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Welcome to our class website! Our class is collaboratively researching public opinion about video-games. In particular, we are studying how games are designed to appeal to different cultures and how people from different cultures are able to join together in a video-game. We are very interested in all types of opinions, whether you are a gamer, a game designer, an academic or anyone interested in gaming! Please look through our website and take advantage of our interesting articles and public forums. We appreciate your involvement!  

Player Biography

Meeting a friend in Dungeons and Dragons Online helped me understand gaming as a global and transnational phenomenon; in particular, my online friend discussed the ways by which video games and role–playing can be simulated into everyday life of any culture. My interview with Conner revealed that, according to him, culture and nationality do not matter in the game world; only the shared devotion for the game is needed for people to communicate with each other.

I would like to preface this paper by stating that I endured some pretty mean comments before I found a gamer who was willing to accept that I am a level 1 player whose knowledge about Dungeons and Dragons, and video-games in general is very limited. I attempted to find a friend by posting comments in the general chat log; initially this was very unsuccessful. Players made fun of me and even went so far as to say “you should just kill yourself.”  I do realize the game world may have rejected me because I seemed like an imposter; however, I was shocked by some of the comments that were made. Fortunately, I met Conner who was very interested in the class and even consoled me after I told him what other gamers said to me. I really enjoyed talking with Conner and hopefully I will be able to relay his message successfully and accurately.

Conner claims Ireland as his home, but he has also lived in Canada and the United States. Conner graduated high-school at the age of 16 and is currently working on his second major at the University of Texas. He is 21 and works part time as an errata coordinator for a game design company. Specifically, he checks rule explanations in rulebooks for the games that his company creates. He also has the tedious task of reading and validating letters of complaints about errors in the game rulebooks.  

Conner explained that he has always been surrounded by technology because his parents work for Microsoft; therefore, videogames seemed “natural” to him. He explained that he initially played videogames because he did not know how to make friends; however, he gradually “learned how to socialize” and he now loves to play soccer and drink with his friends.

While at UT he has joined a fraternity and described how this experience has helped him learn a different lifestyle feel more comfortable around large groups of people. He told me that his online friends have said that they do not recognize him anymore; they give him a hard time for joining a fraternity in which “casual gamming” is prevalent. Conner once used video-games as his only means of entertainment; however, he has gradually become more social and enjoys being around people.

Social and Cultural Context

The history of Ireland is rich with political strife and civil war. The Irish struggled for hundreds of years for civic and religious freedom that resulted in mass bloodshed. Discussing Ireland’s political, religious, and cultural history illustrates how the government tried to suppress people for years. Fortunately, the historical controlling Irish government did not spill over into the gaming industry. In particular, Conner was not very talkative during this portion of the interview; he did not have much to say about regulation and politics in Ireland or in Canada. Conner explained that the rating system used in Europe is more defined than the ESRB ratings in America. He said the age ratings are probably about the same, but the United States uses terms such as “Everyone and Everyone 10+.”

Conner continued by telling me that Ireland tries to stay out of censorship and bans in the media as much as possible. He told me that censorship and banning were not very prevalent in Ireland. Conner did not provide an official organization that conducts gaming regulation. I conducted my own research and found that the Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) is similar to the U.S.’s methods of regulation. In particular, the IFCO ensures the protection of children from harm such as obscenity. Also, the IFCO preserves freedom of expression while also upholding Irish community standards[1] Conner provided one example in which the IFCO intervened in the gaming industry; in 2007 Manhunt 2 was the first video-game that was banned by the IFCO. The game was banned due to gross images of brutality that included torture.[2] Conner’s disinterest to discussing the political and social context of Ireland may be due to the fact that indeed Ireland does not have any major political or social problems to discuss, at least pertaining to the gaming industry.

Political Economy and Cultural Dimensions of the Gaming Landscape

Our discussions in class led me to believe that the cultural dimension of the gaming industry would prove to be different in various countries. I assumed that cultural values, norms, and behaviors would shape each country’s gaming industry in varying ways. However, Conner disagreed with this notion; he simply stated, “A gamer is a gamer. We are nerds everywhere. We are stigmatized everywhere. We are our own culture because we are able to relate to anyone through games.” Although Conner believed that gamers are stigmatized against in every country, he believed that Irish gamers are more socially accosted than American gamers. He believed this was because Ireland has a smaller population than the United States and accordingly has a smaller gaming population than the United States. Thus, gamers are less prevalent in Ireland and are therefore more stigmatized.

Conner explained that gamers from all over the world will talk aggressively, as they did to me, because there aren’t any immediate, threatening repercussions for their words. This being said, Conner said that his Irish friends tended to “shit talk” more than his American friends. He explained that this may be a product of the Irish culture or simply that his Irish friends are more devoted to gaming while most of his American friends are casual-gamers.

Conner’s illustration of Ireland’s gaming landscape has so thus shown to be very comparable to the United States; even Conner’s description of video game stores sounded very similar to America.  In particular, videogames are usually bought from chain stores just as in America, but he also explained that video boutique stores were popular. Overall, Conner’s description of the Irish gaming landscape seems very similar to America only showing a slight deviation in the gaming stigma.

Motivations for Gaming

After talking with Conner for a long duration of time, I thought he would feel comfortable enough to tell me an honest reason why he began playing videogames and what motivated him to start playing Dungeons and Dragons Online. I proved myself right; Conner surprised me with his honesty and blunt answers. He simply stated “I started playing videogames because I didn’t have any friends and I didn’t know how to make friends. I used video games for escapism.” Escapism is a means to a psychological form of entertainment that is used to escape an undesirable lifestyle. Research has shown that people with introverted personalities are more likely to be motivated to use videogames for escapism than for such motivations as discovery and teamwork.[3]

According to Conner, videogames and computer-games were a natural alternative to friends because he grew up surrounded by technology. Conner started playing Dungeons and Dragons because he randomly picked up a book in a bookstore and was immediately enthralled in the material. He then found one person who was also interested in Dungeons and Dragons and the two of them found a group of seven people to play every week. He described a few memories about Dungeons and Dragons role-play and referred to this as “the most embarrassing period of my life.” Conner started played Dungeons and Dragons online to reminisce his role-playing days. He wanted to try out the online version but admitted that he very rarely because he finds the game very easy and uninteresting since he knows all of the rules.

Conner now uses games as a social pastime to meet up with friends and also as a discussion point to talk about with friends. He declared that he no longer relies on videogames as his sole form of people interaction. Conner currently refers to himself as a “casual gamer.” I asked him how he defined a “casual gamer.” According to him, he and his friends consider anyone who doesn’t consistently play games on a regular basis is a casual gamer. He told me that he especially considers himself a casual gamer when he compares himself to some of his gaming friends. In particular, he told me about a friend whose weekend highlight usually involves an accomplishment in World of Warcraft. It should be noted that Conner did not describe this friend in a derogatory manner; rather he was simply illustrating how gamers can become consumed in playing video-games.

Conner was once a person whose life revolved around videogames and relied on these games to provide social connections. Today, Conner is no longer motivated to play videogames for escapism purposes; instead, he uses videogames to keep in touch with friends and to occasionally have fun.  

Perspectives on Transnational Play

Transnational play entails people with different cultural norms and expectations to find a way to unite these behaviors for the common purpose of videogames. Isbister suggests that culture has the power to affect an individual’s perception of other players. Also, Isbister claims that players unconsciously apply cultural values to their character. As a result, this unconscious application guides a player to act according to their cultural norms within the game world.[4]

Conner was very open in sharing his perspective on transnational play; he began by bluntly stating, “I do stereotype.” He told me that he automatically stereotypes in the game world because his playing experience has led him to unavoidably create a prototype of players from different countries. More specifically, he is able to figure out a player’s nationality based on the type of character they chose to play. Is this a prime example of Isbister’s claims? I think so! For example, he explained that Americans tend to choose a Ranger, who is able to play on their own, more than people from other countries Conner also explained that most competent gamers are able to recognize Russian gamers. He told me that Russians are stigmatized against because they are usually drunk and tend to go “batshit crazy” and kill everything possible. Conner went on to explain that Russians usually stick with each other which only heightens their killing sprees. Also, Conner said that he always thought Icelanders complained a lot in the game world. This assumption was only enhanced when he started working as the errata coordinator; in particular, most of the complaint letters he receives are written by Icelanders. Conner attributes his stereotypical descriptions of players based on his experience playing videogames.

Conner moved the conversation away from criticizing different cultures to telling me about his gamer friends. He has played with an online group of seven people for five years. He has met each of these players in real life and considers these people as some of his best friends. He has flown to several different countries to meet his friends, including Sweden and Denmark.

Conner mentioned Gen Con[5] several times in reference to meeting gamers from all around the world. He explained that this is an arena in which different cultures and different types of people can engage in one common activity, gaming. Conventions such as Gen Con provide opportunities for gamers to collaborate and share ideas and gaming experiences. Conner told me that there are hundreds of gaming conferences held around the globe that are usually open to the public world. Conner’s explanations illustrated that gaming truly is an outlet for the joining of various cultures.

This article discusses how collaborative knowledge enhances and changes the experience of collaborative research. A collaborative research project is described as a system in which researchers perform various forms of interactions with each other, their materials, and their participants. Collaborative research generates new knowledge and provides exposure to new skills and expertise.

The authors explain that collaborative interactions inevitably change the system of research. For example, different skills are brought to the team which change the method of research. Researchers are able to provide expertise and knowledge to one another that will add to the collaborative knowledge. Collaborative research can create an adjustment to research “routines and interactions.” Also, experienced researchers can also bring reflective knowledge about collaborative research itself. In effect, working together with different types of people allows for a collaborative experience of knowledge and research methods.

Collaborative research comes with certain precautions. For example, particular communication can offend research partners. This has the potential to “undermine” the collaborative goal of the project. Therefore, individuals involved in collaborative research should practice care while working with partners.

What are the differences between Free Realms and Dungeons and Dragons online? Where do I even begin? Well besides the fact that they are obviously intended for different demographics and the content is completely different I would like to point out that I enjoyed playing Free Realms more than Dungeons and Dragons. Does this make me seem kind of ‘dorky’ in the game world? Probably, but I prefer the game design of Free Realms more than DDO. This may be due to the fact that I am not an experienced video-game player, and Free Realms has proved to me that apparently my level of skill is comparable to that of a ten year old child.

Free Realms does not require any considerable knowledge or skills to get through the game. In comparison, DDO frustrates me because I forget to pay attention to the fact that I may not have enough strength to use my Magic Missiles and this usually leads to my demise. Also, successfully playing DDO involves using both hands at the same time to fight in quests. Well, I have very little exposure to events that necessitate the use of both of my hands while watching 5 different ‘bad guys’ try to kill me with arrows, spells etc.

Furthermore, I enjoy Free Realm’s game dynamics more than DDO’s. Free Realms is based on the spatial reasoning dynamic while DDO consists of Survival, Collection, and Destruction. DDO does sound more interesting in terms of objectives; however, I personally don’t feel gratified when I kill 3 metal dogs while holding of a mini dragon of some sorts. When I win a mind game in Free Realms I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride, even if it is meant for a 10 year old.  So Free Realms and DDO appeal to two different demographics in terms of graphics, goals, and content, but it also appeals to different uses and gratifications that are being sought. More specifically, the games function to link different needs of consumers to how the will use the game.

So I have noticed that there is a great deal of cheating in the video-game world. I thought cheating maintained a negative connotation that the gamer isn’t a good enough player to finish the game; however, based on a previous class discussion, it seems I was wrong. Gamers in the class proclaimed that they looked up cheat codes to help them move forward in games. Gamers don’t seem to think cheating is unethical or wrong; instead they describe it as extra help.

Why couldn’t I use this justification in upper level calculus class? “It’s not cheating Ms. Harmon. My code of formulas that I’m using during the test is only extra help so I can get the best grade.”

I talked with some of my friends who are gamers and they explained to me several different reasons why they use cheat codes in video games. One person explained that they spent money on the video game and everyone gets stuck. Most people wouldn’t be able to finish the game without help and then people would just waste their money. Hmm…. My parents spend thousands of dollars on each Trinity class I take… but I’m not allowed to use cheat codes whenever I get stuck (and this happens frequently).

After listening to the various justifications for cheating, I am still left with a list of questions that I am determined to answer:

                How did cheating in video-games start, and then become socially acceptable?

                How are gamers able to separate the different connotations of cheating from the game world and the real world?

                Why don’t the game makers just re-design the games to allow play without the need for    cheating?

In class discussion yesterday it was made obvious that gamers are strongly against gold farming. However, in previous class discussions people have talked about buying weapons and powers ect. This allows gamers to pay in order to skip the effort that needs to be put in order to move to next level or earn the best weapons and powers. So from an outside perspective I think gamers are hypocritical. Gamers don’t like gold farming yet people still buy products? I’m confused.

Gold farming is a way to exploit the gaming system for a profit. Blizzard tries to place bans on this practice, but in the end people want gold, so others are willing to do their work and Blizzard is reluctantly allowing this to happen in order to make money. The industry can’t get rid of this because it is producing hundreds of millions of dollars for companies such as Blizzard. The day that players start getting banned for buying gold is the day that the industry decides to stop making money. So in the end gamers and the industry as a whole actually justify gold farming by voluntarily buying products.

1. OVERVIEW

Civilization’s Destiny is a 3D role-playing video game set in a fictional ancient world that follows the tales of Greek mythology. Players choose a god character that determines the powers and weapons they are bestowed. The player followed adventures and missions that pertain to their chosen god character. Civilization’s Destiny is unlike other established video-games that are based on mythology. In particular, each character leads the player to completely different adventures and contains different goals.  Civilization’s Destiny is formatted to be played on the Wii software so that the game simulates the world to provide a feeling of realism and creative action play. Civilization’s Destiny not only provides a learning experience of Greek mythology, but it also employs interactive technology that provides an unbelievably detailed game world that allows for an unprecedented level of freedom to choose different adventures. Civilization’s Destiny is a role-playing game that follows the adventures of a god who takes on action-packed adventures in order to save civilization.

2. AUDIENCE ANALYSIS

a. TARGET MARKET

Due to the mature content, themes and violence, Civilization’s Destiny is designed for mature audiences only, players ages 15+. The game is intended to have a similar appeal to gamers who enjoy games such as God of War and Grand Theft Auto. The tasks are designed to be gruesome battle scenes that depict intense blood and deaths. However, the game depicts violence that is less nauseating than scenes found in God of War. [1]

Also, the design of the game is not easy to follow; rather, the player must make his own decisions in taking the next step. The game is simulated to exhibit qualities of decision making games that evolve the game. Civilization’s Destiny is designed for video-gamers who get bored with the same video world that contains repetitive adventures and combat.

Although there is a rapid growth in online multiplayer games, Civilization’s Destiny will not fit into this category. The game design will only support up to two players; anymore and the balance of the game would be destroyed by confusion. Also, Civilization’s Destiny does not want to leave out gamers who do not have access to the Internet. Similarly, gamers’ comments have shown that they would not enjoy playing the similar game, God of Wars, if it were multiplayer.[2]

b. REQUIRED ENTRY BEHAVIORS

Civilization’s Destiny is a new form of game that requires the player to physically engage in on-screen combat rather than with the conventional moving of thumbs and fingers on a joystick. Civilization’s Destiny  is designed to be played only on with the Wii Nintendo Console. Civilization’s Destiny promotes physical agility during game play. In order to fully experience the game, the player must be able to visually perceive the entire screen, listen for game events and signals, and physically react in demanding situations; these physical actions include, but are not limited to, hitting, swinging, jumping, and running and squatting.  Therefore, this game is intended for gamers who are able, and gamers who enjoy physically interacting with the game in order to feel a heightened sense of realistic experience.

Actions involved during play are not particularly embarrassing; however, the gamer should allot enough space as to physically engage in the game without harming other people or objects. Civilization’s Destiny does allow for a two-player level in which the gamer should have two Wii Remotes; a second balance board is an optional addition that can enhance both players’ intensity of play.

Civilization’s Destiny unfolds to display complicated combat scenes in which the player must be able to anticipate the enemy’s move. Such behavior requires a gamer who has experience in action games. Also, the gamer must enjoy the freedom to decide which combats to partake in. Gamers who have experience in action-adventure will be able to apply their experience in this game; however, because this game requires physical interaction, these gamers will not necessarily have a significant advantage over players who are not experienced in this particular genre.

3. GAME DESIGN

a. TOP LEVEL ISSUES

            TITLE

The game is called Civilization’s Destiny for two reasons. First, destiny is a theme that resonates throughout Greek mythology. As it pertains to this game, it is up to the gamer to decide the destiny of the civilization. Will the gamer be able to save the home state from a dragon that is terrorizing civilians? Civilization’s destiny is in the hands of the gamer.

            HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

Wii will enhance the gaming experience by providing gamers a set of tools that allow them to reach new standards in realisms and interactivity. The Nintendo Wii console allows a player to use a cordless Wii Remote that the player moves to emulate the actions in the game.  The game allows for players to win with the sole use of the Wii Remote; however, additional input devices will enhance the experience of the game. For example, the balance board will allow for players to squat behind rocks and other objects to defend themselves against attacking enemies. This allows the player to actually embody their character. In addition, a sword input device will also allow the player to feel as if they are actually fighting off the enemy.  

            GAME GENRE

The design of Civilization’s Destiny straddles three genres in order to merge different types of gamer targets. In particular, Civilization’s Destiny combines role-playing with adventures that are action packed. Missions are won with a tactical, decision based strategy Civilization’s Destiny in essence is a role-playing game because the player assumes the life of a Greek god or goddess and the story unravels following the designated character. The game follows the adventures that pertain to that particular god or goddess and revolve around combat in which the character will chase and evade enemies.

            GAME RATING

Unlike God of War, Civilization’s Destiny will not contain explicit sexual situations, naked bodies and extreme violence.[3] Civilization’s Destiny will be more suited for people who enjoy partaking in less gruesome action. However, this is not to say that the content leaves out slicing, shooting, or other methods of killing. Also, it should be remembered that this game is intended for the Wii Nintendo Console in which the player will be actively moving to make killing motion.[4] Also, the game will contain mild sexual content in order to attract to the targeted audience.[5] Because of the described content, the game will be rated for Mature Audiences, ages 15+.

b. GAME MECHANICS

            CORE GAME PLAY ACTIVITIES

The game will be played from the perspective of a god or goddess that travels the ancient land of Greece. Civilization’s Destiny will take place in a mythical land covered in greenery, rendering hills, and next to a large body of water. Humans, gods, and mythical creatures inhabit Greece and interact with the gamer’s character. The core activity of the game will involve actions that are involved with battle.  

The character’s behavior and actions will be defined by the conventions defined by the character. Depending on the gamer’s choice of character, key interactions will vary. Each god and goddess possesses different powers and weapons based on their mythological stories; these characteristics define the activities in which the gamer will partake in. For example, Athena will only fight to defend her home state from enemies by using reason and intelligent to outsmart the enemies while Apollo will carry a bow and arrow and actively seek out enemies to slay them. Also, the gamer’s adventures will follow the mythological tales that their character is based on. For example, the Apollo character will slay the dragon Python[6], fight against the giant Tityos[7], and battle in the Trojan War[8].   

 Although characters will have different approaches to fight, the core gaming activities will predominantly consist of the following characteristics:

• Offensive moves will include swinging a weapon of some form, shooting a bow and arrow, or punching the enemy.
• Defensive moves will include hiding behind objects and dodging attacks. 

            CORE GAME PLAY DYNAMICS

One common criticism of games is that they are too repetitive.  Civilization’s Destiny is created with a unique play action more akin to creative adventure rather than repetitive fighting. For example, the player’s world revolves around accurate Greek myths that pertain to their god character. Each combat is well-conceived to open up a variety of strategic approaches that follow the chasing and evading dynamic with the ultimate goal of survival.[9]  For example, the character has the option to outwit the enemy with a variety of methods to lead the enemy to its own demise or utilize the weapon to actively slaughter the enemy. Chasing and evading, is satisfying on its own, but each level and adventure will require different strategies and varying weapons that will expand the activities of the game.

            USER INTERFACE

Civilization’s Destiny fuses videogame play with exercise and shows the potential to increase physical activity and health in gamers. This game encourages the player to perform different moves that can be likened to a martial arts form of exercise. In particular, the game promotes the gamer to perform acts of swinging and punching arms, squatting, jumping, and running in place. 

Not all of the enemies’ moves and spells can be blocked; therefore, the game design will allow the character to dodge and hide from the enemy. In order to effectively and accurately move away from the enemy, the gamer must move quickly and strategically. In doing so, the gamer will be compelled to jump, squat, and lean on the balance board. Also, running in place can propel the character to extreme speed.  

The interactive play will be limited to those that are actually physically able to swing the Wii Remote and move on the balance board. The game will only playable on the Wii Nintendo console; the game is not engineered to be played using the traditional joystick. Civilization’s Destiny is designed to involve the player as much as possible in the fantastical game world; players will be forced to use innovative Wii tools in order to partake in the game. However, the gamer is not required to play with a balance board; the balance board is only used to enhance the player’s ability to feel part of the world. As stated previously in the document, the game will only support two players. The players will play simultaneously as a team to defeat the enemy.  

c. OTHER DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

            GRAPHIC INSPIRATIONS AND ARTISTIC STYLE

Realistic, informational graphics and scenic displays are combined with the gameplay in several ways to produce a particular effect on the gaming experience. The player is able to interact with the details of the game world, including weapons, natural objects. Therefore, the graphics will be very detailed and equivalent to real-life. This means the fight scenes will include blood and gory detail. It will be necessary for every scene to have its appropriate detail in order to heighten the player’s experience.

The graphic art will provide dramatic characters that will allow the gamer to symbolically embody a particular archetype from a fantastical culture. In order to achieve this feeling, the graphics will be 3 dimensional in which the character can move just like walking in real life. This particular art will give the gamer freedom to experience actions and possibilities to which real-life does not normally provide the opportunity. These forces and possibilities exist only within this world and thus details should give the gamer the most realistic experience possible. 

                        SOUND EFFECTS/MUSIC

The combination of imagery, sound and real-life interaction make it possible for the gamer to experience the world that is displayed on the screen. Sound will be just as significant to the gaming experience as the graphics. Because of the mythical nature of the game, narration will play an important role in guiding the gamer through the game. A narrator’s voice will provide the back-story that will explain the purpose of different action sequences. There will be an option to turn off the narration and use subtitles instead.

Special effect sounds will be specific to the mature action-adventure genre of the game. During fight scenes, slicing, hitting, shooting and other actions performed during combat will have audible sound effects. Mythical sound effects will include sounds pertaining to healing powers and supernatural swiftness of the god character. Other sound effects will include, panting while running, the swift air from the shot of a bow and arrow or swing of a weapon, cries of pain, and an eerie breeze while waiting for the enemy to appear.

The game will feature an intense genre of music that will set the forceful, fighting mood of the game. Civilization’s Destiny will blend different types of music that will transition smoothly from challenging, tense battle music to celebratory or defeated music, to relaxing music while moving between adventures. 

4. CONCLUSION

The game is not about on particular feature ie. sound, graphics, or fighting; rather,  Civilization’s Destiny is about creating a game that is realistic in which players are allowed the freedom to make their own decisions and engross themselves in the actions that are taking place onscreen.  The game is a stunning action-adventure game that contains graphic violence, but not brutality gruesome, a new form of interactive gameplay and dramatic scenery of Greece. The real-life play is an inventive achievement for role-playing, action-adventure games. Character renderings are artistically achieved with personal weapons and powers. Violence is captured in an entertaining manner that does not take away from the goal of the game. The gameplay follows a simple ‘beat the enemy’ dynamic, but is layered in an amusing structure that unfolds as the character progresses through the extremely well-engineered storyline. Civilization’s Destiny provides an abundance of characters to choose from, each of which divulge in different storylines, adventures, and missions. This game is for those who enjoy lengthy, challenging games that are composed with great creativity and intense action scenes that are not overwhelmingly gory.

Last Tuesday was my first day to play an online video game. At first I was very skeptical; I was worried I was going to completely embarrass myself and my sister's pessimism didn't help my nervousness. At first I thought the game was very boring - the age range was for 10 year olds. All I could figure out to do was roam around the land and read other character's conversations. Then I realized my classmates were gaining special powers and finding fun adventures to complete. My skepticism about this game slowly turned in to a way to befriend my classmates. Although I'm sure they were initially laughing at my complete lack of video game knowledge, they were prompt to help and teach me tricks. I never knew that a video game could be a way for me to make friends in class. This video game world will be very interesting to dive into and make new friends online.