Introduction to Contexts and Characteristics - Group Mind map
Today's lesson, we had our introduction to Unit 12, where we reviewed documents that were provided to us. This helped us, by explaining in-depth tutorials onto our work, and useful information that we will need to remember and utilise when developing our reflective journals.
One small group activity we did, was to create a mind map of how 'video games' impact society. This was to help push our creative skills, and reinforce critical thinking. As in our course, we do not only think of what we are playing, but rather, how this affects the medium as a whole.
We looked at education, mental health, amount of revenue generated in the industry, and so on. But me personally, I feel like video games in its entirety, is inseparable from everyday life. It is no longer a niche medium, as it is now mainstream. But just like any hobby, we have to keep our selves in check as well. Too much of a good thing is bad, aka addiction.
Overall, this short session, was a good reminder, and knowledge check in what I have retained from last year's units, as well as the FMP I did.
Representation in Videogames - Research and Reverse Q&A
Now from thinking critically, we need to now build our verbal skills, whether by debates, conversations, or just listening to others speak. This will be a necessary skill to go ahead in our course and the near future. To achieve this today, we will need to research our topics, by using primary and secondary research. We will need to then present this by doing public speaking.
We broke down different demographics, and what separates people into those groups.
- Age
- Gender
- Class/income
- Marital status
- Occupation
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Nationality
- Religion
Our class chose Gender, Religion, and Race as the three most important talking points.
And I wanted to write about all three as my 800 word document of research, but the more I wrote and researched, I realised that I would only be talking roughly about surface level. Without any actual in depth research I could infer from my findings. So I went ahead and wrote mostly about gender, with everything that isn't related to gender, under the last section of the document.
After my research, we did a little QnA session a week after the assignment was made, where a point is told to us, and we are told to agree or disagree. This time with research and backing of our words.
Here, my research didn't actually contribute much, as the statement here was more about culture and diversity. And if my ethnicity was represented at all. Which it obviously is not.
DDS I Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics - Designing Games
16th Sep MM XX IV
DDS II Understanding the Business of Games - Intellectual Property
23rd Sep MM XX IV
Representation in Videogames - Research and Reverse Q&A
DDS III Unit 12 - Telling Stories through Level Design
30th Sep MM XX IV
Legal & Ethical Constraints - Presentation
3rd Oct MM XX IV
We had a week to prepare, research and present a presentation. On and around the subject matter of "legal and ethical constraints" in the video game industry.
The requirements or topics we had to include were: Three examples of legal constraints, two regulating bodies that enforce legal constraints, what's an ethical constraint, and finally a case where a company or game didn't adhere to any constraint on an important area.
Legal And Ethical Constraints In The Video Game Industry.PPT by Abdullokh A.
And here is the video of me presenting the PPT slides to my class.
Localisation and censorship in media
9th Oct MM XX IV
Our lesson objectives were to develop further awareness of the contexts that affect how games are changed for different markets/regions.
First, we have to learn the differences between localisation and censorship.
Localisation, is preparing a media text for release, for a new country or territory. Either by:
- Translating Text and/or Dialogue
- Recording new Audio/Music
- Creating new packaging assets and Marketing Materials
Basically Adding, cutting and/or changing content to fit or adhere to the different cultures or norms. This is done
Localisation Preparing a media text for release in a new country or territory. Translating text and dialogue Recording new audio Creating new packaging assets and marketing materials Adding/cutting/changing content to adhere to different cultural norms or standards Some companies outsource their work to localise their media. Censorship Suppression of content that is considered obscene, offensive or politically/socially unacceptable Cutting or changing content outright Regulating content to adhere to rating systems Limiting access to media in particular territories
DDS V-Game Development with Bethesda
10th Oct. MM XX IV
DDS VI-What Can We Learn from the tragedy of MAG?
17th Oct. MM XX IV
Localisation and Censorship in Media
Our objective for this lesson was to develop further awareness of how games are affected or changed in different markets/regions based on the context.
- Preparing a media text for release in a new country or territory.
- Translating text and dialogue
- Recording new audio
- Creating new packaging assets and marketing materials
- And/or Adding/cutting/changing content to adhere to different cultural norms or standards
Localisation:
- Suppression of content that is considered obscene, offensive or politically/socially unacceptable
- Cutting or changing content outright
- Regulating content to adhere to rating systems
- Limiting access to media in particular territories
Censorship:
Knowing the difference between these two, is our key onto understanding how or why a piece of media text had to be changed.
Case Study: Why Mother 3 (Earthbound III) was never localised outside of Japan?
Never has a game become so iconic for not being released or made available in other regions like Mother 3. Half-Life 3 is the only other major example. Where Valve doesn't count to 3, but rather with a VR exclusive game. Nintendo hasn't directly acknowledged why they will not release the game outside of Japan. But with context clues and looking directly at the game, it is made evident why the game won't likely ever see a western release.
LGBT and mature themes
The most hardest part of the game to alter to change, would be the "The Magypsies". As these aren't the standard, typical male or female NPC characters. But rather non-binary, with male and female characteristics, that serve a large part of the game's story.
Nintendo, not wanting to involve themselves with anything political. Had this as their many reasons as to not bring up or shed light onto trans topics.
Adding onto the LGBT topics, the game also had many "mature" topics that would be hard to translate or change. Depiction of drugs would need to be changed, deaths having to be soften up, and a lot of sexual innuendos that popped up within the game.
Sales of Earthbound
Earthbound was localised from "Mother II", but due to poor sales, as it had stiff competiton with other "more mature" games like the Final Fantasy series. As the game was seen as "child-like" and felt like a "less serious" game when compared to other releases. The game sold more copies in Japan (500k units) compared to NA release (150k units).
What now?
The game originally released on the Game Boy Advance in 2006. But was almost close to never seeing the light of day, as it started development in 1994 for the Super Famicom. And almost two decades later, the game still isn't released. However, I think the game can be released as is in today's age. (Obviously with english translation, and some tweaks in gameplay to make it more smoother and enjoyable). But Nintendo still has good reason to not release it, as they stray away with most politcal topics or fields.
Bibliography
Connor McDonald. (2021). Why Mother 3 Has Never Been Localized. [Online]. GAMERANT. Last Updated: 30 Sep 2021. Available at: https://gamerant.com/mother-3-western-localization-sales-adult-themes/ [Accessed 9 Oct 2024].
Specialist Study mood board + Feedback
14th Nov MMXXIV
We were reminded what all of our studies and research were building up to. And it was to write a 1500 research report on any topic we so pleased. And to start on that, we had to come up with a mood board of what we would like to research about.
I wanted to joke around, and talk about something nonsensical. Like body positivity or why we don't have mobile data in the London underground yet. So it can be seen that I would try to find something along on the "humorous" line.
I was playing counter strike 2 a lot with my friends, and I wondered, if all the shots that I am hitting in the game, is random or luck? And when I delved deeper, it wasn't actually random, but rather a set of parameters in the game that designate the "spray" of the gun. And how it links to how "pure randomness" or "true randomness" doesn't exist.
And another thing I had on the back of my head for a while. A more serious thought, about "Ambition", and how far we as humans, can go and push our skills, before we feel fulfilled or on more instances... burn out. I would first analyse three media texts, one given to me for free by my lecturer. Being the music LP "To pimp a Butterfly" by Kendrick Lamar, and maybe his follow up album "Damn". Then "Whiplash", a drama film about the extremes a skilled drummer would go to perfect is craft. And then the recommended novel I was told to look into, "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. Which is about a skilled construction worker, making buildings in the non-traditional sense.
These two interest me a lot, and with the feedback, I am hoping to choose one or the other, or something new that might reveal itself in the weeds.
Feedback
In my hopefully short presentation that I did, I showed the two small mood boards that I crafted up, and it went good I think.
I had a good reception to my two ideas, more so on the prompt about "Counter Strikes’ Spray Patterns and why true randomness can not be achieved", as my classmates said it was very existential, and thought provoking. Which I wasn't actually intending to do, but it is good that I heard this, as if I were to choose this, I can go with this angle and create something profound.
The "Ambition" idea, also was good, as said by my classmates. They didn't have much to say on this, as I was told 'I already had it figured out', but only on how I would conduct research that isn't just analysing media texts.
Overall, I, myself, is surprised to how my ideas were reacted to. I don't plan on sticking to one of them just yet, as I could explore combining both ideas into one.
Vox Pop
We were tasked to form into groups of three/four, and make a couple questions to ask around the college. This was to gather information, results, and other important bits that would help into creating our research report.
The questions I asked were: “What's your favourite colour”, “A particular colour you don’t like or use”, “Would your life be different, if you thought the opposite?”, “And why do you think that is?”
1500 Research Report