Animation, games and Interactivity - Studio 1 - Related Work Post Week 9

Week 9

Related Work Post.

As I have been working towards the creation of a walking simulator which uses sound, I have been researching about existing works in the industry. Here are some of the works which I have researched about in this week. Most of these are famous for the type of sound they have used:

I BATTLEFIELD (SERIES)

1. Battlefield was developed and released initially in the year 2002 by a Swedish company EA DICE. The publishing of this game was done by an American company called Electronic Arts. Multiple game versions have been released since 2002. This game is a first person shooter video game. It was initially released on Windows and OS X before being released on to other platforms. Early years saw the release only on computer based platforms. Later the game was also widely released on gaming consoles as well. Multiple versions of the game have been released on PS3, PS4, X360 and XONE. The versions of the game released for computers focus mainly on the online multiplayer module rather than robots or individual gameplay.

2. The Gameplay mostly takes place online and is played in large groups of people as a battle takes place in the game. As the experience of a player increases in the game, he can unlock special privileges such as special weapons and new levels. A person gets weapons in this game based on his role in the game.  A player may also receive awards such as pins, ribbons or a medal due to his outstanding performance. Killing each other with various weapons and by various ways is possible in this game. But, when one player kills the other with a knife, he gets a special privilege and a special reward. Right from the year 2002 to the year 2020, which is almost 2 decades, new iterations of this game have been released every year. Each part or version of the game is reportedly better than the previous one. The sound design of this game is also a popular attraction for many players. The sound design has been done in an outstanding manner. As the player progresses, the sounds start fading and the sounds which are nearby start becoming louder.

3. This work makes a major contribution to the field as it has been analysed and been praised by critics worldwide. The fan base of this game has been ever increasing since the year 2002. By 2012, this game was already played by as many as 50 million players worldwide! The sound design of this game is worth noticing and has been done really carefully.

II BIOSHOCK 2

1. Bioshock 2 was developed and published by 2K Marin and 2K Games respectively. This is a sequel to the game Bioshock originally released in the year 2007. Bioshock was initially released across limited platforms. It was later released on multiple platforms like Microsoft, OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by the year 2010.  

2. This game is played in first person perspective and is a shooter game. The player has to move through a city which is located under the sea. The player has to combat various obstacles and also gets many pro benefits to survive in the game in the form of plasmids and tonics. As the player moves and progresses in the game, he can collect money, ammunition, health percentages and can spend money later on to buy things through vending machines present in the city. Great sound design techniques have been used all along right from the start of the game to the end. Every action in the game also has a sound effect attached to it which supports the environment and provides realism.

3. The game makes in important contribution to the field as it is a good example of how sound design has been used. Also the game concept is very unique. It portrays a dying future city and also depicts characters and various other forms. Characters, together with sound and concept make up an important aspect of this game and its gameplay.

III THAT DRAGON, CANCER

1. This video game is a creation by Ryan and Amy Green along with Josh Larson. They have their independent team known as Numinous Games. This is an exploration game and can be played from both the first person perspective and third person perspective.

2. This is a really unique game as it is an autobiographical game of a couple’s experience of bringing up a child who was just one year old and was diagnosed with terminal cancer. This game is a point and click adventure game. Following their child’s death, the couple worked more towards developing the interactive piece and also made the player’s experience related to their own personal experience with their child’s life. This game has a very empathetic gameplay and an emotional storyline. The players play the role of the parents and play through a series of interactions in the game. There is also some narration involved in the gameplay by the child’s parents and family members. The game also allows the player to make certain choices in the gameplay when they are faced with some challenges. Audio has been beautifully used in this game which includes voice recordings and the game sounds too.

3. The game makes a contribution to the field as it evokes empathy and is a real life experience of a couple and their child. The game is also an important part as it combines narrative structure and user’s interactivity.