Game World

Game World

A game world is a virtually stimulated environment made up of a terrain, buildings upon that landscape, people and objects depending on what the game is. It is the area that the game takes place is in and things in accordance to the game can be achieved. This artificial universe in the game in which the game is played in on can be of many different types. Such as the game One Piece would be played in a fictional world where there is magic and so forth but games such FIFA would not be played on that sort of game world due to the fact that the game world of FIFA would be set in a football stadium, not on an island with one hundred metre long turtles and giants. The game world of Grant Theft Auto would be set in a city wherein there are buildings, houses and beaches. For example Grand Theft Auto San Andreas would be set in San Andreas (the city) where the terrain is vast and contains many people, cars and so forth. But a game such as NHL where there game world would be in an ice rink would not be played in that game world due to the fact that the game world does not suit its conditions. Therefore different game worlds are set for that sort of game due to the fact that the conditions for the game to be played in are not met. This is because games have different aims. Games such as Saints Row and Call of Duty could be played in the same game world; or Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA; or Call of Duty and Battlefield. This is because they have the same aims are can be played in the same game world.  The game designer would want to get the game world exactly correct due to the face that if they don’t then the game cannot be played because it would be illogical. Such as playing a game like Super Mario in a game world like FIFA, the goal and aim of the game cannot be achieved and there is not point of playing it. Moreover you would have to have the game world set in the correct time, so you would not put technology and so forth in a game which is based in medieval times due to the face that it would be illogical as it did not exist. Moreover you wouldn't put a game world from God of War in a game like Topspin, a tennis game because the atmosphere would be incorrect and the game environment would not like to the game’s aim. Game worlds change over time in graphics because the world around us also changes. Such as cars, they become slicker, more aesthetically pleasing; buildings become larger and technology advances to allow better graphics.

Terrain

The terrain is the ground in which the game takes place. These change from game to game. FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer have a terrain of Grass, Topspin has a game terrain of red sand (depending on the stadium), FIFA Street has a terrain of concrete and Call Of Duty (Depending on the map) could have a terrain of grass, sand, concrete, gravel, water, marble and other types of terrain. Some video games have many different terrains such Grant Theft Auto will have terrains like beach, sea, gravel, sand, hills, mountains, wood and concrete. This gives the game a different atmosphere, a realistic one. It allows the user to see a game world which seems non fictional. This lets you be immersed in the game. However some games have only one terrain which makes sense such as football games such as FIFA only have grass. It wouldn't make sense for the terrain in the football stadium to have grass, hills concrete and ice. That would be illogical and unrealistic.

Architecture

The architecture in the game would consist of buildings, structures, statues and landmarks within the game world which would have been built above ground. For example in Final Fantasy there are many statues and temples/houses/cabins that have been erected above ground. This gives the game world a hint of realism and makes it less plain. Video games use architecture to make the game world more adventurous so that the user could play the game for longer. This is because they can explore the game world more and enjoy the game. It’s important to have architecture which is high quality which is linked to the time in which the game is set. This is because the high quality architecture with intricate detail makes the game more realistic and intriguing.

Objects

Objects within the video game are things such as sofas, a football, lights, and other smaller scale objects (in comparison to architecture). In games such as Grant Theft Auto there are many objects within architecture (houses). The objects consist of furniture and increases the realism within the game due to the fact that without these objects then the houses would look extremely odd because they would have been completely empty. It is important to have high quality objects with good graphics and intricate details due to the fact that, without it, the game would be too plain and less enjoyable. The objects need to be relevant to the area that it’s in. for example you wouldn't have a multitude of lamps and Christmas trees in the middle of a football match in FIFA due to the face that it wouldn't make sense and would be out of place. 

Characters

Character Report

Characters within a computer game refers to a person, controllable or uncontrollable within the game. Characters can either help you achieve your goal such as team mates in Call Of Duty, those who attempt to stop you from achieving your goal such as the police if GTA or are neutral and don’t effect the game such as civilians in Assassin’s Creed. 

These characters are there to give the game a certain realistic atmosphere. Player characters are those characters that can be controlled by the player of the game such as Tidus in Final Fantasy X. in some games the main character either does not exist as you can control many of them or they keep changing. Such as in GTA there are 3 different main characters which you could use, Franklin, Trevor or Michael. 

People prefer one to another due to the different abilities they have, Michael can enter bullet time in combat and can shoot in slow motion. This allows you to be more accurate in your shooting and kill enemies easier. Franklin can drive at a slower speed which allows you to drive more accurately, reducing the risk of crashing. Trevor, once the special meter is activated, can enter a special mode wherein he can perform unique melee attacks that the other characters cannot do. Another game such as in FIFA shows that there isn’t a main character, but there are players within the team that you can control if they are passed to or by pressing a button. You cannot control all players at once and some players are better than others. Such as the centre back Alex who currently plays for A.C. Milan is slow compared to Thiago Silva (Centre back for PSG) who is relatively fast but Alex is stronger and has an extremely powerful shot. Both of these players are Brazilian so if you had to choose between these two characters, you would measure the positives and negatives of the players weighed up against each other, then the preference of the user. It is important in games for them to have strong main characters as they will entice the user to want to play, giving them a sense of authority and power within the game. Some games have more than one main character due to the fact that there could evolve from it, more missions especially suited for that character. This allows the player to play the game for longer and once it is completed, want to play the next one if it will be created.

Non playable characters are those such as the enemies within the game or those not assigned to the user to control. These could include bosses in games such as Bowser in Mario or the opposition in FIFA that, depending on the level of difficulty of the game, would determine how hard these characters are. They cannot be controlled and are there as obstacles within the game. It is important to have strong non playable characters within the game as they make the user play the game for longer which is the aim of the developers of the game.