Nintendo has their own OST streaming platform

Nintendo has launched its own music streaming service that requires a online membership, not only are most popular game OSTs catered for, the app also provides themed playlists, made for the listener. These are based on characters, games, moods and their listening history. Tracks can also be extended up to an hour with an in app feature.

I have first hand experience as my partner has been listening to the mariokart ost

 

 

 

https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/nintendo-music-is-a-streaming-service-for-switch-online-subscribers-130035796.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMP64Ztas0fPqW75HtN52zLEd1VIyYkcN8iGGJFI3Ivn_kMif5AhIV9xVf_AMuk0dERCWqHEZHR4e7rkS4RXUN3oazahrhAjeuWp-GFzKrKj-eGkd5DaN1XQ_idms-bRnyi93au1xP032x5N0eRMrce_wqUbs81ujbVWL2M0xNhM

Tencent denys company layoffs, but top management changes confirmed

Their spokesperson denied claims of layoffs within the company being made, however on the contrary they state that they are actively recruiting. A leaked internal informed Tencent staff that VP Zeng Yu would no longer lead Tencent IEG’s technical line and the Platform and Content Group Technology & Content Platform.

 

 

 

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/tencent-rebukes-layoff-and-restructuring-rumours-but-admits-changes-at-the-top-of-the-company

Paid version of Animal crossing mobile game to be released, original game shut down

The beloved mobile game animal crossing pocket camp is being discontinued after 7 years. This game was free to play and still receives updates and content to this day, Nintendo plans on replacing the game with a paid full version of this mobile game, with more than a year of content still planned to release along with regular updates. Online functions wont be available and it will be a single player game, Despite all of this it is strange of Nintendo to keep this game running for such a long period, as the latest instalment of the series, Animal crossing new horizons stopped receiving content at just under two years, which was more widely popular.

 

 

https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-paid-version-of-animal-crossing-pocket-camp-arrives-on-december-3-175248073.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMP64Ztas0fPqW75HtN52zLEd1VIyYkcN8iGGJFI3Ivn_kMif5AhIV9xVf_AMuk0dERCWqHEZHR4e7rkS4RXUN3oazahrhAjeuWp-GFzKrKj-eGkd5DaN1XQ_idms-bRnyi93au1xP032x5N0eRMrce_wqUbs81ujbVWL2M0xNhM

Week 3+4 lecture notes

Key ideas

  • modernity defined by contradictions, tensions, conflicts, not linear.
  • Cold war as an ideological conflict
  • Consumer society
  • Nuclear threat
  • Video games as a product of the cold war and consumer culture
    • How the rise of games in the past-war connected to these wider historical developments?

At this point in the lecture we were asked to describe the elements of modern ideals that are represented in the following advertisements

  1. branding, nuclear family, new appliances, abundance, choice of different brands, white people
  2. Full fridges, middle class women to upper class women, luxury, branding, this brand=full fridges and ovens, sophistication
  3. Menu which means choice and options, clean, luxury in transport, Implied narrative of the viewer being the man.

How Hamilton’s collage both celebrates and satirises the consumer society.

  • No relation and a lot of distance between figures
  • Cut outs of objects make it uncanny, as everything fits a different context and their own separate style, illustrated, images, different angles
  • Celebrates by showing off and displaying all the best things of the era.
  • Satirised by using stereotypical things that wouldn’t commonly be in a house
    • Claustrophobic, escapism, immersive, self- absorbed

The IBM computer

  • Technological firsts, brand new magnetic storage, first GUI (mouse pen), first computer network,  ARPANET used for text MMOs, IBM designers were making games in free time, Big developments in cybernetics (communication between people and machines) screens, input, output.

extra game research one

This game isn’t the standard board game, it is a card based game which is fast paced like the well known game uno, unlike uno this game doesn’t require much strategy or luck and instead is based on pattern recognition and reflexes. Despite this game being significantly newer than uno, it is still widely liked and can be purchased easily. I am looking into this game to help see if fast paced rounds or card based mechanics can prove to be an improvement. Core mechanics, players take turns to place cards in the centre, each player has to say the following word in the phrase “taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza”. If the word said matches the card placed, the players race to pile their hands on top of the cards and the last hand on the pile keeps the cards. If an action card is placed on the pile the players must first complete the matching action before putting their hand on the pile, the winner is the player who finishes their pile first. Audience, I believe that the game is targeted at a younger more family orientated audience due to the simplicity of the rules and game play, given that snap is one of the first games we learn as children to help with our pattern recognition. This can also be found by the games visual aesthetics, the simplistic and colourful designs provide an eye catching pattern and the designs are distinct enough that during game play each card can be easily recognised.

framework fundamentals

 

DDE Framework: Design- the production process of a game, it is viewed in 3 sub categories Blueprint- rule sets where the world is defined, physics, narrative and art design. Mechanics- code structure and handling Interface- any asset, cutscene or text on display, how it communicates the game world to the player. Dynamics- The planning of all the game pieces including how they’re put together. Experience- What the player experiences and what emotional, intellectual or senses are evoked and what it is that evoked them. The player themselves become the subject of this framework The DDE framework builds off of the MDA framework and aims to make improvements on the lack of inclusivity for game genres, as the MDA framework doesn’t cover all games and possibilities.

MDA Framework: Mechanics- Rules that relate to the components of the game. Dynamics- What the players do and how they act with the tools given to them by the designer. Aesthetics- The emotional response evoked in the player.

Framework systems such as these can aid in both the research of other games and the planning and refinement of game designs. Using these framework, analysing and researching games can be more in depth and streamlined. This is done in the following pages

chess game research

Core mechanics, audience, experience, what can be changed Chess is significantly older compared to the other games on this list, although each piece has a set move and begins at the same starting point every match, the possibilities are endless and the strategy needed to play well does not match the simplicity of the rules and visuals. This game can and is played by any one at any age, which is shown in chess competition as they have a wide range of competitors Chess gives the experience of a very serious and strategic intense game, although it can be played casually, players who tend to do so lose to their opponent. Due to chess being such a classic game, adding more complicated mechanics might make the game difficult to get used to or even understand, more simplistic mechanics can be added to change up the gameplay. For example, new movement rules could be added like the ability to swap your rooks and bishops movements once per game. Dice could also be added as a new piece which is more recognisable, maybe determining how far a pawn can go at the beginning of a game.

battleships game research

Battleships is a simplistic game that does not require any strategy just luck, unlike games like chess where the visuals and choices are simplistic but gameplay is complecated, battleships is simplistic and to the point in visuals and gameplay, you can either hit your opponents ship or miss. Core mechanics include the 5 ships each player receives and placing them on the 10 by 10 peg board, and the hit and miss pins are the 3 piece of the game, depending on wether you hit or miss a ship after a guess, dictates where you place what pin on the board. The intended experience is a calm and relaxing game with very slight bits of competition, I found whilst playing this game, I was not pressed to win but rather focused my attention on placing the pins and admiring the tactile details of the pins and ships that make the game that much more personalised. Although I did not have any trouble playing this game or in understanding the mechanics or concept, it is a very simplistic game that relies on guessing, more competitive players might like a more skill based very of this game in which special moves or pins are given out, maybe mines or bombs that must be placed by your opponent on their grid can be exploded by one guess and bow up a particular radius, making the game less linear.

monopoly game research

Monopoly is a game that many people have played, and consists of a board, lined with properties for purchase as well as chance spots, like card spots and jail, that mix up the linear game play. A banker is appointed to hand out money and properties when needed, players take turns going round the board by rolling dice, and purchasing properties, which go up in price the further you are in the board. If a player lands on a purchased property, they must pay rent according to how many properties in the set the owner has as well as many houses or hotels, which can lead to a hefty fee. Although the property market is quite an “adult” topic, the competitiveness of buying properties in this game also attracts children or anyone of any age, as chances are they have played this game before. This game tends to have a very extended play time due to the importance of decisions, and even though a player can be close to being bankrupt, chance spaces give losing players an opportunity that is unpredicted by everyone. Experiencing this game is family fun at first, but is known to cause arguments as the mentality needed is competitive and very selfish, to avoid the player themselves losing, despite their relation to the other players. Many things can be and have been changed in this game, as there are thousands of custom rules and different published versions of this game, despite this mechanics that could be included could be more chance based, a way to fight off paying rent perhaps, such as rolling a specific number on a die. Or a new category of cards, with a purpose of arming the player with a card which allows them to buy an already purchased property.