2. research(2)

Research

Will Stewart

Existing Product

A screenshot from the game Blazblue: Chronophantasma, depicting one of the fighters initiating their special move. Special attacks like this are a common staple of fighting games, recognisable thanks to their extravagant effects and an increase in graphics and sound.

The character portraits positioned next to the health bars reveal which player is winning the current game. The number set in between them is a timer presenting the amount of time left before the match ends, at which point a winner shall be decided.

The bars in the lower corners of the screen show the amount of energy needed to activate the characters’ special moves. Only when filled to the maximum can the attack be initialised, forcing the players to use ingenuity to rack up as many hits as possible to fill up the gauge.

Existing Product

The work that went into designing the world of Street Fighter V is a prime example of the incredible artistry that goes into designing a video game’s aesthetic. The lifelike and animated scenery presented in the image is but one of many stunning vistas within the game itself. The dedication needed to complete all of these scenes and produce a game of such quality requires an intense drive to actually succeed in delivering a good game, something that can be difficult when the long hours start getting to you.

The fluidity of the character models and detail put into their design speaks volumes of both the artists’ drive to succeed and the strength of the game’s engine. A good combination of these two factors can create truly stunning visuals, a critical selling point of many video games. As character design is usually an increasingly delicate process, animating the characters with such precision is a respectably impressive feat.

Existing ProductSuper Smash Bros. is well-known for both it’s high-intensity multiplayer system and the expansive world that comprises it’s levels. My desire is to mimic the scope of this world, designing something that can engage with the players and keep them entertained for a reasonable amount of time.

The detailed background art adds to the atmosphere by presenting an otherworldly and exotic landscape, conveying the sense of fantasia common with video games of this genre. Fighting games function by counting on the audience to suspend their disbelief, genuinely believing that the characters would engage in such ridiculous amounts of extreme combat. The further the game pushes this premise, the more memorable and popular it becomes, leading to notoriety within it’s chosen fandom, further fuelling it’s success.

Research Analysis

• What common features do the researched products have?– As each game is of the fighting genre, combat and violence is an inevitable similarity. Individually,

each game has it’s own unique form of extravagance, whether it be the high-fantasy, plot-based action story of Blazblue or the crazy, endless fun of Super Smash Bros.

• What aspects of the research will you include within your on work?– Stylistically, I believe that the expansive level design and intricate character models are each game’s

main drawing points aesthetically. Upon observation, I now know where to focus when I begin production on the project, aesthetics being heavily important in any project that takes visuals into account.

Audience

Audience ProfileCategory Demographic Content to appeal to this audience

Age Range17-35 • Age-appropriate content, such as

uncensored language, mature humour and realistic, if exaggerated physics.

GenderEqual • A gender-equal ensemble of characters with

respectable and unoffensive depictions of various different lifestyles.

PsychographicInternet Trawlers • Those familiar with the internet-based stick

figure battles will be drawn to the product, already fans of the source material.

Social StatusVaried • Characters created to appeal to different

levels of people, whether they be working-class or upper-class.