Unit 1 – Video Games

Introduction:

The title of the game is called Call of Duty World at War. It has sold over one billion
copies since launch. The developer of Call of Duty World at War is called Treyarch
and they have made games such as Quantum of Solace, Spider-Man, NHL 2K2 and
many more.

Character Control:

The term character control means when you control either the main character in the
game or several different characters throughout the game doing missions. There are
three types of character controls and these are called single character, multiple
characters (frequent change) and multiple characters (infrequent controls). The
difference between all three is that for single character you only control one character
throughout the game. For multiple characters (frequent change) you change very
rapidly between characters e.g. between one/two seconds. In Call of Duty World at
War the types of character controls are single character and multiple characters
(infrequent change). In Call of Duty World at War, single character is used in
campaign and multiple characters (infrequent change) is used in multiplayer.

Playing Method:

The term playing method means if you can play only one player or multiple players in
every type of game. There are three times of playing methods and these are called one
player, versus, and co-operative. The differences between these are that one player is
when you can only play by yourself throughout the game. Versus is when you play
against a friend or someone online and co-operative is when you play with a friend or
with people online to complete missions. In Call of Duty World at War all three types
of playing methods fit in into the game. One player is used in the campaign, versus is
used when playing a friend and co-operative is used online when playing with your
friends online or other people around the world.

Game Space:

The term game space means how much of the game you can see when playing. There
are five types of game spaces and these are called mapped, free roam level, contained
area, structured level and free roam massive. The differences between them are that
for mapped, you can see the whole of the map from above. Free roam level is where
you can roam through the level, but have certain points where you cannot access and
you have an objective. Contained area is where you can only play in a certain area
within the game. Structured level is where you can only one way throughout the game
and free roam massive is where you can play anywhere within the area of the huge
map. The type of game space used in Call of Duty World at War is free roam level
where you have a map and certain points where you cannot access.
Narrative:

The term narrative in video games means accomplishing missions in a specific order
or any order. There are four types of narratives and these are called linear campaign,
non linear campaign, level objective and single objective. The differences between
these are that linear campaign is where you accomplish levels and tasks in the order
the developers tell you to. Non linear campaign is different missions where you can
accomplish any mission you want. Level objective is where you have to complete a
level in order to move onto the next level and single objective is where you only have
one objective throughout the game and that is to win. The type of narrative used in
Call of Duty World at War is linear objective where you have to accomplish a mission
in order to move onto the next one. This is used in campaign mode.

Camera View:

The term camera view in video games means the view in which you see the game.
There are four types of camera views and they are bird’s eye view, extreme long shot,
third person and first person. The differences between these are that bird’s eye view
lets you see the game from a high level angle. Extreme long shot means you can see
most of the game, third person is when the camera level is behind the character and
first person is when your playing the game through the characters eyes. The type of
camera view in Call of Duty World at War is first person and you use this type when
playing a mission or playing a friend or online.

Genre:

The term genre in video games means a game which has a certain type of genre such
as racing or sport. The five video game genres are called platform, racing, role
playing game, sports and adventure. The differences between these are that platform
games are usually aimed towards kids. Racing is where you race vehicles against one
another to try and win. Role playing games are where you take on the characters life
and live his/hers life for them. Sports games are where you stimulate a sport and
adventure is where you are playing your way through a level killing people. The genre
used in Call of Duty World at War is adventure and this is used in my game by
playing through levels and killing the enemy to attain a certain point or objective.

To conclude, the main points my essay has stated are that there are loads of different
contents within a game and loads of different elements which go into a game to make
it enjoyful for the target audience. I enjoy playing my game because I am into first
person shooter games and the online mode never gets me bored because there is
always a challenge online where there are many competitive players all striving to
become the best.