Slide 1: This report will be one of research, a thesis, instead of a game design report.
Slide 2: My name's Nicolas Lindbäck and I am working to become a professional 3D artist. My research will try to answer how storytelling can get more effective through graphics in games, especially 3D art and the very design of enviromnents and characters. The target audience is mainly developers (i.e. game designers and lead artists) and fellow artists in, mainly, the game industry. I am doing this report so it could increase the understanding of making a more effective (potentially more dynamic) storytelling in games by graphics and design. I know that storytelling is told by more than just visuals, but I'll just focus on that here. By doing this report I also hope that I can personally get recognition as a 3D artist and get the attention of employees by letting them know my competence in art and design.
Slide 3: Self-explanatory: This is the amount of focus I will be giving each and every category in this slide...
Slide 4: Same as slide 3. Note that this is NOT set in stone and can, and probably will, change under the course of my research.
Slide 5: So, in the research/study session available to me: I am going to accomplish writing my report through these 3 basic steps. I will first get all the materials and references available to me. Through the net and books, through articles and reports. Then I'll write a qualitative interview that will try to get public opinion in how storytelling will be structured, what is usually bad narration and what they think is the best way to avoid/fix such mistakes.
After getting enough materials that I think can fill in the gaps to answer my thesis, I'll start reflecting on all the information I have gathered. This is the moment I'll go philosophical, or even look up some philosophical topics, and try to filter out the things that will not be of use in the report and hopefully I can have enough left to get my report writing going.
The "last" step is the writing itself. I'll go with what I have BUT I usually end up going back to step 1 and 2 again. It helps me tweak and reshape either the Thesis or the report itself so I'll write consistently and make sure it's up to par with the academical standards.
Slide 6: So, yeah. Already mentioned a bit but I sincerely hope this can add to my efforts in getting a place as a professional artist in the gmae industry, I guess such competence can even make me a lead artist, though that is not my main goal. As this report is mostly for the industry market, it has the potential at least.
Slide 7: But to put my target audience bluntly, in a more prolific order: Artists/Craftsmen in the media industry, game developers (not publishers) and designers in the game industry. Some might argue that artists and designers are the same, but in my opinion they aren't. Artists and craftsmen could just as easily model and paint other's designs (i.e taking other's work as inspiration for their own or just converting 2D to 3D through modeling), while designers makes everything "original" or research heavily before making their dress/model/painting. The differences can also come down to that artists always make art while designers are also more invested in scientific foundations and research.
And here I will give you a more in-depth look into the report itself:
Slide 1: The focus of my research is heavily oriented in the industry, instead of the academical orientation. It's mainly a qualitative and secondary research.
Slide 2: And what is my vision?
- The reward is the recognition, the increase in understanding storytelling and graphics more deeply and even improving my 3D artistical skills.
- The challenge is to actually find enough references, reports, articles and literature that can help me get aforementioned rewards.
- The abilities at my disposal are past experiences with a similar subject, which is "immersion", and the knowledge about "good" and "bad" games in the yes of the public and my own artistical skills.
- The strategy is to gather materials first, interviews second and then have some philosophical reflections on the subject, to at last write the report.
Slide 3: Nothing to add here, so I'll just re-iterate what the slide is already showing. The research's main industrial potential is the increase in understanding of game's narration through- and with graphics. Making a more effective experience.
The needs that my research would fill is the, in my opinion, too lacking of narrative/immersive competence in the game developer market.
Slide 4: But to put my target audience bluntly, in a more prolific order: Artists/Craftsmen in the media industry, game developers (not publishers) and designers in the game industry.
Slide 5: Yeah, this slide might sound arrogant or pretentious, but I do think that there's too much incompetence, or plain ignorance, in how important storytelling though visuals, in all aesthetics really, instead of bluntly give us the story through bland exposition and/or dialogue. A bad game reads more like a dictionary than being "an experience"; A story that the player herself can discover at her own pace.
Slide 6: And how will I reach those people? I don't really believe forcing the issue will help at all, sounding too preachy is not good teaching either. I will post it on my blog, opening the report up for other's to leave comments on and I will always be glad to participate in discussions/arguments about the subject.
I'll then try to send it to an academical site (i.e. a site which catalogues and archives all type of articles and reports) so it can get the "stamp of quality" from professional researchers and scientists.
At the same time I will also try to get it posted on some more game oriented sites, mainly sites like the Escapist Magazine, Gamasutra, Rock, Paper & Shotgun or something of that calibre.
Slide 7: So, while the results are easy to understand, I will iterate a little more on the reasons to why they are important to my target audiences. I do think they are connected to eachother and to all audiences mentioned, because they do question the how - why- and what of narration through graphics. This is something all targets are heavily invested in, especially concerning games/movies of course. My results can asnwer alot of the artists', game developers' and designers' decisions.
Slide 8: - To achieve the first result: Finding past research in the subject of narration and story-through-graphics, reading reviews of games, games which are “famous” for having effective immersion and have great storytelling, and interviewing people on this topic.
- To achieve the second result: Re-iterating the first result but for the subject of failing in the design about immersion. Potential experiments and more interviews for this question.
- Looking through more articles on the subject and have more interviews in how “common” mistakes can be avoided. More potential experiments for this question.
Slide 9: The strengths of this report would be the potential higher understanding of immersion and storytelling, more philosophical discussions about games and maybe even a more serious treatment in the game industry.
The weakness would be to get too focused on this small part in the general design of a game. To forget that this report isn't going to give a miracelous answer to all the problems and that your game will be great because you follow my guidelines. I hope to set some rules in to making a great game, but this doesn't answer other aspects of it.
The opportunities this report can give, not only me but others as well, are numerous in the competence departement. To understand this subject better or just something you could add to your own perspective.
The threats though, that this report can start or accelerate, is plain elitism on how and why a game should be made. I could accidently create more unneccesary arguments on this subject that would mostly hinder a game development. Hopefully, that will not be the case.
Slide 10: So... yes. What is my important next step? Well, that is not an easy question. To read up on this subject and find references and literature and's secondary information on my research. But also, to open up my own mind, try to get rid of my bias on how a "good" storytelling should be or what makes great designs. I need to think outside the box and thus I could find the unexpected genius answer to a question I may be not even have thought about. I will do my best and I have this will contribute... for a better future!
Slide 8: - To achieve the first result: Finding past research in the subject of narration and story-through-graphics, reading reviews of games, games which are “famous” for having effective immersion and have great storytelling, and interviewing people on this topic.
- To achieve the second result: Re-iterating the first result but for the subject of failing in the design about immersion. Potential experiments and more interviews for this question.
- Looking through more articles on the subject and have more interviews in how “common” mistakes can be avoided. More potential experiments for this question.
Slide 9: The strengths of this report would be the potential higher understanding of immersion and storytelling, more philosophical discussions about games and maybe even a more serious treatment in the game industry.
The weakness would be to get too focused on this small part in the general design of a game. To forget that this report isn't going to give a miracelous answer to all the problems and that your game will be great because you follow my guidelines. I hope to set some rules in to making a great game, but this doesn't answer other aspects of it.
The opportunities this report can give, not only me but others as well, are numerous in the competence departement. To understand this subject better or just something you could add to your own perspective.
The threats though, that this report can start or accelerate, is plain elitism on how and why a game should be made. I could accidently create more unneccesary arguments on this subject that would mostly hinder a game development. Hopefully, that will not be the case.
Slide 10: So... yes. What is my important next step? Well, that is not an easy question. To read up on this subject and find references and literature and's secondary information on my research. But also, to open up my own mind, try to get rid of my bias on how a "good" storytelling should be or what makes great designs. I need to think outside the box and thus I could find the unexpected genius answer to a question I may be not even have thought about. I will do my best and I have this will contribute... for a better future!
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