Unit 3 - Personal Project - Research

1. Research
Will Stewart

2. Existing Product
The twisted and irregular
environment in the
background emphasises the
game’s freakiness and overall
madness-based themes.
Alice’s bloodied attire tells the
viewer that the game has a justified
mature rating, even more so if you
are familiar with the original
American McGee’s Alice.
The title font has been stylised so
that the entire word has the same
texture as the central knife. This
goes further to display Alice’s
ruthless and vicious nature, as
well as the game’s combative
environment.
Alice’s attire serves as a
homage to the original stories
by L. Frank Baum, the blue
dress and white apron
popularized by Disney
becoming an iconic indicator of
anything Alice-related.

3. Existing Product
Heavy emphasis on lighting,
colour and shadows, making
the environment feel more
otherworldly and
fantastical. This succeeds in
making the game feel more
like a comic book in terms
of artistic direction.
The heavy presence of
darkness in the scene
conveys the game’s focus
on the hidden, ergo the
detective protagonist and
mystery genre.
The font title and colouring
mimics that of seedy night-
club neon, drawing
attention to the game’s
focus on the underbelly of
society.
The use of the cigarette
light to define the shadow
highlights the main
character’s supernatural
aspect. Those familiar with
the Fables series would
immediately recognise
him, and this visual cue is
for those who are first-
time watchers of the
franchise.
The way that Bigby stares
out towards the camera,
eyes standing out against
the darkness, emphasises
his somewhat predatory
nature by making appear
to be the eyes of a wolf.

4. Existing Product
The lack of a title adds a hint of mystery to the
atmosphere, emphasizing the game’s ominous
and mysterious nature.
The shot of Yharnam before The
Hunter acts as an indicator of the
scope and size of the game, the
intricate detail of the environment
conveying the quality of the game
itself, promising satisfactory artistic
work.
The ethereal lighting from the moon
and small amounts of mist in the
frame, combined with the ominous
dark clouds above, all create an
atmosphere of deception or
disguise, veiling whatever is hidden
away in the fog.
The way the city is curved makes it
appear as if it is trying to catch or
devour The Hunter, symbolic of the
enemies residing within Yharnam.
The way The Hunter stands, back
straight, weapons at the ready, and
gaze locked firmly on the city,
makes him seem undaunted by the
horrors within, confident and
assured in the face of danger.

5. Existing Product
The deep red sky adds a layer of
ominousness and dread to the cover, red
denoting danger and violence.The dark black depiction of
the island makes it stand
out against the yellow
cover, the details in the
picture adding substance
and essence to the design.
H.G. Wells, being one of the founding
fathers of science-fiction, is widely known
among most people. His name immediately
attracts attention wherever it is seen,
lending credence of quality to whatever it
is placed upon.

6. Research Analysis
• What common features do the researched
products have?
– Each product focuses upon people that deviate from normality, whether it be normal
mentality, such as Alice and The Hunter, or normal physiology, like Bigby and the
creations of Doctor Moreau.
• What aspects of the research will you include
within your on work?
– In terms of characters, those who deviate from social norms will be the centrepieces of
the project. In terms of artistic direction, the lighting and colour-centric style of The
Wolf Among Us. Gameplay-wise, the hack n’ slash madness of Alice and Bloodborne,
contrasted against the slow-paced detective noir of The Wolf Among Us, running parallel
to each other in terms of plot.

7. Questionnaire Analysis
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/DDX
S6J6

8. Audience research
• Observation: The answerers don’t particularly care about the game’s aesthetics.
• What this says about my audience: That they are not people who think a game’s art
direction is important in comparison to other elements.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To focus more on the gameplay and
plot.
Q: What kind of art style do you think the game should have?
A: Depends
Don’t Know.

9. Audience research
• Observation: The thematic elements and gameplay take precedence over the plot.
• What this says about my audience: They are more attracted to the straightforward and less
complex parts of the gameplay than the intricacies of the mystery plot.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To put more emphasis on the hack n’ slash
sections of the game.
Q: What part of the game sounds the most interesting to you?
A: The supernatural elements: 1
The detective noir plot: 0
The hack n’ slash gameplay: 1

10. Audience research
• Observation: The audience is interested in how the game appeals the mainstream of the gaming
community.
• What this says about my audience: They follow the crowd and celebrate the most popular games in
the community.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To be good enough to fit into this demographic.
Q: What attracts you to your favourite games?
A: Good ratings.
Adventure.

11. Audience research
• Observation: The audience is looking for a game that gives them an appropriate sense of
satisfaction.
• What this says about my audience: They wish to have a satisfying experience with games they play,
that helps them to escape mundane life for a short time.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To have an engaging enough plotline and gameplay
to deliver this sense of satisfaction, and be devoid of bugs so that the game can flow smoothly.
Q: What causes you to dislike the games you play?
A: Lag and glitches.
If it’s uninteresting then I won’t play it.

12. Audience research
• Observation: That there are vastly different views on what kind of game each person is expecting,
usually because of their personal opinion.
• What this says about my audience: That each person wants something that caters to them
personally, regardless of overall aesthetics.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: By listening to the audience and factoring in their
opinion, but sticking to the game’s emotional field.
Q: What kind of rating do you think the game deserves?
A: Everyone
Adults 18+

13. Audience research
• Observation: There is more or less and equal balance between the two biological genders,
meaning that there is also and equal amount of interest.
• What this says about my audience: That both demographics have an interest in the product,
and that their interest and opinion must be taken into account.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To create content that appeals to both
demographics, and to not offend either of them.
Q: What is your gender?
A: Male
Female

14. Audience research
• Observation: That the primary group of interest are those within the late teens/early
twenties age bracket.
• What this says about my audience: That the product appeals to those within this specific age
bracket.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: By capitalising on this information, we can
emphasise what appeals to the audience, as well as include more content that would appeal
to other age demographics.
Q: What is your age?
A: 16
17

15. Audience research
• Observation: That the audience has selected characters based on what appeals to them
personally.
• What this says about my audience: That they sympathise and relate to these types of
characters, feeling that they resemble them in some way.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: By taking the audience’s opinion into account,
but to remain independent of their whims and have autonomy.
Q: What kind of characters do you want to see in the game?
A: Cocky
Hot

16. Audience research
• Observation: That the audience has roughly the same opinion in terms of time length.
• What this says about my audience: That they prefer a satisfactory amount of content to
entertain them, rather than a quick and easy game that takes only a few minutes.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: By including enough material to keep the
audience satisfied.
Q: How log do you think the game should be?
A: 18+
20 – 30 minutes

17. Audience research
• Observation: The audience prefers high-intensity and fast-paced games that involve lots of
action and have an exciting momentum.
• What this says about my audience: That they are possibly impulsive people who delight in
unrestrained chaos.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: To incorporate these aspects into the action-
based segments of the game, utilising their opinions to create a greater satisfactory
experience.
Q: What is the most satisfying game you have ever played?
A: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Asphalt Nitro

18. Interviews

19. Interview 1
• Who is your favourite video game character and why?
• The GTA 5 Gangster character because there are a lot of sound effects behind him, he has a good character profile and you
can interchange his cars.
• What is the game that impressed you in terms of design?
• The game that impressed me in terms of design is Call of Duty Advanced Warfare because of the different items and
weapons you can use it shows futuristic weapons design.
• What video game character do you hate the most and why?
• I hate Harry Potter as a game character because of the old graphics product and the limitations of his character.
• What game did you find the most annoying and why?
• Pokemon Go because you can’t find all the characters where they are placed.
• What do you find disappointing in games you play?
• I find some of the graphics aren’t up to the machines specification and some of the characters are not developed properly.
Filled out by Josh Sotheran.

20. Interview 1
• Observation: This interviewee predominantly prefers open-
world, first-person games with enhanced adaptability and
customisation.
• What this says about my audience: They value personal
freedom within games and an expansive world environment.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: Some
characters being heavily customisable during the hack n’ slash
segments of the game, along with certain plot elements on
the freedom of choice.

21. Interview 2
• Who is your favourite video game character and why?
• Link from Zelda, because it reminds me of being younger and having adventures in a alternate and fantasy world with my
friends.
• What is the game that impressed you in terms of design?
• Bioshock, it’s visuals and deep links with other stories alongside graphics really got my attention.
• What video game character do you hate the most and why?
• Mario – I find him over popular for no real reason as he is only a plumber..
• What game did you find the most annoying and why?
• Tomb Raider one, swinging across a waterfall on a vine.. I can’t do that level!
• What do you find disappointing in games you play?
• When they don’t live up to expectation with graphics, need extra add ons which cost money and when the levels are
completely unachievable!
Filled out by Chantelle Pulleyn.

22. Interview 2
• Observation: The interviewee prefers adventure-based games
with a good storyline, such as questing for hidden treasure
with greater significance.
• What this says about my audience: They appreciate a good
and complex story, but not pointless side-quests that are
necessary to advance.
• How will your product appeal to this audience: Very well, due
the plot being driven entirely by the characters and their
experiences, standard objectives like fetch quests and
missions being secondary by comparison.

23. Audience Profile
Category Demographic Content to appeal to this audience
Age Range
15-20’s • Character-driven, avoidance of too much
slow pacing, fast-paced action and
genuinely intriguing plot.
Gender
Male and Female • A diverse cast of characters, with a variety
of ages, genders, nationalities, races,
religions, social classes, sexualities and body
types.
Psychographic
Anything, really. • The multitude of characters planned would
be used to represent a variety of lifestyles,
so that each character appeals to at least
one person.
Social Status
Not relevant. • Once again, the characters and their
differentiating background are used to
represent a plethora of social strata,
personal dilemmas and personalities.

24. Research Evaluation

25. Research Evaluation
• Give an overview of how you conducted your research.
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each method
– Product Research
• Personalized and fully controlled by the researcher, it provides first-hand
information from a variety of different resources to codify the researcher’s ideas
and goals.
– Questionnaires
• Can collect information from a multitude of angles at once, each one different from
the other without direct correlation.
– Interviews
Allows the researcher to acquire information with a direct line of response to the
interviewee, preventing corruption of information in transit .

26. Research Evaluation
– What sort of a response did you get?
A variety of different views on the proposed subject, some useful, others not.
Each response was highly personalized with the individual surveyor’s responses;
whether they be necessarily what the creator of the survey was looking for is
irrelevant. Due to the responses being purely personal opinion, it is hard to
define the overall theme, only that they are what the surveyor thinks is the
appropriate response to the question.
– How did you distribute your survey? Give an advantage and a disadvantage
• I used a hyper-link for survey distribution, presented through a Facebook group
chat. While this does limit the number of responders to those in the group chat,
and even then only those who actually choose to respond, it is one of the fastest
ways to accumulate responses quickly, regardless of selectivity.