Zelda Online Asssignment

1) How would you describe the level of engagement compared to more action oriented games from the same period?You engage a lot of bushes for either gaining health if you have taken damage. Or you get killed by a spider. Crafty spiders that hid in the bushes. You also engage the enemies that are placed in the forest but compared to action games its minimal. You could choose to engage or avoid the enemies opposed to an action oriented game where the sole purpose is the action aspect of games. The focus in Zelda wasn't the engagement of enemies but moving forward in the story.

2) What role does setting and characterisation play in the game?The character is set into a fantasy world. You run through a forest most of the game. The character is wearing appropriate clothes that match the theme of the game. He wears a green outfit and carries a sword and shield. The setting sets the tone for the character and what should be expected. You have a young hero and you fight monsters as you keep striding forward to your goal.

3) How do spells, pickups and power-ups assist the game play? The shield helps for Defense, but you could run through the whole game if desired by simply avoiding enemies. But they are there to assist you if your health falls low. The sword is purely Offensive and is used to kill your enemies if you decide to engage them.

I,Videogame Part2

1) What kind of company was Nintendo before it made videogame and videogame consoles?
Nintendo used to make toys and playing cards.

2) What videogame system did it sell before it made its FAMICOM (known in USA as Nintendo Entertainment System) Odessy Console.

3) Shigeru Miyamoto was not a programmer - what skill set did he bring to the industry?
Shigeru Miyamoto was an artist and storyteller.

4) How did the limits of the technology affect the way Mario could be shown?Mario had to wear a hat because designing hairstyles was too difficult. Also they put a mustache to avoid making a mouth. A big nose to determine the face. 

5) Why did US retailers think there was no future in home videogame consoles at the time just prior to the NES release in the USA?The sales of games died so the retailers stopped selling them.

6) What was assumed to the be the 'next big thing' by electronics manufacturers? The home computer. PC.

7) What did Legend of Zelda bring to gaming that was new? Legend of Zelda was a role playing game, which allowed a character to upgrade and progress throughout the story.

8) How did the conservative values of the 1980s (Reagan & Thatcher etc) affect the culture of videogames? The early games had a defeatist mentality compared to the current games, which apply all sorts of goals and values.

9) How were the PC games published by Mystery House like King's Quest different from console games? The games included animation and exploration.

10) How did Sega's 16 big Megadrive system change home console gaming?Better graphics and sounds.

11) How did "Leisure Suit Larry" differ from most genre based games of the period? The setting in the time period was set in modern times opposed to the future(spacegames) or mid-evil times.

12) How is this aspect reflected in many games of today?New Target Audience.

13) What is 'motion capture'? The technology was taken from Hollywood and basically captures joint motion which makes the games more realistic.

14) What is the 'uncanny valley'?Is the result of trying to make characters more realistic. The characters looked more realistic but had a dead feel to them. This creates distance between the player and the character in the game.

Videogame in Class Survey

1) Videogames emerged from the culture of the "Cold War" - what does Henry Jenkins from MIT compare the period to in terms of a famous board game? BattleShip






2) a) Who was the inventor of the first Video game according to the documentary? William Higginbotham

b) What was the name of the game? Tennis for Two. 

3) Steve Russell is credited with the first true computer-based videogame (in terms of its use with the 1961 PDP1 mainframe computer) with SPACEWAR - what popular science fiction book series also influenced him? Doc's Smith's Lensman Series. 

4) What innovation did Steve Russell's SPACEWAR introduce in terms of input hardware? The joy stick was the hardware that was introduced thru the game SPACEWAR. 

5) a) In the anti-war and counterculture period of the 1960s and 1970s, what new home entertainment system let consumers finally control what was being seen on the home television? Ralph Baer created the first home console. 

b) b) Who was its inventor/developer? 

6) PONG emerged out of the counterculture spirit of the early 1970s - its natural home was what type of entertainment setting? restaurants/coffeeshops

7) Who does Nolan Bushnell say were generally best at playing the game? Women.

8) "Space Invaders" emerged in the late 1970s as the first game from Japan.
How did the TAITO production team intensify the emotion of the game using the four-note in-game music theme?
Intensify the music as the aliens get closer to the player. 9) Steve Moulder reflects that the first arcade games tended to result in the player's defeat. This he argues in turn reflected the view held by many designers during that time that war itself is defeatist. 

Has this view changed since that time? Do today's latest games still convey this sense? Why? Why not? (use your own words) No, mainly because times have changed and although you still lose in games it isn't a direct image of the times. Also not all games end in defeat most have an ending but reward you with defeating a boss or enemy that you encounter throughout the game. 

10) Have you ever played any of the games shown in this the first episode of "I, Videogame"? What was your memory of playing it? Where were you, when was it? Well I played Pac Man but the game had been out for years. I played it in an arcade but the era of arcades has been dead for years. I remember being very bad at the game but had a ton of fun failing. :)