L3 Y1 Video Games

1. Evaluation
Will Stewart

2. Research
• The foremost strength of this section of my project is by far the product research, specifically
of already-existing products. As I was familiar with the researched material beforehand I had
prior experience with the styles and mechanics of what I wanted the incorporate into my
project, whether through first-hand experience or on an observational standpoint. I was well
aware of the conventions that the genre I was aiming for adhered to, and how they were
employed successfully to create the desired effect. My audience research was to an
acceptable standard, with concise interpretations of the answers that I was provided through
my questionnaires. If I could improve my research in any way, it would be to investigate how
such products were made, and the time and resources that were put into them to make
them work.

3. Planning
• In the Initial Plans of the project, I finalized the concept that I wanted, building upon the
research performed in the previous section. I modelled the mechanical and story elements in
the planning on pre-existing products displayed in my research. The images that I gathered
for my mood board were chosen for epitomising a certain aesthetic, leading to a disparate
array of styles to fit with the narrative I had chosen for the project. In my project schedule, I
stuck within the guidelines provided by the course material, with two weeks for the
production phase and three weeks for everything else. If I could improve my planning, I
would avoid designing overly complex details that are outside the scope of my ability, such as
the additional functions of the game that would not be displayed within the project.

4. Time Management
• Sticking to the schedule helped tremendously to organise my project. This gave me individual
brackets which helped me weekly to complete my work. The course schedule provides me
with specific deadlines that I can focus around, and act as checkpoints that help me to
remember when certain tasks need to be completed. This was essential in keeping me on
track by pressuring me to get the job done on time, the schedules from previous projects
acting as a conditioning mechanism to motivate me more. If I had more time I would have
used it to fine-tune the production more, streamlining the animation and adding more sound
effects if needed.

5. Technical Qualities
Created and animated in Photoshop as individual assets and then mixed with sound using Premier
Pro, both of which are Adobe Creative Cloud applications. The total product clocks out at around
thirty frames, and utilizes multiple moving and stationary assets to create the illusion of progress
through the environment. This included independently constructing and synchronizing different
aspects of the project, such as the player sprite and the background.
Some parts remained in the same place the whole time while others were constantly in
motion, similar to professional video games, which often appear to have interlocking assets
on separate layers to maintain the appearance of certain motions.

6. Aesthetic Qualities
The differing time settings
between the main body and the
starting and ending screens help to
create a believable sense of time
throughout the product, along
with mimicking real-time game
speeds that projects a more
authentic feel.
The part I think worked the most is the fluidity of the assets as they
came together, specifically the main sprite and the background. As
they were animated, they blended well with each other to create
the desired effect, moving with each other in harmony to prevent
any lags or errors during the process.
In terms of improvements, I could have improved the
design in some areas, such as adding in more detail or
refining the movement of lesser-priority assets.

7. Audience Appeal
In regards to the product’s formula, it is linear in nature, going from point A to point B on a singular
route without any diversions. This appeals to audience members that prefer things to be
straightforward and to the point, and find multiple paths in the plot and environment to be either
confusing, frustrating, or boring.
The intentions of the product are easy to understand, being used as something of an
experiment in exercising proper use of the video game formula and the conventions
associated with the chosen genre. Due to me being over-ambitious, the final product fell
short of the proposed concept, with too much complex material being planned for too short
an amount of time at my current skill level.