Video Games research

1. Research
Harry Taylor

2. Existing Product
The existing product I have chosen to analyse is a mobile game called “Rush”. The game uses a neon colour scheme like I will be
planning to use. The game also has the same sort of avatar that I will try and include in my game. The angle of the game is a 3rd
person perspective and the screen moves with the avatar. The only lighting within the game is the neon colours. Although I like this
idea but I want to have more colour within my game as it might be more appealing. The mise en scene is very minimal. For
example, you can only see the rest of the track that the avatar must go round. As my game will be a 2D side scroller, I will have a
more detailed mise en scene. The location of the game is unknown but we can figure out that it is futuristic due to the colours. The
game doesn't need to have a setting if it something simple like this game so I wont put lots of detail into the location of my game.
“Rush” features futuristic music and sound effects as well. The music is fairly fast which fits with the fast gameplay. This is very
effective because the user associates the pace of the music and the gameplay together which creates a more exciting game play.
The audience appeal to this game is also very effective because of the games simplicity. The game is good when a person is waiting
and there isn’t an awful lot to learn about the game so players will be more likely to buy it because nobody wants to play a
complicated game. I could not find any information about “Rush” on YouGov but I presume that the game is played by mostly
males.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns3Kr8LrcxA

3. Existing Product
The second existing product I will be looking at is ”Flappy Bird”. Although this game was removed from the app store it still follows
basic concepts that I will try to achieve in my game. For instance, the pixel art is simple but effective and the controls aren’t
demanding or confusing. Again, there is no stated location but like I mentioned before, this is not necessary to be able to make a
game stand out. The angle is a standard 2D which is effective due to its simplicity. The view of the game its self features a
background, a menu, the avatar and the score. The score can be compared with friends using Facebook. This is a good addition to
any game as it will bring more players into the game. The game features no music but only sound effects. In a way this is a better
idea than it sounds as most players turn the game music down or off. The game does feature sound effects when the player gets a
point or when the player dies. There isn't a lot to say about the lighting as it is just standard daylight. Something to improve on
though could be having a night time mode or different weather modes. This is something I will look at in my production. This
game appeals to an audience because of the fact its so addictive and that you can compare your score with your friends. As you
cannot complete the game, there is always a new score to achieve. YouGov.com shows that a young male audience aged 18 – 24
mostly play/played this game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQoJZuBwrkU

4. Existing Product
A third product to consider is Super Mario Bros. Although this game is old, people still play it today (or at least play newer
versions). The game is a side scrolling platform game which is what I will try and produce. The game is set in the Mushroom
Kingdom which is obviously fictional but the fact it has a location gives the game a better story. The Mise en scene of this game is
fairly basic. For example, the clouds and the bushes aren’t incredibly detailed but it adds aesthetics to the game. I think that it is
important to have something in the background because it adds colour, depth and an atmosphere to the game. If the game had a
background that was one solid colour it wouldn’t feel as exciting to play as a game that was incredibly detailed. The costume of
the character Mario is a plumbers outfit. I believe that this enforces the idea that anything is possible within a video game
because something normal such as a plumber can do extraordinary things. The music is regular 16 bit and is very iconic. I think
that a simple tune such as this theme tune is sometimes essential for some games simply because people can relate the music to
the game if they hear that music elsewhere so the game becomes known. There is always the option to mute it if the music isn’t
liked by the player.. There is a range of colours used in this game but they are all pale colours. I will try and make the colours more
vibrant in my game as this will make it more attractive to younger audiences.. YouGov.com shows that males aged 25 – 39 played
this game the most as it is quite an old game.

5. Existing Product
The final product I am looking at is Temple Run. This game is a 3D endless running game and is set in a jungle. The player is being
chased by NPC’s and must achieve a high score by avoiding obstacles and collecting coins. The lighting in this game is eerie which
gives the game a scary atmosphere. What I mean by this is that the player feels scared from the atmosphere so they are playing
the game under stress conditions. This makes the player want to do well and therefore keep playing the game. The mise en scene
of the game contains ruins, water and the NPC’s. The use of this mise en scene is effective because it adds colours and textures to
the game so that it isn’t all the same. The music within the game does add to the general feel of the game as the music can add
to any existing tension. The game appeals to all audiences as the concept is so simple that anyone can understand how to play it.
This is why I have gone with a simple concept because it can appeal to everyone. According to YouGov.com, it mostly a young
male audience (18 – 24) who play this game. I think this is because there are more males that play video games.

6. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched products have?
• The common features of the researched products are the audience appeal. All the games are easily playable by
any audience due to their simple concepts/easy controls. All the games are most commonly played by males as
well. I think this isn’t due to what the games look like or anything like that but I think its just because more males
play games rather than females.
• Also, 3 of the games share the endless run theme where the game is about getting a high score rather than getting
through levels. In a way I think that this is a better concept for a game as you never complete it and there is always
competition but on the other hand the game could get boring for some users because some players like the
achievement of completion.
• 2 of the games are 2D pixel art games. These games are also the most famous games out of the 4. This could be
due to the fact that pixel art is aesthetically pleasing to some players or just because they have a good concept.
• What aspects of the research will you include within your on work?
• After looking at these existing products I have found that a vibrant/bright colour scheme with a detailed
background is key to making a good game. However, I need to have a balance with dark and light colours because
otherwise I could have an unbalanced colour scheme.
• I will try to include good fonts and use a 3rd person view. A good font will instantly attract the players attention
and it will be near impossible to make a 2D 1st person game.
• The game will be 2D but I will not try to overcomplicate the graphics as I have found that simplicity makes a good
game.

7. Interviews

8. Interview 1
• Would you like the game to include more than one unlockable avatar
and why?
Yes because this will give the player something to work towards, and
unlocking the characters could also lead to having more replay ability.
• Do you prefer side scrolling games and why?
Yes because the objective is usually a lot more clearer, and the detail that
can go into each level simply makes them a lot more fun for the player.
• Should the game only have one difficulty and why?
You could have multiple difficulties going into the different unlockable
characters, as you could vary the difficulty slightly in order to suit the
possible playstyle that a character has.

9. Interview 1
• Observation: The interviewee showed they liked variation within a
game.
• What this says about my audience: This shows that I
will have to make the game with a lot of options and custom options as my
audience likes to be free whilst playing the game.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: My product will include unlockable characters that are
fitted to a certain difficulty as this interviewee suggests it can give more
replay ability. If a person unlocks the hardest avatar then that will
hopefully encourage the players friend to also unlock this avatar.

10. Interview 2
• Would you like the game to include more than one unlockable avatar and why?
• Yeah as I think it gives the player a more rewarding experience, this will make
people play the game again just to play as the new avatar.
• Do you prefer side scrolling games and why?
• I prefer games where you can move around in every direction as I think you have
more freedom. However, I think that side scrolling games can be good to play as
long as there different from other side scrolling games such as they have a
different art concept or they have a unique to story to the game.
• Should the game only have one difficulty and why?
• No, I think it would be better if the game has a few difficulty levels such as easy,
normal, and hard. This would make it better for players who want to play the
game again but have a more challenging approach. If you do do this, you should
add rewards for completing higher difficulties as then it would be more
rewarding for the player.

11. Interview 2
• Observation: The interviewee likes to play games where they are
in control of most options within the game. (For example not just being
able to move in one direction like you would in a side scroller).
• What this says about my audience: This says that my
audience like to play games where everything can be customized and
controlled by them instead of having a default avatar. I think that having
too many options can take the simplicity away from a game.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: I will try to include more custom options so that the user
still feels like they have more control over the game.

12. Interview 3
• Would you like the game to include more than one unlockable avatar and why?
Yes because it influences you to want to play the game more and unlock the
characters. The game becomes addictive and has a reward at the end of it.
• Do you prefer side scrolling games and why? Yes because I do not play many video
games, therefore the game would appeal to me more if it had simple graphics. It is
easy to control and play.
• Should the game only have one difficulty and why? No because this means that
the game will be completed quickly and will be easy for some people. Only having
one difficulty does not cater to the different types of people: gamers playing for
the first time or experienced gamers. There should be several difficulties to keep
the gamer interested and influence them to purchase the game.

13. Interview 3
• Observation: The player likes to be rewarded for playing a game.
• What this says about my audience: This says that
rewards should be essential as it gives the player a sense of achievement
which makes them more likely to keep on playing the game.
• How will your product appeal to this
audience: My product will have unlockable characters when a player
completes a certain achievement such as completing the level/game on a
certain difficulty. If the hardest avatar to unlock is achieved by one person
in a friend group, then the people in that group will also want to try and
unlock it so the game won’t get tiring.

14. Bibliography

15. Bibliography
1. Interviewees, Name. (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on DATE)
2. Interviewees, Name. (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on DATE)
3. Anon. (2016). Flappy Bird. Available:
https://yougov.co.uk/profileslite#/Flappy_Bird/demographics. Last accessed
22nd Feb 2018.
4. Anon. (2016). Super Mario Bros. Available:
https://yougov.co.uk/profileslite#/Super_Mario_Bros/demographics. Last
accessed 22nd Feb 2018.
5. Anon. (2016). Temple Run. Available:
https://yougov.co.uk/profileslite#/Temple_Run/demographics. Last accessed
22nd Feb 2018.
6. Ketchapp. (2017). Rush Gameplay. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns3Kr8LrcxA. Last accessed 22nd Feb
2018.
7. IGN. (2014). Flappy Bird Gameplay. Available:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQoJZuBwrkU. Last accessed 22nd Feb
2018.