#058 GAD BA6: Game Studies Part 1

Starting on our contextual studies project for this unit, we were given a briefing lecture on the contextual studies project called Advances Game Studies and research. Good god, "advanced" game studies? You mean we weren't doing that all ready?!? Anyway, for this unit we need to look at the potential for games to be more can just games, or as Sharon put it "games to be a persuasive medium beyond mere entertainment".

So essentially, we need to research and pick apart the strategics that games deploy to hold the players focus and the set ups of how the player achieves or fails the goals on the game. We need to look at the game design, analysing how and if actions in the game are ethical as well as the ways in which games are represented within the media and the effect of this on different audiences.

From the presentation (which was uploaded to the VLE there are 7 main points, explained below.

Entertainment:
The action of providing or being provided with amusement of enjoyment.
Ethics:
The moral principles governing or influencing conduct. 

Social Responsibly:
The opportunity of being able to act independently and take decision without authorisation, relating to society and its organisation. 

Realism:
The representation in art or literature of things in a way that is true to real life.

Social Realism:
A movement in cinema which aimed to make political comment in relation to class and society.

Games that depart from the expected: Educational games:

• Educational games
• Games design to impact on health
• Games as a documentary
• Social and political games
• Games adapting existing mechanics for a new purpose
• Games as explorations of history

We were also told the true meaning of analyse, which I found pretty interesting so took note of it.:

Analyse; To separate something into its constituent parts; examine it methodically and in detail for the purposes of exploration and interpretation.

At the end of the lecture we were set an Easter project. Really? Are you f***ing kidding me? I've got 3 weeks to actually have a stressless holiday, which I could of done with considering what's happened of late, and I've got to do work? Writing work of all things, not even making a nice shiny 3D model. But anyway, the task was to look at 3 different games (L.A. Noire, Spore and Dear Esther) and analysis at 3 elements found within the games. These being Structural, Aesthetic and Contextual.