerning gaming systems. I think that the design of these systems and games is in depth to such a great ammount that, personally, I feel paying several hundred dollars is justified. It is justified to me because I enjoy them but most systems available today offer much more than just a gamning system. For example, the Sony PS3 can be utilized as a Blueray, DVD, HDDVD and CD player as well as a console that can play old format games from its previous models. The sysetm offers a ton of options, yes for a price of course, but worth it.
I definately agree with you when you talk about how the technology for game systems is just getting more and more advanced. When you look back to the first system and compare it to something like the Wii is just crazy how far they have come along. With the systems impriving this also means that the games are too. I think that it takes more than people may think to create a good game, one that can keep people interested in for more that 15 minutes and want to keep on playing it.
Tiffany, I like that you mention the Wii as a more interactive gaming system. Not only is the Wii getting the younger generation off of the couch, but it is also getting the elderly generation up and moving. I have seen assisted living facilities that have adopted the Wii as a fun interactive way for the residents to practice range of motion. The elderly residents in assisted living have also been effected by the social benefits that the Wii provides. For example, a group can get together and create a bowling league – it is a good social activity for the elderly and picking up a controller is a hell of a lot easier than picking up a bowling ball!
Tiffany I found this interesting because when I was in high school one reason I began doing design, animation, and the like was because I wanted to make video games. It is a huge field anymore because of how much man power is required to create a game (it has gotten to the point where some developers don’t actually like making games for the new consoles). Thus the price increases and and larger range of access people have with one another.
I liked how you mentioned games ability to cross so many social groups because age is one of the more interesting ones. The other is the cultural bridges it can cross. Koreans play Starcraft so much it has become an unofficial national sport. Germans and other Europeans are all over first person shooters it is impressive and this all allows communication between these cultures in subtle ways that creates an international subculture.
Tiffany, I am right with you in your views about the gaming industry. That industry has become so big, that I would go as far to say that it is beginning to rival the movie industry. The Nintendo Wii is the front-runner in a new game revolution currently happening. Now, people of all ages, from toddlers to the elderly can enjoy playing a video game. The types of games for the Wii usually involve traditional past-times, such as playing baseball or bowling.
Talking about video games in general, I really think they have more to offer than many have given them credit for. I grew up playing video games frequently, and I truely believe that they contributed a big deal to my creativity and creative process, which I frequently apply to my Graphic Design now. The cost of games now are absolutely rediculous, and I really think it’s a shame they have jacked up prices so much, because it really is cheating many people out of this creative platform. I can only hope that the industry will catch on in the coming years and begin to make their products more affordable. I think they will see higher sales in their systems and games if they do that as well.
I, too, agree that the Wii has launched a new form of video gaming for not only the younger generation, but those of us who grew up with video games. Along with the Wii, such games as rock band also a collaborative and social atmosphere to video gaming.
The price, which you also mention, seems to be a problem with many of these games. Personally, I would never drop that much money on game systems and games that go with it, just for them to be outdated in a few years.