Digital Gaming Marketplace

After a discussion with a tutor, he highlighted an important factor of where the sales of games has already began to go which is in the form of digital gaming downloads and streaming. The process is simple, you just access the online store, enter your details and download the game which is then ready to play. So why is it that we still buy our games in there raw boxed form? Well my opinion is that there are so many disadvantages of digital downloads. One is that they seem so much more expensive than a boxed game which seems odd to me, another is fact that you can't swap a game with a friend which has always been part of the gaming culture that I have grew up in and the last fact is that you don't actually own a physical object, which I feel is a big part of our materialistic world and culture that we live in.

One thing that hasn't changed, is the fact that there is some form of front cover artwork which is there to catch the buyers attention and stand out of the crowd so either way, the telling a story on a box idea will still be an important part of this project.

Playstation Store & Xbox Marketplace

This could be another potential route for me to present my final work by the means of an online store, but the down side is the lack of extras that would be missing which would normally come with a special edition package.

Digital Download Cards

Another alternative could be the way Nintendo sell some of their games, which are games that are bought like gift cards. They come stuck to a cardboard packaging and have a code on the card which can be entered on their online store which will then be saved to the actual console. The major bonus of these cards and the online stores is the fact of there recycling benefits which is an important factor to consider in the world we live in today.

So what have I gained from this? Well it kind of goes against what my project is all about, it basically tells me that boxed gaming packaging could well be a distant memory but will it disappear altogether? Yes and no, I do believe the generic boxed games will eventually disappear of our shelves in the near future but I do believe that there will still be a market for special collectors editions for as long as they sell. For this reason I am still going ahead with a physical object but maybe I could include the game as a digital down load card instead?

Gaming Culture "Japanese Gaming"

In this part of my research, I have started to focus on the games that have been made by Japan. I want to pick out the key elements that make them look distinctly Japanese which means how there culture and style has informed their design.

Dragon Quest VIII  by Square Enix

www.dragonquest8.com

The first out of this categories is a colourful game known as Dragon Quest which is a hugely popular role playing game within the Japanese gaming culture. I say this because I remember reading an article about vast amounts of Japanese business men booking time off work to play it! So what makes this a Japanese game? Well the first clue is the style of the game, it clearly been drawn from Manga (can be translated as humorous pictures) which became more and more popular when laws prohibiting the publication of the type of content was a lifted through the 20th century.

Title Unknown 1950s Manga

dirtcheapmag.wordpress.com

As you can see from the two manga images below, the resemblance is very similar in terms of style with the games style. The Characters are eccentric with wide eyes and wacky clothing, the colours are vibrant and bold and if you look further into manga comics the settings are as eccentric as the characters are!

Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo

www.manga.com

As you can see the from the images below with the ones from above, they both share a distinct resemblance in their style but of there is one key difference, movement.

As with all games, there has to be movement and in this case the developer has captured this traditional manga style look with a technique called cel shaded which means to give a 3D object (or animation in this case) a hand drawn cartoon like appearance. If you look closely, you can make out a black outline which would be seen in most comic, manga or cartoon styles.

Zelda "The Wind Walker"

Here is another example of a Japanese game which has been cel shaded in a more simpler manner. There seems to be more and on a 3D form which still some how looks 2D.

The Prince of Persia

Another cel shaded game but this time form a western developer "Ubisoft". This cel shaded game has gone for a highly detailed look which looks stunning in stills as much as it does in movement. 

What is interesting is the fact of how this links to some of the box art I have looked at. The western games seemed to go for a highly rendered look with the eastern going for a more simpler look. Another piece of information that I found is which games received the highest review score. The simple Japanese games scored highly across the board whilst the western scored low. What this tells me is that the aesthetics of the game don't make a difference if the mechanics of the game are shallow.

Task

Although I can't actually make a cel shaded character or setting using the normal 3D rendering technique but,  I can imitate it using the software and drawing skills I have on hand. I think I will focus on a simple character and try to stylise it to aim it a Japanese audience.

The Autoworld Toy Appeal 2014

This weeks event that I have been focused on is all about Christmas. I was tasked to create a video to promote the company as well as give out a nice Christmas message. We wanted it to tie in and promote the recent Toy Appeal which involves the local public donating presents, which would then be passed on to yen local charities across Derbyshire.

These key words such as "local" and "Toys" fed in to the video concept. We narrowed it down to an idea of Santa collecting toys from around Derbyshire driving an actual present. The story board was designed to shoot around areas which where know to the general public like the Peal Monument, or town hall.

As a result the video has become quite popular currently reaching the number of 612 views on Facebook which is good. Another side to this story is one of the business side of this project. although the objective is to promote the Appeal, It also doubles up as a promotion for the business. I shows a caring side of the company, it shouts out the name, where we are and although it doesn't have any sales material in it, it could well plant Autoworld in the public minds which may benefit the company down the line.

The Autoworld Toy Appeal Video 

Gaming Cultures "Box Art Battles"

In this post I have been looking into a selection of gaming box art with a difference, the difference being that each of the VS images below are different countries representation of the same game. I thought it would be a good start to judge them of there content to see if there are any key similarities which could aid me in my project.

Uncharted Golden Abyss

The first thing that springs to mind is the title. In the USA version the title is at the top of the box whilst the Japanese version is along the bottom, I'm not quite sure this is like that but it's question that will need answering in a later post. Another key focus that I've noticed is the USA version seems to be more violent, I suppose this could be down to Americas gun culture and thirst for action in games. The Japanese cover seems to more tranquil with a more emphasis on the environment. The Japanese cover seems to be more rich in colour as well.

Dead Island

Once again, the title is at the very top on the USA box whilst the other isn't. The key thing that strikes me is how simple in style the Japanese version is over the American. The former has a limited pallet silhouette look to it whilst the latter is a highly rendered, busy looking piece.

Gears of War

The more and more I look at these differences, the more I am noticing how more violent the USA art work are. Maybe violent isn't the word but a more focus on action and weapons. Even the colourful Kirby's Adventure has an emphasise on a weapon, the weapon actually seems to be the focus as it's the biggest object on the box which kind of detracts from the main character.

Final Fantasy 13

Another key similarity that I'm noticing between the USA & Japanese cultures are within the styles. USA seem to go with a more polished, highly rendered look which can be seen within this piece below, I must admit I prefer the simple Japanese look.

So what have I learnt from this post? Well I the first thing that I have noticed is that the composition of the title seems to have a significance, why that is I can not say but is a question that will need answering. I also notice the how America seem to create a much more busy box art over the simplicity of the Japanese and European box's. USA also seem to be much more violent in terms of weaponry been brandished more which I believe is to do with there culture. This seems to have brought more questions to the table than answers, answers that will need to be looked up

Drawing Inspiration From Around Sheffield

Interesting Type

This post is all about the art, objects, craft work and sights that interested me when I visited the city of Sheffield.

As soon as I got of the train I was drawn to this bill board which was advertising a arena tour of Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds". It was the type face that I liked because it perfect example of what I had in mind for my "Telling a Story on a Box" experiment. It seemed to have a steam punk vibe to it which fits well with the old worldly sci-fi theme of the musical.

I think I will print this off to use it's style to apply it to my experiment of telling a story on a box.

Materials & Techniques

These selection of gifts gave me an insight of the varies materials that could be considered for my project. The outer packaging was made of a black textured card which gave it a unique quality from the first touch and the small intricate details of the laser cut lettering (Denver's Design) made it stand out from the norm. Inside was a selection of place mats made out of wood with intricate patterns cut out yet again from a laser cutter.

So how could I tie this information into my own project? Well it's all down to the narrative that I create for example, if I was to create a narrative for a game say on pirates, then I could use wood as material for a pirates chest gaming box set. I could create a collectable beer mat made out of wood that could have been lifted straight out of one of the games enviroment.

Thinking along the lines of figures which seem to be apart of many gaming spacial edition packagings. I was ruling this idea because of the limited time and resources to actually craete a figure until I saw these wooden structures below. Yet again I they seem to be laser cut because of their inicate detail. They have shown me that I don't have to make a plastic figure, they have shown me that I can think out of the box when appoaching my gaming box set collectables. 

This little novelty by "Ridleys" caught my attention because it had a distinct retro feel to it, this I beleive was down to the choice of materials that was used for the pakaging. These days everything seems to be packaged in a shiny printed card but decades ago, I would imagine that those types of materials where either very expensive to produce, or they weren't even around.

This could well be a very important peice of information to learn from. To add a further authenitic feel to my project, the choice of material would have to fit within the time period.

Finally, I had to include this box, It was perfect example of what kind of outer pakaging I could create. I could imagine opening this to find a collection of gaing gooddies with a game. I could even etch in a design ontop which could turn out well.

I think the main point of this peice of information is to make sure that I use materials that are related to the theme and to make sure the theme that I choose doesn't go beyond all the resoureces and time scale that I have.

Black Friday

The big focus this week for me has to be the Black Friday sale event. Yet again it's another new cultural event which has come over from the USA where shops slash prices on a limited amount of stock. The idea of the pre-marketing build up through advertisements that give little away gives only adds to the customers intrigue. From a design point of view, I like this idea of giving little away to the consumer so they feel inclined to investigate which ultimately leads to more sales. I think it's all about confidence in your message meaning that you have to be willing to make a gamble in your advertisements as opposed to cram all the deals into a advert to make sure you know what you are communicating.

On the other hand, I feel this kind of event brings the worst out in people. Customers are willing to take things to far when trying obtain one of their material goods. People get hurt and in one case in the USA, even killed. I read a news story where people stampeded in to a Wall Mart and killed a worker and when the paramedics where trying to save the poor souls life, shoppers just kept on shopping.

Overall I can see two sides to this event, I can see it as a clever way of advertising by attaching a cultural build up to it, then I can see the selfish side of both the consumer and the businesses.

Life In Miniature

Paper Cities
By Hattie Newman
www.hattienewman.co.uk
Information Sourced from Computer Arts Magazine Issue 232

Hattie Newman is an artist who has worked on various creative projects for a variety of high profile clients. among theses and one of her personal favourites is a piece she made for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park map. She created a geographical accurate, small scale recreation of the park out of paper. 

The detail is staggering and the novelty must make it an instant hit with a young and older audience. I ask my self the question who wouldn't love something like this? 

I'm seeing this more and more in the creative industry, meaning companies are seeking to actually create things instead of creating them on a computer. Take the 2013 John Lewis  Xmas Advert, rather than create a landscape on the computer that actuality created it for real on a small scale! Recently I created a video for my Asian Twist presentation with the same methods in mind.

The point being is that there is no limit to how you create a graphic message and usually these novelty, unique ideas, are the ones that stand out from a very busy crowd. Overall it reinforces the fact that you have to be willing to try new ways and processes and as for this method, it's one that I will be exploring further in the future and looking forward to it!!!

Click her to view the video which is related to these methods!

The Asian Twist Evaluation

Looking back at the project I feel that I have learnt a totally new way of working. I have found it interesting working towards an idea rather than an actually final piece which has allowed me to be more ambitious and because of that, it made me learn new skills and a better understanding of things along the way. For example, I knew that choosing to take on the challenge of branding and planning an event would be a real challenge. I knew that it would make me look deeper in to aspect of design such as marketing and merchandising, to planning skills, such as a choice of venue and health and safety. All these new ways of working and life skills are essential if you wish to work within a creative industry so I'm glad I choose something that pushed me into these new territories.

Taking in from what was said in the feed back, I do agree that my event had a strong cultural theme. I chose everything from the colours, animals and the nature of the twisted design to communicate the key message of the event. I'm not one to judge but, I do believe that my idea came across clear to the audience which is down to the passion and confidence in my work. A key highlight for me was my youtube video (although I agree that the advert was too long) and it's an idea that I wish to take further with more time an planning for future projects. One of the major things that I'm proud of is my management with the time that I had. I must say I could have managed it better but I thought I did quite well taking into account the scale of the project I set my self.

As I said, I feel like my video was the highlight of the whole presentation. It has opened up new and exciting ways in approaching film making. I also learnt how far you and how powerful the laser cutter can act as a design tool and process. 

So what went wrong? Well time was a major issue because I just ran out of it. I knew it would be challenge but every piece of new research unearthed more and more questions that would need answering but I must say that this idea wouldn't be created as an individual, it would be created by a team which leads me to my other regret. I wish I had worked more within a group, I managed to gain research via the Padlet, mind mapping and discussions but I feel I needed to involve myself in group more. Spellings are a major factor, I need to have things checked over by other eyes before giving it the green light. My timing was way off because I was repeating information that was already on the board. A more realistic budget would be important which would mean more looking deeper for information.

Another small regret was that I should have explored more possible routes before I decided to take on the challenge of branding and planning an event, but I do question the fact that would it have been as good of as an idea in the long run if I spent more time looking for a better one? Either way whats done is done and that small initial idea did spark my imagination which turned into various others, in fact I could have kept on going with it and developed more ideas to go with it!

Looking back at my process, I feel like it worked well. From a one small initial idea in the beginning, the idea managed to turn into various other ideas which supported the main one which came down to my confidence and trust in my own personal process, but I do regret not keeping it in one place because this sometimes added unnecessary confusion which led to the wasting of time, which could have been put to better use in the visual development. 

Overall I'm happy with the new knowledge and skills I have acquired, I'm also pleased that I have gained a quality piece branding to go into my portfolio with a strong idea to back it up. I have highlighted some key weaknesses which only makes you stronger if you take the criticism and look to right those wrongs.

The Asian Twist Presentation

Stage 1

This is my final presentation of my ideas towards The Asian Twist Event. The idea was for me to use the key points from each page to use as a base to talk from.

The first two slides where there to highlight exactly what my idea was and to whom I would be presenting it to.

Before heading into the actual event planning itself, I wanted to show where the project started which was through group discussions, mind mapping and drawing ideas from the group padlet wall.

From that I fed those ideas into my own personal mind map which grew in to many different ideas of which I could start to research into.

The word "Event" kept on popping into my mind so I stated to look into various branded events which is what started this whole idea of branding my own event.

Visual identity was a very important factor because it's the face of the event so, I decided to start looking into artists styles and techniques to draw inspiration from and develop my own branding.

At this point, I wanted to go into the development and research into the actual event. I wanted to start with a welcoming message so I created an invitation to hand out at this point

Trying to take into account the limited time, I needed to highlight key information from my research that I thought was essential to the businesses I would be pitching to.

Stage 2

At this point, the idea was to show stage 2 of the presentation to give the potential sponsors a look into what type of promotional materials they would be getting in return.

Once the main visual identity was complete, It gave me the opportunity to use it in many different ways using photographs and photoshop.

Pre-Event Marketing

The intention was to show thee potential sponsors what publicity they would be getting. The images that follow are just a hand full lifted out of the final presentation.

During the Event Marketing & Merchandising

The idea was to brand certain objects that you would receive whilst walking around an sampling the produce in the form of cups, paper plates and takeaway boxes.

Merchandising

Once again, I used a combination of photos and my visual logo to show the variety of merchandise that could be potentially made for the event.

Stage 3

After stage 2,  I wanted to finish off on a high so the idea was to end the whole presentation off with a youtube video 

Click here to view the video on Youtube