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Games Theatre

W1 - Introduction to Games Theatre

This module approaches games from a perspective outside the actual development of a game. It is about trends in gaming and effects of games in the real world.

We are encouraged to discuss and have an opinion to further discuss.

Weekly Task

For this module we are tasked to research and write a report on a subject that is a contemporary part of games.

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One aspect of modern games that has created some controversy for several reasons is the loot box mechanics. I am particularly curious about the interaction of users with such mechanics.

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Loot boxes in video games are virtual consumable items that generally can be bought with real-world currency, when opened/redeemed they reward the player with a randomised selection of virtual goods of unknown value to be used inside the game.

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According to Zendle et al. (2020) 36.0% of the top games on steam contained loot box mechanics, Google Play had 58.0% of their top games and 59.0% on iPhone App Store indicating a prevalence of loot box mechanics in games. One of the concerns being the accessibility of these mechanics to young users given that it was found that 94.9% of iPhone games that include loot box mechanics being deemed suitable for children aged 12+.

It has been argued if loot box mechanics should be considered gambling with researchers claiming that all classes of "random reward mechanisms" have features similar to gambling (Nielsen and Grabarczyk, 2019).

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Given the controversy around the mechanic a study has also explored the motivations for user engagement with the mechanic (Nicklin et al., 2021). On interviewing the participants some common themes were identified as to reasons contributing as to why users interact with the mechanic, some of which are the opening experience, value of content, fear of missing out and social influences.

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I find it particularly interesting that despite the controversy the motivations for users to interact with the mechanic being quite varied in nature. I believe it being a subject worth of research.

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References

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Nielsen, R.K.L. and Grabarczyk, P., 2019. Are Loot Boxes Gambling?: Random reward mechanisms in video games. Transactions of the Digital Games Research Association, 4, pp.171-207.

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Nicklin, L.L., Spicer, S.G., Close, J., Parke, J., Smith, O., Raymen, T., Lloyd, H. and Lloyd, J., 2021. “It’s the attraction of winning that draws you in”—A qualitative investigation of reasons and facilitators for videogame loot box engagement in UK gamers. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(10), p.2103.

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Zendle, D., Meyer, R., Cairns, P., Waters, S. and Ballou, N., 2020. The prevalence of loot boxes in mobile and desktop games. Addiction, 115(9), pp.1768-1772.

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W2 - What Makes an Esport

Workshop Task

During the workshop we were asked to identify threats and opportunities for the on going growth of Esports, we were encouraged to do our own research but a few articles were suggested for us to read before bringing up our opinions on the subject.

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https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/esports-market-106820 

https://esportsinsider.com/2024/01/esports-industry-2024-predictions 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2023/12/28/why-esports-must-keep-leveling-down-in-2024/?sh=35dd091f2bff 

https://digiday.com/marketing/the-romantics-guide-to-esports-in-2024/ 

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Based on everyone's input and research during lecture we came up with the following.

What at the current opportunities and threats to the ongoing growth of Esports in 2024?

Opportunities

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  • Viewship = increase in tech -> easier to watch from a phone, PC, etc

  • Crowdfunding is under-explored method of supporting esports -> is seeing some experimentation and interest (i.e. Riot)

  • Esports Olympics

  • More inclusive than historically

  • Scorched earth is good for low level esports

  • Valorant and R6S on mobile

  • Fanbases are phenomenally loyal still

Threats

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  • Careers look increasingly unstable at the moment -> bad for new talent joining the industry

  • Pay cuts in teams, support, broadcast

  • Bad investment in 2023, possibly continued -> probably unless a major development

  • Overspending has caused bad finances for companies and now they're having to overcorrect

  • "Closed system" -> barrier of entry is even more defined

  • Uncovering evidence of threat to health for esports players

  • Perception of the entire games/creative sector going through hard times

  • Massive staff cuts is bad news

  • Ongoing stigma - bad media communication

  • Lack of major new esports titles for 2024

Weekly Task

Guilty Gear - STRIVE-

Esports, short for electronic sports, refers to competitive video gaming at a professional level. In esports, players and teams compete against each other in various video games, often in organized tournaments and leagues, for fame, glory, and prize money. These competitions can take place on various platforms, including personal computers, gaming consoles, and mobile devices.

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But thinking about esports and the competitive aspect of it, it reminds me of the old days when people would get together and do mini competitions in each other's living rooms playing fighting games, one of such games was Guilty Gear (Team Neo Blood, 1998). 
Today, and a few installments later, we have Guilty Gear -STRIVE- (Arc System Works, 2021).

While not as popular as other fighting game titles, Guilty Gear's tournament scene has grown since its first tournament of Guilty Gear XX (Arc System Works, 2003) at Super Battle Opera 2003 - also known as Tougeki - held in Japan (Super Battle Opera 2003 - GGXX 3v3 Teams, no date) and Evolution Championship Series 2003 held in the US (Evolution Championship Series 2003 - GGXX, no date; kuroppi.com – EVOLUTION, 2012). Both of these events being dedicated to fighting games with Evolution Championship Series (EVO) remaining one of the most relevant fighting game tournament events to date.

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Super Battle Opera 2003 - Guilty Gear XX Final

According to Esport Charts, between 2018 and 2024 there have been 124 Tournaments for Guilty Gear (Guilty Gear - Esports Viewership and Statistics | Esports Charts, no date; EVO 2023 Guilty Gear -STRIVE- - Guilty Gear - Viewership, Overview, Prize Pool | Esports Charts, no date), with the most viewed event being Evolution Championship Series 2023's Guilty Gear -STRIVE- tournament reaching 245 424 viewers seeing Swedish player Leffen taking the 1st place, NBNHMR taking 2nd, Daru_I-No taking 3rd and UMISHO taking 4th place.

Among these four notable players one does stand out due to their performance in the tournament East Coast Throwdown 2023.

Guilty Gear -STRIVE- in the East Coast Throwdown 2023 features a Double Elimination and first to win 3 rounds, where contestants upon losing a match are put on a losers bracket and the winner of that bracket still has a chance by playing against the winner of the winners bracket in the Grand Finals (East Coast Throwdown 2023, no date; Team Spooky, 2023).

This contestant upon losing in the semi finals was able to win every match in the losers bracket and in the Grand Finals took the win by beating TempestNYC twice, a true underdog moment, this contestant was UMISHO. 

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Guilty Gear Strive Tournament Top 8 (UMISHO, TempestNYC) - East Coast Throwdown 2023 GGST

UMISHO could be considered relatively new to the fighting game's scene as she had started competing in fighting games less than a year prior to her win in EVO 2022 previously having competed in Overwatch for several years.

In an interview UMISHO talked about her switch from Overwatch to Guilty Gear denoting that after quiting Overwatch she had picked up the Guilty Gear STRIVE casually without the intention of returning to competing, then decided to try and enter a bracket "for the hell of it".
UMISHO has also talked about how the community around Guilty Gear STRIVE has been very welcoming to her and how amazed she was about the LGBTQ+ presence in STRIVE and in the Fighting Game Community (FGC), as well as how anxious she was at first since she had just come out a few months before joining the community given her experience with the Overwatch community (Paidia Gaming, 2023).

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Taking UMISHO's experience with the communities and her being LGBTQ+ something could be said about how some of the communities in Esports feel about LGBTQ+ individuals competing in their scene and how this may affect these individuals.

The acceptance, or lack of it, could be a major factor on how viewers perceive esports in general, UMISHO speaking out positively about the FGC being welcoming could shift that perception in positive way.

References

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W3 - Livestreaming

Workshop Task

What is the best practice for growing an audience via a livestreaming platform?

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  • Create a memorable personal brand

  • Differentiate yourself from others

  • Use high-quality equipment for streaming

  • Rely on social media

  • Collaborate with other streamers/creators

  • Be consistent with your streaming schedule

  • Interact with your audience

  • Create a Discord channel

  • Stay up to date with trends and games

How are streams monetised, and what is the best methods of doing so?

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  • Affiliate marketing

  • Brand deals and sponsorships

  • Merchandise

  • Subscriptions 

  • Advertising revenue

  • Donations

  • Sell your own products

What are the current trends in livestream content, and how might these change throughout 2024?​

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  • Diversification of Platforms - While Twitch and YouTube were the main platforms for livesteaming content other platforms have been adopting livestreamed content (TikTok, Instagram), with some streamers streaming to different platforms simultaneously.

  • Non-Gaming content - While gaming remains a dominant category in livestreaming, creators continue to explore new ways to engage audiences in real time.

  • Interactive Experiences - Livestreaming offers real-time interaction between creators and viewers, and this interactivity is likely to become even more pronounced. Viewers may expect more engagement opportunities such as polls, Q&A sessions, and live chat interactions, blurring the line between creator and audience.

  • Monetization and Sponsorship - Livestreaming presents various monetization opportunities for creators, including ads, subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships. As the industry matures, creators may explore innovative monetization models, and brands may increasingly invest in influencer marketing via livestreams.

  • Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) - AR and VR technologies have the potential to revolutionize livestreaming by offering immersive experiences. While widespread adoption might take time, advancements in AR/VR hardware and software could lead to more interactive and engaging livestream content.

  • Regulatory Challenges - As livestreaming continues to grow, regulatory challenges related to content moderation, copyright issues, and privacy concerns may arise. Platforms and creators will need to navigate these challenges while ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

  • Emerging Technologies - Advances in technology, such as improved internet infrastructure, better streaming codecs, and AI-driven content recommendations, could enhance the quality and accessibility of livestreaming experiences, driving further growth in the industry.

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In 2024, the evolution of livestreaming content will likely be influenced by technological innovations, shifts in consumer behavior, and changes in regulatory environments. Creators and platforms that adapt to these developments and prioritize audience engagement and interactivity are likely to thrive in this dynamic landscape.

Weekly Task

As for the weekly task I using Streamlabs and OBS I created various scenes for a stream layout

I wanted to keep it simple and minimalist without too many visual elements.

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In OBS I assembled the scenes while using some features from streamlabs for alerts and have the twich chat on stream screen.

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I made the following scenes

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  • Starting

  • Chatting

  • Playing 

  • Be Right Back

  • Ending

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Every scene has been tweaked in terms of visual elements and audio elements, the only element that is present in every scene is the Alert overlay that triggers whenever a viewer follows me.

Starting Scene

For the starting scene I used an animated gif for the background image and the Text element was made using photoshop.

(https://images.app.goo.gl/U3n1f4B6JE4omS7cA)

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For audio, initially I wanted to have the same song looping without any of the system audio going through this scene, but I added an audio capture for Spotify where I could have a playlist with copyright free music playing in the background, as there are various playlists available for this.

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Chatting Scene

The chatting scene is minimal with a Camera capture element, twitch chat element, frames for them both and keeping the same background gif image.

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The frames were made in photoshop, the camera capture has a crop filter to focus on the position I would be.

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Audio wise there is a capture for my mic, I kept the Spotify audio capture and an optional capture for Discord to capture voice channel's audio in case some friends or viewers would like to participate on the stream.

Playing Scene

Visually the playing scene only includes the camera capture, a different version of the chat overlay without a background and messages that disappear after 30 seconds. 
Even if chat on stream screen may not be necessarily needed while streaming on twitch I opted to include it in case some viewers would like to just watch it in full screen without interacting with chat.

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Audio it includes game audio, mic audio, Spotify and Discord audio.

Be Right Back Scene

Continuing to keep the scene simple visually the be right back scene maintains the background animated image, with a text element made in Photoshop and another animated image of a coffee mug.

(https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/466474473913060888/)

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Audio wise only the Spotify audio capture is included in the scene.

Stream Ending Scene

In the ending scene the background animated image has a filter that slightly saturates the colour and a Stream Ended text Element.

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Similarly to the Be Right Back scene, only Spotify audio is being captured.

W4 - Games Media

Workshop Task

During the workshop we looked at some YouTube videos and were asked to analyse them, I took some notes on the videos we watched.

Markiplier - 3 Scary Games #104 

Thumbnail - 

0:00 - 0:34 – intro to a game and jump scare 

0:35 - 1:33 – talking -imagine if- horror story 

 

For people who are looking for horror games 

 

 

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7 DEVS Make a GAME without COMMUNICATING (centipede edition) 

Description of the content in the first 20 seconds – look and tell 

20 seconds adverting 

1st developer- brief intro of the developer, footage of what they achieved during the time they had to work on the project 

2 minutes in – advert 

 

Dynamic  

 

 

The first AAAA Game (video game donkey?) 

“hype” the game and turns into satire 

Lazy editing 
 

 

IGN – Last Epoch Review 

First seconds are gameplay with full game sound, commentary comes a few seconds later 

 

 

Mario speedrunners keep making history – ksonic 

Documentary type 

Weekly Task

Social Media Video Analysis 

We were to pick a video we have recently watched on social media and perform a simple media analysis on the video.

I came across a video on TikTok of an adult gamer's rant why you (as a gamer) do not hate video games.
This statement itself made a starting point of intrigue to the viewer capturing their attention.

The statement itself can ring somewhat controversial as arguably gamers can have a love-hate relationship with games nowadays.


In the video they proceeds to explain why, denoting that a lot of the current games require the player to grind in order to enjoy a game comparing it to a job.

The theme of the video underlining a current issue in games that goes against the purpose of what games are supposed to be made for - fun -, and the current trends in mainly online games defeating this purpose by creating a grind culture to engage the player rather than being for the enjoyment of playing the game.

They also suggest the viewers to try playing a game that pre-dates the trend, giving 2010 as an example, for the viewer to re-assess their experience with games.
 

The video itself a simple short video on a frustrating aspect of games today. It is successful the way that many gamers face the same frustrations and relate on a level with what is being talked about in the video. While it is seemingly aimed at the "millennial" age bracket of gamers there is a shared feeling of frustration overall. 

This piece of media starts with a statement that has come across many gamers minds, explains the reasoning why it isn't so and finalizes with a suggestion on how to "fix" it in the short span of 1 minute.

It can successfully persuade the viewer into attempting the suggested fix if they agree/relate with what has been said in the video.

 

The media format of the video is short with the enough content to be engaging, specifically made for TikTok. The thumbnail is not very relevant as it is the type of video the viewer would come across while scrolling through their feed or by specifically looking up tags of related content.
The comments section of the video (12700 at the time of writing) has many users sharing both their experiences with games today as well as recommendation of games that they consider fun to play including reasons why they enjoy it.

 

https://www.tiktok.com/@derrickthemindfulgamer/video/7183807205576052011

W5 - Games Communities

Workshop Task

"What is the current state of GaaS in 2024? What games are doing it well, and what might the future of GaaS look like?"

​As of 2024, Games as a Service (GaaS) has become a prevalent model in the gaming industry, offering ongoing content updates, expansions, and monetization opportunities beyond the initial purchase of a game.

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  • Fortnite - Epic Games' Fortnite continues to be a prime example of a successful GaaS title. It regularly updates its content with new seasons, events, collaborations, and cosmetic items. Fortnite's battle pass system, which offers a tiered progression system with rewards, has been particularly effective in driving player engagement and monetization.

  • Destiny 2 - Bungie's Destiny 2 has evolved into a robust GaaS title since its transition from a traditional retail game to a free-to-play model with seasonal content updates and expansions. It offers a blend of PvE (Player vs. Environment) and PvP (Player vs. Player) experiences, along with various monetization options such as season passes and cosmetic microtransactions.

  • Apex Legends - Respawn Entertainment's Apex Legends is another example of a successful GaaS title in the battle royale genre. It provides regular updates with new legends (playable characters), weapons, maps, and limited-time events. The game monetizes through battle passes, cosmetic items, and in-game purchases.

  • World of Warcraft - Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft remains a dominant force in the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) genre. Through its subscription-based model and regular expansions, WoW continues to provide a steady stream of content updates, gameplay enhancements, and community events.

  • Rainbow Six Siege - Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege has maintained its popularity through a GaaS approach, with regular updates in the form of new operators (playable characters), maps, and gameplay balancing. The game monetizes through season passes, cosmetic items, and a premium currency.

Games as a Service are here to continue given how successful in engagement and in revenue they have been.
Cross-platform integration becoming more of a necessity as players from different platforms can more easily play with friends that prefer other platforms to play.

User generated content may become more prevalent as an addition to current game modes and cosmetic options.

Collaborations with other popular franchises may increase as means to keep engaging and welcome new players.

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Weekly Task
Fortnite

Fortnite, one of the most popular free-to-play games, employs several monetization strategies that effectively incentivises players to engage with its ecosystem:

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  • Battle Pass: Fortnite's Battle Pass system offers players a tiered progression system with both free and premium tiers. Players can purchase the Battle Pass to unlock exclusive cosmetics, challenges, and rewards throughout the season. This incentivizes players to invest time and money into the game to unlock coveted items and level up their Battle Pass.

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  • In-game Purchases: Fortnite features an in-game item shop where players can purchase a variety of cosmetic items such as skins, emotes, gliders, and pickaxes using the game's virtual currency, V-Bucks. These purchases are purely cosmetic and do not affect gameplay, but they allow players to personalize their in-game experience and express themselves creatively.

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  • Limited-Time Events: Fortnite regularly hosts limited-time events and collaborations with popular franchises such as Marvel, DC, and Star Wars. These events often introduce exclusive cosmetic items and game modes that incentivize players to log in and participate during the event period.

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  • Seasonal Content Updates: Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, consistently releases seasonal content updates that introduce new gameplay features, map changes, and cosmetic items. This creates anticipation and excitement among players, encouraging them to continue playing and engaging with the game over time.

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  • Social Interactions and Community Engagement: Fortnite fosters a strong sense of community through social interactions such as playing with friends, participating in events, and sharing experiences on social media platforms. This sense of belonging and camaraderie can incentivise players to spend more time and money within the game to maintain their social connections and status within the community.

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Overall, Fortnite's monetization strategies effectively incentivises players to enter into the game's ecosystem by offering a combination of exclusive content, progression rewards, social interactions, and ongoing updates. The game's free-to-play model, coupled with optional purchases for cosmetic items, ensures that players have the freedom to choose how much they want to invest in the game. This flexibility, along with the constantly evolving nature of the game and its vibrant community, contributes to Fortnite's success as a modern gaming phenomenon.

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However, whether this model is effective depends on individual perspectives. Some may argue that Fortnite's monetization strategies encourage unhealthy spending habits or create a pay-to-win environment in other games. Others may view it as a fair and balanced approach that allows players to support the developers while enjoying a free-to-play experience. Ultimately, the success of Fortnite's monetization model highlights the importance of understanding player preferences and balancing revenue generation with player satisfaction and engagement.

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W6 - Luck and Loot Boxes 

Loot Box Design

This week's task was to design a Loot Box in Machinations (https://machinations.io/)

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I took inspiration from the pack system in Rainbow 6 Siege which after a match the player if they have won the game they have a chance to win a pack, if they do not win the pack the chance of earning a pack increases for the next win.

I wanted to reward the player in some way for playing the game so whether a game round ends in a win or loss the chances for earning a pack will always increase, being reset once a pack is earned.

Earning a pack
Earning a pack - 100 step simulation
Earning a pack - Visualisation
Redeeming a pack

For pack redemption assuming you can only earn one item per pack I divided the tier of items into 4 rarities.

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  • Legendary

  • Epic

  • Rare

  • Common

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When the player opens a pack there is different chances for the different rarities.

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  • Legendary - 2%

  • Epic - 13%

  • Rare - 25%

  • Common - 60%

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If one of the items happens to be a duplicate the user would get a pack back to try again.

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Use Pack
Use Pack - 100 step simulation
Use Pack - Visualisation
Design Decisions

Given my experience with loot box mechanics in video games they always seemed unfair, hard to earn and when earned whenever a duplicate was received sometimes only a fraction of was spent in terms of effort and value was returned.

In my design choice I opted to fully refund the player for a duplicate item to be less punishing on the player and be more worthwhile for the player to use packs.

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The pack accounts for a limited amount of items, which could be increasingly expanded.

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Premium packs which could only be obtained by in-game purchase could include limited availability items such as seasonal events or limited time events.

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In case a player has had fully obtained the total amount of items from the packs that are obtained for free an option to exchange a set number of these packs for one of the premium packs could be made available.
Or exchanging the packs for in-game currency that could be used for other purposes/services the game may offer.

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Loot Box Simulation

W7 - The Game Trailer

Workshop Task

This week's task is to create a game trailer, during the workshop I had a simple idea for a trailer for the game Cyberpunk 2077.

Trailer idea – gameplay/accolades 
                *cinematic intro (Ambiance/aesthetics/vibe)* 
                -Are you sure you want to do this? (or similar line by major npc) 
                *action sequence* 
                *short narrative sequences* 
                -Someone has to. / I have no other choice (or similar line by player character)

My intention for the trailer is a trailer that would intrigue the player to explore the game  both for the narrative and for the gameplay of the game.

It should include pieces of narrative and gameplay captured in the game.

Weekly Task

When I booted the game and created a new game it prompted me to pick an origin, each origin is different and introduces the character V into the main story line in different manners though a playable intro. I though this was pretty cool and that I could make a video trailer focusing on one of the origins instead of a general trailer.

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I picked the "Corpo" origin and played the origin story a few times using different settings, one of them eliminating all the audio except dialogue audio so I could use some of it as form of voice over in sections of the trailer.

For recording I used OBS

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recording at 60fps on a 1920 x 1080 resolution.

W8 - The Trailer Edit

Weekly Task

Using the game footage captured the previous week we began editing it into a trailer.

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I used Adobe Premier to edit the video. 

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The trailer shows focus on the events of the Corpo Origin in the game Cyberpunk 2077.

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Video Edit

Resources

Music - P.T. Adamczyk - Never Fade Away (SAMURAI Cover) - feat. Olga Jankowska @ GOG Cyberpunk 2077 Extras, Soundtrack

Image at the end - CD Projekt @ www.cyberpunk.net/gb/en/cyberpunk-2077

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