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Critical Analysis

Blom, J. (2023) ‘Video Game Characters and Transmedia Storytelling: The Dynamic Game Character’. Amsterdam University Press.

Transmedia today is almost everywhere, for companies and businesses to thrive it has become very common to build a franchise through the use of transmedia. This is usually based around unique, memorable and popular characters across different media platforms such as comics, film, TV and games. These different fields of network allow the producers to expand on the current story, building a whole universe around the franchise and it allows for representation in a different way. With an in-depth look at characters represented in different media, Joleen Blom showcases the intriguing ways in which a character is shaped by the creator and the impact this may have on the audience. As an aspiring concept artist, this is an important aspect to focus on as it provides a detailed comprehension about how the characters I design should be consistent and cohesive across each platform. However it is also significant that these characters are able to be adjusted if required, to adapt and suit the platform. 

This critical analysis will focus on the introduction of the idea of dynamic game characters and it will provide examples of successful video games that have used this type of game character to showcase transmedia storytelling. Furthermore, I will explore in detail the importance of the dynamic game character type for concept art and how concept artists can apply this methodology to every artwork. 

For this analysis I want to specifically focus on Joleen Blom’s book “Video Game Characters and Transmedia Storytelling”. Through a wide range of game studies and research I explored, I selected Joleen's highly interesting book on character studies through transmedia due to my love and interest in character art and design. Joleen Blom is a game scholar and Japanologist. Based on her thorough research and considerably high academic achievements and experiences, Joleen Blom published her first book "Video Game Characters and Transmedia Storytelling”, published by Amsterdam University Press in 2023. 

The book is filled with academic insights on character art which supports Blom’s academic achievements and experiences. I would assume this is possibly easy to understand concepts for academics with knowledge on these ideas however it can be tricky for newcomer artists like me, to comprehend the interesting and complex theories on how characters are designed. However, the book is not outdated at all, I would say it has current and fresh perspectives on popular games and a great choice of sample cases to showcase her ideas. When reading through the sample cases I had a better understanding of her ideas because as a young reader I can relate to the games she explores.

Throughout reading it I noticed the book is divided into two parts. The first half goes in detail about “theoretical and historical backgrounds of characters in a franchise and transmedia landscapes”. It also introduces the idea of games having a dynamic game character and how games utilise this concept when branching out to different media. The second part of the book has interesting sample cases from popular games which apply the concept of dynamic game character and what effect this has on different platforms. For me personally, it was a joy to read this section as it has sample cases of games which I love and have spent hundreds of hours in. 

From Blom’s perspective dynamic characters have an identity that changes depending on how the player plays the game. This causes “character clashes” due to games offering players agency and when pushed transmedia sometimes it “cannot always follow through on this”. Characters should exist constantly across different media platforms, however, Blom also believes that characters can also evolve with each different platform to satisfy the audience or evolve in a certain way so they add to the existing story of the universe. 

Further down in the book, Blom explains how dynamic game characters have a structure to consider when being developed, taking into account the multiple outcomes the player can explore. Game developers need to look at games as a “cyber medium” due to games having the possibility of changing player experience depending on how the player perceives and infer the game. There are also different requirements to consider before labelling a character as dynamic. Blom further explains that her theory splits into three types of dynamic characters. 

These types of characters are special, as player’s opinions change throughout the game and the direction in which they will interpret the character. The structure is determined by the actions and choices the player makes along the way. This can occur at any point in the game’s story, characters personalities or environment they are in. Sometimes the outcome is not even a clear path until the player has made their decision. 

A sample case used by Blom in the book is Persona 5. Persona 5 is an anime style role-playing video game developed by P-Studio and published by Atlus. The game is the sixth installment in the Persona series first released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in Japan in September 2016 and worldwide in April 2021. This is a game with a few endings and outcomes depending how the player plays. More specifically the relationships you create with the characters throughout the game will outline the end you will end up with. In the end you will be faced with two possibilities, the characters will either side with you which in turn will get you the “good” ending or they can side and agree with the enemy which means you will get the “bad” ending. These endings are determined by carefully picked prompts when talking to characters to raise their relationship with you and build their trust with them through a point system. Some special endings of the game are spread out throughout the game before you even get to the true endings. Through my research and playing the game myself a while back I know that these relationships with characters are a structure built into the game to Persona’s character dynamic and relatable to the player. When playing the game most players are likely to talk to the characters with prompts they relate to, the player will often put themselves in the shoes of the main character. Answering is usually based on how the player feels as that main character. 

The future of dynamic characters will definitely thrive and continue growing, as this is a very popular genre in games. In the history of games we’ve seen the concept being passed down, developed and even expanded upon. This idea has also been seen in different genres of games. For example, the horror game Until Dawn gives the player the opportunity to save the character from death depending on player play style and prompts through talking to characters like Persona 5 uses. 

In conclusion, as a character concept artist, I like to explore and portray unrealistic designs of my characters, because to me art uses imagination to visualise on paper the impossible, allowing for endless possibilities in art. I also deeply consider how I can portray the character’s motives and other attributes visually as part of their design. With this source I could take into account different ways in which I can explore character's attributes and personalities in more detail and apply it to my art to elevate my storytelling skills through artwork. Knowing what I know now, it should be easier for me to introduce some dynamic character designs into my work and hopefully gain some more interest from game developers looking to hire for my type of artwork.

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Reader - Source and Significance

1

Tryon, C. (2013) ‘Reboot cinema’, Convergence, 19(4), pp. 432-437. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856513494179 

This page discusses reboot cinema and what techniques producers use to bring back the interest and consumption of older shows and films, today. Tryon goes over the reboot phenomenon by using popular franchises as examples such as The Amazing Spider-Man and more. He highlights the importance of reboot cinema and how it is used to reboot and renew the technologies used to create the project and then sell the movie.

I found this article very interesting as it also applies to my field of media which is game art and game development. The idea of reboot cinema can also be applied to remastered games. In the same way reboot cinema brings back older shows and film, games also go through this same phenomenon as described by Tryon. Reboot cinema made it possible for remastered games to thrive on the market. This has definitely become a popular genre in the past few years. Due to gamers like myself, often wishing they could experience and relive their childhood games with a remaster in today's graphics. 

2

Donald I. (2019). “Just War? War Games, War Crimes, and Game Design”. Games and Culture. Volume 14, issue 4, pp. 367-386. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412017720359 

The author of this article sparks an intriguing debate surrounding war based games and first-person shooters and the impact they can cause on players’ overview and perceptions of these heavy themes. It discusses the involvement of The International Committee of the Red Cross or ICRC in short, when it comes to games exposing players to deadly and strictly illegal crimes. The gaming industry is responsible for simulation violence and war for players interested in these genres, however developers always need to devise a way to not promote this behavior outside of the game.

The article made me think about relevant and current ethical issues I should recognise as a game artist, when making my artwork. I believe it is very important to find a good way to balance between realism and ethics when designing these types of games. The impact of video games on ethics can be very strong and compelling, as artists and creators we are encouraged to see the larger consequences of breaching ethical game design methods

3

Sang Jin Kim, Kyung Hoon Kim & Pekka Mattila (2012) ‘The Role of Fashion in the Characters of Online Games’, Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 3:2, 81-88, https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2012.10593110 

This article highlights the importance of fashion in games and how it impacts storytelling, visual satisfaction in the player, artstyle and aesthetics of the game. It focuses specifically on the genre Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games, also known as MMORPG. With the evidence discovered by the author, I learnt that character fashion plays a key role in the immersion and satisfaction of the player. Outfit designs for games often go through many alterations in order for developers to carefully consider the right style of clothing to fit the art direction the company is aiming to achieve. 

As I was reading I felt like I could relate this article to my experience with MMORPGs. For me this is a genre I have a strong connection to as it was my first introduction to games and seeing the different outfits I can equip on my character was one of the main drives I have for why I enjoy character art. I found this discussion fascinating and very useful as an aspiring artist. Clothing style, material and colour scheme play a big part for me when it comes to my concept art characters. When people look at my art I want them to be able to tell exactly who my characters are and where they are from just by the clothes I designed for them. 

4

Mayher, J. (2016) Understanding Gender & Sexuality In Popular Culture. Indiana University Bloomington: Cognella.

I took an in-depth look into this book and learnt about interesting perspectives within society. The book covers Laura Mulvey’s explanation on the Male gaze theory, what it is and its origins. She points out that from her perspective men see women as “bearers of meaning” while men are described as "makers of meaning". This relates to men having dominant power over women and using them as an image of desire and lust. In films women are often depicted as sexual objects for pleasure. Laura Mulvey further discusses this oppressive relationship women have with men.

The male gaze theory continues to be used in film today and even introduced in video games. Often in games, female characters are oversexualised specifically to target the male audience. As an artist myself, I always aim to represent my male and female characters as equalls. When concepting art I consider how I can make my characters interesting and visually appealing without having to make them look sexual. I think it’s important for every artist to strive for the same idea. 

5

Ward, L, M & Grower, P. (2020). Media and the Development of Gender Role Stereotypes. University of Michigan, Michiga 

I took an interest in this paper as it covers a wide range of ways stereotypes are presented in the media, and more importantly, how they affect the audience.More specifically, Ward and Grower analyse the differences between male and female stereotypes. They bring attention to points such as lack of recognition for female stories and lack of respect for them and how this affects society in a toxic way. Interestingly both sometimes agree on points and other times they differ in perspective and opinion, this gave me two different sides to consider when analysing my work.

I was able to apply their discussions to the media we consume today, to see if my opinions line up with theirs. In art I always try to consider each side and male perspective and female perspective. 

6

LATIKKA, R. et al. (2023). AI as an Artist? A Two-Wave Survey Study on Attitudes Toward Using Artificial Intelligence in Art. Poetics. 101(0). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2023.101839 

Latikka uses research found from a survey on public perception of the use of Artificial Intelligence or also known as AI in the arts. The main result of the survey had positive correlation in feelings toward AI art. However, some participants expressed that they felt AI-produced art which looked very “strange” and “cold”. With the rapid increase in AI tools development, more and more people are starting to express how they feel about AI art. Currently it’s a very controversial topic, it could have a positive impact in some sectors of society but it could also be negative towards careers. The gaming industry and cinema industry are already adopting the use of AI within their production pipelines to meet the high demand of media consumption we experience. 

Personally, I feel that AI art shouldn’t be part of the game industry at all, as it takes away jobs for graduate artists and juniors. Furthermore it makes the field more competitive on the market for games, and career-wise for people.  

7

Chandler, G. (2009) Film Editing: Great Cuts Every Filmmaker and Movie Lover Must Know. 1st edn. California: Michael Wiese Publications

In this book Gael Chandler goes over the different movie magic techniques and most common types of editing cuts used in cinema. This source is extremely old but it is impressive how some of these techniques and theories for video editing are still used today. Furthermore, we can also see some of these techniques used in the popular video sharing platform, Youtube. With the rise of youtube content becoming more in demand, video editing has become a stable career path with the use of those same techniques Gael Chandler describes.

As an artist it is always very interesting to me to investigate how certain animations were created and which methods animators have used to achieve this editing style. If I take my artwork into the animation route, I would find this source very helpful to be able to tell stories and be able to visually translate my ideas into moving frames in a way that entertains the audience. 

8 

Robb J., Garner T., Collins K., and Nacke L. E. (2017). “The Impact of Health-Related User Interface Sounds on Player Experience”. Simulation & Gaming. Volume 48, issue 3, pp. 402-427. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878116688236 

This article brings attention to the use of sound in video games, taking a further look into its functions on providing information for the user and the emotions translated to the user. Both of which are very important when it comes to providing an immersive experience for the player. This research mentions two studies, the first research focuses on health-related sounds and how they add to or even enhance gameplay for players. Results showed that players find it very important and much needed for audio feedback to be present during key elements such as health status. The second study differentiates between two types of sounds “abstract” and “realistic”. This study aims to describe situation awareness and perception of health using these types of sounds. From the results we can infer that there is higher preference for realistic sounds through the use of realist heartbeat sounds instead of abstract beeping. This means that the sound of realistic heartbeat is a lot more effective and impactful on the player during critical health moments. It also adds to the urgency and severity of the situation the player is in. 

To further convey to the player these critical health situations, as an artist I would add a "red screen of almost-death" which is a common game design visual feature which supports the sound as it plays to further notify the danger the player faces. 

9

Blom, J. (2023) ‘Video Game Characters and Transmedia Storytelling: The Dynamic Game Character’. Amsterdam University Press.

With research Blom discusses views on the importance of consistent characters and how they are on the frontline when it comes to transmedia for growing a franchise. He mentions characters are a vital aspect of today's transmedia practices. They should be recognisable and constant throughout each transmedia with the goal to bring in audience or players to the main product. To learn about different ways in which characters can pass through different transmedia he analyses three elements in transmedia: transmedia storytelling, Japanese studies and game studies. In the book, Blom addresses characters as “dynamic game characters” and discusses their importance on digital media, he also underlines how they enhance and influence personal experiences.

As a concept artist I thought his point of view is intriguing, and it gives me another way to look at my characters when designing them. I believe character design and their personality should be nuanced, this book helps me achieve that by looking into different perspectives on them, outside of narrative point of view.

10

MASANET, M., VENTURA, R. & BALLESTE, E. (2022). Beyond the “Trans Fact”? Trans Representation in the Teen Series Euphoria: Complexity, Recognition, and Comfort. Social Inclusion. 10(2), p.143 – 155. [Online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v10i2.4926 

This article covers Masanet’s analysis on the representation of LGBTQ+ people in the media. The research includes a deep dive into the popular TV series, Euphoria and its characters. More specifically it analyses the character Jules, a transgender woman, and how the show explores fairness in trans representation. It states Euphoria used complexity, recognition and comfort in their characters which is interesting and educational for the audience. This multi-layered representation has an impact on the rising fight against discrimination to the LGBTQ+ community. Furthermore, the article also encouraged producers to apply these representations to other shows for a wider spread of support towards LGBTQ+ community.

In the concept art field representation of characters can become a challenging aspect of art to explore. This article helped me look into how other artists are using representation in their artwork. With the explored techniques I will aim to achieve a fair representation throughout my work moving forward.

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Blog Post 10: Ai Music taking over Spotify

In this blog post I would like to discuss AI music making its way into Spotify and other music streaming platforms. AI is definitely here to say, not only did it take over the field of art in concept art and illustrations but now it has recently infiltrated on Spotify. Uses of AI is already a very controversial topic, especially with its rapid growth in how it learns from humans. Currently, the reception of Spotify using AI is very mixed. 

I will first start with some positive impacts AI has made on the music app. Spotify first introduced a feature called Smart Shuffle. This is an AI that when enabled on a playlist, it will try to play you songs that are not in your playlist but they sound similar to the genre music your playlist has. People have mentioned that it’s not that good at choosing songs for you but I guess it's an interesting way for us to discover new music. It is also a minor use of AI so far it’s not interfering with your music in any way unless it’s enabled. 

The next new feature Spotify introduced is AI DJ. This tool takes personalisation playlists to a whole new level. You could say it is like a personalized radio with your favourite songs and genres. It can sort through recent releases, look back at songs you haven’t listened to in a while and sort your music by decades. It will even review your recent replays of songs and play them again for you. While you’re using this feature it will constantly update with new information on what you prefer to listen to. The feedback on this feature has been mostly positive and people have enjoyed this idea more than what smart shuffle tried to achieve. For most, this is definitely a better feature that helps you discover new music. 

Along with the positive I also want to address some negatives with AI being a part of music. I would like to bring some attention to some of these problems Spotify is currently facing. Throughout my research on this topic I found out that people have started to use AI music and AI bots to boost the numbers of these AI songs with the goal to self inflate. These AI songs attribute to people that don't exist, and this allows them to take royalties that would normally go to real artists and musicians. Furthermore on Spotify you can also find fake bands who make covers and steal music from real, creative and talented artists. Another trend I found out about is something called “mood music”. Recently there has been a rise in “mood music” which is AI music that has been able to slot into Spotify made playlists. Sometimes Spotify can make you playlists based on specific genres, with the idea that the user will find new songs from the playlist. However, people have reported that these playlists are starting to become filled with AI music. 

Due to this it has been very difficult for new artists on Spotify who are trying to make their own unique music and stand out, and they get no plays because of this new flood of AI music in competition and with the platform itself. In those small, starting out artists there might be talented musicians who want to maybe spread a message, but are unable to do that with the way AI continues to grow on the music platform. 

This has been an ongoing issue for a while, and is slowly starting to affect other music streaming platforms. When confronted about the issues, Spotify has said they don’t have any plans to ban AI and AI generated content from the site. However they have stated that they will remove and reduce bot accounts due to this effect Spotify’s profits. 

In conclusion I think I can accept AI tools being added to music streaming platforms as it definitely gives the user ease of use. However I completely disagree with AI taking artists' work and talent. Especially knowing that starting out musicians have been studying music and are trying to get their foot off the ground and make that first step in the music industry, whilst also competing with all the other big names on the platform. New artists are looking for a place where they can get recognition for their music, but with AI around, it can be very difficult to get that. It is starting to seem like people are more open to the idea of AI being in apps and this concept seems to be more and more accepted and normal for today. 

References:

Spotify (2024). Spotify Premium Users Can Now Turn Any Idea Into a Personalized Playlist With AI Playlist in Beta. [online] Spotify. Available at: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2024-04-07/spotify-premium-users-can-now-turn-any-idea-into-a-personalized-playlist-with-ai-playlist-in-beta/.

Spotify (2023). Spotify debuts a new AI DJ, right in your pocket. [online] Spotify. Available at: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-02-22/spotify-debuts-a-new-ai-dj-right-in-your-pocket/

Kleinman, Z. (2023). Spotify will not ban AI-made music, says boss. BBC News. [online] 25 Sep. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66882414.

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Blog Post 9: Possibilities of virtual reality

Virtual reality or mostly known as VR now, is a computer generated space that users can step into to explore and interact with in a 3D setting. To achieve this fascinating concept users would need to wear a VR headset which is connected to a computer or a particular console. VR headsets block out the real world and replace it with projections of this virtual 3D environment that appears real. The headset also provides surround sound around the player which adds to the feeling of being in this fantasy, unrealistic 3D environment. It also has sensors which track eye movement and body motion. Using the sensors it relays information to each eye, creating a sense of depth and space and can also adjust the image to align with the player's physical movements. All these functions VR offers make it so much easier to believe in what is happening.

Years ago when the idea was first introduced people quickly decided that VR was not possible for game developers to use or for gamers to use when playing. The tech seemed ahead of its time and no one was ready to accept this type of approach to gaming. However, with technology continuing to advance, the idea of VR games started to look more appealing to the game industry. It also opened more opportunities for jobs with new studios taking on the challenge to make a truly immersive VR game. This was definitely a step in the right direction for the industry considering the nature of the competitive field of game development. With a lot of time and development today we know what VR development tools we need to make a good and developers have a better understanding of the qualities it should have. Considering the motion controls VR provides, game developers have a new element to work with which is player movement. It allows for new and creative ways to add motion and build intriguing mechanics for the player to resolve around that concept. Fewer buttons to press during gameplay, the better, because then they can work on adding different gestures instead of having the player hold a controller. This will then make the experience more interactive and satisfying. Today, every game studio strives to make their game a very enjoyable and immersive experience for the player. The idea is to have the player dissolve in this virtual world, and completely escape reality. It’s supposed to leave a long lasting feeling that impacted the player after seeing the credits at the end. 

With VR aiming to be more than just a game and instead an experience for the player, interestingly we can apply the Affect theory to VR as well. Even though everything you experience and see through the headset is not real, VR is still able to affect the player with feelings and emotions. A good example of a common emotion used in VR games would be fear. Often you will find VR games that target a specific fear or phobia, for example fear of heights and the feeling of being chased by something. Horror is one of those genres that really took advantage of the power of VR. With VR having the ability to inflict the feeling of fear into the player, this gave developers an opportunity to approach horror games in a different way. For example Resident Evil Village allows the player to fully experience dangerous situations in a safe and controlled environment. It really makes the player feel the danger they are in by being chased by a terrifying creature but in reality you're just in your living room. Furthermore, it also allowed horror franchises to branch out and push the horror aspect of their games even more onto the player. A good example of this is Five Nights at Freddy's, a very popular horror franchise with the idea of managing creepy and deadly animatronic coming to life in a pizzeria. VR Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 takes this concept to a whole new level, with surround sound footsteps, random unsettling noises that make you want to look around with the headset to see if anyone is behind you and animatronics that jump out in front of you in  you causing jump scares. As you are playing the animatronic would jump out extremely close to your face making you feel terrified and in danger more than ever before. 

Another genre that really benefits the VR element would be active games such as sports and rhythm games. A very successful example of this is Beat Saber. Beat Saber is an immersive rhythm game with levels in a futuristic world pulsing with music beats. The gameplay involves using motion with your hands to slash the beat boxes that come flying at the player using glow sticks called Sabers. The steam page describes this game as having an experience of “Dancing superhero”. Truly a fun and energetic way to exercises at home but also a way to interact with the game like never before

Around technology there will always be some negatives, and I would like to go over some of them. The main complaint users have reported is getting the feeling of motion sickness and headaches after wearing the headset. Some can wear the headset for a longer gaming session before they get those feelings while for others it takes just a few minutes to start feeling uncomfortable wearing the headset. This is most commonly experienced in dynamic and active games and it can break away the user from the immersion. 

When you put on the headset, everything to do with the game is displayed in this 3D space including the UI of the game the rules players need to read or pay attention to. Reading in VR is even less comfortable due to the rather low resolution of the VR helmet, this could lead to the player having to strain their eyes. 

People have also expressed concerns that VR fighting games and shooting games such as Call of Duty diminishes the horrors of real life war and violence as entertainment. 

In conclusion I believe technology will continue to advance, virtual and augmented reality will slowly start to be more and more normal for gaming, maybe we will even get to a point where gaming in the VR space is more entertaining than just sitting in front of a computer.

References:

www.argentics.io. (n.d.). Progress of VR Development: Popularization & Use of VR Technology - Argentics. [online] Available at: https://www.argentics.io/progress-of-vr-development.

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Blog Post 8: Intertextuality and Transmedia in League of Legends by Riot Games

We live in a society where media has become a very important part of our lives, every moment of our day involves consuming media, sometimes we don’t even realize how much it influences us. The level of media consumption has drastically increased over the past decade, especially with having the ease of technology. Technology allows us to access media at any time throughout the day, giving us a fast and easy to use portal to culture and information. Our consumption of media has become so high we have started to include media in everyday tasks such as watching streaming platforms while eating or listening to a podcast while on your way to work. 

This continuous use of media encourages companies to keep creating more and more ways in which we can consume products to satisfy our enjoyment and they even aim to bring new interest and attention to their product through media

Today, games with high enough popularity can easily enter the world of cinema and animation to bring even more success and interest to a product. Likewise, popular movie series can also become games and enter the space of the game industry. It has almost  become a standard for every company that produces media that can cover the 3 main fields which are; Film, books and games. 

Looking into the gaming market, many studios try to start out by pushing their franchises to make sequels, prequels and short story animations of their games. A studio that perfectly manages to capture their audience with their media is Riot Games through League of Legend. The League of Legends game came out in 2009 with a huge success and it still continues to bring success, growth and popularity to the franchises today.

The gaming studio constantly aimed to satisfy users by adding new playable champions to the game, skins, game modes and events with every update. 

The success was so big, Riot Games were able to host a competitive championship to highlight players skills and love for the game. In 2011 Riot Games organised their first League of Legends World Championship, with a prize of 100,000$, with eight competing teams from Europe, North America and South Asia. The viewership on streaming platforms combined with the audience at the event was around 1.6 million.

Since then, Riot games saw the huge interest in competitive championships and decided to further invest in this extension to their game. For the next few championships they introduced intro shows, live singers, holograms and many more. Due to this they further increased the interest and viewership of these competitions, in 2018 the World Championship final was watched by 99.6million people on streaming platforms which is an amazing amount of number of players and fans compared to the 1.6 million in 2011. The championships brought in players and returning fans of the game reaching a peak of eight million competitive players. Today the game has 165 unique playable characters for the player to choose from each with different cosmetics such as skins and engaging abilities suitable for every gaming playstyle. Every character also has a unique lore and background story and personality making them more likable and relatable to players. 

Interestingly, the game is advertised as a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game but it doesn’t include any story driven game mode or story missions for players to play through, instead Riot games have chosen to build the story and intriguing characters through other ways outside of the games. They often tell the story of league of legends through the release of cinematics and lore pages during seasons or events. This is definitely a step in the right direction for Riot Games as it allows them to push their game past the computer screen and into shows and movies on streaming platforms and physical books such as story focused books or art books. 

This extension from the games into literature allows the players to have a better understanding of the characters they play as, and how each of the characters connect in this universe. Reading the books creates a more immersive feeling and experience for the player by highlighting characters' story and personality in more depth which is something you will never explore in a 30min game where you are focused on strategies on how to win the game.

After the success of the books and world championships, in 2018 Riot Games ventured into the music industry which adds another layer of transmedia to the franchise. They started a virtual K-pop girl group called K/DA formed from the in-game characters, Ahri, Akali, Evelynn and Kai’Sa and interpreted by Cho Mi-yeon, Jeon So-yeon, Madison Beer, Jaira Burns, Bea Miller. The band became extremely popular and recognisable by fans. They captured the male audience with their looks and they captured the female audience with their personality and relatability. K/DA also had very catchy and upbeat music which further made them more likeable. 

In the more recent years, Riot Games has released two more bands True Damage in 2019 and Heartsteel in 2023, formed as well of in-game champions, again trying to continue the success they have in the music industry from K/DA. We can see transmedia between the game and music they did as every band member, which represents an in-game character, would get a special skin representing the outfits of the bands. By coming up with these virtual bands Riot was able to capture fans even outside of the gaming space. 

With the popularity they have built Riot games took a big step into having their own show based on the story of the characters. The first season of the animated TV series Arcane was released in 2021, which had once again a huge impact on fans across the world. The show has nine episodes and it reveals another look at the story of the universe of League of Legends. Currently, fans are eagerly waiting with anticipation for season 2 coming later this month.

In conclusion, I believe that the expansive fictional world of League of Legends perfectly showcases the use of transmedia. Each media is combined by having similar elements across each platform like characters and regions. Having success in many platforms such as music, TV series, books, and comics attracts even more viewers from other areas, creating a huge fandom

References:

Wikipedia Contributors (2019). League of Legends. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Legends.

Wikipedia. (2020). K/DA. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K/DA.

Wikipedia. (2021). Arcane (TV series). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcane_(TV_series).

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Blog Post 7: Use of transmedia between physical media vs digital media

For this blog post I want to focus on The Pokemon Company and how they use transmedia in a very interesting way between their physical media and digital media.

Recently The Pokemon Company took a big step to move physical TCG cards to a digital form through a mobile game. The Pokemon Company took over the Google Play store with their brand new mobile game based around opening TCG Pokemon packs and collecting cards digitally. Within a week of its launch, the game had over 30 million downloads and It became the top free game on the Google Play Store and App Store. Four days into its release the mobile game made over $12 million. A big reason for this success is the marketing behind Pokemon and the wide scope of media the franchise covers. Furthermore, before the app, Pokemon TCG card packs were more on the expensive side compared to other card games on the market. And if you wanted a specific rare card, some are almost impossible to obtain with sites like ebay reselling them for astronomical prices. However with the introduction to the mobile version of the game, players and fans get to enjoy every card and artwork from the franchise. My family and friends knew of the game and some even had it downloaded. The mobile game was so successful it even pulled an audience that didn't know of pokemon and never even played any of the games.

The game is mostly simple, fun and easy to understand. They have also made it very accessible to everyone at any age. The gameplay consists of getting a tcg pack every 12h so gets you 2 packs a day. Everyday fans wait with excitement and anticipation to open their next pack and see if they got something rare. The game also gives you simple tasks to complete which give you pokemon hourglasses which can shorten the recharge time of your next card pack. When opening packs on the mobile you have a small chance of getting as fans call it a “God Pack”, which is a pack of 5 very rare cards. This is a direct nod to the physical cards as you can also get a “God Pack” for those too. A very smart way of linking the two types of media. Another aspect of the game is Pokemon battles using the cards, an engaging concept with a lot of ways to outplay your opponent. Once again this is another correlation to the physical cards which is through the pokemon card battles. The battles on the mobile app are a very simplified version of the physical board game. 

So, where does that leave the physical cards? 

The mobile game was originally launched with the idea to combine the world of paper cards to digital cards. In a way they merged two types of media with the focus being on collecting cards. This step-up from physical to digital directly boosts the profits of the physical cards as well. Fans from the mobile game fell in love with the artwork and personality of each card, which then encouraged people to start buying physical cards too, which in turn also boosted the sales of physical cards. People would buy full packs to try to get a full deck of cards and playsets with playmats and dice as the mobile battles brought new interest in the board game.

With this move financially this brought profit to both types of media, they equally push each other not only through sales, but also through marketing, advertisement and reach to fans all around the world.

In conclusion, with the success of the two medias boosting each other in profits, I believe we will see a lot more companies applying this impressive marketing strategy to their franchises. I also think it’s beneficial to the audience and consumers. People often enjoy when their favourite game or TV show spans across different types of media. 

References:

Vaspaan Dastoor (2024). Pokemon TCG Pocket Reportedly Making Three Times More Than Pokemon Go. [online] TheGamer. Available at: https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-tcg-pocket-earned-12-million-in-four-days/ [Accessed 7 Jan. 2025].

Campbell, E. (2024). Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket Pushes Past 30 Million Downloads, Tops App Store Chart. [online] GameSpot. Available at: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-trading-card-game-pocket-pushes-past-30-million-downloads-tops-app-store-chart/1100-6527660/ [Accessed 7 Jan. 2025].

[mariastoyanovablog]

Blog Post 6: Analyses on Youtube and Streams as media and the influence it has on games

Today games are more than just completing a level or finishing a chapter of a story driven game. The gaming space has become a big part of our lives not only for the newer generation who are more exposed to technology but also for the older generation which grew up loving the early days of video games and now have an opportunity to take their passion of games into becoming a game developer, with the gaming industry rising as a stable career option. Some people also choose to continue their passion for games by making game reviews or playthroughs on Youtube and streaming platforms such as Twitch and Kick. 

I would even consider consuming youtube and stream content to be a separate media to cinema or TV shows. Watching youtube videos or streams allows you to pick between short form content for the short free time you have during your day or hours of long form content. When watching a movie or a TV show you are often interested in the characters or the engaging story. However with youtube videos and streams you are watching more for the personality of the Youtuber/Streamer. The more you watch them the more attached you become and you start to value their opinion and take on certain topics. 

Over time this new style and genre of media has greatly impacted the gaming industry on how people look at and consider the consumption of games. A popular streamer/youtuber reviewing or playing through a game while millions of people are watching and engaging, can either push a game to stardom or plunge the game to failure. Youtube and streaming has such a big impact on games to a point where often game devs even rely on streamers and youtubers to further increase the publicity and advertisement of their game. Sometimes game devs would send out free codes of the game so youtubers/streamers can play it with early access and give their first impressions right when release date approaches. 

In recent years with AAA game studios releasing very expensive games with high budget and high time investment, people have become skeptical when it comes to spending a lot of money  on just one game. Prices of big name games today have risen to £60 for base game and furthermore £80 for additional in-game cosmetics, perks or early access. Prices sometimes can reach up to £100 for one big bundle with the base game, the additional content/cosmetics and merchandise outside of the game like an art book or a disk with the soundtrack. A good example of this is the latest game release from Ubisoft in the Assassin's Creed series. Assassin's Creed Shadows is an upcoming action role-playing game and it’s the fourteenth major installment.

Due to the high price point game studios demand from fans, people often go to their favourite  youtuber/streamer to find out their opinion on the gameplay or value for money. Oftentimes, if youtubers and streamers are enjoying their time on the game and feedback is overall positive in the community then players are more likely to purchase the game and give it a go. People relate to streamers or youtubers they watch everyday. Therefore, people are more likely to trust their opinion that a certain game is good and enjoyable to play. 

Youtubers/streamers usually give their first impressions, things you might have missed, and most importantly they go over the monetization or potential scams in the game that can occur without you noticing. 

A good example of a popular, and respected youtube channel in the gaming space is Gameranx. They have 8 million subscribers and are well known for their “Before you buy (Insert game name here)” videos. Recently they did a video on Marvel Rivals which is currently a very trendy game, and gained 627k views. Looking further back on their channel their older videos get millions of views. This truly highlights the impact of video content on games and how important it is for people to watch video reviews before committing to purchasing an expensive game.Additionally, youtube videos have a comment section which further continues the discussion on a certain game from the video. This connection between youtubers and fans has become a crucial step in the success and exposure of video games. 

On the streamer side, a good example of a popular and likeable streamer is Asmongold also known as Zackrawrr on his second channel. Both channels add up to 5 million follows. He often streams for hours the latest game and gets a lot of interactions with his chat while he is live.

While exposure from streamers and youtubers on AAA games can be either good or bad. On the other hand, exposure at this scale is incredible for indie game developers. Indie game devs are often a small studio with a low budget on their games but a big passion for making games. The exposure and publicity will only benefit them as they continue to grow as a studio.

In conclusion I believe this type of media is beneficial to all and very necessary for how we look at games today. It helps us to take a look at the trendy games currently but it can also help us find those hidden gems in video games made by a less known studio.

References:

gameranx (2024). Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Before You Buy. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4G8KfEae0M [Accessed 7 Jan. 2025].

www.twitch.tv. (n.d.). Asmongold - Twitch. [online] Available at: https://www.twitch.tv/asmongold.

zackrawrr (n.d.). zackrawrr. Twitch. Available at: https://www.twitch.tv/zackrawrr

[mariastoyanovablog]

Blog Post 5: Narrative of Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy VII Remake is an action role-playing game released in 2020 by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4. It is the first in a planned trilogy of games remaking the PlayStation game Final Fantasy VII. In 2021 the first DLC released titled  “Intergrade”, including an overall improved performance for the PlayStation 5. 

With Final Fantasy Remake being a JRPG remaster this will, of course, have an impact on the narrative as it is a retelling of the original game, however we can still apply some of the theoretical narrative principles to the game.

Propp’s Theory

Vladimir Propp theorised that characters in the story can be placed into different categories depending on the role they play in the story. This theory was based on his studies of different fairy tales. For today's media it seems somewhat outdated, it can still be applied to current media however most media creators have tried to move away from these archetypes. Propp defined these categories as the hero, villain, princess, dispatcher, helper, donor, and false hero. There are limitations to these archetypes, as they are too generalised and lack nuances and conflict that the characters may showcase.

Applying Propp’s Theory to Final Fantasy VII Remake

Cloud

For the hero archetype he divided it into 2 subcategories, the seeker and the victim. The seeker subcategory of the hero is an active character, that sets off to usually save the world or stop the villain's evil plan. On the other hand, the victim has directly suffered at the hands of the villain. This description perfectly fits the main character, Cloud Strife. Cloud is a classic hero ready to do anything to save the world. In the story there are multiple examples where the player has to  fight Shinra soldiers or other threats to protect his friends and family. He would also protect the innocent from harm in Sector 7, a town where the player will spend a good amount of time in for the main story and side quests given to you by the locals there. Throughout his time in Sector 7 the player can see his strong, serious and independent personality, but also his kind heart and the urgent need to save them when the town gets attacked. As he is a seeker he is also the victim in the story, the villain of the game Sephiroth, actively tries to manipulate Cloud's mind by appearing to him and planting false memories to further his plan, this mental torment continues throughout the game, further fueling their conflict. Later on, I will further discuss why Sephiroth is a threat and his motives in the story. 

Aerith 

Aerith, Cloud’s friend and partner but also a very important part of the story. She best fits Propp’s archetypal character of the princess. She doesn’t necessarily have the personality of a spoiled princess or a royal background in any way, but she is a character that Cloud desperately tries to save. The princess archetype fits any character who is seen as a “damsel in distress” and requires rescuing. However, this is not something we know right away, throughout the game she plays a passive role as she adventures with Cloud. As we learn about her character we also learn her importance in the story and why she is in danger. Interestingly she is not entirely helpless, she is powerful and has magical abilities to protect herself. Like Cloud, she would also do anything to protect and defend the innocent. We could also argue that her princess archetype overlaps with the victim subcategory as Sephiroth wants to kill her and won’t stop until he gets what he wants. This definitely creates a more nuanced and dynamic character for the player to learn about. 

Sephiroth 

As mentioned earlier, Sephiroth, also known as the Silver Soldier or the One Winged Angel,  plays the role of the primary antagonist in the game and is the villain archetype in Propp's theory. He has a striking appearance, terrifying goals and a connection to the protagonist which fits the villain role perfectly. As he is a villain we could also say he is a false hero, which is another archetype in Propp's theory. Propp describes this archetype as a character who initially appears to be good but soon reveals themselves to be working against the hero or other characters. We later learn that his story begins 3 decades before the events of the game. Sephiroth’s story begins with his birth to professor Hojo and Dr.Lucireseia. Hojo mistakes an alien known as Jenova for the ancient people known as Centra who had the unique ability to talk to the planet. Hojo injected the pregnant Lucireseia with Jenova cells creating Sephiroth. With the Jenova in his system, Sephiroth has superhuman skills and was raised as a super soldier by Shinra. He quickly rose through the ranks and eventually became a legendary war hero and inspired the protagonist Cloud to become a soldier as well. 

The player, alongside Sephiroth discovers the truth about his origins - that he was created through experiments using the alien lifeform Jenova - he believes himself to be a chosen one with a right to rule over the planet. This marks a turning point for him and a complete change of character. He develops a deep hatred for humanity vowing to destroy the world and slaughter everyone in order to fulfill his desire to become a god and control the planet; this delusion is further fueled by Jenova's manipulative influence within him. Furthermore he is also seeking to harm Aerith, the princess character. As the last ancient, he believes she represents the potential to summon "Holy," the only force capable of stopping the Meteor he plans to summon to destroy the planet; by killing her, he attempts to prevent her from interfering with his plan. Eventually Sephiroth gets to her but our hero Cloud is there to save her and in turn defeats Sephiroth. 

To conclude, Propp's theory can definitely be applied to today's media, however with some limitations. This can be seen in characters who don’t exactly fit any of those archetypes, however it’s an interesting guidance used in storytelling. In Final Fantasy VII there’s plenty of characters I couldn't fit into a category because the writing and the story did not match those archetypes for them. However, I believe using this theory is a good way to approach and create a starting point from which writers can build their characters, due to the theory having elements most narratives require to drive the story.

References:

Wikipedia. (2020). Final Fantasy VII Remake. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII_Remake.

Media Studies (2020). Vladamir Propp’s 7 Character Types and Narrative Theory. [online] Media Studies. Available at: https://media-studies.com/propp/.

[mariastoyanovablog]

Blog Post 4: Male gaze in Video games

For this blog post I’m going to analyse the aspect of The Male Gaze in popular video games. 

In 1975 a British feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey, wrote an essay titled ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ which goes over the feminist theory. In the feminist theory, the male gaze is the act of depicting women and the world in the visual arts and in literature from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the heterosexual male viewer. The male gaze is a way of looking at representation of women in a sexualized way in order to empower men, while objectifying women. It's a concept that can be applied to art, literature, and other media, but is most often associated with cinema and in more recent years this concept has been seen in video games.

The male gaze can have an impact on every piece of media, it creates a power imbalance and supports the idea that “sex sells”. It's been a staple of art and entertainment for a long time, but there's been a recent resurgence in conversation around the concept due to recent releases in video games.

An example I would like to bring up is Gacha games

“Gatcha” comes from the popular random toy in a ball machine called Gachapons or Gashapons found in Japan. The Japanese called these toy machines Gachapons by combining “gacha” for a cracking sound of your hand turning and “pon” for a plastic ball. The idea is that you will always get something random, likely not the item you want and there’s always better items to try and get in the machine which entices you to pay more and play again. You could say it’s like a casino but for kids. 

The genre gained popularity in Asian anime games. Gatcha video games continue to use the mechanic from the toy machines but this time players spend in-game currency or real money to get random items, characters, abilities or outfits. This idea was around before but it truly received some attention these past few years due to MiHoYo, a Chinese video game development and publishing company. The company is best known for developing the Honkai series, Genshin Impact, and Zenless Zone Zero. 

For this blog I specifically want to focus on Genshin Impact as I have experience with it. 

Genshin Impact had a global success and it became one of the highest-grossing mobile games for MiHoYo of 2021 and it’s still going strong and gaining popularity with each day. Currently, the game has 100 million downloads in the Google Play Store. The game offers open world exploration, fun combat mechanics, intriguing enemies and boss fights, and visually stunning environment. However, it also has the controversial gacha aspect. In genshin you gamble for characters using in-game currency which is brought with real money. Characters are in 2 tiers, 4 stars and 5 stars characters which are usually oversexualized in their outfits or abilities in order for you to feel attracted to them and end up spending money on them. Currently Genshin has 91 5-star characters, of which 60 of them are female, with the goal to satisfy the male audience they are targeting for the game. As a business company, MiHoYo is aware that creating female characters is more profitable, which is a clear case of the use of the male gaze.

The use of the male gaze can also be seen on characters' abilities and animations. For example, a character called Raiden Shogan has an ability where she pulls a samurai blade out of her chest. This concept of her doing this ability is also present in her artwork and promotional material used for advertisement. Furthermore, Raiden shogun is a character from Inazuma which is a region in Geshin that represents Japan. Her outfit is very oversexualized as she wears a suggestive short kimono instead of traditional Japanese kimono. It is very clear the developers chose to showcase her skin over her culture. Again this is another case of the use of the male gaze with the goal to sell more currency to players in order for them to gamble for her. 

While I agree that attractive female characters are welcome, they do not need to have their skin showing or for them to have unrealistic body shapes to be good characters.Their entire appearance is designed to sexually attract the male fanbase of the game. Genshin purposefully pushes the boundaries of inappropriate clothing and character design, and that is very sexist and demeaning to women. Raiden Shogan is just one example of the many unwarranted amount of women in Genshin Impact featuring unnecessary dress slits, fishnets, garters, lingerie thigh high socks or generally revealing clothing. When considering the position and country representation some of these women have, their outfits seem unfitting.

I can conclude that this game was created with the purpose to appeal and sell to men. From the clear ratio of female to male characters and to the outfits the developers have designed for these characters. It is a bit discouraging to see that even nowadays this continues to be something so normalised and that it is being consumed on such a big scale worldwide.Sadly this type of content is also present in the other gacha games made by Mihoyo and probably many more companies out there. I think this type of content continues to have harmful stereotypes, especially for women.

Reference

Pcgamesn.com. (2025). Available at: https://www.pcgamesn.com/wp-content/sites/pcgamesn/2022/03/Genshin-impact-raiden-shogun-build-2.5.jpg [Accessed 7 Jan. 2025]

Duniagames.co.id. (2025). Available at: https://api.duniagames.co.id/api/content/upload/file/12370768481630495155.jpg [Accessed 7 Jan. 2025]

Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Male gaze. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_gaze.

[mariastoyanovablog]

Blog Post 3: Affect theory on using colour in Disney Animations

In this blog I will cover the use of the Affect theory in colour for Disney animations, how it impacts the audience.

Affect theory is an approach to understanding human behavior and experience that takes into account our emotional responses and the complex ways that shape our interactions with the world. The theory came from different fields in academics such as; psychology, philosophy, sociology and cultural studies. It’s a concept that exists before we even notice it, before we think or articulate feelings. To put it simply, it is based on the idea that emotions are not simple mental states, but are also embodied experiences. This means that emotions are not just felt in the mind, but also in the body. They can be felt in our muscles, our hearts, and our stomachs. 

Silvan Tomkins (1962) proposed a theory of affect that identifies nine basic affects: interest-excitement, enjoyment, surprise, anger, distress, disgust, dis-smell, shame, and fear. He argued that these effects are innate and universal. As humans we each aim to maximise positive emotions and minimise negative emotions. Based on that, creators and film producers carefully craft narrative, visual, and sound elements to evoke specific emotional responses. Often suspenseful music precedes a shocking plot twist, or the visual narrative of a documentary might employ specific colours or lighting to create a certain mood. This creates an effective experience drawing the audience into the story and the emotional journey of the characters. 

In film and animation, colour and lighting is the most used way to inflict effect on the audience. Based on that we can see how Disney carefully considers the colours used in a certain scene or character throughout the movie. Every colour tells a story and Disney has been able to clearly define the traits and personality of characters just by the colours they are wearing throughout the movie. Colours are often used to define who and how the character is, Disney often applies this formula as they know the right colours can have an impact on the movie. For example, they like to use colours to show who the hero is by using bright, soft and saturated colours like orange, yellow, blue and green. While the villains have aggressive, dramatic and dark colours like black, red and purple to portray their evilness.Throughout my research I noticed that Disney would also use saturated and bright colours with dark colours together to highlight conflicts within the character. A good example of this would be Aladdin's outfit, he wears purple to show strong ambition but he’s not the villain in the story. 

Red means strength, energy, determination and passion. For example in the Beauty and the Beast, the beast is first dressed in red to show empathises on his cruel and evil personality and then by the end of the movie when he is dancing happily with Bell, making his personality change visually from bad to good.

Orange aims to portray fascination, creativity and enthusiasm. A good example of the use of orange is how Moana is dressed in orange as she is enthusiastic about going out to explore the sea and start her next big adventure.

Yellow portrays joy, happiness, intellect and energy. A character with this colour will always bring joy and positivity into the scene.

Green portrays safety, endurance, growth and hope, while blue portrays trust, loyalty, confidence and stability. Blue is used by Disney in a very interesting way, it is a colour used by every Disney princess at some point in the movie. Today’s society has deemed blue to be a very masculine colour but Disney has turned blue into a feminine colour instead to show that the main character is strong, inspires confidence and has value and importance. You could also say those topics can be attributed to men as well but Disney aims to launch a message of empowerment. Purple can portray power, luxury, nobility and ambition. And finally white is purity, innocence, light and goodness. 

Every cinema uses colour to empathize emotions or traits but Disney truly pushes their characters to connect with the fans by giving them an outfit or a colour scheme that reflects their feelings and emotions at that point in time in the movie. For animators, colour is a key element of the production and character development process. An article by Chelsea Fitch supports the same idea, “Disney's strategic use of color offers more than just aesthetic pleasure; it provides a dynamic visual language that speaks directly to our emotions and subtly guides our journey through each story”. Disney always aims to take the audience to a world of fairy tales, whilst the events in movies are not real, the emotions and responses created by producers for the audience are very much real.

In conclusion, as an artist I can see relations between the Affect theory and my own personal artwork. Understanding the affective qualities of colour, can help me create and express concept art with thoughtful colour schemes for my characters and the environment they come from. It will also help me create better representations in concept art.

References:

Disney, in (2024). Imagination Unboxed. [online] Imagination Unboxed. Available at: https://www.imaginationunboxed.com/blog/the-psychology-of-color-in-disney-films-how-hues-shape-emotions.

[mariastoyanovablog]

Blog Post 2: Symbolism in video games

In my second blog post, I would like to explore the narrative structure and symbolism in video games. More specifically I want to take an in-depth look at Ghostwire:Tokyo, a game I played recently, and I think a very fitting example for the topic of this blog. This game stems from Japanese culture and is filled with symbolism and ancient folklore for the player to learn about and interpret throughout the game.

Plot

Ghostwire: Tokyo is an action adventure game with horror elements. The storyline is confusing in some parts but filled with reference and symbolism to Japanese culture. 

The setting is set in Tokyo, Japan.The city is consumed by a fog known as “The Vanishing”. The fog contains spiritual energy so strong that it separates people’s body’s from their souls. You play as Akito who gets possessed by a spirit called KK. Right before he gets possessed, Akito was in a motorcycle accident but KK used his body as a vessel and prevented him from death. 

Akito also now has elemental powers which lets him use ethereal weaving and he is able to defeat the spirits.The use of ethereal magic called ethereal weaving is allowing you to drag spirits to the underworld and even devour them. These spirits come from another world hence their name “The Visitors”. They vary in appearance but some are actually based on Japanese urban legends and others are born from certain character traits such as; violence, rage and anxiety. The powers are also used to clear out the fog by cleansing the Torii gates.

I would like to focus on a few characters as I believe they push forward a big part of the narrative of the story.

Akito and KK

You play the game as Akito, who was involved in a motorcycle accident at Shibuya crossing. In the first cutscene we learn that the main character is already facing loss and death, not only from his parents death but also his sister Marie, who fell into a coma due to her body being badly burnt in a fire. We find out Akito doesn’t survive the accident but as he is hovering between the balance of life and death a ghostly presence enters Akito’s body and possesses him. He starts to hear voices in his head and we find the spirit in his body is called KK.

KK was a private investigator who worked on cases regarding the disappearances in the city. He worked with his partner Rinko who died in the fog but was able to help us throughout the game like she always did for KK symbolising their connection and friendship.We also learn Hanya killed KK but then he came back to get revenge, Hanya also took Akito’s sister which makes Akito and KK to work together to achieve their mutual goals

Hanya 

The developers have used narrative and symbolism in a very interesting way for Hanya. He is the main villain of the game, a character who has a kind heart and wants to be reunited with his family. His wife and daughter died and he wants to be eternally with them, however, in order to do that Hanya wants to harvest human souls through a ritual in order to connect the mortal world to the underworld. His family has already moved on when they passed away but he is not ready to accept that reality.Throughout the game we learn that he mentions he finds the very concept of death difficult to accept which then leads him to act on his sinister plan. Furthermore, in every cutscene he wears a demon mask which is fitting considering he is willing to sacrifice every soul in Tokyo in order for him to complete the ritual and merge the mortal world with the underworld. However, some may also infer that the mask hides away his pain from the loss of his family. You could say he has good intentions but with an evil solution. 

Uses of symbolism

As Akito and KK make their way through the foggy city they come across corrupted Torii gates and corrupted cherry blossom trees. In Japanese culture, a Torii gate is a traditional Japanese gate marking the transition from the mundane to the sacred and also the living to the dead. Cherry blossoms represent the nature of life itself symbolising both life and death. The trees we see in-game have turned blood red as a result of the corruption. The game uses symbolism to tell the story through Japanese culture.

Ending:

Near the end of the game, the ritual is nearly complete, Hanya jumps into the void. A very chilling and empty area similar to the setting of silent hill or evil within. We defeat Hanya and we get a very bittersweet ending. Akito frees all the souls in the city and in return his soul returns back to his body and he gets to live on. With Hanya defeated KK is also ready to move on. As for Marie she fulfilled her role to protect her brother against Hanya and the other corrupted spirit. We get an emotional cutscene of her parents standing past the torii gate. She crosses the gate reaching out to hug them and they all move on. Akito returns back to Tokyo and with all the other souls.  

In conclusion I find the use of narrative techniques and symbolism through Japanese culture in a game a very interesting way to tell a story. I would also like to try to apply it to my own work whenever I create pieces of concept art. 

References:

Wikipedia. (2022). Ghostwire: Tokyo. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostwire:_Tokyo

[mariastoyanovablog]

Blog Post 1: AI uses in video games

This post is about a detailed look into AI, and its use in video games. In addition, I will discuss how it slowly transitions to something so normalised today.

With the rapid growth and development of AI tools such as ChatGBT, DALL-E and Google’s Gemini, I would say that the use of AI in games is inevitable at this point. Using AI tools is simply a shortcut in game development. If a shortcut is possible and effective for the development team then why not take advantage of it? AI tools have already sped up game development time due to ChatGBT being used in programming. For example, ChatGPT has the ability to effortlessly problem solve code with bugs and even code up a function or a feature for a game simply by typing up a prompt. It can create, execute, and troubleshoot more effectively than any programmer.

With this in mind developers have started to integrate AI art into game art work. The most common uses of AI art so far is in character designs, creature designs and promotional material for games and possibly many more uses yet to be discovered. AI art can tap into concept art, illustration artwork of the product and even 3D generated models. Artwork can now be created in just a few clicks. AI involvement in video games is going to keep growing, just as it will in every other industry.

In my research I had a look at an article which has an open conversation about the use of AI art, one of the developers of Draconis 8 openly admits that “If we didn’t use AI as an artist tool, we just would have had far less art in the game. Without the use of AI, the game likely would have had 17 pieces of art. Using AI, Antonis was able to do 321 pieces of art” With AI being more accessible this is becoming more normalised and common, it’s cutting corners to get the game out faster. Time is money, at the end of the day right? So the less time spent the more money you’re saving in development.

Human art has inherently more value because we know that somebody, somewhere, poured their love and passion into it. As an aspiring artist myself, I am always impressed at how someone had a thought and translated it into a visually stunning artwork. Creating art is not an easy talent to master, it takes time and practice backed up by passion, creativity and the ambition to create. On the other hand, creating AI art is quite the opposite. It’s simply lifeless and talentless and it is almost scary how exponentially faster it is than humans. AI art is a system which reuses existing data from a set database of art to train itself to replicate art based on your typed up prompt. The process of creating that art is devoid of charm, inspiration and imagination.

Some positive points towards it is that it could be an incredible tool for solo game devs who want to create games but don’t have a budget or a team backing the project. It could also allow solo players to play against a truly enigmatic and responsive AI enemy. For example, Gran Turismo 7, a racing simulation video game, has recently introduced an AI called Sophy. Gran Turismo Sophy is the result of a collaboration with Sony AI and other AI tools. Sony says; “Sophy is a revolutionary superhuman racing AI agent that has mastered the highly realistic game of Gran Turismo Sport, to race against and elevate the gaming experience of top Gran Turismo drivers.” Using Sophy, Sony has created a never before seen experience for players with a passion for racing simulators. She is designed to be the perfect driver, but she also has the ability to adapt and learn from you when racing against her. She is able to replicate common racing habits that the player uses so she can match herself to the ability and skill of the player. A good example of a common racing habit used by players would be breaking late into a corner and therefore crashing to the nearest wall of the track. With this new technology players can have an extremely skillful AI to race against and improve or an AI that can match exactly the driving techniques the player is using for a more equal racing experience.

While there are some positives to AI being used in games, the negatives will always outweigh the positives in any industry. It’s going to kill a lot of human jobs and opportunities for people. Especially for junior game devs who are starting out their career and are desperately trying to take that first step in the industry. Furthermore, AI in games will also make the game market even more competitive than it already is, not only for new and original ideas for games but also job wise.

In conclusion, I think the line can be pretty fine, between use of AI for positive reasons and exploitative use, but I am hopeful that in time we’ll find the right way to approach this line. I truly believe that quality artwork will always have the charm, personality and talent over quantity artwork created with a few prompts. As an artist myself I would never support art created in seconds while copywriting other incredible artists out there who have shared their work online. I refuse to support a project that’s involved AI out of laziness or greed for money to put out a game fast. It’s our responsibility to support the projects that are being innovative while maintaining those core values. I can see AI being more useful in other fields of game development, however I still believe it’s more harmful than good. With rapid growth of AI being involved in games, I can picture in a few years from now we would have to put AI tools used in the credits of games, instead of real talented game devs.

References

BoardGameGeek. (2025). AI Art in Games | BGG. [online] Available at: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3405900/ai-art-in-games [Accessed 7 Jan. 2025].

Boardgamewire.com. (2025). Blocked. [online] Available at: https://boardgamewire.com/index.php/2024/11/07/star-realms-maker-wise-wizard-games-defends-using-ai-art-in-new-projects-board-game-artists-call-out-ethics-of-decision/ [Accessed 7 Jan. 2025].

www.gran-turismo.com. (n.d.). Gran Turismo Sophy. [online] Available at: https://www.gran-turismo.com/us/gran-turismo-sophy/

www.gran-turismo.com. (n.d.). PROJECT | Gran Turismo Sophy. [online] Available at: https://www.gran-turismo.com/us/gran-turismo-sophy/project/