Contextual Statement

Designated with the role of Lead Character designer within the JusPlay – Fired! Ipad Multiplayer Interactive group. Consequently possessing previous character design experiences equivalent to minimal roles, I eagerly volunteered with the mindset of testing the limitations of my personal design capabilities. Unfamiliarly treading the lead role, accustoming to conceiving main ideas with influential consequences over the project required time and steady exposure. This role encompassed physically expressing conceived ideas onto paper considering the implications of features, understanding the traits characters adopt in perspective to the gaming audience. Where claws as a feature would attract a male dominant demographic instead.

Presented with the task of locating a game theory present in multiplayer gaming a sufficient basis of knowledge was lacking being oblivious to the existence of theoretical consideration prior to game creation. Collectively with multiple gaming perspectives as a group a strong foundation of gaming ideas were present however, these concepts lacked theoretical engagement. Following the realization that only ideas were constantly juggled ‘Game Theory’ research was implicated where Nash Equilibrium revealed itself immediately. Nash Equilibrium stretched beyond individualistic play into strategies contained within the concepts of co-operative play. These strategies represent a gamer’s responsive thought process, outlining possible outcomes a player subconsciously approves favorable following actions and strategies made visible by fellow players. Comprehending gaming incentive there are several possible instances for Nash Equilibrium to occur during moments of multiple players achieving the highest possible payoffs. Nash Equilibrium encompasses outcomes influenced from gaming possibilities and explores the infrastructure behind co-operative strategy formulation. A theory that can be considered to conform to a socially adapting and evolving world conspicuously appealing to personal interests, being directly implicated within this world. Subsequently our statement was conceived upon this theory. “We are exploring the idea of Nash Equilibrium through a creative practice.”

Following the solidification on a steadily developing idea interest gradually diminished through the realizations of the lack of a theoretical approach. Fitted with the role of lead designer I constantly exposed myself to inspirational pictures before discovering a genre worth exploration, robots. The proposed game accommodated towards the guidelines of Nash Equilibrium demonstrating the necessity of its’ existence. During the conceptual stage of theoretical development we essentially moved towards the idea of the ‘stag hunt’, a theory contained within the realms of Nash Equilibrium with a stronger implication on multiple play. Suggesting player co-operation for the purposes of achieving maximum payoff where deviation results in an individual receiving reduced payoff. Through consideration of the theory a storyline was formulated in support. The storyline depicted the typical factory lifestyle with literal connotations with the game title ‘Fired!’ Workers are caged onto conveyor belts and sent to furnaces where the Conveyor belts and cages are the leading supporters of ‘Stag Hunt.’

Following the role of lead character designer the basis of my research pursued visual inspirations of pictures of previous games. Considering features that characters possessed and what qualities they radiated to gaming audiences. Our game was to outline ideas of cuteness and a slight comical style where consideration towards safe rounded shapes was applied. Sharp shapes and edges appear more fierce and dangerous compared the safety of spherical shapes which was a theme constantly expressed through the characters. While, the physics of motion in accordance with appropriate physical appearance was also a subject appropriately researched visually where I had to develop an understanding of the mechanics of robots. Also to compensate for the creation of both male and female characters a comprehension of the features that differentiate male and female robots was required. Understanding the significance of slimming and rugged features along with color schemes.

During the development of the game several constraints following time were evident resulting from the abrupt decision to alter games completely. While, the group was fixed with roles still unexplored with suitable depth suggesting only a limited skill level in game construction. In accordance to expectations the idea was to create three level game only to fall short to creating a single level game. Ambition was set high over-estimating both ability and time. Regardless of shortcomings I believe the idea of Nash Equilibrium and Stag Hunt is present which was our leading concern from the creation of this game. Although the decision to deviate from the original game resulted in a series of misfortunate happenings it was considered a necessity to create a game that accompanied Nash Equilibrium completely. Resulting from the entire Studio game creation process the existence and presence of gaming theories present in today gaming has been made clear compared to the prior obliviousness. Consequently I have created a stronger foundation for character development for game creation, understanding the necessary steps and methods to implicate before and during game creation, by following the necessary stages.