ANALYSIS OF A GAME

GENRE

RPG

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-

Dto1ueTmIGY/UujNDK2tZOI/AAAAAA

AACTI/hmGBdqW80R4/s1600/Middl

e-Earth-Shadow-Of-Mordor-2014-

Game.jpg

http://static-

1.nexusmods.com/15/mods/1

10/images/56179-1-

1406528101.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wik

ipedia/en/8/89/Dragon_Age_Or

igins_cover.png

Shadow Of Mordor The Elder Scrolls : Skyrim Dragon Age Origins

The RPG genre originates from the Dungeons &

Dragons pencil -and-paper fantasy role-playing game

where the players controlled one or a small group of

characters and progressed through quests to gain XP

(Experience) where in result to this players would often

form a close attachment to their characters,

Characters improve as they progress through the game,

and after a few quests the characters gain experience

from battles and challenges, experience causes

characters to advance in skills and abilities

RPGs usually have strong story lines – often involving a

“save the world” like Dragon Age Origins for example,

the theme setting may also be used in fantasy, sci -fi, or

real world type of RPG.

RPG (ROLE PLAYING GAME) GENRE

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Si

E1_0nQqGU/maxresdef

ault.jpg

http://www.mobygame

s.com/images/shots/l/

505362-dragon-age-

origins-playstation-3-

screenshot-the-blight-

has.jpg

2. Play and observe the games (take notes, use screen

capture/grabs, voiceover or embedded video where possible).

*

On these few screenshots of my chosen games were taking via

steam while playing through each game. So basically these shots

were taken while playing through the games.

Through this type of RPG you interact with the world and mainly the NPC's around you by engaging in a conversation learning there personalities and how you treat them if they are one of your companions. for example Loghain who is the man in the top image and is one of your main nemesis because of him leaving the king and the rest of the Grey Wardens to die in the fight at Ostagar and later in the game you can decide to kil l him or to l isten to his words where he will explain that everything he done was necessary.

this gives you a sense of choice and allows you to role play easily with your character as these decisions you make hold weight.

DRAGON AGE SCREENSHOTS

As you can see in this image the

character I play as has a dog

companion, this is achieved by

pick the ‘human noble’ character

where you are living in a estate

with your family waiting to send

your army to help fight the

darkspawn. But incidentally are

attacked by a man called “Howe”

and your family is killed, this

sets in motion your views your

character how you would react to

these emotional events if you

were put into that situation.

Here I show the atmosphere of

the world of Skyrim where as

you can see is a great looking

game and has the main aspects

of an RPG, which is exploring

vast areas creating and finding

new armours and weapons and

fighting huge dragons.

Elder Scrolls is also a very

immersive game which allows

you to involve yourself into the

game which in result to that

creates a great role playing

experience.

SKYRIM SCREENSHOTS

In the elders Scrolls you are also

able to discover guild or even

armies which involve you even

more by assigning you to do

dif ferent which you are rewarded

with promotions in the army or a

guild. And which side you choose

to fight for weather it be the for

example the stormcloaks or the

Empire it immerse you into

believing you are part of that

army which overall creates a

perfect RPG game.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2wulnti-qzU/maxresdefault.jpg

SHADOW OF MORDOR SCREENSHOTS

In this RPG you interact with the

world by encountering dif ferent

orcs in combat but the new thing

about that is the orcs will

remember if you defeated them

before or if the killed you, this

creates a personality with each

orc which in result to this

creates a good RPG experience.

3. Describe structure/interaction/gameplay/themes

STRUCTURE/THEMES

http://static.strategyinformer.com/r/game_images/thumbs

/647x/0155/0031075.jpg

http://www.vgfaq.com/wp-

content/uploads/2014/10/Middle-Earth-Shadow-of-

Mordor-Display-Of-Power-Dagger-Legend-Mission.jpg

As you can see in the first example in “Dragon Age Origins” is where the player is interacting with the NPC “Alistair” and throughout most of the game you will interact with these people through a selection of choices to pick if you want to be aggressive to them or polite to them which effects the relationship between these characters that you’ll meet.

In the second example the interaction with the you as the player is completely different where you will encounter in combat many enemies which will develop opinions about you based on how the fight goes, so for example you cause a orc captain to set on fire and he escapes when you re -encounter this particular orc he will remember that you burned and virtually involve you to be the part of the game which allows a involving role playing game. http://consoledomination.com/wp-

content/uploads/2014/10/Middle-

Earth-Shadows-of-Mordor-Review-

Screenshot-Wallpaper-Captain-

Introduction.jpg

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/

mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/D/Dragon

%20Age/Everything%20Else/Dragon%2

0Age%20Romance%20Guide/ART/Finis

hed/duncan%20shield%202--

article_image.jpg

5. Analyse narrative structures (closed, open, single strand, multi -

strand, l inear, non-linear, enigma, climax, equilibrium).

NARRATIVE STRUCTURES

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20

091130015324/dragonage/images/th

umb/5/5b/Map_-_World.jpg/630px-

Map_-_World.jpg

http://a2.mzstatic.com/us/r30/

Purple4/v4/c9/a1/46/c9a1466

d-75b1-97b8-85a4-

516cb1bcbb47/screen480x480.j

peg

http://majamaki.com/wp-

content/uploads/2011/12/192

0-dirty-skyrim-map-by-solace-

grace-lg.jpg

Dragon Age Origins Map Shadow Of Mordor Map Skyrim Map

As you can see between these two varieties of exploration and how they are used dif ferently, also how they show the story dif ferently.

The first example is not linear is it allows to freely explore a vast area without any boundaries giving you the sense of freedom and exploration as you don’t need to go at any pace the game has as there is none, and that can beneficial for a game when it comes to replayability.

My second example is linear but offers a dif ferent type of exploration and freedom in the forms of involving conversations with NPC’s and allows you to preset location on the fairly small map, but you will often forget the size by the quality of the interaction between you and the companions you travel with throughout the game. So in a dif ferent way it allows a great deal of replayability.

http://gamersushi.com

/wp-

content/uploads/2011

/11/skyrim-

whiterun.jpg

http://firsthour.net/scree

nshots/dragon-age-

origins/dragon-age-

origins-human-battle.jpg

6. Analyse representation of characters (negative and positive

(stereotyping) representation of social groups, social issues and

places/organisations).

CHARACTER STEREOTYPING

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-

o3OFj36fk48/VAGrjgrCJ5I/AAAAA

AAAA9Y/CWyccOxaih4/s1600/Mi

ddleearth%2BShadow%2Bof%2B

Mordor.png

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__c

b20120607234956/dragonage/im

ages/a/ab/Duncan.jpg

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__

cb20130523180052/elderscrolls/

fr/images/3/3b/Alduin_Skyrim_1.

png

Ratbag (S of M) Duncan (DAO) Alduin (Skyrim)

The main character Talion is shown to be a very miserable who has lost loved ones and seeks revenge and this type of theme is used for countless characters to give the impression of a built up anger laying dormant within them allowing them to design that person to be very powerful when producing a game.

In the game he is known to be a descendant of the Northmen in Rhovanion, and raised in Minas Tirith, he is a Ranger of Gondor, and has spent his entire adult life as a Ranger in the garrison stationed at the Black Gate. Everything changes, however when the Black Gate is attacked by Sauron's minions. At the moment of his death, Talion is possessed by an immensely powerful Wraith, saving his life, but also putting upon him a great burden of not resting with his lost loved ones.

TALION

http://img4.wikia.nocoo

kie.net/__cb201410060

71836/middleearthsha

dowofmordor7723/ima

ges/d/dc/Talion(shadow

_of_mordor).png

Morrigan is a Witch of the Wilds, one of

innumerable sorceresses whose legends

originate in the Korcari Wilds. She is called

upon to leave her home to become a

companion to the Warden.

"Men are always willing to believe two

things about a woman: one, that she is

weak, and two, that she f inds him

attractive .“

This is a good quote that Morrigan says

which basically sums up female characters

as in most games the female NPCs are

weak and cannot defend themselves and

Morrigan goes out of her way to show that

she is an exception to that theory, saving

you countless times in battle.

MORRIGAN

http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20

130202200834/dragonage/es/images

/e/e2/Morrigan.gif

Last Dragonborn has the ability to consume a slain

Dragon's soul and absorb its knowledge, allowing them

to learn words of power quickly. At the beginning

of Skyrim , the Dragonborn is a prisoner, captured while

attempting to illegally cross the border into Skyrim.

While being transported to the settlement of Helgen,

the Dragonborn discovers that Ulfric Stormcloak, the

leader of the Stormcloak rebellion, is a fellow prisoner.

The Dragonborn you begin to play as instantly

portrayed to be this unstoppable force who can take

out dragons his voice and can fight the world eater

“Alduin” himself who is one of the main enemies your

tasked to try and stop, this type of setting is used for a

lot of RPG’s where the player starts with little to no

skills and progressing through the game acquiring new

ones

DRAGONBORN

http://gimmegim

megames.com/wp

-

content/uploads/2

013/02/Skyrim-

Dragonborn.jpg