Robert Eastwood

Principles of Game Design

Stimulus
I am making a game called Deadstroke and it is a Stealth Adventure
Action game which will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and
Computer. It will be first-person also. Stealth is a good genre I think
because when I think about a lot of stealth games most of them became
very successful such as The Assassins Creed series; which got so
successful they made an Assassins Creed film as well as already having 9
games. Another example is Dishonored which won loads of awards such
as game of the year award and they are also making Dishonored 2
because of how popular the first one was.
Original Intellectual Property. (IP)
IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks,
which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what
they invent or create. By striking the right balance between the interests
of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an
environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish. I have
decided to make my own game instead of making a sequel to another
game.

Franchised
Franchised is when an idea is based around an already existing idea but
isnt exactly the same idea because the original idea isnt the same as
what someone else may have created. Such as the Assassins Creed series
as all the games play the same and have the same kind of character but
the story is different every time.

Market Research
My game Deadstroke has lots of similarities to the game Dishonored;
some of my ideas are based around Dishonored and how the gameplay
works and how the story worked. As the game does have killing in it I have
decided to give it a 16+ because I think that is about right as people
around 16 will understand what is going on in the story and will not

Robert Eastwood

hopefully mind the killing and swearing that is going to be in the game.
Dishonored is a great game to base a new game of because it got a lot of
positive reviews, there isnt that many type of games like it and it won
loads of awards. I would say Deadstroke will be as violent as Dishonored.
Another similarities is that Dishonored and Deadstroke are for both
genders to play. Even better is newly released sequel Dishonored 2 where
you can choose to play as a man or a woman. Dishonored also has a lot of
characters in it which I will also be doing but my game is a lot more public
and recognised then Dishonored will be because all my actors in the game
are really well know such as Christian Bale, Gary Oldman and Margot
Robbie.

Core gamers are people that play games constantly and take playing
games seriously whereas Casual players dont play games often but
sometimes play for light entertainment. I would say my game is for Core
gamers as there is so much you could do that I think you would have to
play games a lot as you dont want to forget parts of the story as story is
the main part of the game as there is no multiplayer just like Dishonored.
Core gamers spend a great deal of their leisure time playing games, and if
they're not playing, they're reading magazines about games or surfing the
web for information on games which is good for finding out when new
games come out and they can also follow the games social media
account to get news updates about the game. Whereas the casual gamer
is not prepared to spend that much time or money on it. The casual gamer
wants to play games the same way they watch TV or read a book. They
dont want games to consume their life; they want them to entertain them
for a while. I think my game can be played by both casual and core
gamers but I think core gamers will enjoy it more because they play it
regularly they can get invested in the story and the game entirely.

Robert Eastwood

A gaming community is a community of people who all play the same

games. There are also clans which is an organized group of players that
play regularly together. It tends to be in virtual world where people can
interact with each other and are connected by living as an avatar in a
computer-based world. Users create their own avatar character and chose
the avatars outfit and can also design the avatars house along with
controlling their characters life. Gaming communities are where players
can interact with one another and can discuss a certain game. My game
Deadstroke is single player so there will not be any communities on the
game but on website online there can be all fans of the game talk about
the game there. I think mostly everyone likes action games and I would
say it is the most popular genre for a game and my game is action and
adventure and stealth; all of these genres I would say are popular.
Right now the market for this game is full mainly because Dishonored 2
has just come out but I think it would be best to wait like 6 months before
releasing the game so there is nothing like Deadstroke out at that time. I
dont think Assassins Creed is releasing another game anytime soon
which is good because that is very similar to my game also. Dishonored
which is a Stealth action-adventure game which is you play in first-person
made by Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks and this game is the
game I have mostly looked at and have the most similarities with. In the
game you have got to rescue the queen and daughter of murdered past
queen of the kingdom of Dunwall after the Queen is murdered, the main
character Corvo is framed for the murder and after escaping prison plans
revenge for the murdered queen and is forced to become an assassin and
joins loyalists to help reclaim Dunwall, Corvo also meet a man called the
Outsider who gives Corvo powers. It ends with Corvo finding the Queen
Emily and getting rid of all his enemies. Dishonored can be played in
different ways you can kill everyone or you can kill nobody and get
different ending at the end depending on the way you choose to play the
game. Following its release, the game won several awards, including the
2012 Spike Video Game award for Best Action-Adventure Game and the
2013 BAFTA award for Best Game, and was repeatedly recognized as the
best action-adventure game of 2012 and one of that year's best games.

Robert Eastwood

Platform
Desktop PC have had recent advancement in technology computer brands
such as alienware have been able to produce computers tailored to
gaming. Gaming computers range with the way they are sold and the
games they can play. Many gaming computers are sold as a unit meaning
everything coming together, just like how you would buy a normal
desktop, however some users, users that are familiar with the technology
used build their own computers tailored to the specifications they would
like for their computers.

Consoles have been around for years and a video game console is a
device that outputs a video signal or visual image to display a video
game. Gaming consoles have been made by different companies and each
one has a slightest difference of an experience when playing, with that
said a different controlling system, different games and a different way of
communicating.

Mobile games are usually downloaded at app stores as well as via the
mobile operator's network, but in some cases are also embedded in the
handheld devices by the OEM or by the mobile operator when purchased,
via infrared connection, Bluetooth, memory card or side loaded onto the
handset with a cable.

Robert Eastwood

Gaming there are two types of games that are suitable when the first term
TV game can be used to refer to any number of self-contained, portable
game systems operating on either batteries or an electronic power
supply which plugs directly into a TV or VCR.

Online gaming requires the least attention and is played massively and
online games are a game which is on the internet, World Wide Web
platform. The games played really range massively, some need an
account to access games; Games such as Club Penguin which is for kids. If
you swear in the game you can get suspended for a few days also so that
nobody else who comes online has to deal with the swearing especially if
they are kids.

I have decided Deadstroke will be on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and on PC.

Genre

Robert Eastwood

Sport games are videos games that simulate different sport games. An
example of a sport game is the FIFA game series and the NBA game
series. There are loads of football games around such as Football Manager
which is a lot different to FIFA as Football Manager is where you watch the
game instead of playing it. PES is a lot more like FIFA but is made by
different companies but FIFA is more popular and is one of the most
popular games in the history of video games because of how popular
football is around the world. It is also popular because it has loads of
different things you can do on it such
as Ultimate team which is online and
there is career mode which is single
player plus so much more.

An adventure game is a video

game where the gamer assumes
the role of the protagonist in a
story driven game which includes
puzzle-solving and exploration and sometimes quests and side-quests.
Mostly all adventure games are single player because the game normally
focuses on the story and the character and making it multiplayer as well
would be difficult. While the puzzles that players encounter through the
story can be arbitrary, those that do not pull the player out of the
narrative are considered examples of good design. An example of an
adventure video game is Skyrim which has tons of different missions in it
ones you dont have to do to proceed in the game but there is different
part you can go to complete the game; Skyrim also won many awards
including Game of the year and is seen as one of the best games ever
because of the amount of fun you can get out of it.

Robert Eastwood

Action games emphasize physical challenges and includes hand-eye

coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes other genre such as
platform games, fighting games and shooter games. Players advance
through an action game by completing a series of levels. Levels are often
grouped by theme, with similar graphics and enemies. Each level involves
a variety of challenges, whether dancing in a dance game or shooting
things in a shooter, which the player must overcome to win the game.
Older games force players to restart a level after dying, although action
games evolved to offer saved games and checkpoints to allow the player
to restart partway through a level. Increasingly, though, some games
allow for resurrection or cloning and the opportunity to regain lost items
upon death for a certain sum of in game currency, typically increasing
exponentially the more times the player dies. The obstacles and enemies
in a level do not usually vary between play sessions, allowing players to
learn by trial and error. However,
levels sometimes add an element
of randomness, such as an
enemy that randomly appears or
that takes an unpredictable path.
They have a range of defences
and attacks, such as shooting or
punching. Many action games
make use of a powerful attack
that destroys all enemies within a limited range, but this attack is rare. In
many action games, the avatar has a certain amount of hit markers or
health, which are depleted by enemy attacks and other hazards.
Sometimes health can be replenished by collecting an in-game object.
When the player runs out of health, the player dies. An example of an
action game is Battlefield which is a shooter game and is set in wars
where you go around with a weapon but can get on armoured vehicles,
tanks and helicopters.
Simulation games attempt to copy activities that happen in real life and
make it into a game. Construction and management simulation is a type
of simulation game in which players build, expand or manage fictional
communities or projects with limited resources. Life simulation games is a
subgenre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls
one or more artificial lifeforms. A life simulation game can revolve around
individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation of an ecosystem.
An example of a life simulation is The Sims where you control a little
person and you decide what their interests are and what job they get and
who they marry and have kids with.

Robert Eastwood

Strategy games are games

where the gamers would do

normally autonomous decisionmaking skills which have high

significance in the outcome. A
gamer must plan a series of actions against one or more opponents, and
the reduction of enemy forces is usually a goal. Victory is achieved
through superior planning. most strategy video games, the player is given
a godlike view of the game world, and indirectly controls game units under
their command. An example of this is the Civilisation game series where
you have to lead a country to victory. There are different ways to do it also
domination which is where you kill all the other countries and take their
capital cities, another way to win is scientific where you have to build a
spaceship leaves earth, another way to win is currency where you build
the world bank and the final way to win is cultural where you build the
wonders and get great people in your country. Civilisation can be played
single player and multiplayer as well.
Puzzle games are games that test the gamers knowledge and ingenuity.
There are different types of puzzles for different ages, such as crossword
puzzles, word-search puzzles, number puzzles, or logic puzzles. A popular
puzzle game is Tetris which is where blocks fall from the top of the screen,
blocks all different shapes fall and you have to try and stack the blocks
evenly and do as much as you can before you full the screen up.

Role-playing games(RPG) are games where the gamer assumes the roles
of characters in a fictional setting such as Skyrim. Gamers take
responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through
literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making or
character development. Single player role-playing video games form a

Robert Eastwood

loosely defined genre of computer and console games with origins in roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons. Online text-based roleplaying games involve many players using some type of text-based
interface and an Internet connection to play an RPG. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) combine the large-scale
social interaction and persistent world of MUDs with graphic interfaces.
Most MMORPGs do not actively promote in-character role-playing,
however players can use the games' communication functions to role-play
so long as other players cooperate. An example is Fallout 4 which is made
by the same people as
Skyrim; Bethesda make
mainly role-playing
games and they are
always good.
Time management
games are a subgenre of
strategy video game
focused around fast real
time allocation of
resources in a
consequent order to fulfil the level objectives. The player must react to
the incoming requests that occur as they play and serve them in the most
effective manner to get the greatest possible reward. They are usually
limited in time, and their resources limit the speed at which they can
serve the requests. As a game progresses, the player usually has a
possibility to upgrade their available resources by spending the earned
rewards. A typical setting for a time management game puts a player in a
position of some kind of service worker. Some examples are waiter or cook
in a restaurant, airport dispatcher, office manager. There are games with
different settings.

Educational games are games explicitly designed with educational

purposes, or which have incidental or secondary educational value. As
educators, governments, and parents realize the psychological need and
benefits of gaming have on learning, this educational tool has become

Robert Eastwood

mainstream. Games are interactive play that teach us goals, rules,

adaptation, problem solving, interaction, all represented as a story.
Educational video games play a significant role in the school curriculum
for teachers who seek to deliver core lessons, reading and new skills.
Gamification of education allows learners to take active roles in learning
and develop technological skills that are needed for their academic and
professional careers. Several recent studies have shown that video
games, whether violent or not can help children in the development of
intellectual and emotional skills that support their academic achievement.
The Civilisation game series teaches about past civilisations that use to be
around such as the Ottomans and Scythia.

Viral marketing is any marketing technique that induces Web sites or

users to pass on a marketing message to other sites or users, creating a
potentially exponential growth in the message's visibility and effect. , viral
marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to
marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networking services and
other technologies to try to produce increases in brand awareness or to
achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral
processes. Viral marketing may take the form of video clips, interactive
Flash games, eBooks, brand able software, images, text messages, email
messages, or web pages. I have decided my game will be stealth
adventure and action and will be sold on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC
and will be sold in Europe, North America and Asia.