Creativity

“A creative person has the ability to invent and develop original ideas, especially in the arts.”

-Google:Define

To be creative is to do something worthwhile or beneficial. People who are passionate and love it enough will practice and practice what they do, they will do it because they love it, is this creativity? The ability to persist with an idea until mastered, or is having that single idea that reinvents something in a totally new and exciting light being creative?

We are all born, we discover and explore, is this creativity? I think it is, but not the same as conscious creativity, i feel that when a child grows and explores its surroundings it is self discovery not creativity that is found. As we grow we take to certain things, the things we enjoy we pursue and practice, this is a conscious creative state. However all people see this in a different light, fine art would praise creativity for the originality and self exploration or manipulation of some scene presented in a interactive or visual mannor but i feel that the simple fact of doing something for a greater worthwhile gain is creative, this course for example, yes its creative, its extremely creative, but not in agreement to fine art, if we produce work life like and of realistic design we are praised for it where as fine art would praise the opposite, with meaning. With our modelling we are creating 3d sculptures, if we were to show fellow game art students they would find it creative (providing it was good) because they understand the effort and outcome and see it as a visually appealing asset where as a less creative person like a mathematician would see it as merely a series of processes to which the same are applied to any 3d object constructed in the same way.

People are aspired to follow creativity from not only the enjoyment but for other reasons like financial success or praise. Being praised for work makes us feel good, and being able to fuel the praise means we become creative.

As far as games go i believe they are following rules and traditions because they know that design sells, they will follow the same regulations of winning formulas just to succeed, each idea can be seen as creative but in the end the process may no end up being that original. Only when they apply new outside the box theories and design can it be seen as truly creative, every now and again a game will come along that is so mindblowingly unique that most would say it was creative.

I think the idea of creativity has many different forms and views and depending on your audience it can receive different levels of praise and reception.

Gameplay

I think gameplay is one of the most important factors, i wouldn’t play a game without it. But what is it? I believe it is the structure of how the game handles and how rewarding it feels to play. I would say it was made up of several factors, the way you input commands, the way they are performed, How challenging vs how fluid both are, and how rewarding the overall outcome is. That is what i believe gameplay is and that is why i believe it is a definable set of rules no matter how you go about creating the game and hard ware, if you play it with your hands or whole body, if the game gives you a million unlocks and a zillion points for a kill, none of this would be fun if it wasn’t for my stated factors.

So how should they work? If you are playing the game, you want it to be easy to tell it what to do, the input needs to be fluid and not complex but hard enough to be challenging, example a button combo of five would be acceptable for an amazingly rare finisher but if you required that every time it would be boring and repetitive, same with if it was only one button to execute every skill and move. The way they are performed should be instantaneous and responsive; the A.I. should be smart enough to know if such a command was necessary, like approaching a cliff edge where the character hesitates instead of walking blind to his death. Finally the game should be rewarding to play, replayability is a good feature of gameplay, going back to the start for a reason makes you want to play it again, and having a more challenging setting makes you feel you’ve worked for such a setting. This is what makes a good game, and with that, I believe gameplay is important and exists.

Stories and character

What is it that makes a character seem important, what warms you to them, in a book it can be a deep back story that intertwines with the character at a present allowing one to understand their actions and feelings. In film it maybe the lighting shot and music that subconsciously makes you feel at the right time. With TV they can stretch it over a series giving you time to understand and warm to the characters on a personal level that evolves with time.

Now with games, they are becoming more like blockbuster epics than just mindless score stacking, so how do they do it? I believe a combination of above with a little more. In a game you can warm the same as a book and view it the same as a film but you are the character, you control their actions. This is where games should out shine the others, action and consequence. Games are becoming more choice based and are now beginning to shape a personal story to the player, alternate endings, the rise and fall of friends all of this is now being implemented to try and create a richer story. Speaking of story, of course this is the most important feature but the application of the other story tools really boosts the experience. I really like the idea of a fully immersive character and plot which can be subconsciously or consciously be manipulated by the player for a unique experience they can share with fellow gamers, ideas like Mass Effects background carry over, which uses the previous games save file to manipulate the plot of the new game I find really interesting. Games like this are what will carry the games into the future, of course we can keep all the mindless violence and gore too.

Games Technology

Over the years hardware, like the software it provides has evolved in style as well as complexity. More time has been put into the way we interact with the consoles hardware and the way we input information. At first the console designs were practicality based, it plays a game and we control in the simplest way. Now console manufacturers are thinking about the design and interactivity of such consoles to provide a better experience for the user. My first console was the Playstation, it was one of the first to use disks making it sleek and innovative at the time but looking back now its appetence is clunky and grey, such a bland and practical colour. Later I upgraded to the PS2 and that was a major improvement, its ability to free stand was unique in its self however the input method was the same controller. Now the 3^rd generation consoles have taken to style in a big way, each with its unique design and functionality, the biggest step being the Nintendo Wii remote with its motion sensor technology. Player interactivity has come a long way since the two function buttons and a directional pad.

As this interactivity has evolved so has the interface the console provides, now having to work with more than just running a game consoles have become more functional quickly evolving into a a home entertainment system. System start up would welcome you to a large menu from which you can access more than just the game, from DVDs to online access. Now a player can choose to leave games altogether in one session and instead download a film or browse a social network site, maybe even through a on screen avatar.

New technology now is making the way for no controllers at all, using camera and tracking technology mixed with this browser friendly interface, one day i see ourselves browsing and interacting whilst slouched on the sofa waving a hand or standing and jumping around for more physically intense games.

Storytelling in Games

Within the world of computer games, story lines came about after the introduction of home consoles. Before, video games were arcade and could not really introduce a storyline because gamers would be only there for a short while. Now games can have vast, expansive stories full of imaginative characters and twists. But does a strong story line make a better game?

This comes down to the genre, sports and racing games don’t tend to have plot lines, with the exception of games like Need for Speed, a racer with a very vague plot line. These games are much more reminiscent of the arcade classics and do not need a storyline to be entertaining and enjoyable.

Adventure and role playing games are the most likely to hold a good story line because that’s what the whole sales perspective is about, like a film or book, they feature a hero and the story of which you follow till the end. The idea that you are writing the story as you play is what makes games different from other forms of visual entertainment, where as in a film you watch the plot unfold, in a game you act it with consequences. Games now like Mass Effect are starting to incorporate your consequences into the plot line and change the story as you play, ultimately changing the whole story and possible outcome of the game. These kind of games really immerse the player presenting him or her with real questions that could inevitably change the course of the game. Bad responses can cause ‘would be’ friends to now hate you and visa versa.

I would not say all games have a story, but some games with no initial or primary plot line can evolve with the player, and the player finds themselves creating a story based around them. World of Warcraft is a Massive Multiplaying Online Role Playing Game where the player creates a hero who rises from the small villages and becomes a mighty warrior. This to imaginative and inventive players will become a story that they act out as they play even though the game its self is not directly informing so. So yes, you could say in a very lose sense, all games have a story, whether it be created in the minds of the player or laid out in a beautiful visual cinematic.

The Art Director

The art director is the main man when it comes to the art side of game development and design. They are responsible for assigning tasks to crew and keeping the budget and schedule on track as well as covering quality control. The art director will answer to the production designer. I think the art directing role is very similar to that of a film role because it is for the same visual aesthetics even though they are made using a completely different process. I would imagine an art director would have to be extremely good at multi tasking and be a very ambitious and self motivated leader. They will be under a lot of pressure dealing with deadlines and budgeting and will have to be good at managing people and processes. This role will be very creative and highly demanding, I would have thought, getting to this position would require a lot of enthusiasm and they will have had to prove themselves in areas of not only team work and leadership but in artistic taste. They will be responsible for most of the visual side so sticking to a stylised and fresh look should be top priority.

An introduction to Game Design

I think games are leaving the original idea as they become more and more advanced. The idea of game play is to make the game fun and addictive as well as being simple to understand but the way in which new games go about it is completely different to the past. Before, when games were arcade style their graphics were simplistic and they offered a drop in yet fun game play. Now games still stick to the basic rues of scores, win and lose conditions and a goal but now with improvements in other fields it can offer a much deeper and rich story and structure. Modern games can take on a more simulative role bringing games closer to reality.

The design process will obviously vary between designers and companies. One way is to start with an initial concept from a previous product they have designed and from this create a game design document. This is to act as a basic outline of game content and plot which will be updated throughout the project. The role of designers may not be down to one person but each person must be able to take on various roles. These can consist of prototyping, level design, and writing. They then develop a pitch to present to publishers, a lot like with a film. The designers now make sure the game sticks to the ‘plan’ and ensures game play remains similar yet diverse.

I find game play to be the most important factor in video games. A game can have the most amazing graphics in the world but if it’s no fun, it’s a waste of time. I find games like space invaders and asteroids fun and addictive even with such little graphic quality. The important things for me when I play games are game play, plot, and visuals in that order. The plot must be gripping and the game play must be immersive and addictive with the graphics pulling it all together to truly make its fantasy world seem real.