#learning game design

[being-mughal]

3.Beyond Pixels: The Impact of Innovation and Transmedia on the Games Industry

Technology and storytelling have always been advanced in the gaming industry. Transmedia storytelling and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence have expanded gaming possibilities in recent years. This blog examines how these factors affect business today, explores their potential for the future, and imagines how a transmedia approach could transform creative work in the games industry.

What qualifies as a true transmedia franchise?

Transmedia franchises go beyond a single medium to combine stories from different platforms and complicate the story. For example, the Legend of Zelda series has changed a lot since its beginnings as a computer game. Fans of reading, video games, and music can all enjoy the world of The Legend of Zelda through animated shows, manga adaptations, orchestral games, and spin-off games like Hyrule Warriors.

Likewise, Riot Games' League of Legends is a great example of transmedia storytelling because it contains information on multiple levels. Players and viewers are drawn into his complex universe through the intertwining stories created by his novels, music projects like K/DA, and the Arcane animated series.

How Transmedia creates new opportunities:

Deepening the story Game companies can develop character stories, explore side stories, and use transmedia to add more depth to environments. Riot Games' novel Ruination, for example, enhances understanding of the game's setting by delving deeply into the stories of its champions.

Getting new viewers Games that are available on multiple platforms can attract audiences that aren't necessarily gamers. Millions of people who have never played League of Legends were introduced to the gaming universe through Arcane.

Development of new methods for player engagement Cross-media interactive projects such as Alternate True Games (ARGs) make it difficult to distinguish between truth and fiction. The famous "I Love Bees" ad from Halo 2 is one of the best examples of how transmedia can engage people in creative, interactive stories.

Are there boundaries in transmedia?

Transmedia can cause problems even as it opens doors:

Narrative Consistency: Keeping a consistent narrative across platforms can be challenging, leading to inconsistent plots.

Oversaturation: The primary experience could be weakened if people are inundated with too much content.

Barriers to access: Some fans may not be able to use all platforms, which could lead to viewing gaps.

What would my work look like in a transmedia format?

Imagine a game that takes place in a huge world after the end of the world. Open world RPGs would be a major part of the game. Players would have to repair a broken planet, rebuild society and find artifacts from the past. Transmedia could expand this universe in the following ways:

Animated series The plot of the game could be parallel to the events of the Netflix series, which follows survivors in another region of the world. Characters who don't have enough emotional depth in the game could benefit from this.

Attractive campaign ARG The ARG could use audio recordings, cryptic messages, and actual scavenger hunts to immerse players in the cataclysmic build-up before the game's release.

Novels powered by artificial intelligence Readers can choose their hero and follow customized story arcs with accompanying stories generated by artificial intelligence, which would deepen their understanding of the game environment.

Augmented reality application Players can be invited to interact with the game world in real life using an augmented reality mobile app that transforms their local surroundings into apocalyptic ruins.

Authorship and Artificial Intelligence in the gaming environment:

In gaming, AI has made it possible to create dynamic, individualized stories, but it also challenges authorship. Who owns the AI-generated story? This argument is similar to the arguments regarding art generated by artificial intelligence.

Consider AI Dungeon, a text-based adventure game in which an artificial intelligence tells its own story by responding to user input. It's new, but it also challenges established notions of authorship. Is the actual author the player driving the story, or are the AI ​​designers the authors?

This unanswered philosophical topic highlights how the role of AI in the gaming Industry is changing.

Video Insight: Digital Dilemma: Who is the Author of AI-Generated Art?

The future of the gaming sector:

Bringing platforms, technologies and stories together is important for the future of the gaming business. Ever since blockchain-based games like Axie Infinity came out and popular games added AR/VR, the possibilities are endless.

To ensure that new and experienced players enjoy these experiences, the industry needs to strike a balance between accessibility and creativity. With the development of artificial intelligence, interactivity and transmedia storytelling, games are becoming more than just entertainment; it is art, culture and a window into people's creative potential.

References:

Jenkins, H. (2007). Transmedia Storytelling 101. Available at: http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html [Accessed 18 Oct. 2024].

Jenkins, H. (2011). Transmedia 202: Further Reflections. Available at: http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2011/08/defining_transmedia_further_re.html [Accessed 18 Oct. 2024].

Riot Games (2021). Arcane. Netflix. Available at: https://www.netflix.com/arcane.

Digital Dilemma: Who is the Author of AI-Generated Art? (2023). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPoRHiMLSOU [Accessed 18 Oct. 2024].

Wikipedia contributors (2024). Augmented Reality. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality [Accessed 18 Oct. 2024].

Axie Infinity(2018). Gameplay Overview. Available at: https://axieinfinity.com [Accessed 18 Oct. 2024].

[rojaceartandgaming]

Question for people a lot more well-versed in game design

I am still a novice when it comes to game design, but I have been working on a passion project of mine for a good long while. I've recently started brainstorming how I want it to look, and I do want to call back to games such as Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9 (with how the game layout looks like a painted background with 3d interactable assets (examples below, more text below that)

Does anyone know if/how one could get a similar visual vibe? And would I have to use a specific program, or could I continue using Unreal Engine (I'm honestly using UE4 at the moment due to personal preference.) Like, I figure I could probably just try to texture assets to get the vibe but like. Idk,

[sleepgarden]

Pupa ✢ The writing reads:

Time envelops and keeps me Not awake / Not asleep In this chrysalis / In this shroud I am stillborn / I am buried alive Yet I change / I am changing / And I ache Held still

I started this over a year ago and came back to it periodically, but I decided to just finally finish it. It’s morphed, undone itself, and transformed many times in the process of illustrating it. Sincerely, I considered giving up on the piece. I am glad I didn’t despite its awkwardness; I admit that it doesn’t sit in the eye well. But somehow I feel that it suits the piece and what it means.

I am, if anything, relieved to have finished an illustration finally. It’s been nearly eight months since my last. Prints are available in my shop. (I also have mini prints for $5cad/$3.40usd!)

[bacchuschucklefuck]

january month of yuugi

[fogbreo]

he's more like a funny dog to me

[spampai]

kinda asking to see black pearl in ur design

i have a feeling its going to look kinda badass after seeing basically everyone else in your design :)

giant mermaid go brrrrrr

Fish

And they brought her in the lab

[frogmansides]

machine girl

[dykealloy]

“we sent yuan away so his feelings could subside” you sent him to gay rizz bootcamp is what you did

[taiistired]

i need you more than anything

[mintjeru]

hot girl summer 🔥

open for better quality | no reposts

[knifetomeatu]

quality time with uncle Hands🥰

[loopyarts]

Can anyone guess who my favourite character is ha ha… Anyway, I think Shouma is very neat.

[michajawkan]

encounter design is an interesting subject bc while I do enjoy games where every fight is designed to be fought and cleared by the party, it's not the whole of what an encounter can be and it's a shame that so many people think that's the only option, like, for some even just stepping back as little as removing the concept of "every encounter must be winnable" is too much for them

Like, again, I like walking into every fight knowing I am intended to be able to clear it in games built in that manner, it's very fun to navigate a battle with the foreknowledge that it's possible for me to handle in some way or another, but this design also inherently removes a lot of the tension from the situation, which is fine for a heroic fantasy adventure, but less useful in, say, a survival horror campaign

and "should encounters be assumed to be winnable" is just a tiny part of encounter design, which itself is just one segment of a larger game, and it already has such a strong effect on how the game feels, imagine how much it'd change if you altered even more of your approach, or removed the concept of them entirely

The mechanics inform the feel of the story you're telling through the game and I think that's really cool, and I really love seeing how different games emulate their different priorities through the design of their systems and it's a shame to see so many people disinterested in this and think any system out there can or even should do literally everything equally well all at once

[asydicsydney]

MY BOYS ARE DONEEEEE

Ahem- I've been hyperfixated on this game and these dorks for a few days now. I love drawing from reference but omg Jerry is the most painful thing to draw. Anyway, they are my boyfriends and they are boyfriends, no further questions your honor

[buttercupshands]

*looking at isat ss discord* my power of being silly got out of control

or how I tried understanding rpg maker basics by literally trying to do one (1) thing I really wanted to see ever since seeing Loop unused sprites lying on wiki months ago

the reason I mentioned isat ss discord was simply bc guys were the first people who saw me trying to draw close to pixel sprite face sprite for Loop to,,, do something at some point just to see how it works

and nope I'm not making this into anything, but I really like the fact that I managed to do this

(now with video post edited into this sentence!)

[niao-mamuang]

OMG mushroom oasis day 4 leak!! not clickbait!