Unit 4 - Interactive Project - Research

1. Research
Will Stewart

2. Existing Product
A screenshot from the game Blazblue:
Chronophantasma, depicting one of the fighters
initiating their special move. Special attacks like
this are a common staple of fighting games,
recognisable thanks to their extravagant effects
and an increase in graphics and sound.
The character portraits positioned next to the health bars reveal which
player is winning the current game. The number set in between them is a
timer presenting the amount of time left before the match ends, at which
point a winner shall be decided.
The bars in the lower corners of the screen
show the amount of energy needed to
activate the characters’ special moves. Only
when filled to the maximum can the attack
be initialised, forcing the players to use
ingenuity to rack up as many hits as
possible to fill up the gauge.

3. Existing Product
The work that went into designing
the world of Street Fighter V is a
prime example of the incredible
artistry that goes into designing a
video game’s aesthetic. The lifelike
and animated scenery presented in
the image is but one of many
stunning vistas within the game
itself. The dedication needed to
complete all of these scenes and
produce a game of such quality
requires an intense drive to actually
succeed in delivering a good game,
something that can be difficult when
the long hours start getting to you.
The fluidity of the character models
and detail put into their design speaks
volumes of both the artists’ drive to
succeed and the strength of the
game’s engine. A good combination of
these two factors can create truly
stunning visuals, a critical selling point
of many video games. As character
design is usually an increasingly
delicate process, animating the
characters with such precision is a
respectably impressive feat.

4. Existing Product
Super Smash Bros. is well-known for both it’s high-intensity multiplayer system and
the expansive world that comprises it’s levels. My desire is to mimic the scope of this
world, designing something that can engage with the players and keep them
entertained for a reasonable amount of time.
The detailed background art adds to the atmosphere by presenting an otherworldly and
exotic landscape, conveying the sense of fantasia common with video games of this genre.
Fighting games function by counting on the audience to suspend their disbelief, genuinely
believing that the characters would engage in such ridiculous amounts of extreme combat.
The further the game pushes this premise, the more memorable and popular it becomes,
leading to notoriety within it’s chosen fandom, further fuelling it’s success.

5. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched
products have?
– As each game is of the fighting genre, combat and violence is an inevitable similarity. Individually,
each game has it’s own unique form of extravagance, whether it be the high-fantasy, plot-based
action story of Blazblue or the crazy, endless fun of Super Smash Bros.
• What aspects of the research will you include
within your on work?
– Stylistically, I believe that the expansive level design and intricate character models are each game’s
main drawing points aesthetically. Upon observation, I now know where to focus when I begin
production on the project, aesthetics being heavily important in any project that takes visuals into
account.

6. Audience

7. Audience Profile
Category Demographic Content to appeal to this audience
Age Range
17-35 • Age-appropriate content, such as
uncensored language, mature humour and
realistic, if exaggerated physics.
Gender
Equal • A gender-equal ensemble of characters with
respectable and unoffensive depictions of
various different lifestyles.
Psychographic
Internet Trawlers • Those familiar with the internet-based stick
figure battles will be drawn to the product,
already fans of the source material.
Social Status
Varied • Characters created to appeal to different
levels of people, whether they be working-
class or upper-class.